Background

The numerous Mac Minis ordered in 2025 were base models with minimal hard drive capacity (256 GB). Previously, IAIA always ordered classroom computers with at least double the hard drive capacity (512 GB), since it could not be upgraded later. In fact, Apple has recognized this weakness too: no Mac Mini model is can be ordered any longer with the small-capacity internal storage purchased last year.

By Spring 2026, complaints were starting to register from CINE students and faculty who said that the limited drive space on these computers was slowing down student work and making it more difficult for students to complete their course assignments.

Funding

The ongoing staffing shortage at Online Learning could result in thousands of dollars in surplus funds. Upgrading these classroom computers could be a cost-effective expenditure of those funds. Another option would be to apply for Strategic Priorities funding in September. The CINE department might have funds to devote toward this need.

Three Solutions

Two immediate upgrade solutions are realistic. I understand that a third solution has been proposed by Sonia Guerra, but I am not acquainted with its status or details.

  1. Purchase more powerful Mac Minis for the Olive Room — Most expensive option ($1,300 per computer) More powerful versions of the Mac Mini would be more appropriate for CINE classrooms. The M4 Pro Mac Mini has significantly higher performance for video rendering and other high-level tasks. These would also feature larger hard drives, and more RAM (512 GB and 24 GB).

The Mac Minis replaced could be re-deployed to classrooms with less demanding performance needs and/or upgraded via expansion hubs.) For example, these Mac Minis could replace some of the 2021 M1 iMacs in various IAIA classrooms.

Note: M4 Pro Mac Minis presently show 9-10 week shipping dates. This is due to the worldwide pressure on processors and RAM placed by the data center boom. An order would need to be placed this week if we are to have a good prospect of timely shipment and invoicing for the current fiscal year.

  1. Purchase Hubs that expand ports and hard drive space — Most economical option ($200-400 per computer) There are some affordable stand/hubs designed specifically for M4 Mac Minis. Many of these include an internal bay to house an additional hard drive. This drive would not be as fast as the internal storage of the Mac Mini, but in most cases it would be fast enough that users generally would not notice the 1-3 additional seconds.

    Candidate HUBs to expand hard drive space

    There are numerous vendors of such hubs. But many are from recently-formed companies with no track record (typical of so many Amazon-hosted companies).

    Satechi Stand & Hub with M.2 SSD — $99 + cost of NVMe Drive Reasonably priced and spec’d stand/hub from a reliable vendor

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    Atech MiniRaiden Thunderbolt 5 Dock — $199 + cost of NVMe Drive More expensive, but also highly future-proof. This or a similarly-spec’d hub would work very well in any CINE classrooms. (I have not yet found any technical reviews of this newly-introduced hub.)

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  2. Set up a Network Drive in Library Basement — Most ambitious option ? Please contact Sonia Guerra. Perhaps the solution is described in her recently submitted report.