Boxed News

boxed.newsProduct-Market MisfitPC sales are down because of high prices, yet the PC market keeps trying to take its laptops upscale—especially based on the RTX Spark. Maybe leave the horsepower on your mini PC at home?

Over on @boxed.news I ponder whether Nvidia’s bold (read: expensive) play to reinvent laptops would actually make more sense as a bold (read: less expensive) play to reinvent mini PCs. After all, it’s not like you can run those AI services when your laptop is closed. boxed.news/2026/10/23/r...

When everything is already expensive, why are companies trying to sell us $5,000 laptops?

Boxed News reposted

Replying to @ernie.tedium.co

Raise your hand if you walk around with a mini PC in your pocket on the regular boxed.news/2026/10/16/s...

boxed.newsA Chinese Challenger AppearsThe local AI box trend gets a fresh boost of energy from a chip produced more or less entirely in China.

It feels like expensive AI boxes are all the rage in mini PCs right now. We can’t avoid it, but we can at least highlight a smaller, weirder one.

Boxed News reposted

boxed.newsThe Bar Mat ComputerThe Microsoft Surface RTX Spark Dev Box looks like something you’d put your drink on. Not sure if that’s what they were going for.

The latest edition of @boxed.news reports on the $6,000 bar-mat computer Microsoft is selling … then spends the rest of the piece repeatedly pitching you on the lowest-end computers we could find. Thin clients? Chromeboxes? Yeah, we got that. boxed.news/2026/10/09/n...

boxed.newsThe Bar Mat ComputerThe Microsoft Surface RTX Spark Dev Box looks like something you’d put your drink on. Not sure if that’s what they were going for.

Odds are, you probably don’t know anyone that’s gonna buy a Surface Dev Box.

Boxed News reposted

boxed.newsGravitational Pull 🍎A native Linux build hits the M4 Mac Mini, but if AI ticks you off, there’s a chance you might not be into it.

Alright, got a @boxed.news issue for ya. This time: The M4 Mac Mini gets native Linux support, but it comes with some awkward AI chatter. Give it a look: boxed.news/2026/09/30/g...

boxed.newsGravitational Pull 🍎A native Linux build hits the M4 Mac Mini, but if AI ticks you off, there’s a chance you might not be into it.

The M4 Mac Mini gets a Linux of its own. Kinda.

Boxed News reposted

boxed.newsSnapdragon Mini PCs: What The Early Benchmarks SayIt took a few years, but we finally have a Qualcomm-based mini PC. Depending on how you hold it, it’s actually fast.

We were supposed to have a Snapdragon mini PC years ago. Yet we only got one this week. (Is it any good?) boxed.news/2026/09/22/a... my latest on @boxed.news

boxed.newsSnapdragon’s Belated SnapIt took a few years, but we finally have a Qualcomm-based mini PC. Depending on how you hold it, it’s actually fast.

22 Sept

Welcome to the mini PC game (finally), Qualcomm.

Boxed News reposted

boxed.newsMac Attack 🍏Still holding on to an M1 Mac Mini? The M6 Mac Mini, even with its sizable price increase, represents an eye-opening jump in performance.

15 Sept

Over at @boxed.news this evening, we talk about the new Mac Mini’s surprising performance boost and offer some memories of a company called Tiny Computers whose computers mostly weren’t that small. (Hope you dig!) boxed.news/2026/09/15/m...

boxed.newsMac Attack 🍏Still holding on to an M1 Mac Mini? The M6 Mac Mini, even with its sizable price increase, represents an eye-opening jump in performance.

15 Sept

Is now the time to retire your old Mac Mini?

boxed.newsI’m Seeing Sparks 🔌PC manufacturers looking to have a response to the Mac Studio start soft-launching their Nvidia mini-PC plays. Should you care?

9 Sept

Should you save thousands of dollars to buy some possibly good Nvidia-centric AI Box from Lenovo or HP? boxed.news/2026/09/08/n...