You can do plenty of things on a 12 year old computer. In fact I am watching a video while writing this blog on it right now.
My Mac-Mini, it looks new from the outside.
For some people being able to write a document and watch a video is all you need.
It can send Emails, it has Messages, and it has FaceTime. Things that define the entire Apple Ecosystem, it is very useful if you already have other Apple devices.
I bought my Mac-Mini on ebay and in a not working condition. The charm about older Mac-Minis, besides its small foot-print, is how easy it is to get running again.
You can open up the bottom hatch just using your hands, and BAM you have access to nearly everything. The ram, storage, wifi-card and everything else.
Replacement parts are also abundant.
I have the Intel core 2 duo version. Which is not powerful by any modern metric. It also only goes up to MacOS High Sierra, unless you are willing to do some patching.
My Mac-Mini, he needs a name.
Patched or not you will have to get a more up to date web browser. Websites have become a lot more complex in the last 12 years.
My iPhone Se 2020, I have no doubt is more powerful. I even think there is a chance my Apple Watch Se has a more powerful processor. So why keep it?
There are two things that makes it more useful than any phone. It can have a monitor, and it can also have storage in the multiple terabyte range.
You never think about screen space until you need to type a document or watch a video. This makes it more use-full than my phone screen for me.
You can also use it as a digital storage solution, as you can replace the hard drive with something more modern and high capacity. I use it hold all my music from CDs, documents, books and pictures from my phone.
It also has a Disk Drive. Though that might only be important to me, as I cant afford any subscriptions. Don’t want my DvD collection to go to waste.
My nice stickers, also the Disk-Drive .
The Mac-Mini is built like a tank, has a small footprint, and can make a good place to store all those videos, music and pictures that you love.
While I will be looking for an upgrade in the future, I will probably never get rid of this Mac-Mini. For me at least it will always be useful one way or another.
Remember just because something is old, does not mean it is worthless. It now just needs to serve a different purpose.