On-Going issues with Mac mini M4 after Tahoe 26 1. 26. 2 updates
Since updating my Mac mini M4 to Tahoe 26.1 and 26.2, my confidence in Apple has dropped to zero. I sincerely hope others haven’t experienced a similar ordeal.
My Mini became roughly 20% slower when transferring data between two NAS units compared with my 2017 iMac running Ventura — using identical Cat6 cabling, network paths, and switches.
Soon afterward, I lost access to iMessage completely and was unable to sign in. Apple replaced the logic board, which fixed that issue but introduced more — sluggish data transfers, inconsistent access to recovery mode, Command–D diagnostics taking over 30 minutes, slow mouse and keyboard response, and intermittent freezing with my Dell monitor.
Apple replaced the logic board, SSD, and power supply once more, but the new power board was dead on arrival, so they reinstalled the original one. Performance remained unchanged. They then proposed replacing all three units again, which felt like a trial-and-error approach rather than targeted troubleshooting.
The Mac is still under warranty (with AppleCare), and multiple house calls have already occurred. I suspect Apple’s service costs now exceed the price of a replacement unit.
After considerable persistence, Apple eventually agreed to replace the Mini entirely. It’s been over two weeks since that agreement, and I’m still waiting for the replacement despite returning the original device promptly.
After more than 13 years as an Apple user, this experience has left me deeply disappointed — to the point where I’m even considering switching platforms, something I never imagined saying. Has anyone else faced similar reliability or support issues since the Tahoe updates?
