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2011 Mac Mini - Speculation

Tulpa said:
He's probably going off the same info that many here are, ie that the time since the last refresh has been longer than average (which is an unreliable indicator for the reasons I stated earlier). I really doubt salespeople in the field have any inside info; if they did we'd see a ton of release date leaks like we do for other products that have to involve third parties in their release.

Again, if you actually have a need for a computer now, it's ridiculous to wait for a refresh if you don't know when or even if that refresh is coming. The reality of electronics shopping these days is that there is always a refresh coming in the near future, so you have to come to terms with the fact that your purchase is going to be obsolete early in its lifetime. If you're just buying it to buy it, then waiting might be a good idea though. I don't know which camp you're in.
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I would say that very much depends on whether the present model is sufficient for your needs. I would say in the case of the Mini the present model doesn't fit the bill. For a start the meagre HD is not sufficient for my current data plus a Bootcamp partition for Windows. As there is no TB connector on the present model then that is a real issue. Also there is the issue of the C2D. I would wish to keep a Mini for a minimum of six years and consider the current C2D will be insufficient long before then.

Therefore if the choice as you see it is to go for a Mini now or don't go at all then I would have to choose the latter.
 
Westyfield2 said:
Just been having a look at what the Mac Mini competitors are these days... the ASRock Vision 3D is the main Mac Mini rival I'd say.

Image

It's pre-Sandy Bridge first gen Core i Processors, but has alright specs:
  • Intel Core i5-560M Mobile Processor (Dual 2.66GHz, Turbo Boost to 3.2GHz)
  • HM55 Express chipset
  • 2 x 2GB DDR3-1066MHz RAM (can upgrade to 8GB)
  • NVIDIA GeForce GT425M Graphics
  • 2.5" 500GB 7200RPM HDD
  • BD Combo Drive
  • Front Ports: 2 x USB 3.0, 1 x MIC, 1 x Head Phone, 4-in-1 Card reader (MMC/SD/MS/MS PRO)
  • Rear Ports: 1 x HDMI, 1 x DVI-I, 5 x USB 2.0, 1 x S/PDIF, 1 x eSATAII, 1 x USB 3.0, 1 x Gigabit LAN, 7.1 Ch HD Audio with THX TruStudio PRO
  • External 90W Power Adaptor
£730 or $960 depending on which side of the pond you're on.

A bit bigger, but still what I'd call small.
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Can you install whichever OS you'd like? Is hackintosh relatively simple on this?
 
If they did Sandy Bridge + discrete graphics then I would consider a mini.

I have an old one (1.6 ghz Core Duo) that I use as a file server, but if they just keep integrated graphics I would probably just go with an iMac as a desktop machine.
 
A lot of Thunderbolt chickens are being counted before they're hatched, I see. Considering that no TB devices even exist yet, it might be a bit early to anoint it as an absolute necessity for a computer to have 3-6 years from now.

It's pre-Sandy Bridge first gen Core i Processors, but has alright specs:

Intel Core i5-560M Mobile Processor (Dual 2.66GHz, Turbo Boost to 3.2GHz)
HM55 Express chipset
2 x 2GB DDR3-1066MHz RAM (can upgrade to 8GB)
NVIDIA GeForce GT425M Graphics
2.5" 500GB 7200RPM HDD
BD Combo Drive
Front Ports: 2 x USB 3.0, 1 x MIC, 1 x Head Phone, 4-in-1 Card reader (MMC/SD/MS/MS PRO)
Rear Ports: 1 x HDMI, 1 x DVI-I, 5 x USB 2.0, 1 x S/PDIF, 1 x eSATAII, 1 x USB 3.0, 1 x Gigabit LAN, 7.1 Ch HD Audio with THX TruStudio PRO
External 90W Power Adaptor

£730 or $960 depending on which side of the pond you're on.
Click to expand...

That price puts it more in competition with the server Mini which currently has roughly equal specs if we take into account the OS X tax. If you all are OK with Apple charging $960 for the base Mac Mini, I'm sure they can pump up the specs...but that would pretty much kill the demand for the iMac, so I doubt they'd want to do this.
 
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Tulpa said:
A lot of Thunderbolt chickens are being counted before they're hatched, I see. Considering that no TB devices even exist yet, it might be a bit early to anoint it as an absolute necessity for a computer to have 3-6 years from now.
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Well it either needs a TB connector or Apple to adopt USB3 as Firewire 800 isn't sufficient for a machine with a meagre 320gig HD. I think Apple have a brass neck even offering a 500gig as an upgrade. It may not cost a fortune but it means quite a delay in delivery when ordering one. 500gig should be a starting point minimum and ideally it would be 750gig. Whichever way you look at it 320gig in these times is an insult to the consumer.
 
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I would like to see sandy bridge i5 ... And SSD 128gb .... Don't really need a lot of storage wouldn't mind 64gb either and please include keyboard and mouse as standard .. Come on apple
 
Tulpa said:
A lot of Thunderbolt chickens are being counted before they're hatched, I see. Considering that no TB devices even exist yet, it might be a bit early to anoint it as an absolute necessity for a computer to have 3-6 years from now.

That price puts it more in competition with the server Mini which currently has roughly equal specs if we take into account the OS X tax. If you all are OK with Apple charging $960 for the base Mac Mini, I'm sure they can pump up the specs...but that would pretty much kill the demand for the iMac, so I doubt they'd want to do this.
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Don't forget that as of Lion, there will be no separate OS X Server... the two will be rolled into the same release. That makes me question the dual-drive Mini's future since, at that point, both of the Minis could be either desktops or servers. It will just depend on which option you choose to install.

It would be nice to see a Mini with one hard disk and one system SSD, but Thunderbolt might be enough to make Apple decide that the single disc plus an optical drive Mini is enough, and your main storage would be an external TB hard disk (or Disk Array).

To sum up... there will probably be a low spec Mini and a high-spec Mini, and us users who want the power will go for the high spec version while the average consumer will continue to buy the $700 model.
 
Or...

What I would like to see is the option to get the server model (no optical drive), with one compartment used for an ssd and the other used for discrete graphics. I can get external storage for way cheaper, and use thunderbolt for speedy access to those files. It's a win-win!
 
turley97 said:
What I would like to see is the option to get the server model (no optical drive), with one compartment used for an ssd and the other used for discrete graphics. I can get external storage for way cheaper, and use thunderbolt for speedy access to those files. It's a win-win!
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Except that Thunderbolt externals won't be way cheaper. A number of stories are saying that Thunderbolt devices will cost $200 to $300 more. In other words, take the regular price of an external drive and add about $200. It's similar to the price differential between Firewire 800 (also an Apple exclusive) compared to USB 2.0 devices. Seen any Firewire 800 devices that cost the same or less than the same USB 2.0 devices?

A USB 3.0 controller costs $3. A Thunderbolt controller costs $90.

Matrox has introduced Thunderbolt storage and they charge $200 to $300 more than their equivalent eSATA and USB devices.

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2845,2385615,00.asp

http://techgage.com/news/is_intels_thunderbolt_dead_in_the_water/
 
Well the price thing is always a problem. Maybe I could just continue to use usb 2.0 for my mass storage, as it doesn't bother me to watch an hd movie that way (it doesn't even come close to taxing usb 2.0's 480mb/s). The TB addition to my comment was just a dream, but I really would like to have a choice to add an sdd and a dedicated graphics card.
 
turley97 said:
Well the price thing is always a problem. Maybe I could just continue to use usb 2.0 for my mass storage, as it doesn't bother me to watch an hd movie that way (it doesn't even come close to taxing usb 2.0's 480mb/s). The TB addition to my comment was just a dream, but I really would like to have a choice to add an sdd and a dedicated graphics card.
Click to expand...

Except if they keep the optical drive (which for me and most regular users is a must have option) then there is no room for discrete graphics. In any event I suspect we will have to wait for IB in order to achieve the TDP required.
 
That's why I said the server model. I would love to see two models: one similar to the regular $700 mini currently offered (except with all the new specs like SB i5, thunderbolt) and another like the server model with no optical and a discrete graphics card in its place instead of another hard drive.
 
minton said:
That ASRock machine costs nearly $1000 ... why not spend less and get a real mac (mini)?
Click to expand...

Because real macs (mini) aren't out with i3's yet. Mac mini currently is behind on that ASRock machine in performance. Plus you can't be sure when it'll be released.
Ow and the ASRock machine has dedicated GPU.
 
so is it likley that if Apple add Thunderbolt to the mini, the mini may lose FW?

It's a bit frustrating that you still can't get eSata on Macs but as I'm about to upgrade my external storage, I'd like to be sure I can use it when I get a 2011 mini.
 
hsj2011 said:
so is it likley that if Apple add Thunderbolt to the mini, the mini may lose FW?.
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It currently has a MiniDisplay port and FW800 so it shouldn't loose it (because of external case/space issues). I hope it includes both though as I don't see a big queue of TB external hard drives yet.
 
The ASRock is great value and very well spec'd for £618 GBP from Amazon - only £6 more than the Mini. Appears to get good reviews and would look good wherever you put it. I think Apple need to hurry up one way or the other and stop taking their customers for granted.
 
USB 3.0 will likely be included next year, Intel will be including it in the Ivy Bridge chipset
 
InfiniteLoop said:
I hope Apple keep the FW800 and add USB3.0 ports instead of TB.
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I don't see TB & USB3 so much as direct competitors... Wouldn't it be nicest to have FW800, USB3 AND TB? it's completely possible to have all of them.
Cut a couple USB ports, change the remaining to USB3, change the display port to TB add another TB port, and keep the FW800; that's what I'm hoping for.
 
arkmannj said:
I don't see TB & USB3 so much as direct competitors... Wouldn't it be nicest to have FW800, USB3 AND TB? it's completely possible to have all of them.
Cut a couple USB ports, change the remaining to USB3, change the display port to TB add another TB port, and keep the FW800; that's what I'm hoping for.
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Every external device would still have one port to connect to (omitted eSata). But I think Apple will ditch many ports (Firewire, some USB) next year in favor of Thunderbolt.
I wonder how many Thunderbolt ports the Mac Mini will get this update.
 
RoelJuun said:
Every external device would still have one port to connect to (omitted eSata). But I think Apple will ditch many ports (Firewire, some USB) next year in favor of Thunderbolt.
I wonder how many Thunderbolt ports the Mac Mini will get this update.
Click to expand...

one
 
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