Agreed. Not what a lot on here are looking for, but more than enough for most others.
Let's hope Lion is early July, but I suspect that as 10.6.8 is yet to be released, we'll see a later arrival for the King Cat.
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2011 Mac Mini - Speculation
- Thread starter Nanker/Phelge
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Agreed. Not what a lot on here are looking for, but more than enough for most others.
Let's hope Lion is early July, but I suspect that as 10.6.8 is yet to be released, we'll see a later arrival for the King Cat.
For me, there are only two reasons I want a new mini - Plex and form factor. Form factor I can almost get with an ASrock or similar, but I chose plex as my front end which is Mac only so far.
Otherwise I'm fine with win7. actually win 7 behaves better with my unraid system than my macs.
If there is no refresh, I might just give up and use a crummy appleTV as my media front end, and move the server onto my beefy gaming PC which will be able to handle transcoding.
Though for different reasons, I'm in similar position. A Mini is my only option due to a loathing of glossy screens. Plus, I still really need OS X as, besides liking Garageband, iPhoto, etc., after my iMac's logic board fried I managed to extract the HD. Regrettably, some of my stuff wasn't backed up (yes, I broke a cardinal rule
), so I also need a Mac for data transfer. Logic dictates, I might as well get the most recent Mini available, even if it means waiting until Lion's release. However, I'll most probably not wait longer than Lion nor take much note of the endless stream of more Mini-update rumours that will inevitably follow.
It's now over a year since last update (367 days, with Mini's average before updates being 248 days, says MR's buyers guide). But as others have pointed out, one previous Mini wasn't updated for 20 months. Apple neglecting this for another 8 months without dropping prices (right now, IMO, it's well over-priced) would be nothing new. That's a concern & a major reason why, though I like the product, I've little time for the company. Frankly, switching some of my work to Windows 7 a few weeks ago has, so far at least, felt relatively liberating. GL!
I wonder if Appleinsider or anyone else can say if there are any minis or white macbooks (besides airs) for that matter parked in a warehouse just waiting for lion to be imaged so they can be released at the same time as lion. Coz if your in the market for an up to date, affordable apple mac a year seems to be a long time to wait for an i-series version. Pretty weak effort Apple. Pretty weak.
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How could new Macs shipping with Lion NOT have any hardware changes/upgrades? What would be the point of a new Mini, for example, without hardware changes? Or are you saying that previously released models that originally shipped with SL, can be downgraded? Since they didn't ship with Lion, that would be true. Macs that shipped originally with Lion cannot be downgraded.
I am saying that:
(a) Release of Lion isn't guaranteed to co-inside with hardware updates - Apple can keep shipping the same Mini hardware with Lion pre-installed. Those can be obviously downgraded.
(b) If the Mini update uses the same hardware are MacBookPro for instance (i5 processors / HD3000 graphics) - those can be loaded with SL just fine. SL already includes all of the driver support for this hardware.
So the SL "downgradeability" really depends on what actually changed.
Makes sense; thanks for clarifying. That would be great for me since I can't give up Rosetta/SL quite yet. I imagine a quick test would be to try booting the next Mini (should it ever be released!) from SL on an external drive. Thanks for the idea.
Glad to see that it's not just me getting impatient then!
Yesterday a Canadian friend (eh
) was nearly persuading me to go with the Acer Revo...
Apple is not focused on Mac Mini at all...
I am following this thread a couple of months waiting for a good rumor about the specification to the new Mac Mini 2011, if this will really happen
Mainly I am looking for a good HTPC, and I am quite sure that Apple is not focused in this market, if you look at this machine: http://www.asrock.com/nettop/overview.asp?Model=Vision 3D Series, please come on Apple will not bring such configuration into the Mac Mini 2011
If nothing happened after Lion release to update the Mac Mini with a good spec, I will definitely buy this machine, install W7 and Linux and cure my anxious on this endless waiting
I am following this thread a couple of months waiting for a good rumor about the specification to the new Mac Mini 2011, if this will really happen
Mainly I am looking for a good HTPC, and I am quite sure that Apple is not focused in this market, if you look at this machine: http://www.asrock.com/nettop/overview.asp?Model=Vision 3D Series, please come on
Apple will not bring such configuration into the Mac Mini 2011
If nothing happened after Lion release to update the Mac Mini with a good spec, I will definitely buy this machine, install W7 and Linux and cure my anxious on this endless waiting
I am following this thread a couple of months waiting for a good rumor about the specification to the new Mac Mini 2011, if this will really happen…
Mainly I am looking for a good HTPC
So just buy a current Mini - it is perfectly fine for an HTPC. In fact, the next hardware iteration of Mini will do away with Nvidia M320 graphics in favor of Intel HD3000. This will be a step DOWN in graphics performance, which is what you are looking for in HTPC.
What is it that you're looking for in a Mini 2011 update, that's the currently shipping Mii doesn't offer?
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I am looking for: HD audio bitstreaming (TrueHD and DTS Master HD), strong CPU for HD video streaming and decoding, GPU graphics for HD quality and gigabyte network adapter for HD streaming in a small factor computer.
I am not seeing Apple going in this way... And the actual Mac Mini didn't cover those needs...
I am looking for: HD audio bitstreaming (TrueHD and DTS Master HD), strong CPU for HD video streaming and decoding, GPU graphics for HD quality and gigabyte network adapter for HD streaming in a small factor computer.
I am not seeing Apple going in this way... And the actual Mac Mini didn't cover those needs...
Uhm.. DTS-HD/True-HD bitstreaming is the matter of having HDMI and right software - current Mini does that just fine. Intel C2D CPU is more than plenty for HD video - my Mini does 1080p playback without breaking a sweat. Gigabit Ethernet - yeah current Mini got that. Small form factor? Current Mini has any other computer beat by a mile (including that crappy Asrock nettop you linked to).
So yeah, the current Mini does cover all these things, and then some.
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I am not sure that Mac mini could bitstream HD audio as I read in other threads, and C2D for some files bigger than 8gb really doesn't work at all, please read carefully the ASROCK 3D vision spec, it is not a nettop as you mentioned.
I am not sure that Mac mini could bitstream HD audio as I read in other threads, and C2D for some files bigger than 8gb really doesn't work at all, please read carefully the ASROCK 3D vision spec, it is not a nettop as you mentioned.
The current mini does NOT bitstream TrueHD or DTS-MA. It WILL do Dolby Digital and DTS. Sadly, DTS-MA tries to play but usually stutters and DTS-HD gets down converted into DTS. The right software won't do anything to help. XBMC handles DTS-HD and DTS-MA files fine but down converts them to DTS. TrueHD does not work. VLC does not allow this either. I've tried this with numerous rips. (I hope im not confusing DTS-MA and DTS-HD. I know that one stuttered completely in plex)
I would think the reason for no support of TrueHD is because there is no native blu-ray support from Apple. You aren't finding TrueHD anywhere else unless you rip your blu-ray collection but then again you wouldn't be using your mac to do that (more than likely).
As for the Intel HD3000 Sandy Bridge, I don't understand why people are so against it. I use it in one of my windows machines I built and it works just as good as my ATI 5770 for HTPC use. The i5 actually decodes audio better than the ATI chip did. Everyone is so afraid of integrated graphics but they honestly aren't that bad. When it comes down to the Nvidia M320 and HD3000 they are roughly the same. If it makes the machine cheaper/cooler, who cares? Intel's integrated graphics are twice as fast compared to those of the lat generation of chips.
Funny you say this, because I just watched a beautiful 1080p rip of "True Grit" BluRay last night on my Mini HTPC.. and it worked without a hitch. 27GB MKV file. But I must have been dreaming.
But again.. what does this have to do with current Mini hardware? There is NOTHING in the current Mini hardware that prevents HD-Audio bitstreaming. You need HDMI 1.3, which is what current Mini ships with. And you need proper OS/software support. Audio bitstreaming is not a processor-intensive task, you don't need a Quad-Core Xeon CPU to send some data out HDMI port! To put it another way - if HD-Audio bitstreaming doesn't work on current Mini - it won't work on "refreshed" Mini either.. until Apple decides to add proper support into MacOS.
Funny you say this, because I just watched a beautiful 1080p rip of "True Grit" BluRay last night on my Mini HTPC.. and it worked without a hitch. 27GB MKV file. But I must have been dreaming.
But again.. what does this have to do with current Mini hardware? There is NOTHING in the current Mini hardware that prevents HD-Audio bitstreaming. You need HDMI 1.3, which is what current Mini ships with. And you need proper OS/software support. Audio bitstreaming is not a processor-intensive task, you don't need a Quad-Core Xeon CPU to send some data out HDMI port! To put it another way - if HD-Audio bitstreaming doesn't work on current Mini - it won't work on "refreshed" Mini either.. until Apple decides to add proper support into MacOS.
Audio bit streaming does rely on a processor or video card. Software can perhaps emulate it but it will not stream the audio in the correct format. That's why when people build HTPC machines they tend to go for the i-Series (i3, i5, i7) processors because it can bitstream audio. The other solution is to get a video card such as the ATI 5XXX (and up) series which offers HD audio. The reason the video card carries the audio is because TrueHD cannot be streamed through an optical cable, it can only come through HDMI. This forces the video card companies to add support for sound.
A perfect example is the a Pentium 4 or Core 2 Duo chip which cannot bitstream high quality audio to your receiver regardless of what software you install.
The reason the Mac Mini can bit stream right now is probably because of the nVidia video that it relies on. The audio comes from the video processor seeing as Core 2 Duo cannot produce the audio. Formats such as
If Apple does go for the HD3000 for onboard video it will most definitely support high quality bit streaming audio which would be great. As I said before, it has to come through HDMI and if there is where your getting your video then thats where you'll get your sound. If they decide to go in a different direction for video, I'm sure it'll be ATI and the new ATI chips do support HD audio. It is possible for them to do i3/i5 + ATI video.
Regardless, you are absolutely correct when the current mini is capable of being a damn good HTPC right now. I too have been able to play even 50-60GB Blu-Ray copies without a single stutter. At the end of the day you'll need some pretty good speakers to hear a big difference in TrueHD and DTS and if it does matter that much to you, you're more than likely playing the actual Blu-ray copy. At least thats what I'd do if it was that important to me. The current mini isn't bad but the price point is horrible for what you're getting spec wise. I wouldn't make a peep if it was cheaper.
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Thank you Aureo! Your detailed information gave me a lot and deep about the actual Mac Mini capabilities. Of course a possible refresh on the current spec could bring a better HTPC platform as you detailed regarding processor and video card, I will be patient and wait if Apple will release some innovation on the Mac Mini line.
Thank you Aureo! Your detailed information gave me a lot and deep about the actual Mac Mini capabilities. Of course a possible refresh on the current spec could bring a better HTPC platform as you detailed regarding processor and video card, I will be patient and wait if Apple will release some innovation on the Mac Mini line.
For me, Apple is missing the boat on who it is I think, they need to impress with whatever they come out with. They need to think like a gamer. Every review or nay-say I see is that Macs are crappy gaming machines and then who reads this? Young guys and gals - who then feed this back to their parents when they are considering buying a new computer. If you go into Best Buy - the kid there knows of PCs and Macs but will always lean the person over to PC as they have heard negatives about the Macs - even subconsciously - and sells a PC laptop or desktop to this potential user.
Parents going in to buy a new computer for their kid going off to college... "Hi! I need a computer for my kid going off to school." BB employee - "What's he like to do?" "Play games..." the parent says... "Oh well then you need a PC."
See what I mean? Regardless of whatever other group out there is looking for, Apple, IMO, needs to focus more on gamers and putting out Macs that are viable gaming machines... and I am not talking throwing down huge wads of cash for a Pro Tower - those days are gone... Even the iMac at its current price is too high.
Which is why the Mac Mini should have 2 specs - everyday use and then gamer use. Most kids these days have a monitor they like - they just want a better computer... Give them the option of a fantastic gamer mini at a very reasonable price - you'll convert hoards of kids - which will then in turn gain momentum with parents and this will spill over into business etc.
Parents going in to buy a new computer for their kid going off to college... "Hi! I need a computer for my kid going off to school." BB employee - "What's he like to do?" "Play games..." the parent says... "Oh well then you need a PC."
See what I mean? Regardless of whatever other group out there is looking for, Apple, IMO, needs to focus more on gamers and putting out Macs that are viable gaming machines... and I am not talking throwing down huge wads of cash for a Pro Tower - those days are gone... Even the iMac at its current price is too high.
Which is why the Mac Mini should have 2 specs - everyday use and then gamer use. Most kids these days have a monitor they like - they just want a better computer... Give them the option of a fantastic gamer mini at a very reasonable price - you'll convert hoards of kids - which will then in turn gain momentum with parents and this will spill over into business etc.
I have never used any of my macs for gaming. I have a PS3 and Wii for games. My mac is for working on important (to me) projects and creating stuff and managing large volumes of stuff with stable apps that are intuitive and user friendly. A gaming mini would be far undervalued by the average actual Apple consumer, I think. Kids going to college who like playing games on pc's are never ever going to be satisfied with the specs on a mac, period because there will always be a pc that takes a later model more powerful gpu. Let alone the base model, the mini. I'm looking for a quad core chip, 500GB hdd, 1 or 2x thunderbolt, smaller ssd a plus, discrete graphics is an afterthought. I'll upgrade to Lion on their cheapest machine and decide if I really want or need a Mac Pro Ivy Bridge or later from there.
I think Apple has targeted their purchasing audience just fine, especially with the three tiers being separate and unequal but meeting the needs of each individual user.. (other than the missing mid range headless tower!)
I ordered the parts to make my G5 a full on file server in anticipation of the 2011 mini replacing my main work station.. a new mini should blow the performance away. I don't think that Lion server is going to work for me though.. going to have to shop around for Leopard server now.
I think Apple has targeted their purchasing audience just fine, especially with the three tiers being separate and unequal but meeting the needs of each individual user.. (other than the missing mid range headless tower!)
I ordered the parts to make my G5 a full on file server in anticipation of the 2011 mini replacing my main work station.. a new mini should blow the performance away. I don't think that Lion server is going to work for me though.. going to have to shop around for Leopard server now.
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I can't think of anything I would like less than a gaming PC whether it be a Mac or Windows. All those whirring fans heat and power argh!. I've never played a computer game in my life and never likely to either. I want a decent spec, low power, small form factor solution thank you very much.
Plex Media Server is available on Linux and Win7 machines, which can then feed to a Plex client on something as affordable as a Roku box. All that stuff (the Win7 server, the Roku client) is currently in beta, but it shows the direction that the Plex people are moving. Needing a hardware-heavy front-end connected to the HDTV is becoming increasingly unnecessary.