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2016 Mini landing date

The problem is: people buy (or used to buy) new phones every other year (some people yearly) or maybe every 3rd year.
But desktops and laptops are now probably on a five-year cycle, if not more (the people on this sub-forum with 2009-ish Mini's can probably tell).
And because Apple Shareholders (individual and institutional) want some return on their money, it's easy to see where money gets invested and where not so much.
If your (retirement) savings are invested in some sort of investment-vehicle, chances are some parts of it are invested in Apple, too. We all want good returns on our retirement-savings...
 
@MRrainer
Totally get that rationale.

And I guess that's one of the main reasons I miss Steve Jobs; he was(or at least seemed to be) far less of a "bean counter" than Cook is.

I prefer design/art/tech/engineering driving Apple product development as opposed to mainly accountants/business (the latter being the way it is in every other tech company). That's what made(past tense) Apple special to me. *sigh*

In 1996/7, it would have probably made business sense to shut down Apple. I'm glad the bean counters didn't have the final word on that decision back then at least.
 
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I'm guessing the next Mac Mini could be a core-M machine. The internals of the MacBook retina are tiny, so it'd make sense to build them into a tiny box and call it the New Mac Mini, emphasis on Mini. Having used an M3 MBr for a couple of weeks I really think this would make perfect sense. It easily deals with typical day-to-day tasks, has enough horse power for mild video editing, Photoshop runs smoothly, as do all sorts of office applications, so why not? Apple could get rid of an active cooling system, have it delivered with the same USB-C charger, and simply add an HDMI output to the (single) USB-C port and the headphone connector. That Mac would be astonishingly small.

I wouldn't wanna be around for the outcry of the Apple community, though. I have a feeling that it'd be nasty. :D
 
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Alvesang said:
I'm guessing the next Mac Mini could be a core-M machine. The internals of the MacBook retina are tiny, so it'd make sense to build them into a tiny box and call it the New Mac Mini, emphasis on Mini. Having used an M3 MBr for a couple of weeks I really think this would make perfect sense. It easily deals with typical day-to-day tasks, has enough horse power for mild video editing, Photoshop runs smoothly, as do all sorts of office applications, so why not? Apple could get rid of an active cooling system, have it delivered with the same USB-C charger, and simply add an HDMI output to the (single) USB-C port and the headphone connector. That Mac would be astonishingly small.

I wouldn't wanna be around for the outcry of the Apple community, though. I have a feeling that it'd be nasty. :D
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I was thinking the same thing also. USB C would offer power for a hub with your choice of connections. I would buy one to go with my hack for an efficient server to replace my 2012 Mini.

Outcry doesn't matter to Apple. Look what happened in 2014. People still buy them.o_O
 
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Some people don't buy them any more. I got into Apple for the desktop computers. I liked the iPod too. I tried an iPhone for a while, but realized I just didn't need that much junk inside a tiny device that I rarely use for any purpose other than placing phone calls.

But yeah, the iPod is disappearing. The Apple Desktop is disappearing as well. I've switched to cheaper phones that can do the additional job of storing audio media just fine, and I'm completing the process of moving back to Linux desktop computers; it's really kind of amazing how much software is available for Linux now, and since I can use up-to-date CPUs and GPUs in my Linux machines, that software runs much better than on my Macs as well.

Apple, as a company, has had a great run in finding hot new products and bringing them out to an adoring audience. What they have not done, however, is shown that they can maintain a product for very long. Apple apparently loses interest quickly if the profits aren't sustained, and maybe they need those profits to continue the kind of business model they are pursuing... But I'm getting off the roller coaster here; I want a software platform that will last, and Apple is showing every sign that they really don't care about the future of OS X any more.
 
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jpietrzak8 said:
Some people don't buy them any more. I got into Apple for the desktop computers. I liked the iPod too. I tried an iPhone for a while, but realized I just didn't need that much junk inside a tiny device that I rarely use for any purpose other than placing phone calls.

But yeah, the iPod is disappearing. The Apple Desktop is disappearing as well. I've switched to cheaper phones that can do the additional job of storing audio media just fine, and I'm completing the process of moving back to Linux desktop computers; it's really kind of amazing how much software is available for Linux now, and since I can use up-to-date CPUs and GPUs in my Linux machines, that software runs much better than on my Macs as well.

Apple, as a company, has had a great run in finding hot new products and bringing them out to an adoring audience. What they have not done, however, is shown that they can maintain a product for very long. Apple apparently loses interest quickly if the profits aren't sustained, and maybe they need those profits to continue the kind of business model they are pursuing... But I'm getting off the roller coaster here; I want a software platform that will last, and Apple is showing every sign that they really don't care about the future of OS X any more.
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Linux is a great platform now. I have 16.04 on my new computer and it runs great.macOS is an amusement to me anymore. I keep it around for mine and my wife's iPhone and her iPad.
I probably won't get another iPhone after this one dies. I had enough Apple over priced products.
My wife still likes her stuff for ease of use.
 
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orbital~debris said:
Has anyone actually emailed Tim or Phil to ask what's up with the Mac? I guess there's a chance they'll respond - there is precedent…
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Maybe they don't know what's going on either.
[doublepost=1472325906][/doublepost]
Alvesang said:
I'm guessing the next Mac Mini could be a core-M machine. The internals of the MacBook retina are tiny, so it'd make sense to build them into a tiny box and call it the New Mac Mini, emphasis on Mini. Having used an M3 MBr for a couple of weeks I really think this would make perfect sense. It easily deals with typical day-to-day tasks, has enough horse power for mild video editing, Photoshop runs smoothly, as do all sorts of office applications, so why not? Apple could get rid of an active cooling system, have it delivered with the same USB-C charger, and simply add an HDMI output to the (single) USB-C port and the headphone connector. That Mac would be astonishingly small.

I wouldn't wanna be around for the outcry of the Apple community, though. I have a feeling that it'd be nasty. :D
Click to expand...

You mean a mini in an Apple TV box? A Mac nano ;-)
[doublepost=1472326023][/doublepost]
adonis3k said:
is it here yet? I need a new faster mini than my 2012 machine!
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Let's not rush Apple!
 
Crosscreek said:
Outcry doesn't matter to Apple. Look what happened in 2014. People still buy them.o_O
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I'm guessing they are selling quite a few 2014 Mac Mini's. If you are an organisation deploying many iOS devices you will want an Apple Caching server so 400 iPads don't swamp your internet connection when they all update apps or iOS. Entry level Mac Mini + OS X Server and your are done. Since Apple don't make X Serves anymore and the Mac Pro is over kill just to run Caching Server i'm hoping the Mini will not be fully forgotten by Apple.

I'd love Apple to put a mobile gaming card in a Mini as i have to use my Macbook Pro with its GT750M in to play some of the games i like , i can dream.
 
2ilent8cho said:
I'd love Apple to put a mobile gaming card in a Mini as i have to use my Macbook Pro with its GT750M in to play some of the games i like , i can dream.
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I am afraid Tim's idea of Macs is just make them good enough to build more apps for IOS and sell more iPhone, iPad Pro, Watches/bands and Apple TV.

Next gen Mini will be behind the industry by at least 1 year and will be built as cheap as possible and sold for as much as possible.
 
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Crosscreek said:
I am afraid Tim's idea of Macs is just make them good enough to build more apps for IOS and sell more iPhone, iPad Pro, Watches/bands and Apple TV.

Next gen Mini will be behind the industry by at least 1 year and will be built as cheap as possible and sold for as much as possible.
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I wish I could disagree with you, but it increasingly looks that way.
 
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George Dawes said:
I'm guessing they'll make it slimmer and slower , impossible to upgrade etc

Nice 1 Timmy
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I don't think it will be literally slower, but do think that IF they release a new one, the hardware increases will be moderate and not keep up with what other companies release.
 
George Dawes said:
I'm guessing they'll make it slimmer and slower , impossible to upgrade etc

Nice 1 Timmy
Click to expand...
Well, one has to remember the introduction of the first Mac Mini. The concept was a low cost stripped down version of a Mac. It was never a machine that was supposed to be upgraded (videos of people prying that polycarbonate housing open surely looked a little horrifying to me). If the next generation would indeed be a desktop version of the current MacBook - very small in size and absolutely unsuited for any upgrades whatsoever - I wouldn't wonder at all or even blame "Timmy". That is what the product was intended to be from the start. And let's not forget the target audience: Users who don't want to spend too much money on a computer and need a system for casual use.

Do I want the next Mini to be exactly that? Not at all, I dream of a pro power Mac in a small and inexpensive packaging, capable of modern gaming, 4K video editing, 3D animation rendering and such. Is that realistic? Sadly, no. So, would I buy one? Probably yes, just to own one. Silly me... :D
 
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I'd like to see a 2016 Mini that is as capable and up-to-date for 2016, as was the late-2012 Mini for it's time.

The late 2012 was an excellent product (I have the i7 quad core), that is serving me well as a general desktop unit today. Indeed, it runs so well that I see no need to upgrade it, yet. I sense I could easily get 2 or 3 more years of service from it.

We'll probably never see a "pro-Mini".
All I want to see is a unit that is (hardware-wise) relatively equivalent to pint-sized Windows computers (such as the Intel Skull Canyon).
 
Fishrrman said:
I'd like to see a 2016 Mini that is as capable and up-to-date for 2016, as was the late-2012 Mini for it's time.
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This.

The late 2012 was an excellent product (I have the i7 quad core), that is serving me well as a general desktop unit today. Indeed, it runs so well that I see no need to upgrade it, yet. I sense I could easily get 2 or 3 more years of service from it.
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And this. Though the HD4000 iGPU is a few generations old now and showing it.
 
New Mac Hardware. Hope you all get what you want:)
 

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cast128 said:
Even if it is updated to Kaby Lake, it wouldn't be until early to mid next year. Like others have said, most likely update will feature updated mild Broadwell processor upgrades and thats about it.
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There's a few ways this could play out:
1. Use leftover Broadwell scrapes
2. Use SkyLake chips
3. Make a Mac Micro with Kaby Lake Y or U chips
4. Get early access to higher TDP Kaby Lake parts (would be shocked if that happened)
5. Wait for Kaby Lake
6. Continue to pretend the Mac Mini never existed but sell it forever like the 2012 13" non-Retina MBP
 
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