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2018 Mac mini - What Apple should do, but won't!

RyanXM

RyanXM

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jul 7, 2012
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DFW, TX
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The Intel Hades Canyon NUC.

If Apple would just use this as a basis, the new Mac mini would fly off the shelfs for the server market. The dual Gigabit Ethernet is worth it in so many ways! Come on Apple, you can do it! Don't be scared!

Original Article from Anandtech: https://www.anandtech.com/show/1222...s-are-official-799999-shipping-in-spring-2018
 
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The lowest wattage part there is 65w TDP. Apple swerved the previous generation Skylake (Skull Canyon) iteration with Iris Pro 580 graphics probably because Intel didn't have a roadmap for after that so the 2016 15" MacBook Pros instead go for HD630 GPU parts with discrete AMD GPU.

This combination might be fine for a MacBook Pro but a Mac Mini would need to have a new case design to dissipate 65w-100w.

The old Skylake version of this NUC wouldn't have been that quiet under sustained load (not much sound deadening plus cheap fan?) but if Apple wanted to put this into an entry level Mac Pro for around $2000 with equivalent Xeon G parts and PCIe SSD it might be interesting. Fans of extra RAM would be disappointed with RAM upgrade options though.
 
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I agree with everything above. Apple should be able to use the same chassis, but with updated internals.

They are moving away from HDDs, so they would be able to use that space for additional cooling and a larger internal PSU.

The server space is still something that Apple should be interested in, but aren't because they are a consumer focused company. They really aren't even a pro-sumer focused company.

I watch the refurb section of the Apple Online Store and the Mac mini sells out regularly. This tells me there is a market for an updated Mini. Not to mention that the Late 2012 Quad still sells for original price or more on eBay and other sites (ie. macsales.com). If this isn't an indication to Apple that the Mini is still something that people use regularly for either a Plex Server, AST, etc, then I don't know what does.
 
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RyanXM said:
If this isn't an indication to Apple that the Mini is still something that people use regularly for either a Plex Server, AST, etc, then I don't know what does.
Click to expand...

Oh, I'm sure they know but they just don't care. Perhaps it even goes beyond that to the point where they want to discourage people from having their own media servers. They want you to get an AppleTV and stream everything so they maintain complete control.

I have two mini's, one is a base 2014 for an iTunes server with my large local library and the other is a 2012 quad that I use for video editing. The base 2014 is more than adequate for an iTunes server and an updated Mini would offer nothing more for me. I'm currently happy with the 2012 quad for Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, etc but will probably want to replace it in the next year or two. I am very skeptical that any new Mini would appeal to me for video editing, but we'll see...
 
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I was using a 2012 Quad as a media server, then put in an SSD and got an eGPU for better video. Now it runs laps around my Mac Pro 2013 for games. The NUC here is aimed at that market but Apple is not really interested in this niche.
 
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Apple could well have been waiting for 2018 all this time. I think the hardware that Apple was waiting for was this 8th Gen Intel Core processor with AMD Radeon RX Vega Graphics. Mac Mini could now cost $999+, while its bigger brother Mac Pro would cost $3000+ but with beefier hardware. I expect more news of Mac Mini this year.
 
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My desktop comp never moves, so I can work with a power brick on the outside, as long as spare ones are easily available.

External power supplies may not be the most elegant solution, but they have their pros, such as a major reduction in the heat levels inside the main case, and they take about a minute to swap out.
 
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The next Mac Mini could become a lot smaller through some design choices:

1. Go SSD for smaller chassis
2. Make the chassis taller (soda can style) for improved wifi reception
3. Use low wattage CPUs for aforementioned smaller chassis but also use external power through USB-C
4. With USB-C port you could power a Mini entirely off a 4k Apple monitor and potentially provide extra ports that way too. The power brick could become optional.
 
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ActionableMango said:
It looks really nice, but they are cheating on size by having the power brick on the outside.
Click to expand...

I had a 2006 and then 2009 mini and they both had the power brick on the outside, so Apple certainly went that route when it was convenient for them.
 
jzuena said:
I had a 2006 and then 2009 mini and they both had the power brick on the outside, so Apple certainly went that route when it was convenient for them.
Click to expand...

Well computers used to require an entire room and provided enough heat to pipe to other buildings and keep them warm in the winter.

But presumably we are talking about comparing currently available models.
 
What they really should do is simplify. Get rid of top lowend and top model. Put in it 16GB ram no need for upgrades, 256GB PCIe ssd no need for upgrades again, and add just one sata port/slot for optional third party drives.

Thats all, the mini is not supposed to be a beast, but it’s supposed to be bit more than enough for most users.
And then update the internals every second year.

I have started to buy my macs secondhand because they haven’t produced an attractive one in many years with maybe one exeption of the iMac. With attractive I mean bang for a reasonable price, but I hate wasting good screens so iMac is not for me.
 
juanito said:
What they really should do is simplify. Get rid of top lowend and top model. Put in it 16GB ram no need for upgrades, 256GB PCIe ssd no need for upgrades again, and add just one sata port/slot for optional third party drives.

Thats all, the mini is not supposed to be a beast, but it’s supposed to be bit more than enough for most users.
And then update the internals every second year.

I have started to buy my macs secondhand because they haven’t produced an attractive one in many years with maybe one exeption of the iMac. With attractive I mean bang for a reasonable price, but I hate wasting good screens so iMac is not for me.
Click to expand...

Add in a Thunderbolt 3 port to allow for eGPU and I’m right there with you. I finally gave up on waiting to replace my 2009 mini and got a new 27” iMac last year. I know I’ll hate getting rid of the screen when I get rid of the cpu, but hopefully they will have something modular again by then.
 
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