You must have missed the thread of someone seriously asking why people use older devices:
IDK, there were a few silly posts in this thread so far, but nothing really crazy.
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Apple TV sized Mac Mini?
- Thread starter FelixDerKater
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IDK, there were a few silly posts in this thread so far, but nothing really crazy.
If Apple want to keep growing the services business then it would make sense to have a cheaper device. I vaguely remember seeing a post here about a keyboard based Mac that just needs a screen. Like an upmarket Raspberry Pi 400.
If they are happy to sell phones for $500 then why wouldn't they want to do the same for Macs.
If they are happy to sell phones for $500 then why wouldn't they want to do the same for Macs.
Well, no, I'm not a hardware engineer. Is there a hardware reason why the ports have to be spaced so far apart? If so, I'd appreciate if you could explain.
You don't have to be a hardware engineer, you just have to have eyes.
The Mac Studio has four vertically oriented thunderbolt ports, and they take far less horizontal space than the horizontally oriented ports on the Mac Mini.
I velcro-Ed my Apple TV to the backside of the tv and the Mac mini is in a wall mount hanging behind my monitors. Totally free desk space solution 🤣Before I switched to Macs, my computers were towers that I placed on the floor. Then I got an iMac. In both cases, the only desktop space they took were space for monitor base. So the mini is the most space consuming desktop I've ever had.
I think the fact that you were able to velcro the Apple TV while the Mac mini needs a wall mount is a good argument for why a Mac computer the size of an Apple TV would be more convenient. I know it may not be technically simple to make it happen, but it's something I hope Apple is working on.
Because an Apple TV can be your HomeKit Hub,
Entry level Mac mini already 649 what are you going to drop off that to get the price further.
Apple aren't interested in selling cheap.
What Services are they going be able to provide with this cheaper Mac that cannot already sell.
That keyboard Mac is an end user "would like apple to do this"
I personally would love Apple to introduce a NAS device that could act as a proper iTunes Server and stream Video as well as Audio however I don't see Apple ever launching one. Could remove the need for a Mac to be on for the iTunes Server.
They already sell a $129 device, the Apple TV. This is a lot cheaper than the Mini. They like their margins but are quite happy to sell lower cost devices.
Yeah, totally! I suspect the reasons behind the M2 Mini design are related to the probable reasons Apple still sells an M1 MacBook Air and a 13-inch MacBook Pro with the same bodies (including Touch Bar on the Pro!) as their old Intel counterparts—maybe Apple has a bunch of old Mini shells lying around or they have manufacturing momentum on the old Mini bodies. For all we know, Apple has a million fully-formed Intel Mac Minis on hand, and the company is retrofitting these old models with Apple Silicon hardware. Or maybe the company simply isn't happy yet with proposed smaller redesigns.
Regardless, it is almost certainly possible (and highly desirable from a consumer perspective) for Apple to make a smaller Apple Silicon Mini. If thermal headroom in a smaller case is genuinely a problem with the current generation of Apple Silicon, perhaps the M3, with its 3nm process, will have the heat characteristics needed for a redesigned minuscule Mini.
The other thing Apple could leverage are unfavorably binned processors, which would otherwise be scrapped as they are unsaleable parts.
For example, the M1 is available in an 8/8 or 8/7 (cpu/gpu) version.
But a small budget device could just as well be a 6/6 or any other lesser configuration.
For example, the M1 is available in an 8/8 or 8/7 (cpu/gpu) version.
But a small budget device could just as well be a 6/6 or any other lesser configuration.
The new smaller Mac mini is out. And like we predicted, it has vertically oriented ports. 👍
