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Buy Mini now or wait for refresh?
- Thread starter mstruve
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£449 is as low as it will go even when the Haswell Mini comes out. If you need it, buy it now. Otherwise, wait for Ivy Bridge in a few months.
I can only make reference to the US refurbs, but it seems when the next generation comes out is when Apple drops the price of the previous gens refurbs, but even then it isn't much. For example:
1. Current i5 2.3ghz refurb (base) in US goes for 519
2. Previous gens 2.4ghz refurb (base) in US goes for 469 now instead of 519.
So savings of previous gen is only 50 (or about 10%).
1. Current i5 2.3ghz refurb (base) in US goes for 519
2. Previous gens 2.4ghz refurb (base) in US goes for 469 now instead of 519.
So savings of previous gen is only 50 (or about 10%).
Thanks both. It's unlikely I'll get the newest model as I don't really need it, so I wouldn't wait for that reason. Not sure what the Haswell Mini is though?
That's what I suspected in terms of price drops, don't think I can be bothered to wait a few months for the sake of £50 or whatever.
Also, I'll probably get a MBP/Air after the refresh, so I'll benefit from waiting on that purchase instead
That's what I suspected in terms of price drops, don't think I can be bothered to wait a few months for the sake of £50 or whatever.
Also, I'll probably get a MBP/Air after the refresh, so I'll benefit from waiting on that purchase instead
Thanks both. It's unlikely I'll get the newest model as I don't really need it, so I wouldn't wait for that reason. Not sure what the Haswell Mini is though?
That's what I suspected in terms of price drops, don't think I can be bothered to wait a few months for the sake of £50 or whatever.
Also, I'll probably get a MBP/Air after the refresh, so I'll benefit from waiting on that purchase instead
2011 mini = sandy bridge cpu
2012 mini = ivy bridge cpu
2013 mini = haswell cpu
It seems like the only thing that is likely going to change is the graphics, and from what we're seeing from IVB is the HD4000 is fairly impressive, so I see that being the main option at this point. I wouldn't expect a massive upgrade, maybe like a 2.6ghz hd4000 option with a 500gb and 4gb of ram for a 10% to 15% boost overall.
I personally hope for a high-end model with the 35W 2,1 GHz Quad-Core CPU and a GeForce GT 640M as graphics (no comparable card from AMD right now - the HD7750M needs more energy and has less power). This graphic card is the most stunning GPU this year, at least for me. So much power per watt is just incredible.
Other than that you'll get USB 3.0 - quite useful for external hard drives as TB HDDs continue to be expensive. But that's it (probably).
Other than that you'll get USB 3.0 - quite useful for external hard drives as TB HDDs continue to be expensive. But that's it (probably).
Have to wait and see about USB3 but this is the closest info we have
3 sizes:
http://oyendigital.com/hard-drives/store/U32-SSD-480-SL-MAC.html
http://oyendigital.com/hard-drives/store/U32-SSD-240-SL-MAC.html
http://oyendigital.com/hard-drives/store/U32-SSD-120-SL-MAC.html
this company makes a lot of gear this may be your best proof USB3 will be in the next mac mini
see thumbnails
Attachments
It will have USB 3. Apple aren't "stubbornly sticking with thunderbolt" to the exclusion of USB3. When the current lineup came out, Intel did not have a USB3 controller.
Rather than tack on some (add-on) half-assed third party controller (I deal with PC hardware at work, and the controller/driver support for USB3 has been pretty flaky when it came out), they're just waiting for intel to build it into the chipset.
When ivy bridge macs come out, they will have USB3.
"When ivy bridge macs come out, they will have USB3."
Of course they will.
USB3 will be the most significant -- and most widely used -- improvement to not only the Mini line, but the entire Mac product line in general.
It will do to firewire what firewire did to SCSI.
And USB3 products for the Mac will outsell Thunderbolt products by 1,000 to 1. Beta vs. VHS all over again.
Thunderbolt is a great technology with appropriate uses for a limited few (with "limited" as the operative phrase). But it's destined to become the Edsel of computer technologies. The Edsel wasn't a bad car. It's just that so few wanted it. The market rules.
Of course they will.
USB3 will be the most significant -- and most widely used -- improvement to not only the Mini line, but the entire Mac product line in general.
It will do to firewire what firewire did to SCSI.
And USB3 products for the Mac will outsell Thunderbolt products by 1,000 to 1. Beta vs. VHS all over again.
Thunderbolt is a great technology with appropriate uses for a limited few (with "limited" as the operative phrase). But it's destined to become the Edsel of computer technologies. The Edsel wasn't a bad car. It's just that so few wanted it. The market rules.
Only wait if it suits you. Likewise only buy the newest if you'll make use of it.
Will a faster processor, faster graphics and USB3 make my email come faster? No. Will it make my laser printer print better or faster? No. Will it display webpages 'better' than what I have now? no.
So - as an example - I would buy a new Mini right now because everything I listed above worked just fine on my old Win95 machine 17 years ago.
If you only need the basics you don't need the newest.
So make it suit your needs.
Will a faster processor, faster graphics and USB3 make my email come faster? No. Will it make my laser printer print better or faster? No. Will it display webpages 'better' than what I have now? no.
So - as an example - I would buy a new Mini right now because everything I listed above worked just fine on my old Win95 machine 17 years ago.
If you only need the basics you don't need the newest.
So make it suit your needs.
A 17 year old Win95 machine would be completely incompatible with the modern internet.
You could also access emails as least 500% quicker on a new machine vs. a 17 year old Win95 machine, so that was a bad example as well.
And modern printers running on Win95? Forget about it. Not going to happen.
It doesn't work like that. Websites sizes and graphics have grown exponentially since 1995. Your machine would not run like it used to, even if it was right out of the box.