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Could the Mini ever get a smaller footprint?

PaperMacWriter

PaperMacWriter

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 5, 2009
260
0
Hi, I was wondering if Apple happened to redesign the mini as a cube, could the overall footprint(not the overall size, just the base) be made smaller? I know that the smallest size they could do is 3.75x3.75x5.125" if they relied on optical drive(it would be diagonal), but a more realistic size would be a 5.25" cube. Could Apple fit a mini in that size, preferably one that has user serviceable parts? I'm probably just imagining the impossible, but if Apple can fit the mini in its package, they could make a computer with an extra 60 square inches.
Sorry if I'm just ranting about the impossible:eek:
SG :apple:
 
Apple could do an awful lot of things that Apple chooses not to do because it's not in Apple's best interest.

A helluva lot of people want Apple to build a small to mid tower with user serviceable parts, and they've shown zero interest in producing such a device.
 
You mean something like this?

<3 the G4 cube
 

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Oh no, Please NO! I dont want soldered RAM and 1.8" puny HDDs and 4 I/O in the name of connectivity and "Superb" Wireless as a substitute to Optical Media!

Lets keep this stuff to portables and leave desktops be!!! Please!
 
MultiFinder17 said:
You mean something like this?

<3 the G4 cube
Click to expand...
I do love the G4 Cube, but I think it would be much better if apple made one that was a 5.25" cube instead of an 8" cube. It would be especially nice if it was as easy to access like the cube. The cube was a flop, but if Apple made a stripped down cube, it might do well.

Apple Ink said:
Oh no, Please NO! I dont want soldered RAM and 1.8" puny HDDs and 4 I/O in the name of connectivity and "Superb" Wireless as a substitute to Optical Media!

Lets keep this stuff to portables and leave desktops be!!! Please!
Click to expand...
No, that would make it worse. I would want 3.5" drives, easy access components, lots of I/O, an optical drive, and 802.11n. I don't want to see the MBA as a desktop just yet. Maybe if it was cheap and had an superdrive accessory to go with it, then I'd buy one, but only for energy savings.
SG :apple:
 
Ummmm...... Why?

I'm sorry but this is the most pointless topic ever. It's 6.5x6.5x2. On what desk would that take up too much space? Any montior is at least twice the width. Leave a notebook on the desk, you've wasted more space. Your keyboard is like 3 times the width.

The mac mini already compromises too much, like the video card and the ability to easily open it up for upgrades. Take more stuff out and you have a machine that nobody wants.
 
chaos86 said:
Ummmm...... Why?

I'm sorry but this is the most pointless topic ever. It's 6.5x6.5x2. On what desk would that take up too much space? Any montior is at least twice the width. Leave a notebook on the desk, you've wasted more space. Your keyboard is like 3 times the width.

The mac mini already compromises too much, like the video card and the ability to easily open it up for upgrades. Take more stuff out and you have a machine that nobody wants.
Click to expand...
If its a 5.25" cube, it actually has a fair deal more space then the current mini. 60 square inches. If they could put more fans, 3.5" drive, and easy access, then there's a slightly larger market. If is offered in up to 4 cores(premium price, adding non-consumer without another product), then they have a much larger market for people who want something better than the iMac, but cheaper than the pro. Maybe even an intermediate product designed as a media center. That would be nice.
Or, if Apple wants another title for its products, it could make the worlds smallest desktop, without optical drive, pretty much an Air-in-the-box. Not powerful, but another record, because Apple like those. But I think Apple should wait until there is an alternative to optical before they exclude it entirely.
SG :apple:
 
PaperMacWriter said:
If its a 5.25" cube, it actually has a fair deal more space then the current mini. 60 square inches. If they could put more fans, 3.5" drive, and easy access, then there's a slightly larger market. If is offered in up to 4 cores(premium price, adding non-consumer without another product), then they have a much larger market for people who want something better than the iMac, but cheaper than the pro. Maybe even an intermediate product designed as a media center. That would be nice.
Or, if Apple wants another title for its products, it could make the worlds smallest desktop, without optical drive, pretty much an Air-in-the-box. Not powerful, but another record, because Apple like those. But I think Apple should wait until there is an alternative to optical before they exclude it entirely.
SG :apple:
Click to expand...

not going to happen because
1) there is already a media centre - :apple:Tv
2) apple uses the mini as the 'introductory' machine for switchers. what sort of low-end pro wants to buy an unexpandable machine?
 
PaperMacWriter said:
If its a 5.25" cube, it actually has a fair deal more space then the current mini. 60 square inches. If they could put more fans, 3.5" drive, and easy access, then there's a slightly larger market. If is offered in up to 4 cores(premium price, adding non-consumer without another product), then they have a much larger market for people who want something better than the iMac, but cheaper than the pro. Maybe even an intermediate product designed as a media center. That would be nice.
Or, if Apple wants another title for its products, it could make the worlds smallest desktop, without optical drive, pretty much an Air-in-the-box. Not powerful, but another record, because Apple like those. But I think Apple should wait until there is an alternative to optical before they exclude it entirely.
SG :apple:
Click to expand...

Actually you've totally convinced me.

What I've wanted for a while now (since they made the iMacs boring post g4), is to get rid of the all-in-ones and lower the price of apple displays. I don't think they'll do it, but they should make the iMac a 6.5" cube (no display obviously) and rename it the "Mac" (so it's mac, mac pro, macbook, macbook pro).

This cube would start with what the current mac mini has, and have a proper PCI-X slot for a graphics card (please apple open up the capabilities here), 2 hard drives, and 4 desktop ram slots. Superdrive, airport and bluetooth built in. A couple of good fans, some good airflow design, and a smart SMC could cool it, and if you're wondering whether it would all fit, look at the photos of the macbook pro's logic board here, and you'll wonder why the cube was so big. Put in in an aluminum enclosure like every other mac, with holes on the front like the G5s and Mac Pros and that's a sexy machine.

I've always thought they needed to make the mac mini more of a loss leader, and entry level new mac cube thingy would be too.
 
chaos86 said:
Actually you've totally convinced me.

What I've wanted for a while now (since they made the iMacs boring post g4), is to get rid of the all-in-ones and lower the price of apple displays. I don't think they'll do it, but they should make the iMac a 6.5" cube (no display obviously) and rename it the "Mac" (so it's mac, mac pro, macbook, macbook pro).

This cube would start with what the current mac mini has, and have a proper PCI-X slot for a graphics card (please apple open up the capabilities here), 2 hard drives, and 4 desktop ram slots. Superdrive, airport and bluetooth built in. A couple of good fans, some good airflow design, and a smart SMC could cool it, and if you're wondering whether it would all fit, look at the photos of the macbook pro's logic board here, and you'll wonder why the cube was so big. Put in in an aluminum enclosure like every other mac, with holes on the front like the G5s and Mac Pros and that's a sexy machine.
Click to expand...

My dream: https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/7450009/
 
flopticalcube said:
Like I said, Steve is not ready for another Cube.
Click to expand...

are you basing that from your dream Steve Jobs' reaction or your actual assumptions ? :p

maybe you have the two mixed up? :eek:

i really liked the Cube, i wanted one so bad when i was a kid! it was a bit of a failure though so maybe he wont try it again for a while. never know though...:(
 
chaos86 said:
Actually you've totally convinced me.

What I've wanted for a while now (since they made the iMacs boring post g4), is to get rid of the all-in-ones and lower the price of apple displays. I don't think they'll do it, but they should make the iMac a 6.5" cube (no display obviously) and rename it the "Mac" (so it's mac, mac pro, macbook, macbook pro).

This cube would start with what the current mac mini has, and have a proper PCI-X slot for a graphics card (please apple open up the capabilities here), 2 hard drives, and 4 desktop ram slots. Superdrive, airport and bluetooth built in. A couple of good fans, some good airflow design, and a smart SMC could cool it, and if you're wondering whether it would all fit, look at the photos of the macbook pro's logic board here, and you'll wonder why the cube was so big. Put in in an aluminum enclosure like every other mac, with holes on the front like the G5s and Mac Pros and that's a sexy machine.
Click to expand...
I would LOVE that lineup, but I think Apple is fond of all-in-ones. Therefor, apple could make special ports to make the mac mini and a "Mac" all-in-ones. They would look a fair deal like iMac G4s, but they wouldn't be tethered to the display. I could see this being amazing... especially the ability to choose what size display you get on the top notch components. What if someone wants a 3.06GHz iMac with a 20" screen? Not gonna happen. But this could fix that. But this is of course just wild dreaming now. But a line-up of Mac Mini, Mac, an Mac Pro would look pretty good, kinda fitting with its mobile line-up, an underpowered and ultra-small machine, a middle range notebook, and a pro notebook. Doesn't line up perfectly but mirrors it fairly close... Hey, I doubt Apple will stay with the same products for TOO long(at least some new type of product before Mac OS XI:p)
SG :apple:
 
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