If you've been waiting to upgrade, what's next?

[Jambalaya]

I was waiting for a refresh in June 2013 ! I put 8GB RAM and 750 HDD into my 2009 so if there is no update I have two choices as I see it

1) 500GB SSD into my 2009
2) Buy a used 2012 onwards machine and put in RAM and SSD​

However I would need to feel the Mini is going to be discontinued to do 2) and my priorities are an iPad Air2 to replace my iPad1 and an iPhone 6 to replace the 4S, so perhaps the real answer is nothing until early 2015.

 

[Cole Slaw]

I own a 2012/2013/2014 Mini right now, and though I'd like to see a new model come out, I'm almost afraid to see what it'll be like.
Mr. Ives will probably make it "thinner", because that's his mission in life, meaning soldered ram, non upgradable storage, etc.
I really hope I'm wrong about that, though.

 

[CAWjr]

Well, no hardware announcement at the keynote. I guess we need to either hope for a silent upgrade this week or start turning to plan B.

 

[deeddawg]

My guess is either way things go today there's a fair bit of pent up demand and refurbs may be scarce for a while.

Interesting to note that this morning there were a few refurb mini configs available and as of right now they're all gone but for one OSX Server config. After the keynote the base i5 and i7 refurb models disappeared like free cheese.

Be interesting to see how quickly they come back to regular stock in the refurb store

 

[mdgm]

I don't think I'll get a 2012 Mini unless they discontinue the Mac Mini. I will wait to see if they refresh it for now.

Plus if Yosemite will run on the 2009 Mac Minis then all my current Minis will run the latest OS for another year. So I have plenty of time to wait.

 

[blanka]

The current Mini is despite its age, still the best desktop ever. So no reason not to buy one. Small, powerful (just behind the NewMacPro in raw speed), 1GB/s R/W disk speeds max, USB3, TB, Firewire 800, Gigabit. What more does man want?
And the hope for HD4600 graphics... I don't mind. After the Keynote we probably want Metal to be part of OSX. If that increases 3D speed tenfold, the small gains of Intel with Iris are irrelevant.

 

[mdgm]

Even though the current Mini is mostly adequate many here including myself are reluctant to buy very old technology unless given no alternative. Furthermore there are some issues with the 2012 mini that I hope might be addressed in a newer model.

There's also the fact the 2012 Mini doesn't have 802.11ac. Even though I use ethernet, the addition of 802.11ac would give me greater flexibility in where I deploy the Mini. Do I really want to buy a new one that if shifted to a network where I need to use Wi-Fi will require using outdated 802.11n technology or an extra AEBS than would otherwise be needed to use 802.11ac?

 

[MH01]

I own a 2012/2013/2014 Mini right now, and though I'd like to see a new model come out, I'm almost afraid to see what it'll be like.
Mr. Ives will probably make it "thinner", because that's his mission in life, meaning soldered ram, non upgradable storage, etc.
I really hope I'm wrong about that, though.

I think you have nailed it. I wonder what Ives obsession is with making everything?

I just wish they would make them that much thicker and not solder everything. I am more than happy for the current mini to just get a Spec upgrade,

 

[Oujmik]

I got a 2012 mini when they came out so I don't plan to upgrade unless the new one is a really great deal (then I could retire the 2009 mini which runs my TV). However, if the mini is discontinued and nothing comes along to replace it (similar price point and form) within the next three years or so I would be likely to leave apple. I've already left iPhone for a Nexus 5 because the price was wrong. I'd be sad to leave Apple after being with them since MacOS 7, but hey ho.

 

[DeeGee48]

Wherefore art thou, Mac mini?

If a new mini is announced on Monday, it's safe to say that most of the people who frequent this subforum will go out & get one. But what if no update is announced, or (gasp) the mini is discontinued? What is your next course of action?

Well as we all know now, a new Mac mini was NOT announced at WWDC. I too have been waiting for the new one. Here's my guess as to what is going on.

Apple knows Intel's processor roadmap. They are skipping Haswell, including Rev B, and going with Broadwell, which Intel has just confirmed WILL appear in machines this fall, 2014. I believe a new mini will be one of them. That will make it one incredible computer! Makes sense, when it's that close.

Additionally, I think we may see a much "mini-er" mini, ditching the hard drive for an all-SSD system. I am hoping that such a new machine IS on the board for the fall, with all the other goodies we know are coming! Just hold on a little bit longer friends....almost there!

 

[mfram]

I got tired of waiting for a new Mac Mini. I wanted to use it on my desk for a nice, inexpensive system for basic use connected to a monitor and keyboards/Magic Trackpads I already have.

My answer: Min-spec MacBook Air 11" and a stand. It's pretty inexpensive and I don't care how small the screen on it is since I'm using an external monitor anyway. Plus the flash drive in the MBA is very fast compared to spindle hard drives. I think the MBA 11" is a better buy than the Mac Mini at the moment.

 

[BJonson]

If you look at it this way you spend extra money on upgrades anyways if the drive and ram is removable. If they make one with soldered ram and hard drive then you will just pay that extra up front, the mini will be smaller and faster and you will enjoy the extra ram much longer.

 

[Boyd01]

I have a maxxed out 11" 2013 MBA (i7/8gb/512gb) as my primary machine - it's great, very fast, fantastic for travel and it runs all day on battery. A big screen and keyboard make it a powerful machine for home use (I run Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, etc).

Have a bottom of the line mini arriving today that I am going to dedicate as an iTunes server. The mini specs are fine for my use - probably a lot higher that I need. Only thing I would have liked would have been a lower price tag.

I think DeeGee48's idea makes sense though. If you took away the battery, keyboard and screen from the MBA you would have a nice, powerful, inexpensive little computer.

 

[mdgm]

If you look at it this way you spend extra money on upgrades anyways if the drive and ram is removable. If they make one with soldered ram and hard drive then you will just pay that extra up front, the mini will be smaller and faster and you will enjoy the extra ram much longer.

But historically many Macs support more RAM than Apple ever sold for them.

The price of RAM drops a lot too. What may cost several hundred dollars (or even more) when a Mac is released might cost a few hundred a few years later. So with soldered RAM, not enough RAM will in some cases be a reason to upgrade to a new machine sooner than what should be necessary.

If Apple solders the RAM in then it will increase the upfront cost of the machine which reduces the attractiveness of the Mini. One of the great things about the Mini is you can buy it thinking you may do upgrades later that you never end up doing. With soldered on parts you may purchase upgrades just in case you need them.

 

[BJonson]

But historically many Macs support more RAM than Apple ever sold for them.

The price of RAM drops a lot too. What may cost several hundred dollars (or even more) when a Mac is released might cost a few hundred a few years later. So with soldered RAM, not enough RAM will in some cases be a reason to upgrade to a new machine sooner than what should be necessary.

If Apple solders the RAM in then it will increase the upfront cost of the machine which reduces the attractiveness of the Mini. One of the great things about the Mini is you can buy it thinking you may do upgrades later that you never end up doing. With soldered on parts you may purchase upgrades just in case you need them.

Valid points. I would sacrifice that though if it meant a way smaller mac mini. Take out the ram and hard drive and extra space and they should be able to get it down to half the size. It would be so cool to have a mac mini the size of an apple tv. I know it won't get that small on the next release but it will eventually and it will be glorious.

 

[fredr500]

"Old" Mac Pro

tired of waiting for the new mini, found a Mac Pro 5.1 with quad core 2.88 Xeon for under a grand on Craigslist. Will need to add $200 in RAM (comes with 3GB, WTF?), everything else should move over from my 1.1. That means all 4 hard drives will be on the internal SATA, no external enclosures needed. I can stay at 4 displays if I want.

Sometimes waiting pays off.

 

[sonicrobby]

Keep my 2012 Mini as its working like a beast :]

 

[Yvan256]

Valid points. I would sacrifice that though if it meant a way smaller mac mini. Take out the ram and hard drive and extra space and they should be able to get it down to half the size. It would be so cool to have a mac mini the size of an apple tv. I know it won't get that small on the next release but it will eventually and it will be glorious.

Intel and AMD already did it, so I don't see why the Mac nano couldn't be the exact same size as a 2nd/3rd generation Apple TV. If the Mac nano shared the same packaging and plastic casing as the Apple TV, it would lower the cost of die-cutting (same dies and corrugated cardboard, bigger orders) and moulding (same moulds, bigger orders) and add shipping stack-ability with the Apple TV.

We all know Tim Cook loves to optimize the manufacturing process, that would be a perfect opportunity for that. I'd go even one step further and make the Mac nano motherboard usable in both the Mac nano and the MacBook Air to further lower overall manufacturing and inventory costs.

 

[Jambalaya]

I think the new ATV could be slightly larger to add more power and wifi router. As such it's going to look a lot like a Mini with limited internal storage. The ATV1 was about the same size as current Mini so a size in the middle could well mean a Mini and ATV are one and the same, cloud (or external) storage ?

 

[Yvan256]

I think the new ATV could be slightly larger to add more power and wifi router. As such it's going to look a lot like a Mini with limited internal storage. The ATV1 was about the same size as current Mini so a size in the middle could well mean a Mini and ATV are one and the same, cloud (or external) storage ?

Most people who need a wi-fi router already have one. Apple sells a wi-fi router of their own. It would be pointless for Apple and for most people to add router capabilities to an Apple TV.

 

[Jambalaya]

Most people who need a wi-fi router already have one. Apple sells a wi-fi router of their own. It would be pointless for Apple and for most people to add router capabilities to an Apple TV.

Its been flagged on MacRumours front page a few times. I think the thought is that you have your internet delivered to the ATV (so better for streaming) and also it cuts down one leg of the AirPlay redirect of iPhone/iPad/Mac to router to ATV. Where I can I use an Ethernet cable into my ATV

 

[mrnoglue]

If the mini is discontinued, I'll probably either pony up for a iMac or get a gaming console (always wanted one of those) and keep my macbook for another couple of years. The mini is a nice little powerhouse that meets all my needs (light gaming, email, web browsing, itunes, etc). But I can adapt.

 

[scottsjack]

tired of waiting for the new mini, found a Mac Pro 5.1 with quad core 2.88 Xeon for under a grand on Craigslist. Will need to add $200 in RAM (comes with 3GB, WTF?), everything else should move over from my 1.1. That means all 4 hard drives will be on the internal SATA, no external enclosures needed. I can stay at 4 displays if I want.

Sometimes waiting pays off.

Good find. I've go a 5,1 3.2 quad. My mini is more modern and Geekbenches higher than the MP but when it comes to getting work done the MP wins. I'm using an SSD on PCI card for the boot drive. That gives me room for five hard drives and a Blu-ray burner.