Is this a silly time to buy a Mac mini ??

[Sounds Good]

Hi guys,

I'm guessing that the new Mac mini units are coming soon (true? false?) so is this a silly time to buy a Mac mini?

Also, when do you suppose the new ones might be released?

Thanks...

 

[0007776]

Do you need a new computer and does the current mini meet your needs? If the answer to both of those is yes then now is a good time to get one, if not then wait a little bit to get one.

 

[Sounds Good]

When do you suppose the new ones might be released?

 

[0007776]

When do you suppose the new ones might be released?

Based on the buyer's guide I'd say probably June or July. Of course that's just based on what has happened in the past so it could be sooner or it could be later which is why my advice is to buy it if you need it and it meets your needs otherwise just wait.

 

[kylera]

Sometime during the summer, but who knows?

Though, if nothing else, waiting would be good because you can then get a discount for the older model. Of course, this is assuming you don't need a new Mac right now.

 

[scoobydoo99]

Do you need a new computer and does the current mini meet your needs? If the answer to both of those is yes then now is a good time to get one, if not then wait a little bit to get one.

Not really good advice. If he's considering Mac Minis, then of course it "meets his needs". So did the last Mini and probably the one before that.

With Apple computers, it's pretty simple - always buy at or near the beginning of a product's life cycle. Either buy the new one (and get the latest technology), or buy the previous generation that is being replaced and get a good deal.

What you don't want to do is buy one NOW, at the end of a life cycle.

Has nothing to do with whether it "meets needs" or not - it's just good sense.

 

[Sounds Good]

Thanks Scooby. That's exactly the type of advice I was hoping to receive.

 

[philipma1957]

Not really good advice. If he's considering Mac Minis, then of course it "meets his needs". So did the last Mini and probably the one before that.

With Apple computers, it's pretty simple - always buy at or near the beginning of a product's life cycle. Either buy the new one (and get the latest technology), or buy the previous generation that is being replaced and get a good deal.

What you don't want to do is buy one NOW, at the end of a life cycle.

Has nothing to do with whether it "meets needs" or not - it's just good sense.

I up voted you. The facts you state are pretty good. To the buyer do not buy any mac today unless your old computer is dead. Every mac is old and waiting for a refresh.

Once the refresh comes then the 2011 model will drop. If you wait the 2012 will get better graphics. Of course if your gear is broken you are kind of stuck. My guess is Oct at the latest June at the soonest.

 

[BrianSoCal]

My PC died a few weeks ago, so it gave me a perfect excuse to get my first Mac, a Mac Mini.

I have to say, I couldn't be happier and pairing it with Win7/Parallels has helped me avoid total OSX overload.

Hi guys,

I'm guessing that the new Mac mini units are coming soon (true? false?) so is this a silly time to buy a Mac mini?

Also, when do you suppose the new ones might be released?

Thanks...

 

[redlancer]

Hi all,

My mac pro g5 died the other week so also looking for a new mac.
Mini/imac are under consideration.

As I'm in a similar position and more than realise that the new models might be light years ahead or just a small improvment. Plus there's always something new around the corner.

My question is how does the price of the superceeded models compare to the refurb.
e.g. the mini mac and imac that I'm considering are down as a refurb with 15% off. Will this improve once the new models are out?

 

[57004]

Yes refurbs do usually drop in price again once new models are out... I got my base 2010 Air after the 2011 was out for 649 euro (new price: 999, refurb price before 2011 model came out: 799). So there can be a significant drop.

I think the new mini would be a fair upgrade, I think USB 3.0 has a good chance of making it in there which will prove useful in the future. I would guess for a 15% CPU boost, 20-30% GPU (over the standard integrated model).

I hope they continue the tradition of dedicated GPUs they started with the current model. especially combined with a quad-core CPU. I have the current one with Radeon 6630M and it's great.

Anyway the mini is a great desktop, if you don't mind the iMac's screen you get a little more bang for your buck with an iMac but I just can't stand the glossy screen so it wasn't an option.

Edit: By the way I would also wait if it was possible at all.

 

[redlancer]

Yes refurbs do usually drop in price again once new models are out... I got my base 2010 Air after the 2011 was out for 649 euro (new price: 999, refurb price before 2011 model came out: 799). So there can be a significant drop.

I think the new mini would be a fair upgrade, I think USB 3.0 has a good chance of making it in there which will prove useful in the future. I would guess for a 15% CPU boost, 20-30% GPU (over the standard integrated model).

I hope they continue the tradition of dedicated GPUs they started with the current model. especially combined with a quad-core CPU. I have the current one with Radeon 6630M and it's great.

Anyway the mini is a great desktop, if you don't mind the iMac's screen you get a little more bang for your buck with an iMac but I just can't stand the glossy screen so it wasn't an option.

Edit: By the way I would also wait if it was possible at all.

thanks - I've seen a few comments re the imac screen, so will have to do some digging as I thought it was top notch and one of its selling points.
Was going down imac route as for a £200 more get a screen, looks a bit faster, dvd player and wirless keyboard.
But also thinking mac mini as baring the DVD player I already have these, so imac might be better in the future, when not forced into a buy, when it can be use it as a screen for my laptop etc.

Will hold out a bit longer.

 

[57004]

thanks - I've seen a few comments re the imac screen, so will have to do some digging as I thought it was top notch and one of its selling points.
Was going down imac route as for a £200 more get a screen, looks a bit faster, dvd player and wirless keyboard.
But also thinking mac mini as baring the DVD player I already have these, so imac might be better in the future, when not forced into a buy, when it can be use it as a screen for my laptop etc.

Will hold out a bit longer.

The iMac screen IS top-notch, that's one of the reasons why it's such good value for money! There's very few 27" IPS Led-backlit panels out there and most cost as much as half an iMac.

However I personally can't stand the glossyness, it's a glossy panel with additionally a glass panel with no anti-glare coating over it. I just hate Apple's design choice there and I've even upgraded my old MacBook to a matte panel in the past But this is purely personal and many people love glossy screens.

Another advantage of my Mini is that I can use my screen with my Xbox 360 now. Which is not possible with the iMac (even with the 27" as it only accepts Thunderbolt inputs).

 

[Tsuchiya]

If you can wait, then wait. I brought a current Mini a few weeks back because I really couldn't wait and could see a use for it after I upgraded to something a bit more powerful later on this year.

However if you want a machine that'll keep you going for a few years then wait. Wait for a quad-core + dedicated graphics card model.

 

[Sounds Good]

My PC died a few weeks ago, so it gave me a perfect excuse to get my first Mac, a Mac Mini.

My PC also died, last week. And I too am strongly considering getting my first Mac. I'd prefer getting something like the MacBook Air, but I thought the Mac mini might be a better way to get my feet wet. I was ready to buy now, but I think it might be wise at this point to wait. In the mean time I pulled an old Dell (running Windows XP) out of my closet. It's not ideal, and it's pretty slow... but it works, so it's better than nothing.

 

[CausticPuppy]

WARNING: The Mac Mini is a gateway drug. I "got my feet wet" with the original G4 Mini and now I'm on my 3rd Mini, along with a couple Mac notebooks along the way.

It's not a good time to buy a brand new mini. It's a good time to buy a refurb though, and it'll be identical to a new one except for the pretty box. The prices will drop a bit more after the new ones come out, but they won't drop as much as the existing discount off of the new price.

I picked up a quad-core server model for $150 off the new price. It might drop another $50 or so when the new ones come out but is it worth waiting another couple months just to save $50?

(I doubt the mini's will be updated at WWDC-- but probably updated along with the Airs later on)

 

[Sounds Good]

It's not a good time to buy a brand new mini. It's a good time to buy a refurb though...

I thought so too, BUT... the total price (after tax) of a refurb base-level Mac mini (which is what I want) is VERY close to Amazon's price on a new unit (no tax and free shipping for me). So I don't think it makes sense to get a refurb from Apple when I can get a brand new unit from Amazon for literally a few bucks more. Know what I mean?

 

[BrianSoCal]

My PC also died, last week. And I too am strongly considering getting my first Mac. I'd prefer getting something like the MacBook Air, but I thought the Mac mini might be a better way to get my feet wet.

I did the SAME thing for about a day (dusted off an old laptop) until I started looking into the modified, soiled up Mini's that CustomTechSales (highly recommend them) sell on eBay. I bought a 2.5/AMD Mini with 16GB of ram, 750GB SSD drive, Win7/Parallels, Office and this thing just flies.

Sure, I guess I could have waited for the refresh, but the modifications I had done to mine should keep me a happy camper for a few years.

 

[Sounds Good]

I did the SAME thing for about a day (dusted off an old laptop) until I started looking into the modified, soiled up Mini's that CustomTechSales (highly recommend them) sell on eBay. I bought a 2.5/AMD Mini with 16GB of ram, 750GB SSD drive, Win7/Parallels, Office and this thing just flies.

Oooh. Great idea, I'll have to look into that. Was it more expensive to go that route? Less? The same??

 

[Fishrrman]

"I'm guessing that the new Mac mini units are coming soon (true? false?)"

A. True.

"so is this a silly time to buy a Mac mini?"

A. Yes.

Also, when do you suppose the new ones might be released?

A. Soon...

 

[philipma1957]

Oooh. Great idea, I'll have to look into that. Was it more expensive to go that route? Less? The same??

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-2011-Ap...e_Desktops&hash=item20c5c3fca0#ht_2651wt_1094


this is a custom tech setup . it is okay deal if you are not a diy guy



http://www.amazon.com/Apple-MC816LL...CN1U/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1337784716&sr=8-2


the mini is 762 at amazon. 5% discount is 724


16gb ram is 85 = 724 + 85 or 809

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820144556

 

[dkersten]

Apple will do everything in its power to get each computer model in their lineup an upgrade before the "back-to-school" rush of the late summer. Expect to see MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros in the coming weeks and updated desktops soon after (or possibly at the same time as the laptops). However, there is also the rumor of every model being updated at WWDC sometime in June (I'm not sure of the exact date).

My advice would be to hold on to the computer you have now until the new Mini's are released unless you need a computer right now.

 

[BrianSoCal]

Oooh. Great idea, I'll have to look into that. Was it more expensive to go that route? Less? The same??

It was more expensive with all the modifications/additions but well worth it!

----------

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-2011-Ap...e_Desktops&hash=item20c5c3fca0#ht_2651wt_1094


this is a custom tech setup . it is okay deal if you are not a diy guy

That one is very similar to my set-up but I added Win7, Office and another 8GB or RAM. Thanks for finding one of their auctions, I honestly can't recommend them enough (I must have asked them 50 questions, and they answered each within a few minutes).

 

[chickenwingfly]

I bought one recently (hasn't arrived from the US yet), because I sold my PC in February and using my "mini" POS laptop sucks (hello again 800x600), so yeah, I needed a Mac (switching from Windows/Linux) NOW.

And to be honest the performance increase with new gen wasn't enough to get me excited to wait (it won't be much by my counts).

As some said already with Apple products is best at the start of the cycle, but talking technology in general, just buy it when you need or want it, period.

If you hold forever then there will always be something bigger, better, faster, stronger, round the corner. That's technology.

 

[mrsir2009]

I'd wait for the new one to get the most for my money.