I actually can't believe how the highest end machine is competing with the lowest end. What sort of world are we living in??
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Likely to see an update before 2014?
- Thread starter ShaneBunting
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I actually can't believe how the highest end machine is competing with the lowest end. What sort of world are we living in??
Bare in mind though the Mini is the only machine with the i7's in as the iMac is using i5's now, I think its priced pretty competitively for an i7.
Thats my personal reason (or part of) for waiting for this damn refresh! haha
Watch, the big redesign will offer a space gray chassis. 
I really like my Late 2012 mini, but I really would like dGPU option, ditch FireWire, and offer an additional TB2 port. I'd love to put a 4k display on a Mac mini at some point. I just feel every line is getting a graphics boost in line with with their PC counterparts except the Mac mini.
I really like my Late 2012 mini, but I really would like dGPU option, ditch FireWire, and offer an additional TB2 port. I'd love to put a 4k display on a Mac mini at some point. I just feel every line is getting a graphics boost in line with with their PC counterparts except the Mac mini.
i7s used in server version are quad-core mobile chips as opposed to true desktop CPUs found in iMacs. you're not getting "true" i7 performance but I do agree it's still solid performer.
If a new mini is an alternative to the new Mac Pro then the new Mac Pro is in a heap of trouble before they sell the first one. If the new mini won't be released until after the new Mac Pro, it's quite possible the primary reason is the resources needed to develop it were redirected to getting the new Mac Pro out the door.
Hopefully they'll wait with the mini refresh until late 2014 or early 2015.
Why? Because I couldn't wait and bought a late 2012 yesterday. I did some solid thinking (and went about the mac pro as well) and came up with the upcoming mini being 13.1 % faster than the 2012 mini and still not having dedicated graphics and no significant change in connectivity.
The performance is based on the haswell i7 benchmarks I could find from geekbench (for the mbp, I think it was). The rest is (also) unqualified speculation.
With my luck, they'll announce the new mini in a couple of weeks, just after the return policy has expired.
Why? Because I couldn't wait and bought a late 2012 yesterday. I did some solid thinking (and went about the mac pro as well) and came up with the upcoming mini being 13.1 % faster than the 2012 mini and still not having dedicated graphics and no significant change in connectivity.
The performance is based on the haswell i7 benchmarks I could find from geekbench (for the mbp, I think it was). The rest is (also) unqualified speculation.
With my luck, they'll announce the new mini in a couple of weeks, just after the return policy has expired.
Like all ... a bit frustrated with the missing refresh.
I was hoping to see a silent refresh of the mac mini with the new Haswell chips like we've seen for the iMac.
In the absence of a mac mini update I was going to buy the latest iMac but realised it's only Thunderbolt and not Thunderbolt 2!
My understanding is that TB2 is necessary to output 4k native video. 4k TVs will be pushed to consumers ahead of the 2014 World Cup and a new bread of consumer camcorders are to be expected.
I'm convinced the differentiator between the Macs is no longer focused on memory or CPU but graphic processing capabilities. My next mac is an investment for a few years, I don't want to buy a MacPro or MacBook Pro to be able to properly handle 4k footage in the short-term.
Do you think we'll ever get TB2 on the macmini ?
I was hoping to see a silent refresh of the mac mini with the new Haswell chips like we've seen for the iMac.
In the absence of a mac mini update I was going to buy the latest iMac but realised it's only Thunderbolt and not Thunderbolt 2!
My understanding is that TB2 is necessary to output 4k native video. 4k TVs will be pushed to consumers ahead of the 2014 World Cup and a new bread of consumer camcorders are to be expected.
I'm convinced the differentiator between the Macs is no longer focused on memory or CPU but graphic processing capabilities. My next mac is an investment for a few years, I don't want to buy a MacPro or MacBook Pro to be able to properly handle 4k footage in the short-term.
Do you think we'll ever get TB2 on the macmini ?
YES. TB2 will undoubtably come to the Mini. Question: when. It could be with the next update or in 2 or 3 updates. We have to wait and see. I feel the same about the next Mac. I'd like to wait for the next mini, but if they don't release by Christmas, I'll probably just get the high-end i7 mini and settle--it's for audio creation and a media center.
I use my MBP as a server/HTPC right now and this is what the mini will be for. but i am starting to think that i really don't need to wait any more. the only thing that is still giving me pause is the VPN with the Mav. server 3.0 I'm also waiting on the Spinpoint M9t to be be purchasable. but as soon as those two (mainly the M9T) becomes available i'll pull the trigger. I've waited long enough. And will probably buy another Mac for when i buy a 4K tv so ..
Bring it on Samsung !
One in which Apple only markets an all in one in between the mini and the Mac Pro. Some do not want an all in one and so are forced to either go a little low or a little high.
The new MacPro has dual GPUs. The fact that people who don't do CAD or heavy professional work are talking about a MacPro simply because it has more GPU power than they'd ever need is telling.
It makes sense that the new Mac Mini would have a single GPU, but we want an upgrade option for a dGPU. The concept that the Mac Mini is "entry level laptop parts without the screen" drives me nuts when there isn't even a mobile dGPU "prosumer" upgrade option that I would handily pay for today, and my current i7 Mac Mini isn't even a year old.
I think the Mac Mini is getting a redesign, and we won't see it until mid-2014 at the earliest.
It makes sense that the new Mac Mini would have a single GPU, but we want an upgrade option for a dGPU. The concept that the Mac Mini is "entry level laptop parts without the screen" drives me nuts when there isn't even a mobile dGPU "prosumer" upgrade option that I would handily pay for today, and my current i7 Mac Mini isn't even a year old.
I think the Mac Mini is getting a redesign, and we won't see it until mid-2014 at the earliest.
You probably are an atypical mini user/owner. As for the MacPro comment, talk's cheap but MacPro's are $3000 and up. Let's wait to see if all those talkers open up their wallets as well as their mouths.
As, for that i tend to agree. But i must confess that i looked at the base pro as an alternative. the price difference however is kind of ridiculous! for that difference i thought buy a mini now and then buy another when the new ones come out and would fit my htpc/server needs much better than the still relatively bulky (for a living room) MP.
All of that being said the MP does look quite appealing
- no i am not Darth
No Mac Mini at least till June/July
If you think about it, a Haswell Mini now with Iris Pro, would be snapped up at the assumed price point of $599. With the availability of good monitors at relatively low prices it would absolutely kill iMac sales and would probably put a dent in the laptop range too.
Why laptops? Get a Mac Mini, use your existing peripherals and get an iPad to go with it. No need for a laptop and you've got the desktop sorted which integrates perfectly with your portable machine.
The kind of power a Haswell Mac Mini could offer would be ridiculous. There is enough power in the current line up to be sufficient for the needs of a Mac Mini owner. These mainly being to have access to OSX and the Mac App Store.
Then there's the question of the technicalities of having a Haswell and Iris Pro combo inside the current Mac Mini set up. I believe there are power issues which would most likely mean a redesign as it would require more power. And isn't one of the benefits of the mini is that it's so power efficient you can just leave it on all day, every day?
All this combined with the fact there have been virtually no leaks is why my new Mac Mini i5 is arriving tomorrow. No more waiting and no more anxiety over whether now is the right time to buy. In the first time in weeks I am not worrying over this!
If you need a Mac Mini buy one now. You'll be waiting a while. Of course there is always the possibility Apple may combine the Mac Mini and Apple TV and create some kind of hybrid bastard that will only be useful to someone with very low desktop needs. I have heard a rumour they are going to release a cheaper iMac which, in my opinion, could be the Mac Mini slayer.
If you think about it, a Haswell Mini now with Iris Pro, would be snapped up at the assumed price point of $599. With the availability of good monitors at relatively low prices it would absolutely kill iMac sales and would probably put a dent in the laptop range too.
Why laptops? Get a Mac Mini, use your existing peripherals and get an iPad to go with it. No need for a laptop and you've got the desktop sorted which integrates perfectly with your portable machine.
The kind of power a Haswell Mac Mini could offer would be ridiculous. There is enough power in the current line up to be sufficient for the needs of a Mac Mini owner. These mainly being to have access to OSX and the Mac App Store.
Then there's the question of the technicalities of having a Haswell and Iris Pro combo inside the current Mac Mini set up. I believe there are power issues which would most likely mean a redesign as it would require more power. And isn't one of the benefits of the mini is that it's so power efficient you can just leave it on all day, every day?
All this combined with the fact there have been virtually no leaks is why my new Mac Mini i5 is arriving tomorrow. No more waiting and no more anxiety over whether now is the right time to buy. In the first time in weeks I am not worrying over this!
If you need a Mac Mini buy one now. You'll be waiting a while. Of course there is always the possibility Apple may combine the Mac Mini and Apple TV and create some kind of hybrid bastard that will only be useful to someone with very low desktop needs. I have heard a rumour they are going to release a cheaper iMac which, in my opinion, could be the Mac Mini slayer.
This is what I intend to do!
I'm going to purchase a nice 24'' IPS 1920X1200 res DP/HDMI/DVI/USB monitor (non-APPLE) and a full BTO i7 Haswell Fusion Mac Mini (I hope in 2013) ...still save money to buy a retina mini ipad than to buy a full BTO i7 Haswell Fusion 21.5'' iMac....
do you agree?
BUT....there hasn't been an updated Mac Mini yet...
The Ivy Bridge, Quad-Core i7, 2.6 GHz Mac mini is faster than the Haswell iMac i5:
https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=18328793#post18328793
and
https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=18328924#post18328924
The only mobile Haswell chips with Iris Pro graphics (HD5200) are quad-core i7s and if Apple does come out with a mini built around a quad-core i7, it won't be anywhere near $599.
Historically, the Mac mini has basically been a headless entry-level (non-Retina) MacBook. Now that the non-Retina MacBook is gone, the likely base architecture would be that of the MacBook Air.
My guess is that the next-gen Mac mini would have Intel HD Graphics 5000 by default, with possibly a BTO option of the Iris Pro chip on the high-end Mac mini model, although a more likely option would be a quad-core CPU with bigger cache memory (and possibly a higher clock rate) with the same 5000 graphics. The Mac mini has never been a gamer's box even when it received discrete graphics.
Regardless of the specs, talk about the 4600 series doesn't make much sense (particularly since it seems like a backwards step from the 5000); it's another model line to support, and Apple has historically reduced the number of graphic architecture variants within a given product year for simplicity (and likely engineering efficiency).
Apple typically does not release new products after mid-November due to the U.S. holiday sales season, so if we don't see a new Mac mini in the next week or so, it is highly unlikely that we would see one until sometime in January 2014 at the earliest.
There are no current rumored reports of the Mac mini inventory drying up in channel reseller stores or overseas -- making a silent refresh next week less plausible -- so my gut feeling is that the refresh will wait until early next year, and Intel HD Graphics 5000 will be the featured graphics architecture.
My guess is that the next-gen Mac mini would have Intel HD Graphics 5000 by default, with possibly a BTO option of the Iris Pro chip on the high-end Mac mini model, although a more likely option would be a quad-core CPU with bigger cache memory (and possibly a higher clock rate) with the same 5000 graphics. The Mac mini has never been a gamer's box even when it received discrete graphics.
Regardless of the specs, talk about the 4600 series doesn't make much sense (particularly since it seems like a backwards step from the 5000); it's another model line to support, and Apple has historically reduced the number of graphic architecture variants within a given product year for simplicity (and likely engineering efficiency).
Apple typically does not release new products after mid-November due to the U.S. holiday sales season, so if we don't see a new Mac mini in the next week or so, it is highly unlikely that we would see one until sometime in January 2014 at the earliest.
There are no current rumored reports of the Mac mini inventory drying up in channel reseller stores or overseas -- making a silent refresh next week less plausible -- so my gut feeling is that the refresh will wait until early next year, and Intel HD Graphics 5000 will be the featured graphics architecture.
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I honestly want either a dual-core with Iris however I would take a quad-core with HD 4600 I suppose. How much of an upgrade would that be (the latter) over a dual-core with HD 3000?
Which makes it perfectly align with the extrapolated next release date being in February.
Haha, I just bought a Mini 2.6GHz i7 over an iMac or MacBook Pro because it still has a FW port! Too much invested in FW audio interfaces to trust an iffy adapter (plus lots of FW drives). Lots of companies still sell FW interfaces as their top model. Albeit I'd gladly trade the SD card slot for another Thunderbolt port. Maybe someday Thunderbolt will be useful for something other than running my monitor.
Ahh, I didn't realize the upper specced iMacs were configurable to the i7
Still for me its the £1,459.00 for the i7 iMac vs the £679.00 for the i7 Mac Mini.
Adding things like keyboard and mouse, screen to the mix though there's not much between it! Unless you have them already
Still for me its the £1,459.00 for the i7 iMac vs the £679.00 for the i7 Mac Mini.
Adding things like keyboard and mouse, screen to the mix though there's not much between it! Unless you have them already