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Low-price iMac = Mac mini is dead?

Wouldn't cut it for me

My first computer was the first Mac Mini in 2005.

I didn't (and still don't) want an elegant portable computer with a poky shiny screen and all, to tout from home to office to cafe on a daily basis.

I did (and still do) want something that can be transported easily from time to time to hook up to peripherals elsewhere, in a backpack on a bicycle or motorcycle, or using public transport.

I reckon I am not alone, although others may have come to the Mini for different reasons.….. the Mini and the iMac belong in totally different market niches.
 
iMac screen = garbage ..

now this is not true for everyone, but in my case my mac minis drive a 26 inch tv screen a 32 inch tv screen and a 46 inch tv screen.

the only other desktop is a mac pro. so as much as a want to keep one foot in the mac world and the other in the windows world. No screen less desk top means no mac for me.
 
Maybe not dead but certainly wounded. If this rumour is true then it reinforces the glass ceiling for the Mini, Apple won't want a top end Mac Mini to outperform the cheaper iMac. With all these new products it's easy to see the Mini refresh slipping to 2015 or perhaps just being left as is to fade out :(

I love my Mini and would buy a refreshed one but this may be like "Waiting for Godot"
 
philipma1957 said:
iMac screen = garbage ..
Click to expand...

I agree, but what if the new low priced iMac is an iMac without the screen? I think the most pricy component in iMac is the screen, and if they took it out, they could cut the price down. they could consolidate the iMac and mac mini categories into just one. in that case, it'll be an awesome move!
 
leftyMac said:
I agree, but what if the new low priced iMac is an iMac without the screen? I think the most pricy component in iMac is the screen, and if they took it out, they could cut the price down. they could consolidate the iMac and mac mini categories into just one. in that case, it'll be an awesome move!
Click to expand...

Then it wouldn't be an iMac.....the iMac has always been an all-in-one.
 
Jambalaya said:
Maybe not dead but certainly wounded. If this rumour is true then it reinforces the glass ceiling for the Mini, Apple won't want a top end Mac Mini to outperform the cheaper iMac. With all these new products it's easy to see the Mini refresh slipping to 2015 or perhaps just being left as is to fade out :(

I love my Mini and would buy a refreshed one but this may be like "Waiting for Godot"
Click to expand...

I said it before and I'll say it again.

The Mac Mini does not fit Apples philosophy of glued and sealed.

NO CONSUMER UPGRADE

The cheaper IMac, if true, will be the entry level Mac.

Apples alleged excuse is to compete with lower end offerings- HP, etc.

When Jobs was still around when did he care about trying to keep up with lower priced competition?

Apples Cool Factor has changed to be just another competitor.
 
Mr. Retrofire said:
I thought the Mac mini does this already!?
Click to expand...

It does if you use large tv screens like I do.

What annoys me the only product apple makes for a guy like me is the mini.

Well mac pro would work better ,but price is too high. Apple tv does not cut it.

Attaching a macbook pro to a tv works but cost far too much.

So the mini is it for now with 1080p tv the 2012 and the 2011 with real gpu

do the trick. 4k tv is coming so I hope apple doe not make it senseless for

me to own a pc from them.

I have owned every mini from 2006 on. Or every intel based mini.
 
Jambalaya said:
Maybe not dead but certainly wounded. If this rumour is true then it reinforces the glass ceiling for the Mini, Apple won't want a top end Mac Mini to outperform the cheaper iMac.
Click to expand...
The current Mac mini has a quad-core processor at the high end. I wonder if a cheap iMac lets Apple redesign the Mac mini to make it smaller and use lower-power processors that top out at dual-core (like the ones used in the MacBook Air).

Mr. Retrofire said:
I thought the Mac mini does this already!?
Click to expand...
Excluding BTO options, it doesn't, at least when comparing the late 2012 model Mac mini to the late 2012 iMac.
 
A glimmer of hope

They only news that is giving me the slightest amount of hope to see a refresh this year is that next gen faster Haswell chips may be released next month. I am sure these will be the chips used in the iMacs, but hopefully they will find their way into the mini without waiting for Broadwell (or discontinuing altogether!)
 
I don't think they will give up the Mac mini. It is perfect as a gateway machine. If they offered the iMac as a standalone machine similar to what the Mac mini is all together that would be fine but if they stop having a stand alone desktop all together that would be crazy.
 
There's not a lot of overlap in the markets for the Mac Mini and iMac, so no. For my needs, I wouldn't even consider an iMac, and I'm sure I'm not alone.
 
fa8362 said:
There's not a lot of overlap in the markets for the Mac Mini and iMac, so no. For my needs, I wouldn't even consider an iMac, and I'm sure I'm not alone.
Click to expand...

Yep. I have three Minis in use currently: one as my primary entertainment center, a second running my wife's exercise videos in her gym, and third in use in a Recording Booth. An iMac would be inappropriate in any of these situations.
 
I hope there's still hope for a new mini soon ...

Amazon Germany is again out if stock of minis for some time now ...
 
Well, for what it's worth, the education iMac is long overdue for an update. Perhaps that is what the rumor is referring too? And, since Apple has always had a cheaper iMac for education customers along with the mini, it just might survive for another year. ;)
 
1300 for the imac is to much money compared to whats out there now. If you really take time to look there is a lot out there. 1199 would make it in line with whats out there. That may not be enough to sway a buyer though away from windows. It has to be 1099 for someone like my mom to throw in the towel with windows and try something completely new.

I dont think a cheaper imac will interfere with the mini at all. Its still the cheapest way to go.

it would be nice if they lowered both but we all know how tightly apple holds on to its money.
 
animatedude said:
low-price iMac won't be less than $999...maybe $1099.
Click to expand...

They already sell an education-only iMac for $1099. They are probably going to refresh that model, and then make it available to the general public. They did the exact same thing with eMac a few years ago (right after the Mac Mini came out).
 
CausticPuppy said:
They already sell an education-only iMac for $1099. They are probably going to refresh that model, and then make it available to the general public. They did the exact same thing with eMac a few years ago (right after the Mac Mini came out).
Click to expand...

FYI that model is no longer sold since the last refresh, but they've done the education-only model thing a few times indeed.
 
I really like my MacMini but I would say there is a good chance Apple could end the MacMini. The Mac Mini was originally designed to introduce Windows users to the Mac OS. They could use their PC keyboard, mouse and monitor making the Mac Mini sort of a demo Mac.

The Mac Mini went on to become more than that but maybe not that much more as far as Apple is concerned.

Apple dosen't see Windows as a real competitor now so maybe they figure it's time to change the Mac lineup.

Maybe there will be something better than the Mac Mini. The MacMini ll? :D
 
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