Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Mac Mini - where's the update?

T

tjohanne

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 2, 2007
45
0
I'm starting to get provoked. I've been waiting for months for a Mac mini update, but still nothing has come. No information, no nothing.

The situation is this: for the price of a Mac mini 2,0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 1 GB of RAM, I can get a pretty slick Shuttle barebone PC with 2 GB of RAM and a 2,4 GHz Quad Core processor and better graphics (in Norway).

I mean, has Apple's development team fallen asleep or something? Are they sleeping in class? I know they are all about design and that stuff, but the Mac mini specs are rather pathetic now, almost a year after its release.

I prefer to buy a Mac because of the OS, but this is becoming a farce. If nothing happens soon, I might have to make the switch... to Vista. Sad but true. :mad:
 
tjohanne said:
The situation is this: for the price of a Mac mini 2,0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 1 GB of RAM, I can get a pretty slick Shuttle barebone PC with 2 GB of RAM and a 2,4 GHz Quad Core processor and better graphics (in Norway).
Click to expand...

Now I am not trying to be a fanboy but their is something you are leaving out of your calculation.

The Mac Mini is made out of laptop parts and is housed in a much smaller form factor than a shuttle. You could definitely build a computer of equal specs to the mini for less. But for your comparison you should at least be fair in your pricing.

I don't mind bashing a pricing structure when comparing like components, but it is unfair to compare products that are made from different hardware components. This ere in calculations is done for many Apple products. Comparing 8lbs laptop prices to the much thinner and lighter Macbooks/Pro (believe or not it costs money to make a laptop thin and light). Desktop component PC vs mostly laptop iMac (except screen, keyboard, mouse and hard drive). Finally comparing desktop Core 2 Quad's against Mac Pro's using Server Parts.

If you do comparisons based on like components you would find that most Macs are fairly priced. Though the mini is getting a bit long in the tooth and is definitely due for an upgrade or price reduction.
 
velocityg4 said:
Now I am not trying to be a fanboy but their is something you are leaving out of your calculation.

The Mac Mini is made out of laptop parts and is housed in a much smaller form factor than a shuttle. You could definitely build a computer of equal specs to the mini for less. But for your comparison you should at least be fair in your pricing.
Click to expand...

Maybe you are right, but the problem is this - the Mac Mini is as close as it gets to a Shuttle. I couldn't care less if the Mini was two or three times the size, using desktop parts, as long as it was up to date. I just need a computer that's a bit smaller than your average desktop, and I don't want an iMac. So Mac Mini is the only alternative, and it is outdated. I just cannot comprehend why they don't upgrade it.
 
velocityg4 said:
I don't mind bashing a pricing structure when comparing like components, but it is unfair to compare products that are made from different hardware components.

If you do comparisons based on like components you would find that most Macs are fairly priced. Though the mini is getting a bit long in the tooth and is definitely due for an upgrade or price reduction.
Click to expand...

If Apple made a computer out of desktop components for less than $2000 I'd agree with you, but since Apple chooses to have a thin hardware line comprised of laptop parts I think the comparisons are fair.

The longer the mini goes without the simple and much needed bump to x3100 the more I start to think we'll see a full redesign at WWDC. Though that could be entirely wishful-thinking on my part.
 
I kept waiting. Then eventually, I just went ahead and bought one about 2 weeks ago. I needed a computer now, and didn't care for waiting for an update which I don't know when is coming. Let's just say, I love my Mac Mini. Really fast, great multitasking, perfect for me :). I basically weighed both sides and realized that I'd be waiting for weeks, if not months, for what? A slightly faster procesor which I wouldn't notice. A larger hard drive? I already have a 500gb external one. What else? Wireless N? I don't have an N router, and if I did, I'd just buy a $40 adapter. I got an Apple Keyboard and Mouse and I couldn't be happier. Especially as a first time Mac user :D
 
I think Apple is losing out on a niche but notable market here. While the Mini may have been created as a stepping stone for luring consumers into the Mac world, the fact is that it has the perfect size for a media player. CPU/GPU options are just now getting to the level that are safely 1080p capable. Even if the update is moderate and not top of the line, I'd buy one new Mini for the home theater (running XBMC) in its debut week, and probably a second one in the same month.

The longer Apple waits, though, the more other options come available. Maybe a Linux XBMC build in the Omaura TF5 case that's should be available soon. A new Mini would be a slam dunk, though...

PM7
 
Maybe no more minis

Other rumors suggest that the Mini is going EOL. I think it would be sad since I have a PPC mini that I'd love to upgrade. I have a perfectly good 20" LCD with an apple keyboard and logitech mouse. I'd buy a new mini in a heartbeat.
 
PNW said:
The longer the mini goes without the simple and much needed bump to x3100 the more I start to think we'll see a full redesign at WWDC. Though that could be entirely wishful-thinking on my part.
Click to expand...

I'm with you on this one. At this point, I would prefer to wait a little longer if it means getting a significant update. I have been ready to buy for 2 months but can and will continue to wait. Hopefully we get Montevina/Penryn.
 
I just hope the mini retains its oh-so-tiny and silent form factor. It really is the Mac Cube redux, IMHO. I'm all for an Apple mid-tower (aka "xMac"), but I really hope the mini stays mini.
 
if minis are updated, my guess would be a complete redesign in June. Something much smaller in the same price range. I'd say about macbook pro specs without the GPU.
 
I've been thinking about getting a Mini lately, and getting a Macbook to fill my portable empty spot [since I have the MBP now], so I mine as well just wait for the refresh to come out, or anything else that might within the next few months...

I'll probably just stick with the MBP for now. It's so powerful, haha.
 
velocityg4 said:
The Mac Mini is made out of laptop parts and is housed in a much smaller form factor than a shuttle. Y
Click to expand...

I wonder when people say that, how literal is it? Does Mac Mini actually share the same logic board as the Macbook??
 
tjohanne said:
Maybe you are right, but the problem is this - the Mac Mini is as close as it gets to a Shuttle. I couldn't care less if the Mini was two or three times the size, using desktop parts, as long as it was up to date. I just need a computer that's a bit smaller than your average desktop, and I don't want an iMac. So Mac Mini is the only alternative, and it is outdated. I just cannot comprehend why they don't upgrade it.
Click to expand...

I've got a Shuttle I put together back in 2003. The thing was/is so loud, I rarely turned it on, preferring my original iBook (Dual USB, from 2001). Yes, the Shuttle was probably more than 5X faster (probably over 10X faster graphics card), but the iBook was "good enough" for most things I needed to do. Well, there was also that Windows thing I wasn't so fond of... :p

So, although I like the small size of the Shuttle enclosures, there's no freaking way I'd ever use it full-time! I still have it lying around, solely for the occasional ProE/Catia/SolidWorks use. However, as soon as I upgrade to an Intel Mac, that thing is going out the window!

Now, if only Apple would give us a headless iMac, or a Mini with a decent graphics card!!! :(
 
The only thing I really want to see in the Mac Mini is support for 4GB ram as reading around the current one only supports up to 3GB. Wirelress N would be nice too for when I do get maybe a time capsule but its not necessary. Hopefully they could put a superdrive in the lower priced model too.
 
Well it's been said a 100 times the last 6 months, with the following upgrades:
-speed bump
-X3100 graphics
-4GB memory
-HD bumped up
a lot of people would bite.
Superdrive would be nice in entry model, but I guess that's the only thing they have to create a higher price point, ridiculous as it seems.
They need to find another dont-need-it-but-gotta-have-it thing to differentiate the models.
Wireless-N?
 
Intel will have dropped the X3100 for the X4500 buy the time Apple get around to updating the Mini.
 
I think the Mac Mini is only updated one time per 12 months now.


Great way to increase profit margins!

Old hardware and new hardware prices -- PROFIT! BIG PROFIT!
 
The 1.8 and 2.0 Mac Minis just showed up on the Apple Refurb. page for $100/$120 off. Still more expensive than what you can get on eBay though they do come with the warranty. Wonder how long they will last?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back