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Next Mac Mini???

MacFanatic08 said:
I don't know. IMO they should discontinue the Mini - I mean, there's basically no demand for it. :(
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I'd love to see numbers to back this.

In talking with my Apple Business reps, they tell me that for every consumer that buys a Mac mini, there is usually 2-3 bought for businesses. They are quite popular there. For instance, here in Las Vegas, every hotel has hundreds of minis. Each island of slots have a Mac mini inside of the monitoring the happenings on that island. (I helped install about 150 of them at the new Wynn Encore. Many of the casinos choose the mini for it's small size.)

In addition, the Mac mini is the 3rd best selling desktop on Amazon.com. (http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/electronics/565098/ref=pd_zg_hrsr_e_1_2_last)

Speaking of Amazon, I just checked there and the 1.83 Mac mini has a 1-2 month shipping estimate. (Up until yesterday, it's been one day shipping.) Do I smell a speed bump?
 
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Mmmh, imo there's no point of doing a speed bump, IF they're going to update it to the x4500 graphics. But to be quite honest, I'm in the market for a mini, waiting for a speed bump, more than a graphics update.
Fingers crossed! ;)
 
I really just want something that doesn't make a ton of sacrifices.

The current mini and the iMac sacrifice power and cost for size. The Pro sacrifices cost and size for power. What I want is something that is around 8-10 inches tall and maybe slightly larger around than the current mini. Give it a decent graphics card, but nothing special (say x4500, which can be upgraded to a 8600gt). Full sized RAM would make up to 8 gigs easily attainable and you would be able to fit a full sized hard drive as well.

Something with specs like 3ghz 1333FSB CPU, 2 gigs of RAM, 320 gig drive and 8600 for $1200 would be great, and with full sized parts it wouldn't be unreasonable.
 
mirffy said:
Mmmh, imo there's no point of doing a speed bump, IF they're going to update it to the x4500 graphics. But to be quite honest, I'm in the market for a mini, waiting for a speed bump, more than a graphics update.
Fingers crossed! ;)
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Apple has to do a speed bump
the current processors used in the mini are discontinued
so apple is gonna sell out what they got then we will see a new and better mini in store.
4 things that they MUST upgrade
1)processor speed
2)ability to use 4 gb of ram,
3)802.11n wireless and 2.1 bluetooth
4)integrated graphics, seriously it would be stupid for them to not upgrade to the intel gma x4500
5)hard drive. It would be awesome to config a mini that has a 250gb hard drive. cause 160 gb is good but 250 is more future proof and just better and why not.

NovemberMike said:
I really just want something that doesn't make a ton of sacrifices.

The current mini and the iMac sacrifice power and cost for size. The Pro sacrifices cost and size for power. What I want is something that is around 8-10 inches tall and maybe slightly larger around than the current mini. Give it a decent graphics card, but nothing special (say x4500, which can be upgraded to a 8600gt). Full sized RAM would make up to 8 gigs easily attainable and you would be able to fit a full sized hard drive as well.

Something with specs like 3ghz 1333FSB CPU, 2 gigs of RAM, 320 gig drive and 8600 for $1200 would be great, and with full sized parts it wouldn't be unreasonable.
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Sorry to say, but this sounds like a pc :D :D :D
 
In my wait for a MINI I could use, I bought a BMB,2.2 refurb, now I love it for the portability, after having it chained to a desk. My MINI will never be, I'm grown to a 3.0 iMac, missed the mini experience all together. I really believe Apple is emptying the parts bins, when done, the Mini will be too:eek:
My mindset now is, if I going desktop, it will be in front of an i-Mac, not Mini:eek:
 
I remember a rumor that apple wanted to unify the Mac Mini with the design and footprint of the AppleTV and Time capsule, but retain its current height of 2" or so.
Great as the mini is, a new design would be kind of nice.

specs wise i'm suspecting something similar to the current Macbooks...

Mini Basic - £399
  • 2.1-2.2 Ghz Processor
  • 1-2 gig standard ram
  • (depending on hw config, 120-160 drive
  • Intel GMA3100x OR x4500 Graphics

Mini Mid - £499
  • 2.4-2.5 Ghz proc
  • 2 gigs ram standard
  • 250 gig hdd
  • Intel Graphics, optional ATI 2600 PRO

Mini Max - £699
  • 2.6-2.8 Processor
  • 2 Gigs standard
  • 320 gig HDD standard
  • 2600 Pro standard

Something along those lines may not be unreasonable to expect, but i'm not confident about dedicated graphics
 
Aegelward said:
I remember a rumor that apple wanted to unify the Mac Mini with the design and footprint of the AppleTV and Time capsule, but retain its current height of 2" or so.
Great as the mini is, a new design would be kind of nice.

specs wise i'm suspecting something similar to the current Macbooks...

Mini Basic - £399
  • 2.1-2.2 Ghz Processor
  • 1-2 gig standard ram
  • (depending on hw config, 120-160 drive
  • Intel GMA3100x OR x4500 Graphics

Mini Mid - £499
  • 2.4-2.5 Ghz proc
  • 2 gigs ram standard
  • 250 gig hdd
  • Intel Graphics, optional ATI 2600 PRO

Mini Max - £699
  • 2.6-2.8 Processor
  • 2 Gigs standard
  • 320 gig HDD standard
  • 2600 Pro standard

Something along those lines may not be unreasonable to expect, but i'm not confident about dedicated graphics
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that sounds to good to be true from apple
if this happens then the minis would cut into the imac sales allot
when apple increases the speed of the mini it will prob be a 2.2 ghz standard and a 2.4 ghz top of the line model
making them any faster than that would make them conflict with the imacs
 
Aegelward said:
I remember a rumor that apple wanted to unify the Mac Mini with the design and footprint of the AppleTV and Time capsule, but retain its current height of 2" or so.
Great as the mini is, a new design would be kind of nice.
Click to expand...

I don't think Apple will take the :apple:TV/Time Capsule form factor with the current Mac mini height of 2", for one simple reason: it would mean the volume of the Mac mini would go up instead of staying the same.

IMHO either the Mac mini uses the form-factor of the :apple:TV/Time Capsule as is or it stays at the same form-factor as it is now. Given the numerous Mac mini accessories it wouldn't be a bad idea either, since a lot of us have external Mac mini-sized hard drives/hubs.

A 7.7 x 7.7 x 2.0" Mac mini would be bigger than 6.5 x 6.5 x 2.0", it would be a "step backward", if we use the iPod mini -> iPod nano transition and the MacBook Air as guidelines.

I'll bet it's going to be the same form factor as the external MacBook Air drive, same CPU as the MacBook Air, GMA x3100, 1.8" 160 GB drive, no optical drive. ;)
 
Yvan256 said:
I'll bet it's going to be the same form factor as the external MacBook Air drive, same CPU as the MacBook Air, GMA x3100, 1.8" 160 GB drive, no optical drive. ;)
Click to expand...

This would suck real bad
the mac mini doesnt need any special ultra low power/ form factor processors.
by doing this the mini would be slower and more expensive (the macbook air cpus cost like 500 for the 1.6) :p
gma x3100 graphics would be a step backwards cause the gma 4500x is available at the moment and is more than just a bit faster.
no optical drive lmao
the reason people have desktops instead of laptops is because they are FULL computers.
removing optical storage in the air was a smart move cause it made it thinner and it really didn't need it cause no one will use the air as their main computer.
but in a mini this would more than likely stunt its sales
no one is going to buy a desktop without a cd drive
 
mBurns said:
I'd love an updated Mini in the same form factor. I think it's perfect.
Click to expand...

I second that. I am still using my Lenovo laptop, waiting for the refresh. I will buy it on day one. I have already bought the monitor and the Apple keyboard and a groovy pair of speakers.
 
iSpoody 1243 said:
[...] no one is going to buy a desktop without a cd drive
Click to expand...

You should check out all the new small form-factor computers from other companies, I'd say that more than half don't have an optical drive.

And since Apple likes to lead and hates to follow, that's why I think we're gonna get a Mac nano instead of a bigger, better, faster Mac mini (though I'd rather have a good GPU and 3.5" drive, I don't think that's the direction Apple will take).
 
iSpoody 1243 said:
no offense meant
they are just rarely used as a main machine ;):apple:;)
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The three people I know who have a Mini use them as their only computer.

If Apple ever adds an integrated graphics card (I need OpenGL accel - not for games), the Mini will become my main computer. I've been waiting for 2 years now, so I hope it'll happen one of these days :p
 
xraydoc said:
Fixed it for you.
Click to expand...

lol but what if every site is very flash heavy??? :p

Yvan256 said:
You should check out all the new small form-factor computers from other companies, I'd say that more than half don't have an optical drive.

And since Apple likes to lead and hates to follow, that's why I think we're gonna get a Mac nano instead of a bigger, better, faster Mac mini (though I'd rather have a good GPU and 3.5" drive, I don't think that's the direction Apple will take).
Click to expand...
yeah but that is for companies
optical storage is gonna be around for at least the life of blue ray
 
iSpoody 1243 said:
Sorry to say, but this sounds like a pc :D :D :D
Click to expand...

Hardware wise, pretty much all macs are PC's. The only difference is on the motherboard. The big idea here is that a move to desktop parts would allow you to offer twice the performance at the same cost.

This is just a basic cost analysis:

3ghz Wolfdale - $190
4 gigs RAM - $100
500gig hard drive - $100
8600gt - $60

These are all retail prices, so there is probably a significant overhead on them.

Other things, like the case, motherboard, psu, dvd drive (and other things like wireless) would probably be around $200, give or take. Overall machine cost would probably be under $600 after everything, and they could sell it for a 50-100% markup.

The big thing is that the Mac Pro is wasteful for me, the mini is too weak and I don't like the idea of an integrated display.
 
NovemberMike said:
Hardware wise, pretty much all macs are PC's. The only difference is on the motherboard. The big idea here is that a move to desktop parts would allow you to offer twice the performance at the same cost.
Click to expand...
Yes, but how likely is that? It would cut into the sales of MacBooks and iMacs.
The big thing is that the Mac Pro is wasteful for me, the mini is too weak and I don't like the idea of an integrated display.
Click to expand...
I agree completely. I've been using Apples continuously for over 20 years, and when they upgraded to OSX I was happy happy happy. But now my laptop and mini are overdue for replacement and the iMac is not an option. And I suspect the mini will only be upgraded to 3100 graphics, not 4500, and certainly not a card. I love OSX, and not having to mess around (too much) with being a sysadmin is great, but Linux is looking more and more compelling. Well, we'll see what happens in the next month or two, I can delay that long at least.
 
I know I will probably catch flack over this, but personally, I would like to see Apple team up with somebody like Dell to provide cheaper, low-end macs for the average consumer to really give competition to MS. You know, Dell notbooks and desktops with OSX as an option. They could bring in the $600 notebook and $400 desktop crowd. Though Macs wouldn't be so much of a niche market afterward, they could really take a lot of market share. But that's just my 2 cents.

Sorry, wanted to clarify, I don't mean Apple have Dell make all of their computers for them. I meant have Dell put OSX on some of their cheaper notebooks and desktops. Apple would still build their own computers as well.
 
I have had a Mac Mini as my main computer for two years now.

Never again

I got the 1.66GHz Intel Core Duo when it was the high-end model and when I look at the way its behaving now, I should have just gone and bought a second-hand iBook or 12" PowerBook. The Mini meant I had to find a monitor so I kept my dad's old PC monitor... a (albeit with a nice high resolution and crisp image) 21" CRT monolith. When your desk is six foot square, a CRT monitor with the Mac Mini to one side only just leaves enough space for the foot of my desk light. I mean yeah I could have bought an LCD screen but with what money? The entire point of me getting the Mac Mini was I only had £450 to spend.

I ordered a BlackBook yesterday. It arrives in a weeks time. Can't wait to shove this CRT into the bin, suck everything out of my Mini and hook it up to my TV and use it solely as an entertainment center.

And if and when Apple does upgrade the Mac Mini, its not going to be spectacular. I see nothing more than a speed bump to 2.0GHz on the low model and 2.2GHz on the high, the low will keep its Combo drive and both will be upgraded to Intel GMA X3100 graphics and allow up to 4GB RAM. The hard drive configurations will be 160GB/200GB standard and the high one will have an optional 250GB HDD.

Well... thats my insight anyway.

Dæmon
 
Please Apple low cost computer(s) - Lots like & want to use OS X so why drive us to the competition, isn't even more market share a good thing ?
 
I do have to say that the Mac Minis are cute, but thats all. It is obviously very appreciated in the business sector for the fact that it is small, and as a media center by the general public. But why should a normal person that uses a computer regurlaly use a Mac Mini ? cheap but not easily upgradable and future proof.

An iMac is the best Mac computer in terms of quality, specs and price. The Mac Pro is way too expensive (the CPU itself is really good, but you have to get yourself, in addition, a screen and an external iSight). So Mac Pro is not really interesting (still I would love one).

Apple will need to find more reasons and integrate better specs and new features into the new Mac Mini (if any is planned), to make it sell at a universal level.

Maybe they are thinking about a new Mac Mini with a Mac Screen Mini ? Who knows.
 
I have to say that I'm disappointed with all the "Mac mini is useless" comments. Aside from the fact that it's one upgrade cycle behind, it's the same computer as the MacBook but for nearly half the price. Brand new non-Apple LCD displays can easily be found for less than 200$. Even if you add an Apple keyboard and a logitech mouse, you end up with more than a few hundreds less than the MacBook.

And if you're a switcher, then it's basically half the price of the MacBook or the iMac. The prices are more or less the same as before the MacBook or iMac got their upgrades, so comparing the current specifications is pointless since as I said the Mac mini is one upgrade cycle behind.

iMac = 1300$ CAD
MacBook = 1150$ CAD
Mac mini = 650$ CAD

Add to that all the people who don't want a built-in display, and the Mac mini is the only choice.

As for all the "they can't make the Mac mini too good or it will eat into iMac and MacBook sales" comments, that's meaningless. We don't know how many people buy the iMac because they find the Mac mini underpowered but we also don't know how many sales Apple is losing because people don't buy either the Mac mini (underpowered) or the iMac (built-in screen).

My bet is that a more powerful Mac mini would probably eat into iMac sales (and who cares since it's all about profit margins) but it could end up selling much better than the iMacs.

Whatever Apple does, I hope they keep a lot-cost, screen-less Mac model in their lineup.
 
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