So, no Mini

[LeeW]

Same here, I am all in so it's not really an option to quit.

Especially being how heavily invested I am it's Apples ecosystem and macOS.

Yup, I am the same, and to be honest, a week on Windows and I will be WTF, why did I do this.

 

[44267547]

Same here, I am all in so it's not really an option to quit.


Yup, I am the same, and to be honest, a week on Windows and I will be WTF, why did I do this.

And Windows has come along way. It's much better than it was years ago. But in order to truly appreciate MacOS, sometimes you need to break away and try different things. When I did try Windows, it was less than a week and I was back to macOS.

 

[bopajuice]

I am really stuck now. I purchased the mid line mini with the 1TB spinner. I really needed a replacement for my desktop. I already have a new 4K Samsung monitor, Apple wireless keyboard and mouse. So I picked up the mini thinking I could live with the specs and traditional hard drive. Boy was I disappointed. I know I know, I already heard it. Bad choice.

So my choice now is to either return it and buy a NUC or something similar, or crack open a brand new computer and replaced the HD with an SSD?

Worst case scenario would be to take it back and buy the base mini. It is on sale at Best Buy for $399. I would feel less stress cracking that one open and replacing the drive. decisions, decisions...

 

[silverf1re]

I don't think we are going to see another mac without a screen attached for a while.

 

[BrettApple]

I am really stuck now. I purchased the mid line mini with the 1TB spinner. I really needed a replacement for my desktop. I already have a new 4K Samsung monitor, Apple wireless keyboard and mouse. So I picked up the mini thinking I could live with the specs and traditional hard drive. Boy was I disappointed. I know I know, I already heard it. Bad choice.

So my choice now is to either return it and buy a NUC or something similar, or crack open a brand new computer and replaced the HD with an SSD?

Worst case scenario would be to take it back and buy the base mini. It is on sale at Best Buy for $399. I would feel less stress cracking that one open and replacing the drive. decisions, decisions...

I purchased 10 of the mid tier Mac Mini's last year for a campus expansion at my previous employer as well as for new workstations at my fathers business. Unboxed them and installed new Samsung and Crucial SSD's in each one of them first thing. Didn't even boot them up till the SSD was installed and installed fresh copies of Sierra via USB installer. Worked like a charm and it was much cheaper going with third party SATA SSD's (256 and 512GB models) than Apple's options by a long shot.

After the first few I was getting them swapped in around 10 minutes a piece. iFixit's guide is excellent here.

Personally that's what I would do in your situation, but it won't help the issue of the Haswell era Iris Pro being stuck with 4K 30Hz. Same as my 2013 13" rMBP. I just continue to use an older 1080p panel and will probably do so for another few years at least. I tend to go about 7 years between Mac purchases.

I should add that two of them were the base models and even those are pretty snappy with the SSD, but limited to 4GB of RAM. Fine for the front desk/office users that just use a web browser, Mail app, and Office 2016 apps for the most part.

 

[bopajuice]

I purchased 10 of the mid tier Mac Mini's last year for a campus expansion at my previous employer as well as for new workstations at my fathers business. Unboxed them and installed new Samsung and Crucial SSD's in each one of them first thing. Didn't even boot them up till the SSD was installed and installed fresh copies of Sierra via USB installer. Worked like a charm and it was much cheaper going with third party SATA SSD's (256 and 512GB models) than Apple's options by a long shot.

After the first few I was getting them swapped in around 10 minutes a piece. iFixit's guide is excellent here.

Personally that's what I would do in your situation, but it won't help the issue of the Haswell era Iris Pro being stuck with 4K 30Hz. Same as my 2013 13" rMBP. I just continue to use an older 1080p panel and will probably do so for another few years at least. I tend to go about 7 years between Mac purchases.

I should add that two of them were the base models and even those are pretty snappy with the SSD, but limited to 4GB of RAM. Fine for the front desk/office users that just use a web browser, Mail app, and Office 2016 apps for the most part.

I am thinking the base with 4gb of ram would be just about like my MacBook Air is now. I have the Air with 4gb of memory and a 256gb drive. I have plugged it into the same monitor and it looks better. I am guessing the graphics in the air are better than the Mini. The Air was fast enough for what I was doing, even some light FCP editing. So I might take this mini back and get the base. I read the benchmarks of the base with a 1.4 and 4gb of ram, and a mid level with a 2.6 with 8gb of ram were not that far apart performance wise.

Thanks for the info.

 

[adnbek]

So you mean it's not almost certainly coming?

 

[Cave Man]

See, that's what I feel is a major drawback. Is if you leave Mac OS And venture on to windows, it's entirely two different operating systems. Especially being how heavily invested I am it's Apples ecosystem and macOS. I Just don't see the Mac Mini as an entry-level product anymore for Apple. And they are clearly have no timeline on its release.

Well, at least we'll finally see "official" support for Kaby Lake hackintoshes now.

 

[Lankyman]

And Windows has come along way. It's much better than it was years ago. But in order to truly appreciate MacOS, sometimes you need to break away and try different things. When I did try Windows, it was less than a week and I was back to macOS.

I think you have to accept the fact that some people simply cannot learn new skills.
[doublepost=1496700816][/doublepost]At some point even the most die hard Mini fans will have to accept a new Mini is not going to happen.

 

[Wirenut]

Yep that or fork out $5000 for one of those great iMac Pros. Goodluck with anyone trying to justify that. Cant wait in 4 years when everyone will still be convincing folks what a great idea it is to still spend $5000 on an aging computer that was priced too high to begin with.

I was waiting like you today hoping for even for a small upgrade to the minis. I think ive made up my mind about exiting the Apple ecosystem and jumping back on the windows bandwagon. At least here Im in control of all my needs.

The $5,000 iMac Pro is the base model, with some upgrades that thing will cost more than a luxury car lol.

I already have a good monitor, I just need a decent computer. The Mac Mini is perfect since I don't need anything too powerful. I refuse to buy an old Mini because they are full priced and it makes no sense to buy something that old.

Seriously, it would take almost no resource for Apple to just upgrade the Mini with today's hardware, and it would help switch a lot of people to Apple.

There is NO WAY that I am going to buy a MacBook Pro just to let it sit closed on my desk while I use my big monitor.

[doublepost=1496701209][/doublepost]bopajuice, how is that NUC that you mentioned?

 

[44267547]

I think you have to accept the fact that some people simply cannot learn new skills.
[doublepost=1496700816][/doublepost]At some point even the most die hard Mini fans will have to accept a new Mini is not going to happen.

I agree. I think The Mac Mini is still a loved machine by many. And rightfully so. But I don't believe Apple is going to put any more effort into it due to their other projects they've obviously put more focus on.

But as you said, even the most loyalists that appreciate the mini, will have to accept its current state, which has been stagnant for all these years.

 

[CaseyGV]

I faced this last fall when I was ready to upgrade from a 2010 Mac mini to something a bit more modern. I ended up switching back to Windows after about a 12 year gap spent with Macs and I'm ok with the decision. Since Apple has decided I'm not the type of customer they are after, I took my disposable income elsewhere and have a very easily upgradable machine that will last me for many years.

 

[grandM]

I really wanted a new Mini because I need to get another computer. I guess Apple is only leaving me one option, buy a Windows based machine :-(

no!

 

[Partron22]

I like my little windows machine.
If only it had Unix and AppleScrit support..,

 

[Wirenut]

I like my little windows machine.
If only it had Unix and AppleScrit support..,

Which one?

 

[Partron22]

Which one?

thinkcentre m900 tiny. 250 and 500 ssd, 16GB ram. Snappy little thing.

 

[Wirenut]

I currently have an early 2014 MacBook Air that I am using with an external monitor. I don't do that much in the way of video games, editing, or anything processor intensive. Mostly just internet surfing and QuickBooks. But it just seems not that fast. And there seems to be some lag, such as when I go to another tab and then back, for a second or so the first tab will show what was on their last time I looked at it instead of what has loaded. Then it was flash to the new content.

I would just like a semi-current computer.

 

[Boyd01]

When you consider they spec-bumped the MB Air then you know the Mini is in big trouble.

They took the base model MacBook Air and bumped it from a 1.6ghz to a 1.8ghz Broadwell i5 without changing anything else - big deal. If they had updated the base Mini from a 1.4ghz to 1.6ghz, would that have made you feel any better?

 

[Andres Cantu]

They took the base model MacBook Air and bumped it from a 1.6ghz to a 1.8ghz Broadwell i5 without changing anything else - big deal. If they had updated the base Mini from a 1.4ghz to 1.6ghz, would that have made you feel any better?

I wonder if they'll consider it the MacBook Air 2017, or if they'll just leave out the year to avoid confusion?

 

[tibas92013]

I purchased from the Apple On-line Store a Refurbished MM(Late 2012), 2.5GHz, 16GB Ram, 500GB HD and a Refurbished MM(Late 2014), 2.8GHz, 8GB Ram, 256SSD.

No way am I chucking MacOS for any Widows Machine, so, I will be planning on buying a Refurbished iMac or Mac Book Pro from the Apple On-line Store sometime next year.

 

[Altis]

They took the base model MacBook Air and bumped it from a 1.6ghz to a 1.8ghz Broadwell i5 without changing anything else - big deal. If they had updated the base Mini from a 1.4ghz to 1.6ghz, would that have made you feel any better?

The fact that they couldn't be bothered to put a new logic board in the MBA indicates to me that it's at the end of the road.

The Mini didn't even get the CPU bump though.

 

[AZ63]

I agree with that, and it's largely why I gave up and built a Windows box in February. My 2012 Mini is getting long in the tooth (especially where graphics are concerned), the 2014s were a step *backward* in many respects, and now it's 2017 and the weak 2014 product line is still current. One can be disappointed and unsurprised at the same time, as is the case for me.

Your last sentence rings so true. I too was hoping to see an updated Mini. I have come to the conclusion, like so many of you, that Apple just gives lip service to the Mini. Actions speak louder than words. I was not asking/hoping for anything special. How hard could it be to have thrown in an upgraded CPU and GPU? I like the form factor and I/Os fine. It is clear Apple doesn't want people buying the Mini vs their other products. When Apple puts out a new-ish Mini it will be a distant performer in comparison to their other products, though it doesn't need to be as it is a desktop machine. But sure, put a portable CPU in it and under clock it too.
So it is not a sexy product for them. So it is not a big money maker for them.
I had a 24 inch iMac and loved it until it burned through two graphics cards. I won't buy another all in one desktop. I don't need a 4K screen on a machine that mostly sits in an office pulling down my email and iCloud stuff as well as serve my Apple TV with my movies and music. Some may say the 21 inch iMac is okay for that but when I do some occasional video and photo editing I like the space of a 24 inch screen. I digress.
When we do get a new Mini, Apple will most likely release it quietly so as to not hurt sales of their larger margined products.
Anyway, that is the way I see it.

 

[49JC]

The new Mac Mini is almost certainly coming, sooner or later.

Said all of us 3 years ago. Lol

 

[adam9c1]

Apple want you to use ATV, not a Mini for your set top box.

They want you to experience the glossy iMac display.

The only reason they are keeping Mini is for macOS Server primarily for cache service.

 

[Micky Do]

Said all of us 3 years ago. Lol

The Mac Minis were almost certainly coming over three years ago. They did, in due course, albeit not to every geek's liking in 2014. None the less, they are still on sale, and are fine for those on modest budgets with modest requirements. The Mini has never been a leading edge product; tends to follow the MacBooks it is based on. Apple have indicated that they have no plan to drop the Mac Mini, so we must assume that a new iteration is still almost certainly coming.