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The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming
- Thread starter GabrieleR
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Probably a dumb question and I'm too lazy to sort through the comments, but do they typically only release these things on Tuesdays?
Not always... i think they did the low cost iMac on a wednesday. But typically, Tuesdays have been when they release new hardware.
There's a tweet by Macminicolo who heard a little bird.
And there's a premature modification (...yes I did) of a bootcamp support document that mention a "Mid 2014 Mac Mini". Now, supposedly it can't be THAT premature (why would the team curating the support document be many weeks early?), so the update COULD be imminent.
Ok, an since tomorrow its Tuesday and as usual Apple updates the Apple store on Tuesday....
Now I understand, I would like to read an yep or nope from the other guy (I don't remember it Strange name) with sentences the rumours...
If the Apple Store goes down tonight it's almost certainly a Mini update. There aren't any other rumors that would currently explain it.
Just don't expect a redesign, they would use an event to unveil a completely new product.
Just don't expect a redesign, they would use an event to unveil a completely new product.
What time does the store usually update? I'm used to seeing it refresh in the morning here in the US, like after keynotes or launch events.
I just asked Jim Dalrymple:
Is the Mac mini (MID 2014) gonna happen?
https://twitter.com/jdalrymple/status/496444027315580928
Is the Mac mini (MID 2014) gonna happen?
https://twitter.com/jdalrymple/status/496444027315580928
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your questions is kinda dumb! you should've asked him like this:
is the new Mac mini with SSD coming out this week?
I don't understand Apple.
They want to put the latest and greatest into their iPhones and iPads (say for NFC), yet they neglect what their company was built on - their Macs.
You'd think a company as large as Apple can keep up to date. I remember the transition from the Intel Core Duo to Core2Duo Mini took ages. And who can forget the Mac Pro - 2.5 years of development with no stop-measure updates.
The Mini is still a great way to introduce Mac OS to people - I just hope they realise this potential soon enough. Even Intel's NUC computers are smaller than the Mini now.
They want to put the latest and greatest into their iPhones and iPads (say for NFC), yet they neglect what their company was built on - their Macs.
You'd think a company as large as Apple can keep up to date. I remember the transition from the Intel Core Duo to Core2Duo Mini took ages. And who can forget the Mac Pro - 2.5 years of development with no stop-measure updates.
The Mini is still a great way to introduce Mac OS to people - I just hope they realise this potential soon enough. Even Intel's NUC computers are smaller than the Mini now.
he is well informed about APPLE and sometimes confirmes rumors with YEP or NOPE. as far as I know he is always right with his predictions
Most NUC's (with little to no exceptions) have one or more drawbacks in comparison to a current Mac mini, e.g.:
- only dual core
- less ports
- lower technology / less powerful hardware
- external PSU
- only 0-1 2.5" drive bays
- flakey (long-time) support
On the other hand that may shift the Mac mini in Apple's portfolio towards an even lower-price, low-end entry point (perhaps even ARM-based) - making room for a new "mid-class" model below/next to the iMac (no, I won't use the evil xM.. word
)And before someone points to Steve's statement about how Apple could not (properly) make any model below the Mini...: That statement was based on the technology available back then - which has advanced tremendously by now! Actually Apple is already offering several powerful models at a lower price point: The A7-equipped iDevices.
Perhaps the next Mac mini will come equipped with an A8 as main CPU...
Most NUC's (with little to no exceptions) have one or more drawbacks in comparison to a current Mac mini, e.g.:
Right now the Mac mini could be considered some kind of "premium NUC", which sacrifices a little smallness for better technology. I'm pretty sure there will be big discussons once Apple releases a truly NUC-sized Mac mini in a redesigned AppleTV housing.
- only dual core
- less ports
- lower technology / less powerful hardware
- external PSU
- only 0-1 2.5" drive bays
- flakey (long-time) support
On the other hand that may shift the Mac mini in Apple's portfolio towards an even lower-price, low-end entry point (perhaps even ARM-based) - making room for a new "mid-class" model below/next to the iMac (no, I won't use the evil xM.. word
And before someone points to Steve's statement about how Apple could not (properly) make any model below the Mini...: That statement was based on the technology available back then - which has advanced tremendously by now! Actually Apple is already offering several powerful models at a lower price point: The A7-equipped iDevices.
Perhaps the next Mac mini will come equipped with an A8 as main CPU...
I can agree where you are going with that theory but I think ARM is not there yet but soon plus OSX is not there yet but soon.
In the mean time the Core M Y series Broadwell will offer the same benefits of ARM and could drop the Mini price to $499 which would be cheaper than a NUC with OSX already included and provide a gateway to bring more people into the Apple ecosystem.
For us that need more maybe the xM word or I5 and I7 Broadwell chips next year.
So? Many of them are actually horrible little machines; they either have fans that are extremely noisy and/or run too hot to run at full performance. The current Mac Mini, even with the best processor, does a pretty good job of running at high speeds for long periods; granted it still throttles a bit, but not as badly as "high end" NUCs do.
IMO they're best suited right now for low-end use (think a netbook equivalent to a desktop), though Broadwell may change that with its reduction in heat. The Mac Mini meanwhile is still a pretty powerful desktop despite its small size.
NUCs are kind of a case of how going small isn't necessarily better; they don't have an internal PSU, they're hot and/or noisy, they don't have especially good performance (though some do have better graphics than the current Minis), it's really just an expensive way to buy a heap of compromises, just get a computer that's not really so small as to be worth it IMO. I mean, is there really anyone for whom a Mac Mini is too big?
I can get behind slimming the Mac Mini a bit, maybe losing the second 2.5" drive, going a bit more circular or whatever, but the flat, aluminium body is just crying out as the ideal means to passively cool a processor (or at least mostly do this, with the fan for backup). It'd be a waste to force it to go smaller, or to go taller instead, as the latter IMO would be a more awkward shape to find space for.
The (already 64bit) A7 geekbenches around 1300 and nearly doubled its performance from its predecessor. If iOS and Mac geekbench scores are at least remotely comparable, this is about the entry-Mac ballpark from 2008/2009.
The infamous 2010 Core2duo-equipped Mac mini's and MBA's are still capable for many of today's tasks. If the A8 again roughly doubles its performance compared to the A7, it would be in the 2010 entry-Mac ballpark.
The Broadwell Core M/Y's may offer similar technical specs, but the big advantage of an A8 would be Apple's full control and the competitive price (economies of scale due to the vast amount of iDevices). An ARM compilation of each OSX is probably available since 10.7 - dropping PPC freed space and resources for another architecture supported by OSX.
Thus I'd not be surprised if the switch to ARM in an entry machine will happen sooner rather than later. Though I admit that the "leak" showing a potential mid-2014 Mac mini being capable of running Windows makes a point against ARM showing up in that machine...
With Nadella proclaiming that we are in post PC and migrating windows to ARM apps for tablets, that BootCamp thing may not be a big deal for much longer.