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The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming

AlexMaximus said:
All right guys, we all are waiting our asses off for years and years. 3000 posts and 500,000 something readers, are you kidding me?

But I want to know your opinion about this scenario right here:

Apple will not introduce the new mini in September. Instead they bring an updated Mac Pro with Intel's new Xeon E5 (V3) and Amd's new 7100,8100,9100 Fire pro with 2133Mhz Ram Quad channel.

Now the "old" MacPro quad core entry model with the D300 will be kept as a reduced "Classic" for only 2399 US.

Would that convince (you and me) "mac mini waiters" to buy the reduced Mac Pro for that price tag?
How many of you really already bought a mac pro instead? Are there any? That would be interesting if "Apple's poker face" hides this strategy..

How many mac mini waiters bought a mac pro instead so far? (used but new, old mac pro or Apple refurbished ones) Thats what I want to know..

:apple:
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Nope, not even close. The additional $1600 would buy many a dinner.
 
There's nothing to induce me to switch to MacPro from Mac mini.

But then, am no techie like so many of you appear to be. Am just a little old lady trying to weigh the pros, cons and costs of her next major computer-related purchase.

My decision will be between getting another mini - my current mid-2007 mini being my first ever Mac product - or the iMac. If I got the mini, I'd also buy a new monitor. And on that, am hoping for a TBD refresh, ideally to retina.

Am considering iMac ONLY because I need a new monitor even more than I need a new desktop. In fact, I don't REALLY need a new desktop, since this little guy is doing just fine. However, since it's maxed out with 2 gig RAM, etc., it will no longer be upgradable past OS X Lion.

(Software Update prompts me from time to time to upgrade to Mavericks, but I suspect that'd be a bad idea, given the Mavericks System Requirements say "Mac mini (early 2009 or later)".)
 
The 27" iMac was a bargain when 27" monitors were $1000 but now a decent 27" 2600x1440 monitor can be had for much less. A somewhat upgradeable, moderately priced box now looks like the better deal to me, if you ignore Apple's wow factor, when compared to the locked down iMac form factor.

So is Apple going to market to pragmatic computer users or coolness factor influenced consumers. Hopefully a satisfactory balance of both.
 
starfoxx said:
Hi guys!

New to these forums and looking to upgrade my 2008 MBP to a mac mini.

I owned an original mini back in 2005 and loved it... around 2008, I thought I needed something more portable in the MBP, but found that it just sits on a shelf as a makeshift HTPC. Now I've got expanding battery issues in the MBP and I want to dump it and go back to some mac mini goodness.

I didn't realize a refresh has been in the works for a while now, so it looks like my timing is (near) perfect.

Am tempted to purchase a late 2012 i7, but I'm going to hold out for the likelihood of a better GPU, wifi and SSD options. I WOULD like to try some gaming, so an updated GPU option seems like a must.

My prediction? New mac mini announced and releasing in January - March 2015 to coincide with 10th anniversary of the original unit. Broadwell processors included? Probably not. But who knows?

Anyway, looking forward to (not) joining in the chase to 4000 posts.
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The GPU is one of the reasons why I don't enter my "I'm going to buy that thing" phase (I usually don't pull the trigger very fast tbh).
If you're considering doing some gaming, then I would stay away from the 2012 model and wait for a newer model, preferably with Iris graphics (at least).
 
AlexMaximus said:
But I want to know your opinion about this scenario right here:

Apple will not introduce the new mini in September. Instead they bring an updated Mac Pro with Intel's new Xeon E5 (V3) and Amd's new 7100,8100,9100 Fire pro with 2133Mhz Ram Quad channel.

Now the "old" MacPro quad core entry model with the D300 will be kept as a reduced "Classic" for only 2399 US.

Would that convince (you and me) "mac mini waiters" to buy the reduced Mac Pro for that price tag?
Click to expand...

I would have to win the lottery first. Now I could buy the Mac Pro at that price if I felt really good about it, including being convinced that Apple is determined to stay relevant in the computer market in five or ten years. But I'm not convinced. So for me, going bananas and buying a Mac Pro just to get a Mac with a current processor and decent graphics would feel like an act of desperation. I won't do it unless I find myself sitting in piles of cash that I don't know what to do with.

Unless Apple decides to resurrect the Mini I would be more likely to end up running Linux on something similar to the Mini in price, performance and size - and spending the extra money on a 16TB NAS (which I don't really need, but I need it more than I need a Mac Pro).
 
I was hopeful after the Sept 2013 iMac refresh that a Mini refresh would soon follow. My self built Windows PC was 6 years old and I was anxious to by my first Mac. Needless to say, I've been waiting and no update yet. Hard to express my disappointment. Now with Z97 and a Haswell refresh plus X99, DDR4, and Hawell E just around the corner I'm having 2nd thoughts. I may decide to build my own PC again but I'm going to wait until after the Sept Apple announcements. After all, the new Mac Mini is almost certainly coming!
 
DCLB4X4 said:
I was hopeful after the Sept 2013 iMac refresh that a Mini refresh would soon follow. My self built Windows PC was 6 years old and I was anxious to by my first Mac. Needless to say, I've been waiting and no update yet. Hard to express my disappointment. Now with Z97 and a Haswell refresh plus X99, DDR4, and Hawell E just around the corner I'm having 2nd thoughts. I may decide to build my own PC again but I'm going to wait until after the Sept Apple announcements. After all, the new Mac Mini is almost certainly coming!
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You got that last part right :)
 
MarkusL said:
. . . including being convinced that Apple is determined to stay relevant in the computer market in five or ten years.
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I think that is an honest concern for some users, especially people earning money on their Macs. I do not see any indication that Apple wants to offer a full line of computers. They concentrate on just a few models and update them when they feel like it. Worst is they leave giant holes in their model line and are apparently unconcerned about it.
 
2014 is a strange APPLE year.
FIRST there are spectacular quotes by Tim Cook and Eddy Cue predicting massive product announcements.
SECOND ... ????
Well since then more of less nothing happened. It's August 2014 and APPLE has spec bumped their MacBooks and released a "new" iMac that is a joke spec-wise.

So if the pessimistic rumors come true:
no iWatch in 2014, no retina iMac in 2014, no retina Thunderbolt Display in 2014, no Mac mini in 2014, no Apple TV in 2014

on the other hand: if they release all this stuff till the end of the year, it could be a good APPLE year looking back

(and APPLE, at least don't screw up iPhones and iPads and put 2GB RAM in there already!)
 
scottsjack said:
I think that is an honest concern for some users, especially people earning money on their Macs. I do not see any indication that Apple wants to offer a full line of computers. They concentrate on just a few models and update them when they feel like it. Worst is they leave giant holes in their model line and are apparently unconcerned about it.
Click to expand...

It seems to me that Apple's focus is mostly on the mobile market and not too concerned with desktops any longer.

They have their MacBooks, IPhones, IPads and soon to be "maybe" IWatch.
This is THE MONEY items.

If windows would not have been such a mess with Win8 they could have lost a lot of the MacBook sales.

Hackintosh has grown for desktop alternatives because Apple will not build the headless Mac other than the outdated Mini and the Pro.

The NUC and Brix are coming closer to the Hackintosh Mini and with Broadwell and then Skylake with lower thermal and noise issues may be a non issue.

Possibly Windows 9 will resolve my need for a Mac as my PC of choice and keep my current Mini for a server.

All options open for me next year.
 
Crosscreek said:
It seems to me that Apple's focus is mostly on the mobile market and not too concerned with desktops any longer.

They have their MacBooks, IPhones, IPads and soon to be "maybe" IWatch.
This is THE MONEY items.

If windows would not have been such a mess with Win8 they could have lost a lot of the MacBook sales.

Hackintosh has grown for desktop alternatives because Apple will not build the headless Mac other than the outdated Mini and the Pro.

The NUC and Brix are coming closer to the Hackintosh Mini and with Broadwell and then Skylake with lower thermal and noise issues may be a non issue.

Possibly Windows 9 will resolve my need for a Mac as my PC of choice and keep my current Mini for a server.

All options open for me next year.
Click to expand...

I too have my eye on Win 9. And Apple would be well advised to see what a stupid idea ignoring desktops could be. eg. Windows 8.1! What a load of crap.

But there is really no computer out there I like near as much as the mini in the Windows world. All too loud, too slow, too ugly.
 
As I've stated before and was yelled down what's the point of the Mini any more. My Mine is never used now due Apple TV improvements and iCloud is coming. You can do it all with a Mac Air hocked up to monitor. if a new Mini comes out it will be the same as a Mac Air inside.

You all need to move on.
 
KiwiAdventure said:
As I've stated before and was yelled down what's the point of the Mini any more. My Mine is never used now due Apple TV improvements and iCloud is coming. You can do it all with a Mac Air hocked up to monitor. if a new Mini comes out it will be the same as a Mac Air inside.

You all need to move on.
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Great! Enjoy your Apple TV and Mac air with the useless screen, and move on.
 
Thursday ? :p

giphy.gif
 
I won't be jumping from a Mini to a Pro. Way beyond my computing budget and needs. Not very keen on all-in-one desktops either. So if Apple drop the Mini it would only leave me the option of a Macbook and a separate screen if I want to stay Apple, once my 2012 Mini has died.

Which is where I was heading anyway, so if Apple drop the Mini it doesn't affect me directly.

But I think Apple would be mad to drop the Mini (or equivalent) anytime soon (2-3 years), even if it is not directly profitable. There would be a serious hole in their line up if they do, and plenty of competitors ready to fill it in and leverage off it further into Apple's market share.
 
DCLB4X4 said:
I may decide to build my own PC again but I'm going to wait until after the Sept Apple announcements.
Click to expand...

If there's nothing in September you may want to wait until after Yosemite is released, which I think is expected in October. But if there's no Mini by then I would regard it as final confirmation that they are skipping Haswell, and then I would not expect a new Mini until Broadwell, in spring or early summer of 2015.
 
MarkusL said:
If there's nothing in September you may want to wait until after Yosemite is released, which I think is expected in October. But if there's no Mini by then I would regard it as final confirmation that they are skipping Haswell, and then I would not expect a new Mini until Broadwell, in spring or early summer of 2015.
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Agreed. It's either part of the September announcements or it's not coming until Broadwell or both if the next Mini promises to be a significant redesign and follows somewhat the same pattern as the Mac Pro past year.
 
apfelmann said:
FIRST there are spectacular quotes by Tim Cook and Eddy Cue predicting massive product announcements.
SECOND ... ????
Well since then more of less nothing happened. It's August 2014 and APPLE has spec bumped their MacBooks and released a "new" iMac that is a joke spec-wise.
Click to expand...

Hey! You're forgetting the new lock bracket for the Mac Pro! :p
 
I have a 5-year old computer that cost me less than $600. As it has a Quad-core processor and I added a SSD, the machine is good enough. I will have to replace it soon. I decided to try a Mac. As I have two monitors, Razer mechanical keyboard and mouse, my only option is a Mac mini. I won't have a Macbook or iMac. I would love to have a Mac Pro, but it is over my budget.
Let's hope the Mac Mini will be here soon and that it will be great.
 
Move on yourself.

KiwiAdventure said:
As I've stated before and was yelled down what's the point of the Mini any more. My Mine is never used now due Apple TV improvements and iCloud is coming. You can do it all with a Mac Air hocked up to monitor. if a new Mini comes out it will be the same as a Mac Air inside.

You all need to move on.
Click to expand...

You are entitled to your less than seemingly put, somewhat snarky and ignorant point of view.

While you, and the odd, odd other may not see the point of it, there are plenty more who are well served by the Mac Mini.

For folks needing a server, it is best (only real?) Mac option, though I doubt that many of them will have a presence here. There are plenty who want to be able to choose their own monitor and peripherals. There are those who have no need of an expensive, relatively fragile portable, with a poky little screen, to tote from home to work or class, to cafe or park…… me being among them.

I do want something robust, that I can occasionally transport on a bicycle or a motorcycle, and hook up to a projector or monitor where I am going.

The reasons I first got my first Mini as my first computer, when it first came out nearly a decade ago, remain the reasons why I still want one. I am far from alone; others have their own reasons for coming to and staying with the Mac Mini.

Now, may I suggest you move on.
 
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KiwiAdventure said:
As I've stated before and was yelled down what's the point of the Mini any more. My Mine is never used now due Apple TV improvements and iCloud is coming. You can do it all with a Mac Air hocked up to monitor. if a new Mini comes out it will be the same as a Mac Air inside.

You all need to move on.
Click to expand...

I've got 4 minis. I used three of the four yesterday -- my mini server, a mini used as an entertainment center, and my "stealth" mini at work. My Apple TV sits in the closet, unused, because it doesn't do Amazon and has to be hacked for Plex. I don't get what iCloud has to do with this, and I don't use it anyway. A MacBook Air hooked up to a monitor is more expensive than a mini hooked up to a monitor and doesn't offer the performance (i7 in an Air?) or disk capacity. Nobody knows what the new mini will be like.
 
talmy said:
I've got 4 minis. I used three of the four yesterday -- my mini server, a mini used as an entertainment center, and my "stealth" mini at work. My Apple TV sits in the closet, unused, because it doesn't do Amazon and has to be hacked for Plex. I don't get what iCloud has to do with this, and I don't use it anyway. A MacBook Air hooked up to a monitor is more expensive than a mini hooked up to a monitor and doesn't offer the performance (i7 in an Air?) or disk capacity. Nobody knows what the new mini will be like.
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Let him try handbrake on that air for a few hours and see what happens with it clamshelled. :eek:
 
It wasn't 3000 posts, nor will it be 4000 posts

This thread needs to go over 9000!!! posts.

And the new Mac mini will glow yellow, like it's on fire, when you max out the CPUs.
 
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