You ever considered the current mini still selling good despite how *outdated* is? This it's another factor on the delay or the mini, it's success.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming
- Thread starter GabrieleR
- Start date
-
- Tags
- mac mini new mac mini
- Sort by reaction score
Sure I have considered the 2012 Mini selling good. Have you ever considered the Haswell Mini selling great if Apple ever released it?
I wonder what the heat levels and therefore throttling is like on these machines???
Have you considered Intel aggressively promoting it's NUC?
Whatever I'm pretty confident a new mini will be available for next Xmas sales season or at the OS/X Mavericks launch along the updated Mac Pro and maybe the 4k iMac / 4k Thunderbolt Display, may Apple release everything the same time the new iPhone?
One thing for sure. Tim Cook's statement at the beginning of the year that, "We have the most exciting line of products ever in the pipeline for this year" or words to that effect, SURELY have NOT come true. Yet. But you know what? He had better damn well hurry the "f" up!
Because what have we seen so far, a couple of cheap assed refreshes? Really? From one of the world's biggest and most valuable companies?
And I for one would love to see Intel give the NUC its due. Because that is all of the raw materials that 89% of users need to have ravished from the earth to make their computer and also all the electric power that a computer needs to provide us with the miracle that is the Internet. Get with the program, Intel.
Side rant. I type Gte and spell check cannot come up with "get"? What is up with that.
Tonight will be the night!
Last edited:
I think the pipeline broke and it's spewing applesauce all over the place.
-------------------------------------
This is the one I am going to keep an eye on. I'm running Linux Mint on an old XP HP and it has a lot of nice features. In fact all the programs I use on the Mini I have in Mint.
Attachments
Last edited:
I have a home that I can stash big pc's in. So I built a beast in this case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...4&cm_re=fractal_design-_-11-352-024-_-Product
I used this cpu
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...87&cm_re=intel_i7_4790-_-19-116-987-_-Product
this ssd
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...7251&cm_re=samsung_ssd-_-20-147-251-_-Product
this gpu
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121840&cm_re=r_290x-_-14-121-840-_-Product
I used this hdd for extra storage
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145912&cm_re=4tb-_-22-145-912-_-Product
and this dvd player
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...&cm_re=samsung_blu_ray-_-27-151-266-_-Product
with this os
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ..._re=windows_7_ultimate-_-32-416-808-_-Product
and this mobo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...701&cm_re=gigabyte_z97-_-13-128-701-_-Product
and lastly this ram
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...radeon_r9_gamer_series-_-20-403-050-_-Product
got some deal some discounts can place this out of site and I will be good for 3 or 4 years.
2 of my 3 mac minis can be replaced with any sized pc I want only,
one needs be to small as a mini.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...4&cm_re=fractal_design-_-11-352-024-_-Product
I used this cpu
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...87&cm_re=intel_i7_4790-_-19-116-987-_-Product
this ssd
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...7251&cm_re=samsung_ssd-_-20-147-251-_-Product
this gpu
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121840&cm_re=r_290x-_-14-121-840-_-Product
I used this hdd for extra storage
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145912&cm_re=4tb-_-22-145-912-_-Product
and this dvd player
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...&cm_re=samsung_blu_ray-_-27-151-266-_-Product
with this os
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ..._re=windows_7_ultimate-_-32-416-808-_-Product
and this mobo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...701&cm_re=gigabyte_z97-_-13-128-701-_-Product
and lastly this ram
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...radeon_r9_gamer_series-_-20-403-050-_-Product
got some deal some discounts can place this out of site and I will be good for 3 or 4 years.
2 of my 3 mac minis can be replaced with any sized pc I want only,
one needs be to small as a mini.
Last edited:
A Haswell Mini would almost certainly sell great to a few geeks, fanboys and fashionistas, for whom having the latest and greatest specs is important.
For the majority of current or potential Mini users, it would probably be life as usual .. They use what they have until it no longer meets their needs for one reason or another. Then they upgrade it, or replace it, whichever is most cost effective.
Given that the current (2012) Mini runs most current software, as well as upcoming software, there is no urgency to update it. It remains a good choice for the majority. Thus, the Mini sells well to them, no matter what " well" it is.
For me, it was more cost effective for me to replace my first Mini (2005) in with a 2009 Mini. I have upgraded that once, adding 4 GB of RAM. I will probably upgrade it again, with an SSD, before I consider replacing it.
No SSD? OUCH! This is 2014! Yes, I am very blunt about this. No sense mincing words. Life is VERY short. I say this to ANYONE who does not have an SSD. Really?
Didn't mess around did you!
no as it gives me all that I want.. and all the mini have windows on them to allow decent interface to my killer windows 7 pc.
It is annoying mobile mobile mobile.
I am tech savy so what if I am 55+ and prefer desktops to mobile gear.
I don't need a mac pro at 2999. What I built with parts on sale was about 1400. i don't need an imac screen as it is worthless for ht.
so apple lost me for now.
Last edited:
Fashionistas buy minis? Sorry but fashionistas buy iMacs. A Haswell mini would sell to exactly the same people who have purchased a 2012 mini this year (including me) PLUS those who have elected to keep an older mini or move to a PC because the current mini is so out of date.
If you gotta have Mac OS well then you gotta have a Mac, and pay dearly for it. If you are doing something that can be done on either a Mac or a PC, like Photoshop for instance, then the price of a 2.6 quad mini will buy one hell of an upgradeable PC. The HP EliteDesk 800 comes to mind.
There might have been a few less PCs and a few more minis sold if the latter was offered with current technology.
The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming
I dont think apple counts the tech savy user base and update their products accordingly. They keep their products updated no matter what (ser imac-nmp). However they keep the basics as enough to fit non tech savy users also.
I think this argument is invalid that there are not enough users out there. They are a tech company and they are in the competition. Either they are designing hell of a new product or they will just dump it. nMp gives me hope though.
I dont think apple counts the tech savy user base and update their products accordingly. They keep their products updated no matter what (ser imac-nmp). However they keep the basics as enough to fit non tech savy users also.
I think this argument is invalid that there are not enough users out there. They are a tech company and they are in the competition. Either they are designing hell of a new product or they will just dump it. nMp gives me hope though.
The whole "current" Mini sells very well isn't a convincing argument...at least in my opinion...
MacBook Pros and iMacs have been selling even better and they were updated last year (while the Mini is closing on 2 years with no update), and probably will be updated again in the coming weeks. And the "it can run current software" isn't convincing to me either...my 2008 iMac and 2010 MBP can run current software too (some a bit slower, yes), and we've had newer models every year since then.
MacBook Pros and iMacs have been selling even better and they were updated last year (while the Mini is closing on 2 years with no update), and probably will be updated again in the coming weeks. And the "it can run current software" isn't convincing to me either...my 2008 iMac and 2010 MBP can run current software too (some a bit slower, yes), and we've had newer models every year since then.
By cherry picking one term to make an unrelated post you missed the message. Fact is most mini buyers are not tech driven people. They are perfectly happy with their choice and Apple sells a boatload of computers to them. Its an entry level computer, plain and simple. While it can be taken apart rather easily and modded, the number of people who do that is probably about equal to the number of respondents on this thread. A market not worth addressing.
Yeh, I think you have pretty much hit the nail on the head.
A few of us like to take it apart and put SSD's and /or RAM and like you stated it very few compared to the majority of Mini users.
Most people who buy a mini have it BTO or leave the standard setup.
the majority people just want a computer that turns on and they don't have to do anything to.
Well thank you sir, for your heart felt advice……..
But as a mere pleb earning a relative pittance in a partially developed country, a 256 GB SSD would set me back several days' pay. With the original 120 GB HDD only about half full, and still spinning smoothly, there are other priorities for my hard earned cash.
There are those who find the Mini cute, but still have to be right up with the latest, regardless of their actual needs. There there are the geeks who like to have keep their gear up to date, again regardless of their needs, which is in effect only following fashion.
The Mac Mini may have cost more up front, but it fitted my easily transportable criteria. The hardware and the Mac OS, and apps have proved robust, and fulfil my needs.
I didn't (and still don't) want a dainty portable with a pokey little screen to tote daily from home to work to cafe. I didn't want a big box that cannot be easily carried on a bicycle or public transport. Nor did I want Windows hassles.
Since 2005, I am on just my second Mac Mini. I reckon it will be a while before my third.
Over the same period, how many "cheap" (albeit more up to date) computers, and how much hassle have those using Windows had to endure?
Several and quite a bit, in my observation.
Long term, Mac Mini ownership is cost effective and relatively hassle free.
Last edited:
What does the Mini being entry level have to do with the question about upgrading to current-generation hardware? Is a dual-core i5 Haswell no longer an entry-level processor, like its dual-core i5 predecessors? Must an entry-level computer contain 2 years old tech?
I think Apple is debating whether to retire the Mini or not. It may not be worth the trouble any longer.
80% of their Mac sales is MacBooks and the best selling desktop is the IMac with Mac Pro and Mini making up the rest.
Psychoanalysis of a Mac mini buyer
As a public service, I shall now gaze into the crystal ball to describe the personality of a typical Mini buyer. The Mini purchaser desires a machine with many input ports, in order to be able to connect a vast array of devices such as Firewire things, Ethernet things, USB things, HDMI things, and Thunderbolt things. This means the purchaser has a significant stash of these various things lying around, even though they are outdated. Why should someone persist in using an old Firewire external drive, or in purchasing a machine with an HDD drive, when there are faster and more modern alternatives available?
The Mini purchaser is a technology hoarder. They probably have a box in the closet full of dongles, PCMCIA cards, SCSI cables, serial cables, parallel cables, phone cords, gender changers, PS/2 to serial adapters, PS/2 to USB adapters, serial to USB adapters, serial to parallel adapters, VGA to S-video adapters, S-Video to DVI adapters, 1200 dpi scanners, diskettes, DAT drives and tapes, floppy disks, PPC software, power cords, sound cards, old RAM, dead hard drives and extra bricks along with obsolete mice, touchpads, microphones, cameras, and printers which can not be used because either the driver or the connection is no longer supported.
The Mini purchaser cannot let go of all this hardware which was once so valuable, partly because of the investment it represents and partly because of the knowledge that it will be landfilled, or scrapped at best, and they hate the idea of waste. So they cling to their bag o' crap, and idolize the Mini because at least it has a bunch of ports which allow them to maintain the illusion that the old gear is "still useful". This means the Mini purchaser is in a state of complete and utter denial: denial that the once valuable peripherals are deceased, denial that they will be able to continue to use their current, outdated devices, and denial that Apple will actually release a new Mini some day.
Yes, I see all these things in my crystal ball .... oh wait ... that's my mirror. Never mind.
As a public service, I shall now gaze into the crystal ball to describe the personality of a typical Mini buyer. The Mini purchaser desires a machine with many input ports, in order to be able to connect a vast array of devices such as Firewire things, Ethernet things, USB things, HDMI things, and Thunderbolt things. This means the purchaser has a significant stash of these various things lying around, even though they are outdated. Why should someone persist in using an old Firewire external drive, or in purchasing a machine with an HDD drive, when there are faster and more modern alternatives available?
The Mini purchaser is a technology hoarder. They probably have a box in the closet full of dongles, PCMCIA cards, SCSI cables, serial cables, parallel cables, phone cords, gender changers, PS/2 to serial adapters, PS/2 to USB adapters, serial to USB adapters, serial to parallel adapters, VGA to S-video adapters, S-Video to DVI adapters, 1200 dpi scanners, diskettes, DAT drives and tapes, floppy disks, PPC software, power cords, sound cards, old RAM, dead hard drives and extra bricks along with obsolete mice, touchpads, microphones, cameras, and printers which can not be used because either the driver or the connection is no longer supported.
The Mini purchaser cannot let go of all this hardware which was once so valuable, partly because of the investment it represents and partly because of the knowledge that it will be landfilled, or scrapped at best, and they hate the idea of waste. So they cling to their bag o' crap, and idolize the Mini because at least it has a bunch of ports which allow them to maintain the illusion that the old gear is "still useful". This means the Mini purchaser is in a state of complete and utter denial: denial that the once valuable peripherals are deceased, denial that they will be able to continue to use their current, outdated devices, and denial that Apple will actually release a new Mini some day.
Yes, I see all these things in my crystal ball .... oh wait ... that's my mirror. Never mind.
...and to those non-geeks who make their computer purchases based on advice from the geeks among their friends and relatives.
And to anyone who wants their computer to last a few years, and has done at least a minimal research in advance of their computer purchase. Such people are well aware that Apple's policy for what hardware is needed for the latest OSX is expressed on the form of e.g. "2009 (early) or newer", and not as required memory, processor etc. If you want a computer that will run the latest OSX as long as possible, buying a 2 year old model is not optimal. And do you know who wants their computer to last a good five years? It's "normal people", as opposed to the "geeks, fanboys and fashionistas" who would get rid of their previous computer as soon as the new model is released, and thus don't need to worry about such things as how long a computer purchased today will keep up with software developments.
And since someone else has already adressed your use of the fashionista keyword, let me say something about "fanboys". In my opinion the fanboy would be someone who is more interested in the apple silhouette on top of the case than the hardware inside. "Fanboy" would exactly describe someone who is willing to put up with paying for old hardware just to get their favorite brand of computer.
From an Apple point of view, its not an issue of current gen tech. Its what will sell at volumes sufficient to support the product line with as little investment as possible. To the average buyer of a mini, USB 3 is current tech. An sd card slot and hdmi port is desirable. T-bolt 1 or 2 and SATA or PCIe is meaningless. The ease of opening one up and installing a larger ssd and second drive is never considered.
Unfortunately for many of us, it supports Apple's objectives, not necessarily ours.
Yes, this is exactly the message I feel I'm getting from Apple. And it's part of the reason why I'm so hesitant to recommend the Mini to friends or relatives who take my advice on what desktop computer to buy. I don't want to trick my mom into switching from Windows to OSX just to be forced to switch back again in a few years when Apple no longer sells the form factor she wants.
As a public service, I shall now gaze into the crystal ball to describe the personality of a typical Mini buyer. The Mini purchaser desires a machine with many input ports, in order to be able to connect a vast array of devices such as Firewire things, Ethernet things, USB things, HDMI things, and Thunderbolt things. This means the purchaser has a significant stash of these various things lying around, even though they are outdated. Why should someone persist in using an old Firewire external drive, or in purchasing a machine with an HDD drive, when there are faster and more modern alternatives available?
The Mini purchaser is a technology hoarder. They probably have a box in the closet full of dongles, PCMCIA cards, SCSI cables, serial cables, parallel cables, phone cords, gender changers, PS/2 to serial adapters, PS/2 to USB adapters, serial to USB adapters, serial to parallel adapters, VGA to S-video adapters, S-Video to DVI adapters, 1200 dpi scanners, diskettes, DAT drives and tapes, floppy disks, PPC software, power cords, sound cards, old RAM, dead hard drives and extra bricks along with obsolete mice, touchpads, microphones, cameras, and printers which can not be used because either the driver or the connection is no longer supported.
The Mini purchaser cannot let go of all this hardware which was once so valuable, partly because of the investment it represents and partly because of the knowledge that it will be landfilled, or scrapped at best, and they hate the idea of waste. So they cling to their bag o' crap, and idolize the Mini because at least it has a bunch of ports which allow them to maintain the illusion that the old gear is "still useful". This means the Mini purchaser is in a state of complete and utter denial: denial that the once valuable peripherals are deceased, denial that they will be able to continue to use their current, outdated devices, and denial that Apple will actually release a new Mini some day.
Yes, I see all these things in my crystal ball .... oh wait ... that's my mirror. Never mind.
Nonsense. The only legacy technology I have is a 19" VGA monitor and a miniDisplayport to VGA adapter. If you call a universal HDD adapter so I can use a bunch of ATA and SATA drives for back up legacy you can I suppose but I got a Mac Mini because it offers compatibility with current generation software and hardware I want to use eventually or already do use.
I'll have a 29" 21:9 display to replace the 19" eventually and then VGA will have been the final "legacy" connection my Mac Mini (or a future model) will have ever used.
You presume too much.
A lot of people use them as a tie over system or as a complete desktop because they're invested in displays they don't want to replace with an iMac and the Mac Pro is totally out of their price range, very poor value for money from a CPU power to price ratio point of view and still needs external storage like all other Macs do for backup or additional storage to the internal SSD/HDD/Fusion drive all macs have internally leaving no option but external without warranty-voiding after purchase upgrades.