The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming

[Maxedonia]

gosh, i could slap me in the face if it will be in june/fall.... I'm already waiting from september 2013... Should have bought the i7 back then. Could already had a great time together. Stupid rumours

Yeah, but now you've waited too long, buying one now would be even more stupid than the rumors

At least, that's what I keep telling myself

 

[And]

gosh, i could slap me in the face if it will be in june/fall.... I'm already waiting from september 2013... Should have bought the i7 back then. Could already had a great time together. Stupid rumours

I've been waiting since May/June 2013, frustrating isn't it? Patience is a virtue I keep telling myself! I'm just about coping, but memory is becoming a bottleneck for me and I don't see any point in getting any more at this point when I could get a new machine soon. At this point I suppose it will be nice to get to 5 years with my '09 mini, which will be in March I think. Pretty good longevity for a desktop isn't it?

 

[gregorsamsa]

Will the Mini be "a Mac of the future" as Tim has told WSJ ?

IMO, yes, almost for sure. Abandoning the Mini won't make sense, not least as Apple still have an eye on switchers from PC. On a personal level, killing off the Mini would mean only buying refurbished Minis in future as I can't work on reflective screens.

As Tim Cook said, quote:

"And we haven’t given up on the Mac. A lot of people are throwing in the towel right now on the PC. We’re still spending an enormous amount on really great talent and people on the Macs of the future. And we have some really cool things coming out there. Because we believe as people walk away from the PC, it becomes clear that the Mac is what you want if you want a PC."

http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014/02/07/apple-still-a-growth-company-cook-says-in-journal-interview/

So long live the Mini! Just needs a solid update.

 

[Barena]

I'm undecided as to whether I should wait - in Ireland the i7 Mac Mini is €860 ($1175). However I'll be in the US this month and could get one for ~$800. Given that the next model will probably cost the same in Ireland, I'm not sure if it will be worth the $300 I'd save now.

 

[Elho]

Yeah, but now you've waited too long, buying one now would be even more stupid than the rumors

At least, that's what I keep telling myself

Lol true, way past the point of no return...

 

[kazmac]

IMO, yes, almost for sure. Abandoning the Mini won't make sense, not least as Apple still have an eye on switchers from PC. On a personal level, killing off the Mini would mean only buying refurbished Minis in future as I can't work on reflective screens.

As Tim Cook said, quote:

"And we haven’t given up on the Mac. A lot of people are throwing in the towel right now on the PC. We’re still spending an enormous amount on really great talent and people on the Macs of the future. And we have some really cool things coming out there. Because we believe as people walk away from the PC, it becomes clear that the Mac is what you want if you want a PC."

http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014/02/07/apple-still-a-growth-company-cook-says-in-journal-interview/

So long live the Mini! Just needs a solid update.

Thanks for posting that quote/link.

I hope the Macs of the Future are sooner rather than later. My 2010 iMac is slowly going bye-bye but I can hold on. The thing is being patient enough to do so.

Long live the Mini indeed.

 

[blanka]

I'm undecided as to whether I should wait - in Ireland the i7 Mac Mini is €860 ($1175).

Here in the NL the MediaMarkt (german retailer) has VAT-free days once or twice a year. Then the 855€ becomes 706€, and as business I get the VAT back (because it is not official VAT free promotion, they just divide by 1.21) so 584€ remains. That is not bad, and travelling to the US makes no sense with such a price. Another benefit, if you buy on those promotions, you can use the Mini 2 years for free. People will still pay 600€ for a quad core mini in 2016.

 

[ElectronGuru]

gosh, i could slap me in the face if it will be in june/fall.... I'm already waiting from september 2013... Should have bought the i7 back then. Could already had a great time together. Stupid rumours

No doubt the time already spent waiting would have benefited from a new machine last year. I would wait out February then buy used. You can then sell used at a similar price, with the small difference being a rental cost.

 

[Elho]

No doubt the time already spent waiting would have benefited from a new machine last year. I would wait out February then buy used. You can then sell used at a similar price, with the small difference being a rental cost.

That would be an option. Let's wait out february...

 

[gregorsamsa]

Thanks for posting that quote/link.

I hope the Macs of the Future are sooner rather than later. My 2010 iMac is slowly going bye-bye but I can hold on. The thing is being patient enough to do so.

Long live the Mini indeed.

Thanks. Plenty of speculation as usual, but new Minis can't be too far off. Last Mini release was October 23, 2012 - 473 days ago. Average timeframe for new Minis is 381 days. If they're not out later this month, then waiting a few more weeks, or even months, seems the way to go for those who don't have an urgent need to buy right now.

 

[Deelron]

the 4860HQ costs $434 from Intel. Add Apple's 30% and they typicall rounding to whole, 'nice' numbers around $600 . The whole Mini costs about that much. So a system aimed at more price senstive users to have an option that double the costs probably won't get selected all that often.

No so much, the cheap current mini (dual core) is $600, but the place the 4860 would probably slot in fine is in the current i7 mini which is $800, which seems plausible.

 

[kazmac]

Here's hoping

Thanks. Plenty of speculation as usual, but new Minis can't be too far off. Last Mini release was October 23, 2012 - 473 days ago. Average timeframe for new Minis is 381 days. If they're not out later this month, then waiting a few more weeks, or even months, seems the way to go for those who don't have an urgent need to buy right now.

I will be thrilled if it's this month, but can wait until June-July. If my iMac can't wait until June, I'll just figure out a work around since I can use my work PC for personal stuff on my own time (one of the perks of my job.)

I understand the Minis are the last machines to get the upgrades (and as many folks have said including me), I wouldn't be surprised if all the resources went into getting the nMP out the door.

Having learned the hard way of getting rid of my last iMac a year early, I am choosing to wait.

Thanks for posting the Buyers' Guide update.

 

[riggles]

I really hope it's by the end of Feb. I have to build a small render farm for my fiancé in April to offload her After Effects renders when working from home. I'm looking at a few Minis because they fit nicely in a small apartment and sip power when not in use. But I'd hate to get them right at the end of their life cycle.

 

[talmy]

I really hope it's by the end of Feb. I have to build a small render farm for my fiancé in April to offload her After Effects renders when working from home. I'm looking at a few Minis because they fit nicely in a small apartment and sip power when not in use. But I'd hate to get them right at the end of their life cycle.

A new mini probably won't be much faster than the current ones. The thing to do is wait for the new ones to come out and then buy a bunch of of the now old models on the refurb site at a discount.

 

[gregorsamsa]

A new mini probably won't be much faster than the current ones. The thing to do is wait for the new ones to come out and then buy a bunch of of the now old models on the refurb site at a discount.

Or even wait slightly longer after any new Mac release, then look for the latest models also discounted on the refurb store. There's always a few buyers who change their minds about whether they've bought the right Mac for their specific needs, esp so with less powerful Macs like the Mini.

 

[Santabean2000]

No doubt the time already spent waiting would have benefited from a new machine last year. I would wait out February then buy used. You can then sell used at a similar price, with the small difference being a rental cost.

That's aha I did; bought referb, added old MBP RAM. I reckon I can get pretty much what I paid for it. A no-brainer from where I sit.

FWIW, I'm picking end of Feb. *crosses fingers...*

 

[riggles]

A new mini probably won't be much faster than the current ones. The thing to do is wait for the new ones to come out and then buy a bunch of of the now old models on the refurb site at a discount.

True, I don't expect much of a speed bump, even for the BTO i7 (which is what I'd get). What would be helpful is better power/thermal performance. A small mini farm that runs quieter and uses less electricity is a big plus in a home office. That's what I'm hoping will come soon. If not, the refurbished store is the next best thing.

----------

Or even wait slightly longer after any new Mac release, then look for the latest models also discounted on the refurb store. There's always a few buyers who change their minds about whether they've bought the right Mac for their specific needs, esp so with less powerful Macs like the Mini.

I'm not sure there's enough time for that to happen. Not by the end of April for my needs.

 

[Zic]

A number of Chinese websites are circulating the same story of a March event that will see a Haswell Mac mini released alongside a new Apple TV; they also suggest that the mini will feature the mSATA variant of Samsung's 840 EVO SSD and that this implies a decrease in the size of the mini's form factor.

Google translation of weiphone.com article:

Wei Feng Reuters February 9 message, according to the latest reports from an Apple supply chain, equipped with a new generation of Mac mini Haswell processors will be released in March this year. Before that, a Belgian dealer who claimed to receive Apple's internal message, Mac mini update will usher in the end of February. Today's report shows that Apple plans to hold a new conference in March, when a new generation of Mac mini and Apple TV will also debut.

We had already reported, in addition to faster and more energy-efficient Haswell processor, Mac mini may also equipped with Samsung's release at the end of the latest SSD products 840 EVO mini. It is understood, 840 EVO mini size only 840 EVO's quarter, but its storage space (up to 1TB), and without any change in performance, especially for small desktop computer. In other words, carrying 840 EVO mini for Mac mini is likely to be a major adjustment in the body size.

According to sources, Apple will re-start this year's traditional March conference, but in the past at this time there will be no release of the iPad, Apple TV, and the protagonist into a Mac mini. According to the situation on the official website of Apple recently opened a dedicated page for the Apple TV, the set-top box to update this one will be very worth the wait.

 

[Crosscreek]

A number of Chinese websites are circulating the same story of a March event that will see a Haswell Mac mini released alongside a new Apple TV; they also suggest that the mini will feature the mSATA variant of Samsung's 840 EVO SSD and that this implies a decrease in the size of mini's form factor.

Google translation of weiphone.com article:

If that is the case it probably spells the end of user upgradeability.

 

[873089]

please no mSATA.

This would mean, that the new mini is smaller and is likely to have solderd RAM.
Harddrive would also be missing.

But many ppl use the mini as a server,

My Guess:
They make a budget entry Mini with mSATA-SSD and no Harddrive, soldered RAM and i5 with HD5100 for about 499

Why such a cheap Mini? Tim Cook in an interview a few days ago:

And we haven’t given up on the Mac. A lot of people are throwing in the towel right now on the PC. We’re still spending an enormous amount on really great talent and people on the Macs of the future. And we have some really cool things coming out there. Because we believe as people walk away from the PC, it becomes clear that the Mac is what you want if you want a PC.

http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014/02/07/apple-still-a-growth-company-cook-says-in-journal-interview/

In addition to that entry level mini, there will be a server/i7 version with two harddrives and Iris Pro (HD5200), because many companies use the mini for server farms.

 

[Crosscreek]

Lets hope your right.

 

[kazmac]

Interesting...

Hmmm, possible March release.

Watch and wait.

 

[apfelmann]

In addition to that entry level mini, there will be a server/i7 version with two harddrives and Iris Pro (HD5200), because many companies use the mini for server farms.

two different mac mini design seem very un-apple-like ... I hope they just keep the old design!

(or I'll try to get the current one)

 

[873089]

two different mac mini design seem very un-apple-like ... I hope they just keep the old design!

(or I'll try to get the current one)

Maybe they handle it like iPhone.
5C is the new budget version and the 5s is the regular.

So there will be Mac Mini and Mac Mini Server/Pro. No i7 in the regular Mac Mini, seems possible to me.

But just like you, I really hope they heep the current design, it's perfect. You can upgrade the system very easy and it is still compact.

 

[talmy]

two different mac mini design seem very un-apple-like ... I hope they just keep the old design!

So there will be Mac Mini and Mac Mini Server/Pro. No i7 in the regular Mac Mini, seems possible to me.

The top end Mac mini has been called the "Mac mini Server" for the past four years since they added a second drive (and removed the DVD drive in the process) and server software (worth $500 alone at the time). It did look different (no DVD slot) until they removed the DVD drive from all Mac minis.