I know what you mean. I can't help looking at that invitation and thinking "Change? That can't be good..."
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The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming
- Thread starter GabrieleR
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I know what you mean. I can't help looking at that invitation and thinking "Change? That can't be good..."
I know, I was so pumped once. I just knew that I would be ordering a 2014 quad i7 with Iris Pro. Then my 2012 2.3 could take on its new duty as a W8.1 machine only (which is what it is doing right now).
Then the ultra low voltage dual-core thing. Ugh.
I don't mind the ULV thing but I can see where it's an issue. See the two watts that Haswell quad-core has over Ivy Bridge make a huge difference in heat differential. Apple could have used a 37 W quad core with HD 4600 though.
I'm surprised it's still alive after that...thing...that mac mini...thing...
I also think the quad won't come back. I can imagine the next mini being like a small hockey puck with a logic board as small as the one in the infamous MB, leaving the power brick outside the device, on the power cable just like current MB/MBA/MBP chargers...
It could have come worse: just look at the mainboard and the CPU of the rMB ;-)
I'm expecting the next mini to have a sub-gigahertz processor to ensure it doesn't undermine MacBook sales.
The new mini will do double duties as a mouse as well as a computer.
A mouse for the internet of things
If they're going to make the Mini really small, it'd be nice if they made it VESA mount so we can tuck it on the back of monitors.
They definitely won't, because that turns any monitor into an all-in-one Apple computer (iMac), but it'd be nice.
The new mini will do double duties as a mouse as well as a computer.
For it's gaming machine, Apple will labor mightily and bring forth a mouse?
It might be worse than that.
They might make it so it doesn't undermine Apple Watch sales.
OTOH, it might make a more convincing argument in the discussion with my GF whether I need to buy a MacPro or not ;-)
"Nah, honey, I work in IT. I need to run VMWare, I need to run Java, serious stuff. I need a real computer. And this 1800 bucks display" ;-)
A mate did just that, and he bought two Apple displays to go with it. No discussion with his GF, no compromise and no regrets…..
He also has a couple of Minis around the house, and an older 17" MacBook Pro he takes to work…… And the Dell desktop he bought to keep her happy when he went Mac, but it doesn't get used much these days.
The Mini is what it is. For pro level performance, get a Pro.
Me…. only ever been Mac, from the first computer I used back in 1985, the original Mac, to the first computer I bought, the original Mac Mini in 2005. Never really have got on with any flavour of Windows I have tried. I can find my way around the XP machines they have at in the office, but, like most of my colleagues, other than when I have classes, I mostly work at home.
The base model early 2009, now with 5 GB of RAM and Mountain Lion, remains adequate for my simple needs. I'll probably replace the original HDD with a 500 GB one some time this year, a $100 upgrade that should see me right for another couple or three years…….
The new Mac Mini is almost certainly coming.
And, despite what geeky cynics are saying, there will almost certainly be a model that is adequate for my humble needs, in a one computer, no smartphone, no tablet and no iPod household.
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Definitely if a 2009 mini with 5GB RAM fits your needs you are exactly the kind of customer that Apple is looking for. By that comment I am not attempting to be insulting, just recognizing the obvious that with some of its latest products Apple is looking for customers that need very little in the way of performance and connectivity but who want a cool, easy to operation, well-built computer.
You are exactly right. The current 2014 Mini is good for normal family and school work and light business computers although way over priced to upgrade RAM and SSD.
If you are going to run processor and RAM intensive tasks like transcoding, VMs etc .....then the 2014 in not such a good machine and will require an iMac or Mac Pro which is really over kill for prosumer tasks.
I don't want an all in one like an iMac but with the current path that the Mini is on I will probably be forced in on one to get a quad core processor if I stick with Apple.
I will be fine with my 2012 for another year until Skylake shows up and will have to make a decision whether to go iMac or switch back to Windows.
why not a slightly larger Mac Mini Pro that uses the same CPU/boards as the 15' rMBP?
I don't want a damn $3000 cylinder.
I don't want a damn $3000 cylinder.
I only need the performance of all four cores of my 2012 when I run multiple instances of VMware.
I maxed out my 2012 with 16GB RAM and 500G SSD.
I looked at the nMP - but I don't need its GPU power. Not at all. It would be wasted on me completely.
I could probably get by with a MacPro with the GPU of the 2015 MBA.
Is the margin on the display in the iMac taht good that they have to make the Mini such a crappy deal?
I simply don't get it.
They can have all of their store models for whatever target customers they want, but why not allow some better upgrade options online?
It just seems like a real blind spot in their lineup.
$1,400 for this?
3.0GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i7 (Turbo Boost up to 3.5GHz)
16GB 1600MHz LPDDR3 SDRAM
256GB PCIe-based Flash Storage
Intel Iris Graphics
Garbage.
The iMacs at $1500 or less stink also. Iris graphics 8gb memory, SATA.
$1200-$1500 is their week spot.
Oh well.
I simply don't get it.
They can have all of their store models for whatever target customers they want, but why not allow some better upgrade options online?
It just seems like a real blind spot in their lineup.
$1,400 for this?
3.0GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i7 (Turbo Boost up to 3.5GHz)
16GB 1600MHz LPDDR3 SDRAM
256GB PCIe-based Flash Storage
Intel Iris Graphics
Garbage.
The iMacs at $1500 or less stink also. Iris graphics 8gb memory, SATA.
$1200-$1500 is their week spot.
Oh well.
I suspect the monetary margin, let alone the percentage margin, is higher on the mini than it is on any iMac. And that's ignoring keyboard and mouse sales.
I feel that there are quite a few developers who share your use case - we need quad cores, don't need the GPU power, but we don't want a screen. I've never contemplated building a Hackintosh, but I'm waiting to see what the rest of 2015 brings.
If Apple doesn't build a screen-less quad core Mac in some form by the end of 2015, I'm building a hackintosh with Sky Lake (which is supposed to come out in October this year on the desktop side) hackintosh for Christmas.
Hackintosh are fine for a hobby machine but can be a disaster as a main computer in you depend on it for work.
I went that rout to see if I could live with it but had more trouble than it was worth.
It's unfortunate about the quad core Mini not being refreshed. I still hold some hope for Skylake but that is a couple of years away for a Mini.
Intel has a roadmap of an I5 quad Broadwell chip for their NUC that will include Iris Pro later this year and could be a possibility for the Mini.
Why do you need the i7 processor? If it was a quad-core that would be one thing. The PCIe SSD and 16 GB of RAM are good.
The new Mac Mini is almost certainly coming
….. and it will almost certainly handle 4K @ 60 Hz
….. and it will almost certainly handle 4K @ 60 Hz