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While a lot of folks will say that's a big blow, I think that it's more important for new Mac Minis to have better GPUs, even if they are integrated ones, which seems to be the general direction of travel for Apple these days since they seem to view OpenCL computing and retina displays as more important than entering into the additional cores race in the medium to long term.
Much better iGPUs plus OpenCL might go a long way to compensating for the loss of two cores.

We could still hold out hope for the Mac Mini to be pulled into a Mac Pro-like case and give the option of a discrete GPU just so it could drive a retina display or perhaps do a job as a mini graphics station...
My faint hope was that they would offer a stripped down version of the Pro, with just one GPU, and much lower CPU grunt. A man can dream.

...but I've long since given up on the idea of a quad core Mini if the idea is to continue miniaturisation and not to cannibalise iMac sales.
Sadly probably true. :(
 
You've probably seen my lengthier post which I was still writing at the time you wrote yours, but looking at the way that Apple have done the 21.5" retina iMac - with Iris Pro 6200 Graphics - I'd say that one way they could do a future Mac Mini is by using a CPU with top end Iris Pro graphics. I'm sure we wouldn't mind having a headless 21.5" Retina iMac in a Mac Pro tribute case. We're more likely to get something smaller, quieter, and less likely to cannibalise the iMac though which is why I took a look at the Skull Canyon NUC.

Who knows what spec Kaby Lake graphics will come with but I think we're probably looking at the next generation Cannon Lake (after Kaby Lake) for integrated graphics that could run a 5k cinema display. We're looking at late 2017 into 2018 in that case but don't forget we might see some (official?) eGPU options of interest by then.

What if the 5k Cinema display came with a built-in GPU capable of running the screen on behalf of an otherwise underpowered USB-C equipped Mac laptop? Before the gamers get excited it just needs to be something capable of running a 5k display decently rather than an AMD 395X with 4Gb of RAM.
Options aplenty. I have thought about the GPU in the TB display too
I don't think a Retina Display with GPU could be a thing for Apple. That would really cannibalise the iMac more than a quad core Mac Mini. Also people with iMacs or Mac Pro or even rMBP with dGPU would be paying extra cash for something they don't really need and probably they would end buying another monitor. In my opinion it's not a good idea.

But... eGPU sold by Apple... that would be the big deal for Mac Mini, and laptop users. Maybe even for iMacs if someday in the future they go only iGPU.

PD. Kaby Lake will be the first iGPU to support 5k with one single cable. Other thing will be the performance...

Hmmm. A new docking station of sorts would be an interesting addition to the Apple line up. But I'm thinking that is rather unlikely to happen.

Perhaps there will be discrete GPUs added to the 'Pro' machines that'll enable them to run the 5K displays..? There are plenty of ultrabooks that offer discrete GPUs, but I'm unsure as to whether any of them (or new ones coming soon) would be able to push that many pixels.

And then there is the Mac mini... Our little friend. Will it get thrown a bone? Mac mini Pro anyone..? [yes the fabled xMac returns! - to mine and your dreams only...:(]
 
Options aplenty. I have thought about the GPU in the TB display too


Hmmm. A new docking station of sorts would be an interesting addition to the Apple line up. But I'm thinking that is rather unlikely to happen.

Perhaps there will be discrete GPUs added to the 'Pro' machines that'll enable them to run the 5K displays..? There are plenty of ultrabooks that offer discrete GPUs, but I'm unsure as to whether any of them (or new ones coming soon) would be able to push that many pixels.

And then there is the Mac mini... Our little friend. Will it get thrown a bone? Mac mini Pro anyone..? [yes the fabled xMac returns! - to mine and your dreams only...:(]

USB-C with TB3 could be used for 5k just with Iris iGPUs. It support double 4k, so they could sort it out with something like Dell (split both 4k and then join in one 5k) but better because it will only require one single cable with TB3.

If we think in the Apple family: mini, normal, pro... in desktop it will be Mac mini, iMac and Mac Pro. Don't spect a Mac Mini Pro, the realistic hope here is waiting for the come back of quad cores CPUs to the mini.
 
A blog post from Primate labs from a while back suggested a reason behind Apple's thinking in dropping the quad core option when transitioning from the 2012 model to the 2014 model. For what it's worth, the sockets on the dual core U and quad core H series logic boards remain different from Skylake onwards as far as I can see so we can wave goodbye to quad core in the Mac Mini for the foreseeable future as long as it's still based on a 13" Macbook Pro.

While a lot of folks will say that's a big blow, I think that it's more important for new Mac Minis to have better GPUs, even if they are integrated ones, which seems to be the general direction of travel for Apple these days since they seem to view OpenCL computing and retina displays as more important than entering into the additional cores race in the medium to long term.

Agree on the GPU side. My workflow could (begrudgingly) continue mostly uninterrupted on an i7 dual core, however being able to capably drive a 4k display has become my new least common denominator. So something like the i7-6567U with 16GB DDR4 and 4 lane PCI-e SSD would be fast for most tasks and last a few years before it'd need to be replaced due to its unfortunate soldered nature.

While Skylake brings us Thunderbolt 3, it's made possible by an additional controller chip (Alpine Ridge) whereas the 'speed bump' successor to Skylake - Kaby Lake - starts arriving late this year with native Thunderbolt 3 controllers on board. Note that the 2015 iMac 27" Retina model has Skylake processors but sticks with Thunderbolt 2 ports. I would take that as a sign that Apple will be adding Thunderbolt 3 capable USB-C ports only with Kaby Lake Macs from late 2016 into 2017.

As far as I understand, all Thunderbolt equipped Macs to this point have had an additional TB controller. The current models use Falcon Ridge controllers (DSL5520) and as an example the 2012 Mini used L232TB45. So I'm skeptical that would be reason for delaying TB3, especially when a plethora of Windows machines are already shipping with it. Also, perhaps the DSL6540 wasn't available for the latest iMacs.

Thunderbolt 3 is important for Apple as it allows a single cable to drive a 4k display at 60Hz - opening the door for a possible Apple TB3 retina display although we'll still struggle to drive a 5k display without a discrete GPU as existing Iris Pro graphics don't appear capable of driving 5k. And Apple won't want to release a TB3 4k Retina display without every on-sale Mac being able to drive it with one cable.

TB2/Displayport 1.2 can already drive 4k60Hz via a single cable. I think the issue with a new 5k Thunderbolt Display is more so waiting for the cost of panels to come down. The TB display at $1,000 is already a premium price monitor and I don't think they will increase that. Margins are priority #1 at Apple as we've seen. So if the cost is low enough, I think we'll see one released this summer alongside a new Mac Pro and 15" Macbook Pro, with the 13" rumored to come in March also having TB3 and the ability to drive it as well.

For the future, then, I would like to think the Mac Mini (as well as any dual core laptop) continue to use decent graphics - Iris Graphics 550 for example - with a view to being able to drive a 4k monitor decently.

We could still hold out hope for the Mac Mini to be pulled into a Mac Pro-like case and give the option of a discrete GPU just so it could drive a retina display or perhaps do a job as a mini graphics station but I've long since given up on the idea of a quad core Mini if the idea is to continue miniaturisation and not to cannibalise iMac sales.

I think the current Broadwell 13" Macbook Pro will probably get a bump to Skylake while remaining with Thunderbolt 2 because Kaby Lake parts won't be ready until 2017.

The Mac mini hasn't been similarly bumped to Broadwell but I would expect it to get a late 2016 Skylake update. The 15" series has only just seen the announcement of suitable Iris Pro Skylake parts for which Apple ignored the Broadwell equivalents last year.

We might not see a full set of Kaby Lake updates until late 2017 but it's interesting to note that Intel have now released details of a Skull Canyon NUC which uses a quad core 45w CPU with Iris Pro graphics.

The Skull Canyon NUC can't come soon enough - it could set the standard for small computing. Although if we're honest with ourselves, no matter how good it is, Apple won't change their strategy for the Mini due to the new NUC. Anyone who wants a mini should already be resigned to every other year mediocre updates for the neglected child.

There could be a glimmer of hope for the folks who want a quad core Mac Mini in the event that Apple choose to use a rumoured i5-6350HQ chip - a 2.3GHz 4 core 45w CPU without hyper threading - in the Macbook Pro 15" series as a base model. This cheaper i5 CPU could be put into the Mac Mini because of the Iris Pro graphics but the whole range would have to move upmarket and we'd be looking at a case redesign for sure due to heat issues and perhaps the introduction of NV.Me SSD to help reduce case size.

Without hyper threading such a CPU would not be a challenge to the higher end iMacs and if you don't offer an i7 option at all or discrete graphics it never will be. The main benefit would be the ability to add a 4k monitor without the hassle of wondering if an Iris Graphics 550 unit will be capable of satisfactorily driving one.

I can't see Apple putting that quad i5 in the 15" Macbook Pro - its a $2,000 computer, that would be a considerable downgrade from the current i7 and there is IMO no chance they lower the cost of entry to the 15" model.

Also, the 2011 and 2012 models already had 45w processors in this case, plus PCI-e SSDs. They could have certainly reduced case size with the 2014 update but their desire to have the $499 price point and maintaining margins with things like 5,400 rpm drives is, to me, the motivating force in where the model goes.

Back to your first point, if the sockets are different from the dual to the quad for Skylake, I think the odds are Apple decides the additional R&D isn't worth it and we get an update similar to 2014. Then, the Mini is forgotten for the next 2 years and this thread continues.
 
With the coming of Skylake, it's gotta be soon(ish).

View attachment 613861

I'm worried we may see something similar to when the 2013 Mac mini was finally released late 2014. That time they were supposedly waiting for Broadwell, and after the delays finally gave up and released the Haswell version they should have made in 2013.

By now Apple is probably drooling over the $2 savings of the Kaby Lake onboard TB controller, so maybe they have decided to skip Skylake? Then when Kaby Lake is delayed they can backtrack and we get the 2016 mini in 2017.

Full disclosure: I made the $2 number up for dramatic effect, and Kaby Lake is not a die shrink like Broadwell was so it should not be sensitive to the same kind of delays.
 
I'm worried we may see something similar to when the 2013 Mac mini was finally released late 2014. That time they were supposedly waiting for Broadwell, and after the delays finally gave up and released the Haswell version they should have made in 2013.

By now Apple is probably drooling over the $2 savings of the Kaby Lake onboard TB controller, so maybe they have decided to skip Skylake? Then when Kaby Lake is delayed they can backtrack and we get the 2016 mini in 2017.

Full disclosure: I made the $2 number up for dramatic effect, and Kaby Lake is not a die shrink like Broadwell was so it should not be sensitive to the same kind of delays.

You're not that far off. List price is $8.55 but surely buying in the millions of units like Apple does brings that down.
 
Oookaaaayyyy...Mac Mini after BTO just jumped from 5 days delivery to >2 weeks :eek::eek::eek:
 
The key indicator is almost certainly the inventory at the major retailers in Italy.

Let's hope our Italian informant can enlighten us well in advance….. be it a week or so, a month or so, a year or so hence, rest assured that the new Mac Mini is almost certainly coming.

Hi,

i work in an Apple Reseller and like many of you i'm waiting for the mini 2013 refresh.

From monday the two major Apple suppliers in Italy are suddenly and completely out of stock of minis. I know that this happen from time to time, but the timing is no coincidence.

Trust me, a new mini is coming next week, or at least we have solid evidence to believe it.
 
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Thank God that a new mini is finally actually coming soon. The above few posts prove this to be so. The only questions remaining are... 1. What will it be like? and 2. When will it arrive? Other than that, the situation is finally crystal clear.
 
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I talked to Tim last night and he said "F the Mini. I'm embarrassed to put the Mac name on it because we hate making cheap computers."

I said Brhaaaahaha :eek:;):D
 
Ahhhh $499 will buy your way into OS X......Cheaper than a good used iPhone and about as cheap as Tim's child the :apple:Watch.

Tim gave about a 10 second notice ..maybe..when introing the 2014. lol:rolleyes:

Tim hates cheap$.
 
I think I speak for everyone when I say that my two greatest desires are a) a smaller form factor, and b) reduced power consumption?

After briefly owning a 2012 model, I'm quite content with the size. Can't comment on the power consumption, but with Laptop innards, it can't be more power hungry than a rMBP Pro, can it?
 
I think I speak for everyone when I say that my two greatest desires are a) a smaller form factor, and b) reduced power consumption?
So; a single usb3 port, everything soldered, and single core (arm?) processor then?

Changing subjects; there's a new aTV...
 
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