It is also a disgrace that they are still selling those displays.
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The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming
- Thread starter GabrieleR
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It is also a disgrace that they are still selling those displays.
But they've got high hopes
They've got high hopes
They've got high apple pie
In the sky hopes
iOS for everybody. It's all we really need. Thanks Apple.
Monetization is apparently more difficult on Android (as well as developing).
Piracy is (much) higher on Android, too.
People who don't want to spend much on the hardware often want to spend even less on the software...
I like the fact that my 2012 Mini is so small and quiet, yet so powerful.
Not sure if I'd buy a maxed-out 2014, though.
Yeah, I know bout the problems on Android. But it is six of one and half dozen of the other. The chance of making money on any mobile platform is about equal to winning the lottery.
I just got a 2014.
But didn't go for max. Went 2.6 but 16GB RAM and a 256GB SSD.
RAM and SSD storage are more important to me.
I believe at the end of the day the CPU isn't making or breaking this machine.
Well, it all depends on what you are using it for, doesn't it? I don't see why a Mini with a beefy CPU couldn't be a quite decent workstation for non-GPU-related tasks; there's a huge gap between the Mac Pro and the Mini in terms of computing power, that Apple could fill by releasing a mid-range machine. (I don't count the iMac for this, as both in design and in computing power, it really isn't made for workstation tasks.)
That's probably the configuration I would buy, if I was in the market for one.
I completely agree. I would absolutely love if Apple some day released a mid-range Mac desktop... For a person like me, mini really isn't enough and the pro is overkill. The average of the 2 would be very nice. But I highly doubt that is going to become a reality.
I wish Apple would make a modern day equivalent of the expandable Apple II.
I agree. I could hardly justify spending the extra-money for a dual-core I7.
As long as I can spin up VMs at work for free, it's also no longer a big concern. Though of course local VMs work smoother.
There is change in the air and it may mean an end to Intel Macs soon.
http://www.appleworld.today/blog/20...her-reason-apple-may-make-its-own-mac-chips-2
http://www.appleworld.today/blog/20...her-reason-apple-may-make-its-own-mac-chips-2
Nooooo!
But seriously, why would Apple care about a change in Intel's processor generation scheme? It's not like a new generation from Intel causes Apple to release new Macs anyway...
lol .... I'm just fear mongering....
If Macs were converted to IOS then the iPad pro could replace a PC?
So my next thoughts are will they call them iMacs but then I'm thinking it was their plan all along because there is already an iMac....iMac Mini?
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lol .... I'm just fear mongering....
If Macs were converted to IOS then the iPad pro could replace a PC?
So my next thoughts are will they call them iMacs but then I'm thinking it was their plan all along because there is already an iMac....iMac Mini?
Yes, the amazing iMac Mini with a gorgeous 7.7" x 7.7" retina screen.
Let's take a step back here. If you think about what a computer is, going back at least the last 50 years or so, the most common design is built around a printed-circuit board holding a CPU and a variety of other sub-components. While a single PCB may be fine for many situations, it is fairly easy to come up with a more modular design, allowing the end-user to connect or disconnect "daugherboard" PCBs to the main "motherboard" PCB.
Sure, you can use some sort of cord between the motherboard and the daughterboard to make the connection. But you can't get around the fact that both are PCBs. So, instead of having one box containing your motherboard and your daughterboards, you now need two boxes -- one for the motherboard, and a second for the daughterboard(s).
(I suppose you could state that you've "gotten rid" of the expansion slots if you encase each daughterboard in its own separate enclosure. Not sure how that's an improvement on expansion slots, though.)
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It all depends on your goals I guess. If the idea is to have a lot of customized hardware inside a single box, then slots are the way to go. But it does mean that third party companies have to build their cards specifically for a computer maker's board, and modify that every time it changes. My understanding of expansion slot cards is that, until somewhat recently, they needed to be relatively close to the CPU to achieve certain bandwidth and speed, and Thunderbolt basically changed that.
Moreover, most of Apple's computing is done via MacBook, if sales figures are anything to go by, which means no expansion slots. So a third party making one expansion box that works on every Mac, is a lot cheaper than requiring periodic changes to a custom card to accommodate Apple's changing design fancy, as well as supplying an external box for all the rest without slots -- especially since the performance is identical to one plugged into a slot.
Now that's not nearly as neat and clean as stuffing all of those expansion devices into one box, but I don't see many manufacturers going back to that model now, unless there's a specific reason for doing so.
One of the key parts of the Apple II was an external accessory attached via a cable, no? (Disk drive).
Disk drive then, Thunderbolt accessories now. And some Macs you can still put RAM in (Mac Pro, iMac 27" for example).
First, make many compromises to fit everything into a small box, then enable (?) people to have what they want by connecting wires to a box as big and ugly as you like.
Actually, no. The computer industry as a whole has gone through an incredible amount of effort to standardize daughterboard connections, specifically to avoid expansion cards being tied to a single motherboard manufacturer. The current standard is PCIe; the slot form of PCIe is found in pretty much all Windows PCs, as well as in the (pre-2013) Mac Pro. A variant of the PCIe standard can be found in some other Mac models as well, for supporting internal drives.
Yes, to an extent; bandwidth and speed are throttled whenever you are forced to move data across a wire. Thunderbolt is faster, and therefore involves less throttling; but it still is not anywhere near the amount of speed you can get from a direct connection between two PCBs.
I think you could make a fairly decent argument that the MacBook is Apple's best seller because Apple doesn't offer a conventional desktop computer (with expansion slots). If Apple ever does decide to compete in the desktop computer world, I think they could easily dominate the major manufacturers.
Er, say what???
If you go into any retail store that sells computers (other than Apple computers), or browse the website of any company that sells Windows PCs, the default product shown to you is that mini-tower box that can fit a motherboard, a couple of expansion cards, a couple of internal drives, and one or two front-facing drives. Sure, there are all-in-ones and micro-pcs available (just like the iMac and the Mini), but these are niche products; the main product sold in the Windows world today is still a box into which you can stuff all your components. It takes up less space, it requires fewer cords, everything can run off a single power supply, and components can be added or removed as the user prefers.For many people, this approach still makes a lot of sense.
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Well, heck, let's just take that all the way to the extreme: have Apple create a Mac Micro, which contains OSX (on a ROM or some such, the way they used to do in the old, old days), and let the user plug it into an external box that contains its own graphics card, drives, power supply, and CPU. In short, a full-fledged PC. If Apple can't be bothered to create a conventional desktop PC, but is willing to let you connect to external expansion cards (graphics cards and the like), I don't think this would be much more of a step...
Let's not overlook the fact that April 1 is Apple's fortieth birthday as a company - might be a little surprise in the works for that day
Would love an updated Mini!
Would love an updated Mini!
I like the idea of being able to use an external powered GPU On Minis or laptops thru USB-C/TB3 but I believe Apple will move to their own silicone in the near future and probably buy the igpu company they partner with.
Whether they continue desktop computer manufacturing in favor of mobile manufacturing is up in the air.