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The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming
- Thread starter GabrieleR
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If you haven't built a PC before then I say to you approach with care - why? Well it's an extremely satisfying thing to do. The buzz you get when you press the power button for the first time the machine powers up and check the BIOS settings etc. has to be experienced. I've built a number of machines and each one is as satisfying as the first.
I love to choose all the components and then unbox them - just like a kid at Christmas.
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You have seen the NUC and similar small form factor PC's I take it - they are things of beauty. Buy the unit mostly bare bones, pop your own components in e.g. RAM SSD etc. and it's up and running in around 30 minutes.
For example - just one of the many configurations you can use, this is mid-range and will set you back around the same cost as mid-tier mini.
Case
Intel NUC Ultra Small Form Factor Case (2.5 - BOXNUC5i7RYH)
Processor (CPU) Intel® Core™ i7 Dual Core Processor i7-5557U (3.1GHz, 3.4GHz Turbo)
Motherboard Intel NUC5i7R Ultra Small Form Factor (mHDMI/mDP, 4 x USB 3.0, G/B LAN)
Memory (RAM)16GB Kingston SODIMM DDR3 1600MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card INTEL® IRIS™ GRAPHICS HD 6100
1st Hard Disk 500GB SEAGATE HYBRID 2.5" SSHD Drive, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (5400 rpm)
M.2 SSD Drive 256GB M.2 2280, SATA 6Gb/s (564MB/R, 400MB/W)
Sound Card Intel® HD Audio via Headphone/Mic Jack
Wireless/Wired Networking GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-7265 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) + BT 4.0
USB Options 2 x FRONT USB 3.0 PORTS + 2 x REAR USB 3.0 PORTS AS STANDARD
Power Cable 1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Operating System Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
You can buy them already built to order though you pay slightly more for someone else handling the assembly but they are then ready to go out of the box.
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How I would love a 2012-style Mini (with modern components) announced at WWDC. I'm certain we won't get it. OK, if it's a modern-and-powerful-but-not-upgradeable Mini, I'll still buy it.
But if Apple wants to throw in the towel on desktops, at least finally open up OSX to a general Intel platform. I'll even take a name change to MacOS, with a segue into a new MFM (Made for Mac) program for certified mobos/CPUs/etc. Millions more will be able to develop for iOS.
I just want some alternative to a 2014 Mini and high prices in used 2012s. (what other technology company can demand high prices for old tech, other than *old* tech for nostalgia?) Hackintosh remains tempting but I keep expecting the day when a generated serial number won't work.
Either way, a number of threads will get crushed with happiness or grief come WWDC!
But if Apple wants to throw in the towel on desktops, at least finally open up OSX to a general Intel platform. I'll even take a name change to MacOS, with a segue into a new MFM (Made for Mac) program for certified mobos/CPUs/etc. Millions more will be able to develop for iOS.
I just want some alternative to a 2014 Mini and high prices in used 2012s. (what other technology company can demand high prices for old tech, other than *old* tech for nostalgia?) Hackintosh remains tempting but I keep expecting the day when a generated serial number won't work.
Either way, a number of threads will get crushed with happiness or grief come WWDC!
For goodness sake forget about OS X, there's a whole other world out there with stuff that is more than equal to the Mac or OS X. You sound like someone who can't let go even though you know there are better things out there. If you wait for Apple to give you exactly what you want then you're going to be waiting a hell of a long while. In the meantime others are reaping the benefits of what other companies have achieved.
Do you think Tim Cook spends his nights worrying about making a mini for dugbee, nah! so why are you sitting there waiting for tomorrow when there's lots already here today.
They've been offering 128GB as the base for quite a while now - must be due for an upgrade. I mean, just look at the iPhone... oh wait...
I moved (back) to Windows after using only OS X since late-2009. But someone who develops for iOS (or Mac) still needs a Mac & OS X to run xcode.
For goodness sake, there are those who couldn't give a hoot about trawling through the other world out there. Many have been there, done that, and are content that Apple Macs generally just work.
Not geeks who get a buzz out of building, exploring, meddling, and seeking some Holy Grail of computing. Not Apple Fanboyz hankering for the next big thing.
Just regular folks for whom the Mac, OS X and available apps do stuff with minimal hassle.
Thankfully for us, the new Mac Mini is almost certainly coming.
Thanks for your "insight" but your perception is incorrect. OSX coupled with Fusion just happens to make life as a Windows/Linux admin a lot easier. At home I run OSX under ESXi, which makes for flexible storage for centralized backups and iTunes media, but the performance is nowhere near adequate for daily interactive use. Hence my desire for a powerful Mini (and productive conversation about such things) but I guess neither is on the horizon.
Windows 10 has improved on things a lot.
I have found its a lot more like OS X now.
For example the other day I went to a new site and wanted to print on the site managers printer. Searched for wireless printers, clicked on it and it just dealt with everything else. Very much like OS X
Gone are the days of "insert driver disk"
I do agree though that most people like the whole "it just works" and I certainly don't blame them.
The one other thing that keeps me swaying towards Apple is the fact that if it breaks you can simply take it to a store and they will deal with it.
I have found its a lot more like OS X now.
For example the other day I went to a new site and wanted to print on the site managers printer. Searched for wireless printers, clicked on it and it just dealt with everything else. Very much like OS X
Gone are the days of "insert driver disk"
I do agree though that most people like the whole "it just works" and I certainly don't blame them.
The one other thing that keeps me swaying towards Apple is the fact that if it breaks you can simply take it to a store and they will deal with it.
That Intel NUC looks nice, actually.
With SATA3-SSD and 16GB RAM it costs about as much as what I paid for my bare 2012 i7 Mini two years ago.
I wonder how well the various parts work with Linux (GPU, WLAN, sleep/wakeup) - Windows is of no interest to me.
It's really a bit sad that Apple doesn't sell one of these.
But the Iris GPU is so powerful, they would probably sell a lot less iMacs...
With SATA3-SSD and 16GB RAM it costs about as much as what I paid for my bare 2012 i7 Mini two years ago.
I wonder how well the various parts work with Linux (GPU, WLAN, sleep/wakeup) - Windows is of no interest to me.
It's really a bit sad that Apple doesn't sell one of these.
But the Iris GPU is so powerful, they would probably sell a lot less iMacs...
The main issue is have with going to Windows is its iCloud photos integration. I've tried it and it seems really clunky with no real nice layout?
Does anyone know if there's some photo software which will integrate with it?
I'm tempted to pre order that NUC
Does anyone know if there's some photo software which will integrate with it?
I'm tempted to pre order that NUC
Yea well good luck with that. I well remember the last new Mac Mini is coming thread, all the eager anticipation and look what happened.
Each iteration worse than the last. I have a IMac but I'm not so loved up with it that if something better (for my purposes) comes along that I won't jump ship. I think your post smacks of someone convincing themself rather than convincing others.
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I use Google photos on all my machines and find it works very well indeed.
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Can't see any reason why Linux wouldn't work equally well. Try posting on a Linux forum.
I have a NUC which is a little older and a lot weaker than that one, and it plays very nicely with Linux. Mine does not have the wifi/bluetooth module so I can't vouch for how NUC+Linux does in that department, but Intel seems to be relatively active in working with the open source community so I would not worry about it.
Apple is losing its advantage. Fast. A lot of people don't see what's happening and usually when that happens it's too late. I've used Windows 10 for a couple of weeks now and it is solid and modern on weaker hardware than OS X. On the same hardware, OS X is a pig. If you couple that with how Apple is locking down the hardware even more then there is a threshold that some of us are unwilling to cross. I'm okay with memory being soldered in laptops but not being able to control memory or the SSD of the iMac means I won't upgrade to anything beyond the 2011 iMac. The Mini value proposition has also been watered down. Apple had the sweet spot for these products a few years ago when they were great value and there were no PC value propositions. Now Apple offers poorer value whereas the PC offerings are greatly improved.
All this means my future Apple hardware purchases will be limited. Sometimes I wonder if Apple wants you to buy their laptops only as the desktops are neutered unless they're maxed out.
I have no intention on buying it right now. 2012 i7 does everything I need from it, right now.
It will get a 1TB SSD once those become really cheap. Or go right for the 2TB Samsung.
I have no budget for a 4K display, so a PC that could output 4K would be a bit of a waste.
If I hadn't bought the 2012 i7 two years ago and would still be using the 2008 iMac, it would be a different situation - and I can see why people holding on to older machines are so upset about the choices.
The i7 iMac with 512 GB SSD is 3109 CHF (3211 USD with taxes) at the Store.
That NUC with 2*8GB RAM and 512GB Crucial SSD is 714 CHF (737 USD).
For the difference, you could get a (very) nice NEC PA 302 30inch display. Or some cheap-ass 4k display.
Though, of course, HiDPI doesn't work as well as on Macs anywhere else, AFAIK. Esp. not on Linux (hence the 30" display)...
Of course, the iMac is QC, not DC as the NUC.
I'm not about to replace my mid-2011 iMac either, especially as the 20 gigs of RAM plus the internal dual SSD HDD combo does everything I want of it at present. However, I can see the writing is on the wall for any future purchase i.e. sealed products, non-user upgradeable. I want something I can upgrade when new components come to market instead of Apple's take it or leave it policy. Windows 10 ticks all the boxes so what's not to like?
This is the last "new Mac Mini is coming" thread.
What happened…….?
The quad core model was dropped, which disappointed some geeks wanting Pro specs and performance for a Mini price. However, all the duo core models, including the much derided 1.4 GHz model (which has turbo boost up to 2.7 GHz) out perform the previous equivalents by at least a little, and they have more up to date connectivity.
The new Mac Mini will almost certainly be evolutionary rather than revolutionary, but it is almost certainly coming.
The new mac mini is almost certainly coming (again). Will it have
a) a quad core option,
b) only dual core, but standard 128g SSD,
c) a bto that includes a dGPU option, or
d) a 1.2ghz dual core (turbo boost to 1.3) along with the new OS, Mt. Shaftya?
a) a quad core option,
b) only dual core, but standard 128g SSD,
c) a bto that includes a dGPU option, or
d) a 1.2ghz dual core (turbo boost to 1.3) along with the new OS, Mt. Shaftya?
All I want is a machine that isn't disposable. For me, that means a replaceable screen, upgradeable RAM, and upgradeable drives. A machine with those features can adapt to changing circumstances; most of Apple's current lineup (other than the Pro) lack these features, and therefore must be completely replaced when a new set of hardware features is required.
+1 for me too.All I want is a machine that isn't disposable. For me, that means a replaceable screen, upgradeable RAM, and upgradeable drives. A machine with those features can adapt to changing circumstances; most of Apple's current lineup (other than the Pro) lack these features, and therefore must be completely replaced when a new set of hardware features is required.
All I want is a machine that isn't disposable. For me, that means a replaceable screen, upgradeable RAM, and upgradeable drives. A machine with those features can adapt to changing circumstances; most of Apple's current lineup (other than the Pro) lack these features, and therefore must be completely replaced when a new set of hardware features is required.
Disappointment is almost certainly coming.
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is... already here.
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For all their talk of 'green' their actual product design peaks otherwise.All I want is a machine that isn't disposable. For me, that means a replaceable screen, upgradeable RAM, and upgradeable drives. A machine with those features can adapt to changing circumstances; most of Apple's current lineup (other than the Pro) lack these features, and therefore must be completely replaced when a new set of hardware features is required.
Windows 10 is why I've moved to OSX, it's dreadful.