The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming

[Micky Do]

Mac mini is underpowered for the price it is. I know and understand apple products are expensive but one must be awake enough to know when you are fooled or when you pay a premium quality product. There are people that cannot buy a new computer every year and in third world countries like ours apple computers cost way more. Just research what you are buying and make a comparison and you will see.

Some people know the price of everything, but the value of nothing.

While grunt per buck may be important to some, it is not the whole picture. If the Mac Mini is adequately powered for it's intended use, it is neither here nor there.

OSX (now Mac OS) is what makes a Mac, and folks are prepared to pay a premium for that. Also, from my point of view, and maybe others, I want something that is easily occasionally transportable on a motorcycle or bicycle, to hook up to a monitor or projector. I have no need of a laptop to tote every day. Until recently options other than the Mac Mini were few.

These days Macs come with iWork along with other apps that mean they can be plugged in and used almost immediately with minimal set up….. Updates are free and it doesn't have the hassles that come with Windows. The hardware is generally good quality, and Mac Minis have generally been quite reliable.

I have had 2 Mac Minis; the 2005 original, and the early 2009 I am using now. Each set me back a bit over a months pay, set up with Office for Mac (the 2005) and iWork (the 2009). With OS updates and extra RAM for the 2009 and a couple of Apple keyboards, all up I have spent about the equivalent to $US 1,800 on my Macs over more than eleven years. That's about $166 a year, which seems reasonable to me. Others I know have landed up spending much more on cheaper computers.

In another year or two I'll probably spend a bit over three weeks pay on a new Mac Mini; less than previously because I won't have to stump up for iWork or Office for Mac.

Rumor has it, no Mini or Pro at event this week.
Either end of life, or Apple has fallen Badly off its proper pace.
May have to gang a dozen Raspberry Pi's together for next machine.
If Apple doesn't announce by spring, I think we can all assume the two devices are dead.
Be nice of Apple to tell us, but they're not known for that.

Wrong thread….. the demise of the Mac Mini has been predicted since 2009, if not before, but new Mac Minis have come, and almost certainly will continue to do so.

Likewise the Mac Pro, methinks

 

[Cape Dave]

Rumor has it, no Mini or Pro at event this week.
Either end of life, or Apple has fallen Badly off its proper pace.
May have to gang a dozen Raspberry Pi's together for next machine.
If Apple doesn't announce by spring, I think we can all assume the two devices are dead.
Be nice of Apple to tell us, but they're not known for that.

They really are total pigs for not having the balls to let us know one way or another. Right now, I am considering the Pro and the Mini dead. Glad I got my Dell SFF with all the power I need and completely upgradeable. I gotta change my darn sig.

 

[SSD-GUY]

Some people know the price of everything, but the value of nothing.

While grunt per buck may be important to some, it is not the whole picture. If the Mac Mini is adequately powered for it's intended use, it is neither here nor there.

OSX (now Mac OS) is what makes a Mac, and folks are prepared to pay a premium for that. Also, from my point of view, and maybe others, I want something that is easily occasionally transportable on a motorcycle or bicycle, to hook up to a monitor or projector. I have no need of a laptop to tote every day. Until recently options other than the Mac Mini were few.

These days Macs come with iWork along with other apps that mean they can be plugged in and used almost immediately with minimal set up….. Updates are free and it doesn't have the hassles that come with Windows. The hardware is generally good quality, and Mac Minis have generally been quite reliable.

I have had 2 Mac Minis; the 2005 original, and the early 2009 I am using now. Each set me back a bit over a months pay, set up with Office for Mac (the 2005) and iWork (the 2009). With OS updates and extra RAM for the 2009 and a couple of Apple keyboards, all up I have spent about the equivalent to $US 1,800 on my Macs over more than eleven years. That's about $166 a year, which seems reasonable to me. Others I know have landed up spending much more on cheaper computers.

In another year or two I'll probably spend a bit over three weeks pay on a new Mac Mini; less than previously because I won't have to stump up for iWork or Office for Mac.



Wrong thread….. the demise of the Mac Mini has been predicted since 2009, if not before, but new Mac Minis have come, and almost certainly will continue to do so.

Likewise the Mac Pro, methinks

But not everyone has your usage pattern. In fact, id say your usage isn't normal, and a laptop would be much better suited for your usage.

The majority of people want a normal Mac Mini. We're not expecting Xeon class processors, but for Apple to gimp on quad core processors and give us macbook air level processors inside a desktop machine is just cheap.

You can't defend Apple for making this rash decision. The Mini has been gimped. I along with others would be happy with a quad core Mac mini, heck I could even live with soldered RAM and non upgradable SSD. With thunderbolt 3, external GPUs are coming, and the Mac mini COULD end up being a really nice machine.

 

[jpietrzak8]

The majority of people want a normal Mac Mini. We're not expecting Xeon class processors, but for Apple to gimp on quad core processors and give us macbook air level processors inside a desktop machine is just cheap.

Well, I gotta disagree here: there are many situations where an inexpensive, low-performance Mini is perfectly suited for a particular job. I've helped relatives to choose computers where they don't do much more than e-mail and web access, and a low-end Mini is perfect for this situation: easy to use, not too expensive, yet still able to perform most of the tasks of a full-featured desktop computer should that ever be necessary.

The problem here is that Apple is removing choice. The range of options for the Mini is decreasing. The ability to upgrade a given Mini is decreasing. And the rate at which Apple updates the Mini is decreasing.

And so, you can no longer use a Mini for as many purposes as you once could have (something I appreciated greatly). You can't as easily repurpose a given Mini for a new role as you once could. And, you can no longer expect a viable upgrade path in the future.

So you can buy a Mini today that will serve a particular need just fine! But you can no longer expect it to have the kind of lifespan that other computers have. This is a cost that needs to be factored into your purchase...

 

[BeefCake 15]

I think the idea of Mac Mini is gone and unfortunately Apple will let it run out and never update.

This thread should be closed after the Mac event on Thursday with ceremonial good byes.

 

[Micky Do]

But not everyone has your usage pattern. In fact, id say your usage isn't normal, and a laptop would be much better suited for your usage.

The majority of people want a normal Mac Mini. We're not expecting Xeon class processors, but for Apple to gimp on quad core processors and give us macbook air level processors inside a desktop machine is just cheap.

You can't defend Apple for making this rash decision. The Mini has been gimped. I along with others would be happy with a quad core Mac mini, heck I could even live with soldered RAM and non upgradable SSD. With thunderbolt 3, external GPUs are coming, and the Mac mini COULD end up being a really nice machine.

Thanks for your unsolicited advice……

What do you know about my occasionally transportable usage pattern? Would a cheeky little laptop with a poky little screen really be more suited to my needs? Do you really know what the majority of Mac Mini users want….. presumably based on your own desires?

The truth is that people have a variety of reasons for choosing a Mac Mini. There is a model that suits most folks I know who have one or a couple, but a few here want the Mac Mini to be what it isn't. And the Mac Mini has always had laptop level processors. The quad core was available when the CPU did fit into the same slot as the duo core one. It was a nice machine for a few, but probably more than what the average Joe or Jill needed.
[doublepost=1477325117][/doublepost]

I think the idea of Mac Mini is gone and unfortunately Apple will let it run out and never update.

This thread should be closed after the Mac event on Thursday with ceremonial good byes.

This thread will never date. The new Mac Mini is almost certainly coming…… eternally.

 

[SSD-GUY]

Thanks for your unsolicited advice……

What do you know about my occasionally transportable usage pattern? Would a cheeky little laptop with a poky little screen really be more suited to my needs? Do you really know what the majority of Mac Mini users want….. presumably based on your own desires.

The truth is that people have a variety of reasons for choosing a Mac Mini. There is a model that suits most folks I know who have one or a couple, but a few here want the Mac Mini to be what it isn't. And the Mac Mini has always had laptop level processors. The quad core was available when the CPU did fit into the same slot as the duo core one. It was a nice machine for a few, but probably more than what the average Joe or Jill needed.
[doublepost=1477325117][/doublepost]

This thread will never date. The new Mac Mini is almost certainly coming…… eternally.

The Quad-core CPU parts did fit, as reported by MacRumors, the connector for the logic board was different, and Apple couldn't be bothered to redesign the component. Call it what you will, but IMO, that's just cheap.

 

[Crosscreek]

Apple is consolidating to laptops and the iMac. Probably a good idea from a business standpoint since that's what most people buy.

 

[Munky]

Apple is consolidating to laptops and the iMac. Probably a good idea from a business standpoint since that's what most people buy.

They might start making the Mac Mini in the USA along with the pro...hence the lack of leaks.

 

[Boyd01]

3 higaGerz?
That cheered me up some!

Just keep reading my posts, there will be more typographical errors to cheer you up.

 

[Woofypawz]

I agree with this notion:

http://mac360.com/2016/10/hello-again-means-arm-cpus-in-macs/

We're going to see a "new Mac", something very different. And it could be the Mini and MBA that see the intro of the A series chips....

 

[dogslobber]

I agree with this notion:

http://mac360.com/2016/10/hello-again-means-arm-cpus-in-macs/

We're going to see a "new Mac", something very different. And it could be the Mini and MBA that see the intro of the A series chips....

There used to be ARM based computers 30 years ago. While Apple is late to the party, this is nothing new.

 

[Woofypawz]

There used to be ARM based computers 30 years ago. While Apple is late to the party, this is nothing new.

Well, I suppose I meant "new" in relative terms .. let's say for the current generation of Mac users such a development would be rather new - especially considered in the light of the long duration between "updates".

 

[robotica]

Not sure I would like an arm based mini....it would have to be really cheap for me to even entertain the idea.

 

[MRrainer]

There used to be ARM based computers 30 years ago. While Apple is late to the party, this is nothing new.

Ah, yes. Unfortunately, my dad threw out my Acorn RISC PC.
Spent more on that thing than on any Mac.
That would be really ironic in some way.

I still miss the efficiency of RISC-OS and some of its apps, sometimes.

 

[Miat]

I think the idea of Mac Mini is gone and unfortunately Apple will let it run out and never update.

This thread should be closed after the Mac event on Thursday with ceremonial good byes.

You haven't quite got the hang of this blind faith in the resurrection thing, have you.

If you are not careful you will almost certainly be accused of heresy, and cast him into the eternal hell of Windows!

 

[hartleymartin]

Remember that the Mac Mini was all about a cheap desktop mac for people coming from Windows who already had a screen, keyboard and mouse.

I would not be all that surprised if Apple dropped the Mac Mini because most people buy laptops these days. I don't know where Apple can take the Mac Pro. I have a strong feeling that in the near future it will be all about the MacBook and the iPhone.

If the Mac Mini and Mac Pro are both discontinued, I see prices on eBay shooting through the roof as people scramble to get the 2012 models which were the fastest and most powerful.

 

[BeefCake 15]

You haven't quite got the hang of this blind faith in the resurrection thing, have you.

If you are not careful you will almost certainly be accused of heresy, and cast him into the eternal hell of Windows!

Only trying to save those who are willing to be saved!

 

[MRrainer]

They could discontinue the Pro and offer a slightly bigger Mini with more TB3 ports so people can attach eGPUs.
Of course, that could hurt iMac sales - but how many people really want an eGPU (or two) hanging from a MacMini cluttered in a cable-mess - instead of a "clean" iMac?
I personally don't really need 3d. The 2012 Mini is enough for my needs. It would be nice to have a 3rd display - and maybe 4K/5K displays instead of 2650x1600 + 1920x1200.
Apple has probably decided that it's better not to have the kind of customers that are attracted to eGPUs - which is actually a sensible business decision.

 

[jpietrzak8]

Apple has probably decided that it's better not to have the kind of customers that are attracted to eGPUs - which is actually a sensible business decision.

Apple's biggest problem today is that Apple is spending far too much time trying to determine what kind of customers they want, and how to muscle their customers into purchasing a specific machine.

Steve Jobs may have gotten away with that (to an amazing degree!), but Jobs' model is not sustainable.

What Apple really needs to do is go back to offering more flexible devices that the user can customize to their needs. You know, like normal computer manufacturers do...

 

[Boyd01]

Normal computer manufacturers don't get 60% of their income from iPhones.

 

[Crosscreek]

The problem with Apple is competitors have taken Apples reinventions and reinvented them better than Apple.

 

[squirrrl]

I heard that the new mac mini will be a 2 inch square box where an holographic image of Siri pops up and does your bidding.

Seriously though, I remember when we were all waiting for the 2014 mac mini to come out and this thread was started by a silly rumor... how far we've come!! Glad to see this thread is still going strong after more than two years.

 

[dogslobber]

Apple's biggest problem today is that Apple is spending far too much time trying to determine what kind of customers they want, and how to muscle their customers into purchasing a specific machine.

Steve Jobs may have gotten away with that (to an amazing degree!), but Jobs' model is not sustainable.

What Apple really needs to do is go back to offering more flexible devices that the user can customize to their needs. You know, like normal computer manufacturers do...

Steve Jobs knew what the consumer wanted better than the consumer. He is simply a genius at this stuff and will never have anybody approaching his legend either now or in the future. We should feel humbled to have lived on the same planet as him during his lifetime.

Now, Apple is currently run by committee who have silly ideas that would not have been tolerated by Steve. The only advantage Apple has over others is that they still have the Apple brand to drive into the ground, and the legions of folk who reminisce about what Steve did for us and our hopes we might get a remote sighting how it used to be.

But our illusions will be shattered on Thursday as, well, Apple.

 

[robotica]

Not long until Thursday/April 2017/never