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The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming

Well, on the basis that we're still getting a Mac Mini in the next 6 months (when they update the Mac Pro and iMac, and introduce an external display) I'd suggest they'll be aping the spec of the base model Macbook Pro 13" without touch bar:

15w Intel i5-6360U - 2GHz - This is the fastest available Skylake 15w part with Iris Graphics (remember, no Kaby Lake equivalent until next year)

2 Thunderbolt 3/USB-C
4 USB3, Ethernet, HDMI could be feasible

These CPUs have 12 PCIe 3.0 lanes, and obviously 8 of them are used up providing the 2 Thunderbolt 3/USB-C ports. The remaining 4 lanes will be reserved for PCIe flash and could also provide the extra ports that Mac Mini users would expect, perhaps adding extra lanes from the PCH.

Given that Thunderbolt 3/USB-C could take power from an external monitor there's now a possibility for a redesign for the Mac Mini to separate the PSU and potentially allow power from an external display. Without a built in GPU (and the LG display on offer didn't appear to offer one) it could mean Apple offering a 4k DCI-P3 Cinema display.

Given these CPUs were launched a year ago I can only assume they've been delayed to market or Apple managed to negotiate a sweet deal for them.

The increased based model price, however, makes you wonder - $1499 for a base model 13" Pro, when the previous 13" model started at $1299. For the ability to choose Space Grey. And maybe faster flash storage. While having just 2 Thunderbolt/USB-C ports.

In the UK, we are in heart attack territory.

Apple have kept the base models of the now previous generation Macbook Pros hanging around:

A quick glance suggests that specs have not changed but the old models now cost:

13" - £1249 (up from £999) - increase of £250 OR +25.03%
15" - £1899 (up from £1599) - increase of £300 OR +18.76%

This suggests up to a 25% price hike due to recent exchange rate fluctuations (and a little rounding up by Apple).

If we apply the same logic to the existing Mac Mini price points we are looking at a nice round 25% increase in price points alone:

Base Model: £499
Middle Model: £849
Top Model: £999

With the expectation that the Mac Mini will continue to ape the Macbook Pro 13" models, we will see Skylake Iris Graphics on the latest Mini at around the time that similar Kaby Lake samples start to circulate...
[doublepost=1477594809][/doublepost]Never mind guys, scrap what I write above. Apple UK price bumped EVERY Mac, even the Minis, iMacs and Mac Pros. And the refurbished models are now 15% off the new RRP. Everything just went up in the UK.

The base quad core Mac Pro went up to £2999 as I predicted.

A quick glance around third party retailers shows existing stocks at old prices. They won't last long.
 
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MarkusL said:
I'm out too in the sense that I built my own machine before the summer, and didn't even bother to hackintosh it. But it will be a few more years until I leave this thread I think.
Click to expand...
I have windows machines at the moment so I am good to go.
I could live with the slow progression of hardware, even waiting for another 6 months for a mini but it's the incredible price gouging going on here that really upsets me the most.
If things are going this way I really don't see how Tim Cooks apple can continue to be apart of my life.
 
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sublunar said:
Well, on the basis that we're still getting a Mac Mini in the next 6 months (when they update the Mac Pro and iMac, and introduce an external display) I'd suggest they'll be aping the spec of the base model Macbook Pro 13" without touch bar:

15w Intel i5-6360U - 2GHz - This is the fastest available Skylake 15w part with Iris Graphics (remember, no Kaby Lake equivalent until next year)

2 Thunderbolt 3/USB-C
4 USB3, Ethernet, HDMI could be feasible

These CPUs have 12 PCIe 3.0 lanes, and obviously 8 of them are used up providing the 2 Thunderbolt 3/USB-C ports. The remaining 4 lanes will be reserved for PCIe flash and could also provide the extra ports that Mac Mini users would expect, perhaps adding extra lanes from the PCH.

Given that Thunderbolt 3/USB-C could take power from an external monitor there's now a possibility for a redesign for the Mac Mini to separate the PSU and potentially allow power from an external display. Without a built in GPU (and the LG display on offer didn't appear to offer one) it could mean Apple offering a 4k DCI-P3 Cinema display.

Given these CPUs were launched a year ago I can only assume they've been delayed to market or Apple managed to negotiate a sweet deal for them.

The increased based model price, however, makes you wonder - $1499 for a base model 13" Pro, when the previous 13" model started at $1299. For the ability to choose Space Grey. And maybe faster flash storage. While having just 2 Thunderbolt/USB-C ports.

In the UK, we are in heart attack territory.

Apple have kept the base models of the now previous generation Macbook Pros hanging around:

A quick glance suggests that specs have not changed but the old models now cost:

13" - £1249 (up from £999) - increase of £250 OR +25.03%
15" - £1899 (up from £1599) - increase of £300 OR +18.76%

This suggests up to a 25% price hike due to recent exchange rate fluctuations (and a little rounding up by Apple).

If we apply the same logic to the existing Mac Mini price points we are looking at a nice round 25% increase in price points alone:

Base Model: £499
Middle Model: £849
Top Model: £999

With the expectation that the Mac Mini will continue to ape the Macbook Pro 13" models, we will see Skylake Iris Graphics on the latest Mini at around the time that similar Kaby Lake samples start to circulate...
[doublepost=1477594809][/doublepost]Never mind guys, scrap what I write above. Apple UK price bumped EVERY Mac, even the Minis, iMacs and Mac Pros. And the refurbished models are now 15% off the new RRP. Everything just went up in the UK.

The base quad core Mac Pro went up to £2999 as I predicted.

A quick glance around third party retailers shows existing stocks at old prices. They won't last long.
Click to expand...

Better get a 3rd party refurb 2012 or 2014 quickly...
 
I bet Apple will hold a spring event to announce iMac's, Mini's and a new Pro. It's the only thing that makes sense but I don't get why Apple is neglecting the desktop market. The 2014 Mini's were bad, sorry. So we may get:

2017 Mac Mini to replace a dual core 2014
2017 Mac Pro, when the previous model was a 2013 - 4 years?

This doesn't jive with the "The Mac is more than a product to us". More like it's not that important to us.
 
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^What if the 2017 mac mini (if it will come...) is dual core as well? -.-"
[doublepost=1477597834][/doublepost]
essiw said:
Thanks, somehow that made my day a bit better... I am wondering why though... although it made my thoughts about apple even worse... give us that mac mini already, or at least say something about it...
Click to expand...
erm I read "macbook pro" instead of "mac pro", but both are filled with disappointed persons (for obviously different reasons) so I don't know if my mistake did matter :p
 
The desktop is dying, that's all there is to it.

These are PCs, I don't know if Macs are included

Screen Shot 2016-10-27 at 10.51.15 PM.png
 
OK , Apple blow us off , AGAIN , now what ?

Would an i7 ( yup , the dual core ) + 16 GR + 256 SSD be my best bet ? or is there still a chance there will be a refresh ?

I am NOT HAPPY :( ____ ( LOL :) )

Please help me decide what to do , please :D

I would welcome all suggestions , but my 6 yr. old MM is not going to spin forever :(,,,,,,,,,

Thanks ,

Gary  ______:D
 
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