The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming

[Andres Cantu]

Thoughts on this chip being the new base? It's an Intel Core i5-7260U with Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640.

http://ark.intel.com/products/97539/

Scores around 3,600 and 7,700 for GeekBench, up from 2,600 and 4,800 for the 4260U.

 

[sublunar]

Thoughts on this chip being the new base? It's an Intel Core i5-7260U with Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640.

http://ark.intel.com/products/97539/

Scores around 3,600 and 7,700 for GeekBench, up from 2,600 and 4,800 for the 4260U.

They've only just put the Skylake ones in and these Kaby Lake ones are launched - not currently shipping. I doubt Apple would use the Kaby Lake CPUs in just a Mac Mini for several months - far easier to go with economies of scale as our desktop engineers have spent months getting the battery and toolbar right in the MBP. It'll hurt if and when Apple release a 2017 Mac Mini and it uses the Skylake CPUs that were released 3 months ago in the Macbook Pro, though

I would say the CPUs remain a decent upgrade and the GPU is interesting. If the Mini is entirely made up of 15w Skylake CPUs and marketed as even more energy efficient we couldn't really complain too much if they retain the same case and maybe engineer a better cooling solution to keep the machine quieter for longer under load.

If anything, thinking ahead, the price of the Toolbar equipped Macbook Pros with the 28w CPUs make it more likely we will see the Mini go 15w Skylake across the board - for example the i5-6360U.

We could see nice fast Mini with 2 USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports, PCIe NVMe SSD and hanging off the PCH several USB3 ports, HDMI, Ethernet, Wifi/BT and an internal SATA port for a spinning disk. It's just a crying shame that Apple decided to make the Mini such a completely sealed unit. Going all 15w CPU would have allowed us the chance of a smaller form factor and all Flash.

Phil Schiller: "Apple's most energy efficient desktop."

The Skylake 15w CPUs should give the 28w Haswell ones in the 2014 Minis a run for their money.

 

[EightyTwenty]

All I know is it damn well better come with at least 8GB of ram and it better not have a damned 5400 spinner.

 

[Andres Cantu]

All I know is it damn well better come with at least 8GB of ram and it better not have a damned 5400 spinner.

8GB of RAM it'll have, as even the MacBook Air does, but, at best, I see standard fusion drives (with the same 24GB SSD as the iMac).

 

[jpietrzak8]

All I know is it damn well better come with at least 8GB of ram and it better not have a damned 5400 spinner.

Even better: Do like Intel does with the NUC, and just release a Mini with some empty RAM slots and room for the user to add their own storage devices. Let the users themselves choose what to fill the machine with.

 

[Boyd01]

Funny… just saw a story "Why Apple's Critics are Right This Time" in the Wall St. Journal and clicked on it, thinking they would mention the lack of attention to the Mac. Nope, doesn't even mention the Mac, the story says Apple is falling behind because Siri isn't as good as Alexa.

 

[Andres Cantu]

Funny… just saw a story "Why Apple's Critics are Right This Time" in the Wall St. Journal and clicked on it, thinking they would mention the lack of attention to the Mac. Nope, doesn't even mention the Mac, the story says Apple is falling behind because Siri isn't as good as Alexa.

It seems like less and less people care about the Mac now-a-days. That's not good for anybody

 

[EightyTwenty]

Even better: Do like Intel does with the NUC, and just release a Mini with some empty RAM slots and room for the user to add their own storage devices. Let the users themselves choose what to fill the machine with.

Now we're in fantasy land.

 

[Crosscreek]

Good article here that explains some of the problems Apples business model is causing them and touches plus relates to their Mac line too.

http://www.zdnet.com/article/does-t...not-apple-now-drives-the-mobile-conversation/

 

[now i see it]

The whole personal computing revolution was fueled more on hype than need. The hype has now moved to somewhere else. What we have now is a very mature market with little room for excitement now since Moore's law is unquestionably dead.

 

[Cape Dave]

All I know is it damn well better come with at least 8GB of ram and it better not have a damned 5400 spinner.

If it does, I will not do any business with Apple. iPad and iPhone will be replaced. I hate "entry point/bait and switch scummy marketing. And I hate 5400 (or 7200) spinners even more. They get one last chance to keep me as a customer.

I will most likely not even buy a mini unless they do something miraculous as I want to build me a nice fast, small silent computer using a new mini-itx board and possibly dans case and a new Kaby lake. Apple may not be able to keep up with the latest tech, but I for sure can

 

[jpietrzak8]

What we have now is a very mature market with little room for excitement now since Moore's law is unquestionably dead.

Careful! Moore's law has been declared dead more than once during my lifetime, by several very knowledgable folks. Might be true this time, but the thing does have a habit of raising itself from the dead...

 

[navaira]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2017/01/05/ces-2017-moores-law-not-dead-says-intel-boss/

 

[Count Blah]

It seems like less and less people care about the Mac now-a-days. That's not good for anybody

That goes double for Apple, as their 'All eggs in the mobile basket' approach REALLY suffers when less and less iOS content gets created, because developers are not idiots who buy shiny, inferior products because Apple says to. Those people are called consumers, not developers.
[doublepost=1484011032][/doublepost]

The Skylake 15w CPUs should give the 28w Haswell ones in the 2014 Minis a run for their money.

So basically even MORE of a downgrade from the 2012 Mac Mini.

 

[DesertSurfer]

A while back I asked about a Mail problem. I finally fixed it, by following these procedures: http://c-command.com/spamsieve/help/how-can-i-rebuild-apple

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions. Now for the new Mac Mini, which is almost certainly coming.

 

[Crosscreek]

So it looks like Macs and OS dead with the departure of their head Mac designer Matt Casebolt which Mac Rumors have not acknowledged yet and head Programmer Chris Lattner.
https://9to5mac.com/2017/01/11/matt-casebolt-touchbar-macbook/

 

[robotica]

So it looks like Macs and OS dead with the departure of their head Mac designer Matt Casebolt which Mac Rumors have not acknowledged yet and head Programmer Chris Lattner.
https://9to5mac.com/2017/01/11/matt-casebolt-touchbar-macbook/

Fresh blood seems like a good idea at this point.

 

[Crosscreek]

Fresh blood seems like a good idea at this point.

Or no blood.

 

[DesertSurfer]

Or no blood.

That's what concerns me. I fear Apple's directors have put the Mac and MacOS in the FireWire category.

 

[Miat]

Another step closer my Linux box to thee.

So be it.

 

[Count Blah]

That's what concerns me. I fear Apple's directors have put the Mac and MacOS in the FireWire category.

Then their $1 Trillion in iOS Ecosystem revenue projections will likely fall short.

 

[DesertSurfer]

I am typing this on my new (to me) mac mini, a 2012 with the 2.5ghz i5, and the SSD and 16gb of ram I installed yesterday. My 2011 MacBook pro is now put away for travel use only. I really like the mini on my desk - small, silent, and capable for what I do. It makes the wait for the new mac mini, which is almost certainly coming, much more enjoyable.

 

[robotica]

I am typing this on my new (to me) mac mini, a 2012 with the 2.5ghz i5, and the SSD and 16gb of ram I installed yesterday. My 2011 MacBook pro is now put away for travel use only. I really like the mini on my desk - small, silent, and capable for what I do. It makes the wait for the new mac mini, which is almost certainly coming, much more enjoyable.

Nice one!
I am stuck on windows 10 and my iPad until a new mini drops!

 

[Andres Cantu]

The new Mac mini is certainly coming, until Ming-Chi Kuo says so...

https://www.macrumors.com/2017/01/16/kaby-lake-macbooks-ming-chi-kuo/

 

[DesertSurfer]

The new Mac mini is certainly coming, until Ming Chi Kuo says so...

https://www.macrumors.com/2017/01/16/kaby-lake-macbooks-ming-chi-kuo/

Clever of him not to mention the mini or the pro.