The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming

[jpietrzak8]

I don't disagree, but just for the sake of argument (while we await the new mac mini, almost certainly coming), the Apple mind appears to be in flux. My guess is that Apple had it in mind to dump the Mac Pro and the Mini. But, the Apple mind seems to have, reluctantly, changed due to the large number of people they have offended and irritated, and may have realized that killing off a perfectly good part of the business for no good reason is foolish. But now that the Apple mind is changing, who knows how much it will change or where it will go? After all, it's a really good mind, with all the best words such as "amazing" and "magical." There may be some surprises for us in the new Mac Mini.

I kinda doubt it. You can have as many good minds as you want in a group, but without focus, the group will go nowhere. For example, Apple lost focus in the early 90's; they had achieved a significant success with the Mac, conquering segments of the desktop and laptop markets with their focus on "ease of use". The company tried to branch out in a dozen different directions, including tablets, cameras, CD players, speakers, and all sorts of other odd items. An array of beige-box Macs were released with seemingly much less care towards their design or purpose than before. And the high-risk attempt to join IBM and Motorola to push a non-Intel CPU (the PowerPC) ultimately did not pay off.

Apple regained focus around the same time it brought Jobs back. It did things it should have done long before, such as cut a deal with eternal-foe Microsoft and bring Office to the Mac. It went back to the Mac's roots and came out with the iMac, a much better-engineered (if also quirkier) Mac product, while trimming back the forest of beige boxes. It went all-in on the iPod, finally creating a successful portable device unlike all the various failures of the early 90s. In short, it stopped flailing around with dozens of ultimately ineffective products, and focussed the company on backing just a few efforts at a time.

I believe we are now back to a time of unfocussed efforts. Perhaps due to the loss of Jobs, or perhaps due to other factors (such as the overwhelming success of the iPhone), Apple is losing its way forward. It learned the "lesson" of the early 90s, that having a large basket full of unappetizing products does not create success. But simply maintaining a small basket of unappetizing products does not equal success either. There's gotta be leadership at the top that has an understanding of what the consumers need, and the drive to fill that need; and that leadership appears to be lacking right now. I agree that they seem to understand that Apple is starting to fail again (despite their very successful efforts to remain profitable so far), but I don't yet see any appropriate actions being taken to right the ship...

 

[SpacemanSpiffed]

I believe we are now back to a time of unfocussed efforts. Perhaps due to the loss of Jobs, or perhaps due to other factors (such as the overwhelming success of the iPhone), Apple is losing its way forward.

Not just 'unfocussed' but quite likely being directed and driven by people and processes that are measuring and prioritizing The Wrong Stuff. Their product planning philosophy on the Mac side has shifted: From daring to cautious. From a need to forge ahead to contentment with yesterday. From trying to delight the power users on the end of the bell curve, to satisfying the muddled masses in the middle.

I could go on, but let me just say this: I voted my dollars. I just bought a laptop for one of my employees. He needs to do product work for some really big names in content delivery that you have heard of. It involves software for Windows, OSX and sometimes Linux. He's going on the road for the next 4 months, needs to travel light.

I bough the one model of 15" MacBook Pro that does NOT have the stupid touch pad. The one still using the older Haswell chips and design (but de-contented by removing the dGPU even with the upgraded CPUs). Apple offers it, but seems to want to hide it - the don't even list that model on the "tech specs" page, and hides it at the bottom of the "buy" page.

That model has to be selling way better than predicted when the models with the touch bar came out. Will the people in charge listen to their own sales data or stay in denial? I don't know...

 

[lowkey]

If he needs to travel light, why did you buy him the old model that is 10% heavier and 20% bigger?
Just wondering.

Not just 'unfocussed' but quite likely being directed and driven by people and processes that are measuring and prioritizing The Wrong Stuff. Their product planning philosophy on the Mac side has shifted: From daring to cautious. From a need to forge ahead to contentment with yesterday. From trying to delight the power users on the end of the bell curve, to satisfying the muddled masses in the middle.

I could go on, but let me just say this: I voted my dollars. I just bought a laptop for one of my employees. He needs to do product work for some really big names in content delivery that you have heard of. It involves software for Windows, OSX and sometimes Linux. He's going on the road for the next 4 months, needs to travel light.

I bough the one model of 15" MacBook Pro that does NOT have the stupid touch pad. The one still using the older Haswell chips and design (but de-contented by removing the dGPU even with the upgraded CPUs). Apple offers it, but seems to want to hide it - the don't even list that model on the "tech specs" page, and hides it at the bottom of the "buy" page.

That model has to be selling way better than predicted when the models with the touch bar came out. Will the people in charge listen to their own sales data or stay in denial? I don't know...

 

[SpacemanSpiffed]

Make the Mac Mini Amazing and Magical Again. Mac Mini First.

Ok, I'll take a stab at making the Mac Mini Magical again.... Let's see.... Here's an imaginary product sheet.

2017 Mac Mini Product Configuration Matrix: CPU & Internals:

2C Base CPU: i5-7260U 2.2 Ghz, Turbo to 3.4, 4MB Cache Iris Plus 640 GPU
Upgrade + $100: i5-7267U 3.1 Ghz, Turbo to 3.5, 4MB Cache Iris Plus 650 GPU
Upgrade + $300: i7-7567U 3.5 Ghz, Turbo to 4.0, 4MB Cache Iris Plus 650 GPU
QC Model CPU: i7-7770HQ 2.7 Ghz, Turbo to 3.6, 6MB Cache Iris Pro 680 GPU
Upgrade + $200: i7-7870HQ 2.9 Ghz, Turbo to 3.8, 8MB Cache Iris Pro 680 GPU

2x User accessible DDR4 SO-DIMM slots, 32 GB Max DDR4 2133 (same way as 2010/2011/2012 models)

Internal Drive bays: Very determined user accessible similar to 2011/2012 models.

1x M.2 22/80 SSD Drive ( up to 2TB SSD )
1x 2.5 15mm max SATA III HDD, tabs in bay to hold 7mm, 9mm or 15mm drive. (up to 5TB)

Latest WiFi and Bluetooth

Front of 2017 Unibody Mac Mini: Evolutionary Panel Redesign.
- Small Area on lower left of front panel with:
-- CIR Port
-- 3.5mm bi-directional audio jack: for headphones, mic or gaming headset
-- 1x USB 3.1 Type A Port ( for quick access to flash drives, etc ) with 2A charging, even when off
-- Dual Mics flanking above ports - to enable use of "Hey Siri!" (taken from MacBook)
-- Power/sleep LED stays in classic location

Rear of 2017 Unibody Mac Mini: Left to Right
- Power Button
- AC Input
- 10/100/100 Base-T Gigabit Ethernet
- HDMI 2.0 port ( Can drive 4K @ 60hz )
- 2x Thunderbolt 3 ports via USB-C ( Can drive 2x 5K Displays ), not used for power input
- 3x USB 3.1 Type-A ports
- SDXC card reader slot
- 1x 3.5mm Line in jack ( separate input from dual mics, selectable OS control vs. front jack)
- 1x 3.5mm Line out/headphone jack (selectable OS control vs. front jack)

OS: MacOS 10.13 "Random Mountain"

Benefits and/or selling points:

Similar Product Configuration Matrix to 2011/2012 Minis
New era in ease-of-use with new convenient front ports
Still drives up to 3 simultaneous displays, only in this case up to 1x 4K and 2x 5K panels.
Brings the future forward with 2 USB-C ports
Preserves investments in existing peripherals and USB devices
Extremely versatile usage cases: From Grandma's PC, to Gaming, to Software Developer, to Server.
Still class leading in energy efficiency
Switch to 1x M.2 + 1x 15mm HDD frees extra internal volume for improved cooling setup.
-- 2017 Mini leverages interior space for vastly superior cooling and quietness compared to Intel Skull Canyon NUC.

Goes back to the time when every new Mini had at least 2X the graphics power of the previous one.
-- Acknowledges gaming and video playback as common and popular uses for the Mini
-- All models can play most games w/ good settings at 1080p thanks to Iris Plus/Pro graphics.
-- Serious Online gamers can easily use headsets thanks to front panel inputs.
-- HDMI 2.0 and Iris GPU ensures winning media center capabilities well into the future.

Brings "Hey Siri" to the Desktop with integrate microphones and line in-jacks.
Front Charging port encourages user to sync their iPhones and iPads more often.

Has a proper model range from inexpensive "Base model" to Quad Core models for power users
- Even base model owners are able to play games well.
- Quad Core Models come back for the power users! (no further explanation needed)
- You can configure up to 6TB worth of SSD, or 7TB of fusion drive storage - using existing components on sale today.
-- Apple will makes serous $Bank from companies like my old employer, who deployed tons of minis as local servers, build machines, etc, and don't blink at payng apple prices for upgraded storage.
- 2017 Mini returns upgrading memory to the user, extending their mini's useful life and resale value.

...

Any chance that would put anyone in 'shut up and take my money' mode? Or more to the point, make people like us think that there still were passionate people working it it at Apple?

The only thing above I had to imagine was the Kaby lake versions of the Skylake QC Chips.

Seriously, if I can do that in 30 minutes, how hard would be for the braintrust at Apple to come up with something much better?

The Mini doesn't need something out of left field like the touch bar to stay exciting. Apply could, if they chose to, create something competitive with anything else in the space such as Intel's NUCs or Zotac's ZBoxes, and keep it as the "no/fewest* compromises" gold standard for ultra-small form factor machines, and legions of Mac users quite happy.

* other than a dedicated GPU, this hypothetical mini

[doublepost=1493006390][/doublepost]

If he needs to travel light, why did you buy him the old model that is 10% heavier and 20% bigger?
Just wondering.

His current laptop is a 2011 Sandy Bridge 'Gaming' Laptop with 18" LCD, Separate Keypad, spinning HDD, and weighs almost 10 pounds. He's been using that for PC work, and my old 2011 Mac Mini for the OSX ports, taking both with him. He's a real power user ( a lot of his code slams every thread on the CPU ) but doesn't need a dedicated GPU. That and he thinks the touch bar is ridiculous.

Edit: And the port Situation...

And MagSafe...


This moves him from two machines to one and saves 10+ pounds. 2.5 Ghz CPU + 1TB SSD Model was the sweet spot.

 

[Miat]

I bough the one model of 15" MacBook Pro that does NOT have the stupid touch pad. The one still using the older Haswell chips and design (but de-contented by removing the dGPU even with the upgraded CPUs). Apple offers it, but seems to want to hide it - the don't even list that model on the "tech specs" page, and hides it at the bottom of the "buy" page.

That model has to be selling way better than predicted when the models with the touch bar came out. Will the people in charge listen to their own sales data or stay in denial? I don't know...

I drool over that model. Very nice package, IMHO.

Base model suits me fine. Only change I would make is to bump the drive to at least 1TB.

Not rich enough to afford one. Not. Even. Close.

But when I win the lottery...

 

[Micky Do]

Which will come first…… the next new Mac Mini, or 10,000 posts in this thread?

 

[sleconte]

Which will come first…… the next new Mac Mini, or 10,000 posts in this thread?

There are 25 posts per page, so we are already at around 9557 - I think almost certainly 10,000 posts will come first. Another ~17 pages.

 

[Donewithit]

My bet is for 10k. I'd also bet for 100 watch bands, 10 new Apple Music video series, and 1 new CEO. Either way, a certainty is that an HP Elitedesk 800 G3 is coming for me next week to start my transition out of macOS. i7 7700T, 16GB RAM, and 512 GB nvme SSD in a size very comparable to the Mac mini.

 

[Miat]

and 1 new CEO.

 

[oldmacs]

Ok, I'll take a stab at making the Mac Mini Magical again.... Let's see.... Here's an imaginary product sheet.

2017 Mac Mini Product Configuration Matrix: CPU & Internals:

2C Base CPU: i5-7260U 2.2 Ghz, Turbo to 3.4, 4MB Cache Iris Plus 640 GPU
Upgrade + $100: i5-7267U 3.1 Ghz, Turbo to 3.5, 4MB Cache Iris Plus 650 GPU
Upgrade + $300: i7-7567U 3.5 Ghz, Turbo to 4.0, 4MB Cache Iris Plus 650 GPU
QC Model CPU: i7-7770HQ 2.7 Ghz, Turbo to 3.6, 6MB Cache Iris Pro 680 GPU
Upgrade + $200: i7-7870HQ 2.9 Ghz, Turbo to 3.8, 8MB Cache Iris Pro 680 GPU

2x User accessible DDR4 SO-DIMM slots, 32 GB Max DDR4 2133 (same way as 2010/2011/2012 models)

Internal Drive bays: Very determined user accessible similar to 2011/2012 models.

1x M.2 22/80 SSD Drive ( up to 2TB SSD )
1x 2.5 15mm max SATA III HDD, tabs in bay to hold 7mm, 9mm or 15mm drive. (up to 5TB)

Latest WiFi and Bluetooth

Front of 2017 Unibody Mac Mini: Evolutionary Panel Redesign.
- Small Area on lower left of front panel with:
-- CIR Port
-- 3.5mm bi-directional audio jack: for headphones, mic or gaming headset
-- 1x USB 3.1 Type A Port ( for quick access to flash drives, etc ) with 2A charging, even when off
-- Dual Mics flanking above ports - to enable use of "Hey Siri!" (taken from MacBook)
-- Power/sleep LED stays in classic location

Rear of 2017 Unibody Mac Mini: Left to Right
- Power Button
- AC Input
- 10/100/100 Base-T Gigabit Ethernet
- HDMI 2.0 port ( Can drive 4K @ 60hz )
- 2x Thunderbolt 3 ports via USB-C ( Can drive 2x 5K Displays ), not used for power input
- 3x USB 3.1 Type-A ports
- SDXC card reader slot
- 1x 3.5mm Line in jack ( separate input from dual mics, selectable OS control vs. front jack)
- 1x 3.5mm Line out/headphone jack (selectable OS control vs. front jack)

OS: MacOS 10.13 "Random Mountain"

Benefits and/or selling points:

Similar Product Configuration Matrix to 2011/2012 Minis
New era in ease-of-use with new convenient front ports
Still drives up to 3 simultaneous displays, only in this case up to 1x 4K and 2x 5K panels.
Brings the future forward with 2 USB-C ports
Preserves investments in existing peripherals and USB devices
Extremely versatile usage cases: From Grandma's PC, to Gaming, to Software Developer, to Server.
Still class leading in energy efficiency
Switch to 1x M.2 + 1x 15mm HDD frees extra internal volume for improved cooling setup.
-- 2017 Mini leverages interior space for vastly superior cooling and quietness compared to Intel Skull Canyon NUC.

Goes back to the time when every new Mini had at least 2X the graphics power of the previous one.
-- Acknowledges gaming and video playback as common and popular uses for the Mini
-- All models can play most games w/ good settings at 1080p thanks to Iris Plus/Pro graphics.
-- Serious Online gamers can easily use headsets thanks to front panel inputs.
-- HDMI 2.0 and Iris GPU ensures winning media center capabilities well into the future.

Brings "Hey Siri" to the Desktop with integrate microphones and line in-jacks.
Front Charging port encourages user to sync their iPhones and iPads more often.

Has a proper model range from inexpensive "Base model" to Quad Core models for power users
- Even base model owners are able to play games well.
- Quad Core Models come back for the power users! (no further explanation needed)
- You can configure up to 6TB worth of SSD, or 7TB of fusion drive storage - using existing components on sale today.
-- Apple will makes serous $Bank from companies like my old employer, who deployed tons of minis as local servers, build machines, etc, and don't blink at payng apple prices for upgraded storage.
- 2017 Mini returns upgrading memory to the user, extending their mini's useful life and resale value.

...

Any chance that would put anyone in 'shut up and take my money' mode? Or more to the point, make people like us think that there still were passionate people working it it at Apple?

The only thing above I had to imagine was the Kaby lake versions of the Skylake QC Chips.

Seriously, if I can do that in 30 minutes, how hard would be for the braintrust at Apple to come up with something much better?

The Mini doesn't need something out of left field like the touch bar to stay exciting. Apply could, if they chose to, create something competitive with anything else in the space such as Intel's NUCs or Zotac's ZBoxes, and keep it as the "no/fewest* compromises" gold standard for ultra-small form factor machines, and legions of Mac users quite happy.

* other than a dedicated GPU, this hypothetical mini

[doublepost=1493006390][/doublepost]

His current laptop is a 2011 Sandy Bridge 'Gaming' Laptop with 18" LCD, Separate Keypad, spinning HDD, and weighs almost 10 pounds. He's been using that for PC work, and my old 2011 Mac Mini for the OSX ports, taking both with him. He's a real power user ( a lot of his code slams every thread on the CPU ) but doesn't need a dedicated GPU. That and he thinks the touch bar is ridiculous.

Edit: And the port Situation...

And MagSafe...


This moves him from two machines to one and saves 10+ pounds. 2.5 Ghz CPU + 1TB SSD Model was the sweet spot.

That's all wayyyyyyy tooo sensible and good for Apple to do!

 

[navaira]

Which will come first…… the next new Mac Mini, or 10,000 posts in this thread?

Aaaaand suddenly I have flashbacks to the Skylake rMBP thread, also known as the longest thread in the history of this forum!

 

[squirrrl]

No way they'll release one without USB Type C

Front of 2017 Unibody Mac Mini: Evolutionary Panel Redesign.
- Small Area on lower left of front panel with:
-- CIR Port
-- 3.5mm bi-directional audio jack: for headphones, mic or gaming headset
-- 1x USB 3.1 Type A Port ( for quick access to flash drives, etc ) with 2A charging, even when off
-- Dual Mics flanking above ports - to enable use of "Hey Siri!" (taken from MacBook)
-- Power/sleep LED stays in classic location

Rear of 2017 Unibody Mac Mini: Left to Right
- Power Button
- AC Input
- 10/100/100 Base-T Gigabit Ethernet
- HDMI 2.0 port ( Can drive 4K @ 60hz )
- 2x Thunderbolt 3 ports via USB-C ( Can drive 2x 5K Displays ), not used for power input
- 3x USB 3.1 Type-A ports
- SDXC card reader slot
- 1x 3.5mm Line in jack ( separate input from dual mics, selectable OS control vs. front jack)
- 1x 3.5mm Line out/headphone jack (selectable OS control vs. front jack)

.

 

[treekram]

Ok, I'll take a stab at making the Mac Mini Magical again.... Let's see.... Here's an imaginary product sheet.

2017 Mac Mini Product Configuration Matrix: CPU & Internals:

2C Base CPU: i5-7260U 2.2 Ghz, Turbo to 3.4, 4MB Cache Iris Plus 640 GPU
Upgrade + $100: i5-7267U 3.1 Ghz, Turbo to 3.5, 4MB Cache Iris Plus 650 GPU
Upgrade + $300: i7-7567U 3.5 Ghz, Turbo to 4.0, 4MB Cache Iris Plus 650 GPU
QC Model CPU: i7-7770HQ 2.7 Ghz, Turbo to 3.6, 6MB Cache Iris Pro 680 GPU
Upgrade + $200: i7-7870HQ 2.9 Ghz, Turbo to 3.8, 8MB Cache Iris Pro 680 GPU

...

The product is imaginary in more than one way - Intel does not have an Iris Pro 680 GPU. The Iris Pro 580 in Skylake has not shown up (and probably will not) in Kaby Lake. The best you can get with a quad core is HD 630.

 

[saulinpa]

BestBuy and others have the mini at $100 off.
Amazon is out of stock for the base and mid levels. (they are still selling via 3rd parties)

Does that mean they are clearing inventory for a new model? Since "The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming."

 

[jpietrzak8]

Does that mean they are clearing inventory for a new model? Since "The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming."

I've gotta doubt it. One reason I was drawn to the MacRumors site was that they really have their finger on the pulse of the Apple world; every time there has been a Mac Mini update, MacRumors has had some sort of rumor about it weeks or even months in advance.

So far though, there has been nothing. Apple does seem to have gotten a little interested in desktop computers again, at least in their rhetoric, but they've concentrated on the iMac and the Pro. If there is to be any immediate change in the Mini lineup, I can only assume it would be to cancel the model.

 

[treekram]

BestBuy and others have the mini at $100 off.
Amazon is out of stock for the base and mid levels. (they are still selling via 3rd parties)

Does that mean they are clearing inventory for a new model? Since "The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming."

Who knows with Apple? (BTW, Best Buy has $100 both the base and mid models.) I wouldn't think that it would be that difficult to come up with a Mini that used the same components as the base 2016 MacBook Pro. Why would they do that when they've ignored the Mini for the last (almost) 3 years? With a lot of people using the Mini's as a media server, maybe they see the Mini as part of their connected home strategy (if they have a strategy) and having a computer which can only do 4K (UHD) at 30Hz (the 2014 Mini) is turning people away. Yeah, I know, it's a stretch. If they actually do come out with a Mini based on the base 2016 MBP, you'd have a 2.0Ghz dual-core with a $300 upgrade to 2.4Ghz. A quad-core Mini is almost certainly not coming out this year (if ever).

 

[toke lahti]

Last time mini got refreshed by WWDC was 6 years ago (by Jobs, last time for him). And never (?) before imac. If the refresh is ever going to happen, I'll bet October.

 

[DesertSurfer]

Last time mini got refreshed by WWDC was 6 years ago (by Jobs, last time for him). And never (?) before imac. If the refresh is ever going to happen, I'll bet October.

..of 2018.

 

[Boyd01]

With a lot of people using the Mini's as a media server, maybe they see the Mini as part of their connected home strategy (if they have a strategy)

I think they see the Apple TV for that role, it evidently can function as a hub for "homekit" enabled devices. I also think Apple dislikes the whole concept of a media server. They want everyone to stream content directly from their own servers where they can maintain complete control.

Does that mean they are clearing inventory for a new model?

It could also mean that the end is near for the Mini, and they are just trying to get rid of them.

 

[George Dawes]

i'm quite happy with mine , maybe they could increase the hd size or lower the price ?

for it's target market it's a great product

 

[Cape Dave]

Means nothing. What did get announced today is a Amazon like speaker box. Which is obviously way more important than a mini. Can new Watch Bands be far behind? I am gonna say it here first. The Mini is dead. Period. End of story.

 

[DesertSurfer]

Means nothing. What did get announced today is a Amazon like speaker box. Which is obviously way more important than a mini. Can new Watch Bands be far behind? I am gonna say it here first. The Mini is dead. Period. End of story.

"Hey Siri, pretend you're the new mac mini."

 

[Boyd01]

New article at ars technica made me think of you guys, and also reminded me why I don't want to build a hackintosh.

https://arstechnica.com/apple/2017/05/hackintoshes-keep-giving-apples-frustrated-pros-a-place-to-go/

Several mentions of the Mini - check out the picture of the 2012 and 2014 minis with their bottoms removed, "The upgradeable 2012 Mac Mini on the left; the sealed (and most current) 2014 Mac Mini on the right. Desktops don't need to be this way."

 

[Crosscreek]

New article at ars technica made me think of you guys, and also reminded me why I don't want to build a hackintosh.

Being a hackintosher I have no issues with point releases. They install just like my Mini. The components cause people problems because of the narrow component list of what Apple uses. The motherboard is the most important and Brodecom wifi and bluetooth is required for continuity and messaging and easily available through Amazon. Yearly software releases can go as smoothly as point releases because the community uses the betas as away of troubleshooting what has changed. By the time Apple releases the final version there may be a week lag time to have a smooth update.

The point remains that anyone who does not want to tinker and read a little should stick with Apple for a trouble free machine and I would say that's 99% of folks out there.

I would like to see the continuation of the Mini by I have the same opinion as Cape Dave....it's a dead soldier.

 

[masterbaron]

Yes - with the weak emphasis from Apple I would have to say Apple will kill it and throw the "modularity" factor by offering a "low-end, single module" MacPro that in the end will cost more and compress the desktop crowd into one form-factor. I think I could live with that as long as they make a serious effort at upgradability, graphics and future-proofing - I'd call that acceptable in light of the current desktop situation.