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The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming

turbineseaplane said:
Also, they don't need to make a Mac Mini Pro any smaller!
It can be a touch larger if they want for all I care.

Just don't gimp the ports and cooling.

Make a great machine --- we don't stare at these things and lust after them.
They usually get jammed down out of sight with a bunch of stuff plugged into them.
Click to expand...

100% agree, no need to shrink the chassis just because "smaller is better"...!

Offer more colors (just let me have some variant of Black; Space Gray, Graphite, Space Black), change to a more WiFi / BlueTooth friendly top (that plexiglass rumor), put a larger blower fan in it (larger fan = slower speeds = less noise); but leave the current size, mainly because I know the MacCoLo folk don't want to have to rejigger their setup when putting new Mac minis into the current shelving...?

If I could get all the wishes; Toslink optical audio output (for my 2.1 THX Logitech speaker system), four USB-A ports (keyboard, mouse, webcam, printer), and quality USB-C to DisplayPort cables (Belkin?) available to order (two, please) from Apple when I order the Mac mini...

Oh, and if Apple were to come out with a matching (insert "Black" color here) keyboard with Touch ID that was also backlit, that would be sweet, otherwise I will have to see about changing a few key caps on my Hexgears X1 low-profile mechanical keyboard...! I will stick with my 3D Connexion mouse...
 
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Boil said:
My (new design) Mac mini wish list:

Mac mini
  • M1 Max SoC
  • 10-core CPU (8P/2E)
  • 32-core GPU
  • 16-core Neural Engine
  • 64GB RAM
  • 1TB SSD
  • 10Gb Ethernet port
  • (4) USB-C ports
  • (2) USB-A ports
  • HDMI port
  • 3.5mm audio port
$2999
Click to expand...

MarkC426 said:
Your price estimation seems pretty good IMHO, considering no laptop display.....👍
Click to expand...

None of the following:

Liquid Retina XDR display w/120Hz ProMotion & mini LED)
Keyboard w/Touch ID
Trackpad
SDXC card slot
Six speaker system
Three microphone array
1080p webcam
Ambient light sensor
Batteries
 
weaztek said:
My guess is that it will be announced within four months or so.
Click to expand...
Yes, I have the same feeling. I think the Mac mini will be updated in the beginning of next year, eventually in spring time. But only Apple knows, they can even stretch the update until WWDC 2022 or beyond.

That would be sad, by the way... :oops:
 
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EugW said:
My (new design) Mac mini wish list:

Mac mini
  • M1 Pro SoC
  • 8-core CPU (6P/2E)
  • 14-core GPU
  • 16-core Neural Engine
  • 16 GB RAM
  • 512 GB SSD
  • 1 Gb Ethernet port
  • (4) USB-C ports
  • (2) USB-A ports
  • HDMI 2.1
  • DisplayPort 2.0
  • 3.5mm audio port
US$1299 / CAD$1649 / Edu CAD$1554, released in time for 2022 Back-To-School promotion.
Click to expand...

Don't hold your breath on that DisplayPort...!
 
EugW said:
Yeah I know. :(

Also, I don't expect HDMI 2.1 either, although that's possible. HDMI 2.0b would be good enough for me though.
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I read a post on here somewhere saying that the bandwidth for HDMI 2.1 is more than HDMI 2.0, and rather than add another controller to provide the extra bandwidth Apple just stuck with HDMI 2.0...?
 
Boil said:
I see zero reason for Apple to wait almost another year to drop a M1 Pro / M1 Max SoC into a new Mac mini...
Click to expand...
Depends on the amount of redesign necessary for the case, which we're told will be significantly different.
 
tubular said:
Depends on the amount of redesign necessary for the case, which we're told will be significantly different.
Click to expand...
I am of a mind that there will not be a huge redesign, keep in mind there are the MacCoLo-type places that have thousands & thousands of these units in service & they would like to not have to re-tool all their racks for new equipment...?

And I also think it would not be too much to redesign a short cubical object with rounded corners...? ;^p
 
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I'm not sure how large the MacCoLo places are, or what percentage of any given year's Mac minis they house. Pressure from colos worried about having to redesign or purchase new racks would be a certain amount of friction in Apple's direction against a major change, but I'm not sure it would amount to very much. Don't forget that there was probably friction against Apple scooping out half the mini's brains in 2014 and they did it anyway.

The basic shape of the Mac mini came about because of the CD-ROM drive, which hasn't been offered on a Mac mini since 2012. I like the current shape and hope they keep it, but nothing lasts forever.
 
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Good points, on the CoLo stuff...

I wouldn't mind a redesign as long as it was not made as small as possible just because they can; I would prefer something with plenty of room for cooling, a fat heat sink & beefy fan(s)...!
 
Boil said:
Fixed that for you; it's "silicon", not "silicone"; and Apple themselves have it in lowercase in all their press releases & marketing materials...

I, personally, like to use the abbreviation from the periodic table of elements, Si...

So, I like to notate Apple silicon with "ASi"...! ;^p

Anyway, yeah, more bang for your buck with a PC... For example, my current rig:
Click to expand...

You know what I never actually realised that the two were different!


“Silicon is a natural chemical element, silicone is a man-made product. The words are often used interchangeably but there are important differences. Whilst silicon is natural, silicone is a man-made polymer derived from silicon”
 
How many in this thread are caving for the MBP or is everyone waiting for the next few months ?
 
PeterJP said:
As for the PSU - it's just stupid. Power = power. Computer = connectivity. If you're going to split it out, might as well add a TB dock to the package. I have no opinion on the audio connector so I won't comment on that.
Click to expand...
Usually you connect an Ethernet cable once and then leave it plugged in. And the cable then goes to either a wall outlet or a router, both of which are usually hidden away/out of reach - and more often than not further away from the computer.

Thunderbolt devices (and most devices connected to a TB dock) are usually meant to be (un)plugged on a more regular basis and are usually located on the desktop/in the direct vicinity of the computer.

Also, there already is a global standard to transmit Ethernet data over a power line with standard off-the-shelf components, whereas there is not necessarily such a widespread standard for other connections.

That‘s why it does make sense to have an Ethernet port on the PSU, but not a TB connector.
 
TiggrToo said:
My Gateway FX6831-03 16GB 4 Core Tower from 2010 that I brought for comparative peanuts ($1,600) would like you to hold its beer.
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My ~$1,000 2007 iMac (which I gave to my brother) runs well and would likely run a lot better if it booted off of an external drive (the internal drives in that model were slow - 5300 RPM IIRC).
 
ekwipt said:
How many in this thread are caving for the MBP or is everyone waiting for the next few months ?
Click to expand...
Caving. I need a laptop for conf calls, for which I'll move to a meeting room usually. But I really like the convenience of stepping up to my desk and my mac mini is there ready to work, without disconnecting and reconnecting all the time. That's why I was hoping for an exiting mini pro. Now it's not here, I'll get a well specced 14" and get it all over with.

Neodym said:
Usually you connect an Ethernet cable once and then leave it plugged in. And the cable then goes to either a wall outlet or a router, both of which are usually hidden away/out of reach - and more often than not further away from the computer.

Thunderbolt devices (and most devices connected to a TB dock) are usually meant to be (un)plugged on a more regular basis and are usually located on the desktop/in the direct vicinity of the computer.

Also, there already is a global standard to transmit Ethernet data over a power line with standard off-the-shelf components, whereas there is not necessarily such a widespread standard for other connections.

That‘s why it does make sense to have an Ethernet port on the PSU, but not a TB connector.
Click to expand...
That reasoning makes sense for desktops, and we are in the mac mini forum. I admit I had a laptop in my mind when I responded. If I need to move, I don't want to also reach down and unplug connectors from 2 bricks (laptop and power brick) before I'm ready to go. But still, I don't understand it. For me, a computer is one box and if there's an external power supply, it should supply power. Call me conservative in that respect.
 
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Gonna stay the course, mainly because I don't need a portable machine; I have a full complement of existing monitors & peripherals just waiting for me to pull the Windows box & slap a new Mac mini in its place...!
 
ekwipt said:
How many in this thread are caving for the MBP or is everyone waiting for the next few months ?
Click to expand...

I am at the point of balancing on the fence deciding which side to fall. I should wait it out as I don't need a laptop given I WFH so much now, but, the new MBPs do look amazing and the added benefit of it being portable over the MM can be valuable.

Also keep watching the delivery dates hoping it will push out very far and I won't be so eager to wait but oddly they are all staying firm, 14" still all showing as available from next Tuesday which is interesting.
 
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