Remember that the RAM is part of SoC and due to the unified memory model, the CPU, GPU, Neural Engine and the other units have very fast access to the memory. So Apple needs high quality LPDDR to makes sure it isn't the speed bottleneck. Heck the M1 can peak out at 68.25GB/s and the M2 is faster.
Remember what? You keep acting like you are correcting me, while saying nothing. 2x 64bit chips makes 128bit which delivers 68.25GB/s. It's two $56 8GB chips.
I know, I know. Don't worry, I was somewhat joking. If Apple do that to the Studio, I may keep my 2018 mini for a bit longer. Simple as that. The mini pricing will just become intolerable in Europe for many. A not so insignificant amount of people already see it as poor value for money.
I'm keeping my maxed out Mac Mini 2018/20 at least for another 2-3 years. For my use, Logic Pro and composing/mixing, that model is still quite powerful. The only real annoyance (except for the loud fan) is the underpowered iGPU, that can mess with the audio at lower latency settings, which shows how pathetically weak the Intel iGPU in this machine really is.
There will be no updated Intel Mac Mini — Apple will only use up what Intel CPUs it already has and odds are it simply wouldn't be worth the redesign cost to try and shove any left over i9 or Xeon W CPUs into a mini case.
That's fine with me.*
*Aye, there's the rub. If true, that doesn't bode well for a Mac mini Pro replacement for the Intel Mac mini.
Of course, I'm well aware of that. I was simply stating that this would be a consumer-friendly move that would make a lot of practical sense, but then again we're talking about Apple here, so yeah, that's not gonna happen.
I could almost certainly keep my mini for another 2 years without any major issue, but AS-powered machines are just so much smoother based on the brief experiences I have had with them, that I wanted to upgrade. However, if pricing is a joke for a tiny box with no screen or accessories, I will make my Intel mini last longer.
The M1/M2-machines so far are really impressive, and being so energy efficient (ie. silent and cool running) is a big deal, at a time where many companies have gone totally bonkers (looking at you Nvidia!). I'm sure for most purposes the Mac Studio will work just fine. When it comes to audio and DAW work it's especially complicated, because there are issues with getting stable low audio latency and native support for 3rd party software/plugins.
Actually we are talking about practicality and business sense. Apple had such a bad experience with Intel's Q&A being out to lunch that they started plans for AS back when Skylank was such a pain to deal with. Barring some major changes the x86 is becoming dead CPU running — the market is going low power and high performance and x86 can't deliver. Heck it has gotten to the point even Intel is looking into ARM again (they sold of their old ARM division back in 2006).
An M2 mini would be fine power wise for me, but at 16GB RAM (24GB would be nice) with a 512GB SSD and reflecting the fact the GBP has tanked, I can see it being £1,249 or nearer £1,500 for more RAM. That is just ridiculous for no screen, keyboard and trackpad. It would also be tight on ports and I have no interest in spending £300 on thunderbolt dock.
Part of me is still tempted to try switching to Windows full-time, but I'm not sure I can manage that just yet (even if my Mac OS experience is deteriorating like a brick falling out of a window).
Nah. Apple bought PA Semi 7 years before Skylake was even released and it is very likely Apple had aspirations for Apple Silicon Macs, not just iDevice SoCs, even back then.
For certain things like audio and DAW work, we have still a long way to go with software/plugins getting proper native support. It would have made plenty good sense for *the user*, if Apple had released an updated Mac Mini Intel version during the last year to ease the transition IMO. Don't forget, Apple ís still selling the Intel Mac Mini on their website, and charging too much money for a computer with an aging 2018 CPU. So, I don't think I'm being very disingenuous at all.
Actually that was because Intel turned down an opportunity to provide the processor for the iPhone back in 2006 and to back up that act up of stupid Intel sold off their ARM division (XScale) to Marvell Technology Group around the same time.
Apple didn't buy PA Semi for the technology. It bought PA Semi for its brains. Some of these guys had cut their teeth in ARM actually. In short, Apple bought a whole bunch of world renowned chip designers with extensive ARM experience.
You can argue, or you can relate to the real world. The fact is that making good audio software is very complex process, including pertaining to latency (you want stable low latency when working with audio). There is still a long way to go. Many ṕlugin companies are small operations, and updating everything to be native for Apple silicone is a VERY time-consuming and expensive process.
I agree. This cry for seemingly endless backwards compatibility reminds me of How to Enable 16-bit Application Support in Windows 10. Somewhere along the line people need to pressure software companies to stop sitting on their laurels and do updates rather than have modern OS deal with the digital equivalent of a punch card.
