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The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming

The current Mac Mini is listed as shipping "within 24 hours" on Apple Canada.
http://store.apple.com/ca/buy-mac/mac-mini

But I still can't justify going with a Mini with the Intel HD 4000. Hope they upgrade soon so I can snag my first Mini. I have a MBP 15" (early 2011) now but rarely use it as a portable. May as well go desktop and put the savings into an iPad.
 
I would love to buy a new Mac Mini, but I think it would be unwise to replace my current mid 2011 model with the "latest" 2012 version. I'm losing hope that Apple will ever update the Mac Mini. I have zero interest in the iMac (I've owned 2) since I like to be in control of adding memory, replacing the hard drive, and easily cleaning the dust build-up on the internals. PLEASE APPLE, stop with the iOS BS, and take care of your tried and true Mac fans.
 
Metal is chip specific. Its just a way to call functions in an Apple designed chip with catchy name (and does a really good job)

But all these rumors of getting apple designed chips into the mini. Come on guys we are quite a way away of an a7 chip in a notebook or a small desktop computer. Just because Intel is currently struggeling a switch like that is massive - Yes OSX may already be ready to run on ARM but all the applications have to be recompiled. Yes there is the neat way through the Appstore and just give everyone in xCode two binaries if it gets compiled to load into the Appstore but there will be sooo many applications which will again not get recompiled. And Apple isnt going to make OSX half ARM and half Intel for the power machines. Everything gets complicated which can run where.

Not to think about that a similar performing ARM chip with todays core i7 wont bring any benefit if any. If these get so powerful they arent so energy efficient anymore.
 
mayuka said:
My guess is that Apple is planning for a redically redesigned Mac mini. Much much smaller. Since they can get rid of the harddisk, they can safe a lot of space inside. The days of the harddisk in Apple products are counted ...
Click to expand...

Probably in the first half of 2015.

Due to the processors coming soon, but not very soon, Apple will probably redesign around them. If they release a Mini this year, chances are high for a mere upgrade to the current design as a hold over for the next generation.
 
One thing I don't really understand is why people would want a "tall" mini, like a smaller version of the Mac Pro or something similar to the Airport Extreme/Airport Time Capsule. Making it taller will make it look bigger on a desk than the current design imo.
 
bigpoppamac31 said:
The current Mac Mini is listed as shipping "within 24 hours" on Apple Canada.
http://store.apple.com/ca/buy-mac/mac-mini

But I still can't justify going with a Mini with the Intel HD 4000. Hope they upgrade soon so I can snag my first Mini. I have a MBP 15" (early 2011) now but rarely use it as a portable. May as well go desktop and put the savings into an iPad.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a plan :) Why I-HD4000 is still in the Apple range sure beats me.
 
iFitzgerald said:
One thing I don't really understand is why people would want a "tall" mini, like a smaller version of the Mac Pro or something similar to the Airport Extreme/Airport Time Capsule. Making it taller will make it look bigger on a desk than the current design imo.
Click to expand...
Coz current mini requires about 6x6 inches real state, new designs more powerful as the Gigabyte Brix covers mere 3x3 inches while just doubles tall, an micro tower Mac mini with 2 hdd wouldn't need to be bigger, actually also much smaller than the current Airport Express (designed to hold a 3,5hdd inside)
 
iFitzgerald said:
One thing I don't really understand is why people would want a "tall" mini, like a smaller version of the Mac Pro or something similar to the Airport Extreme/Airport Time Capsule. Making it taller will make it look bigger on a desk than the current design imo.
Click to expand...

Because afaik the antennas for AC WIFI have to be oriented vertically.

The mini is the only Mac without the ability to do that, and when trading off keeping the mini in the same generation of WIFI as the other machines, vs a form factor that lets it do something Apple would probably rather you do with an AppleTV - ie sit in an entertainment unit, interfaced with a TV.

I suspect they'll go with "make it a better Mac" even if that makes it a worse TV device.
 
Mago said:
Coz current mini requires about 6x6 inches real state, new designs more powerful as the Gigabyte Brix covers mere 3x3 inches while just doubles tall, an micro tower Mac mini with 2 hdd wouldn't need to be bigger, actually also much smaller than the current Airport Express (designed to hold a 3,5hdd inside)
Click to expand...

Humm, let's say Apple reduces the size of the Mac Mini to something around those 3x3 inches (around 7,6cm x 7,6cm for other metric system people out there), the amount of real state that you "recover" is actually...pretty small imo, around the size of a standard post-it paper =O
 
iFitzgerald said:
Making it taller will make it look bigger on a desk than the current design imo.
Click to expand...

No, my 2012 mini looks bigger on my desk than my previous 2009 mini mainly because it is. My current-gen Time Capsule takes up very little desk space and looks a lot tidier than the mini even though it's many times taller.

A mini the exact size of the TC and made out of the same white plastic would be great. There would be plenty of room for more powerful CPUs, a dGPU and a few 2.5HD mounts. Maybe even (shock) four RAM slots while at the same time providing great WiFi performance.

Go one of those with the same innards as the current 3.1GHz i7 iMac? Count me in at $1200.
 
With updated Haswell processors coming for rMBP's instead of Broadwell It may be a sign that the Mini may get a Haswell this year as well in the same enclosure and possible Broadwell late next year in a redesign.
 
iFitzgerald said:
Humm, let's say Apple reduces the size of the Mac Mini to something around those 3x3 inches (around 7,6cm x 7,6cm for other metric system people out there), the amount of real state that you "recover" is actually...pretty small imo, around the size of a standard post-it paper =O
Click to expand...
Actually 3x3 is exactly 1/4 the surface area of current model. 3x3 inches eq 12x12 cm using the International Measuring Sistem.

----------
Crosscreek said:
With updated Haswell processors coming for rMBP's instead of Broadwell It may be a sign that the Mini may get a Haswell this year as well in the same enclosure and possible Broadwell late next year in a redesign.
Click to expand...
I fear you're absolutely right, btw every thing could happen, not mandatory having Broadwell to launch a new form factor.
 
Mago said:
Actually 3x3 is exactly 1/4 the surface area of current model. 3x3 inches eq 12x12 cm using the International Measuring Sistem.

----------


I fear you're absolutely right, btw every thing could happen, not mandatory having Broadwell to launch a new form factor.
Click to expand...

True, but the Haswell will run hotter and the case may be designed for less cooling.

The socket for Haswell and Broadwell are the same also.
 
Crosscreek said:
True, but the Haswell will run hotter and the case may be designed for less cooling.

The socket for Haswell and Broadwell are the same also.
Click to expand...
Exactly a new form factor have sense since allow more flexible cpu/gpu offering plus despite having Haswell or Broadwell, also smaller footprint and the cool *Mac Pro* like form factor. And later the same logic board could receive Broadwell cpu at some time as an mid year update.

Broadwell just is an update on power efficiency from Haswell, no big deal on Haswell, another thing is the also imminent Broadwell successor : Skylane this is an absolute ground breaking new architecture, allowing DDR4 much faster graphics, more stable high clock cpu (moved outside the power regulator) etc etc.

Apple could end ditching Broadwell on the mini/iMac lines, and upgrading later 4Q'15 to Skyline Architecture w/o giving Broadwell major importance, Broadwell is important for laptops since allow more battery life or just smaller batteries (maybe the only delayed due this is the next rMBA12).

Also there are some speculation on an Pro or Retina iMac running lga2011 workstation CPUs as a 8 core i7 upto same Xeon on the Mac Pro. .

Actually I need only a new laptop, a retina MBA 12 would make me very happy.
 
Crosscreek said:
With updated Haswell processors coming for rMBP's instead of Broadwell It may be a sign that the Mini may get a Haswell this year as well in the same enclosure and possible Broadwell late next year in a redesign.
Click to expand...

Yeah, Apple, get these new chips into the new mini first! Let's beat some rMBP up in the geekbench score with a new i7 mini!!!!
 
Does anyone know?

2012 APPLE used the same i7 for Mac mini and rMBP

TODAY new haswell i7 chips were announced. rMBP will get them pretty sure.

Now my question:
If the Mac mini gets these new i7 chips, does this mean the mini gets iris pro? Or could it be another (worse) iGPU "combined" with this new i7 chip?
 
Mago said:
Exactly a new form factor have sense since allow more flexible cpu/gpu offering plus despite having Haswell or Broadwell, also smaller footprint and the cool *Mac Pro* like form factor. And later the same logic board could receive Broadwell cpu at some time as an mid year update.

Broadwell just is an update on power efficiency from Haswell, no big deal on Haswell, another thing is the also imminent Broadwell successor : Skylane this is an absolute ground breaking new architecture, allowing DDR4 much faster graphics, more stable high clock cpu (moved outside the power regulator) etc etc.

Apple could end ditching Broadwell on the mini/iMac lines, and upgrading later 4Q'15 to Skyline Architecture w/o giving Broadwell major importance, Broadwell is important for laptops since allow more battery life or just smaller batteries (maybe the only delayed due this is the next rMBA12).

Also there are some speculation on an Pro or Retina iMac running lga2011 workstation CPUs as a 8 core i7 upto same Xeon on the Mac Pro. .

Actually I need only a new laptop, a retina MBA 12 would make me very happy.
Click to expand...

Personally, I will wait for Skylake because Broadwell does not support H.265 decoding which I want in a 4k machine to cut down on bandwidth required for streaming.

http://www.cpu-world.com/news_2014/2014050101_Intel_Broadwell_graphics_enhancements.html

Also the Architecture and DDR4 with improved IGPU will last me for many years.

I will make my current 2012 Mini last until then.

----------
apfelmann said:
Does anyone know?

2012 APPLE used the same i7 for Mac mini and rMBP

TODAY new haswell i7 chips were announced. rMBP will get them pretty sure.

Now my question:
If the Mac mini gets these new i7 chips, does this mean the mini gets iris pro? Or could it be another (worse) iGPU "combined" with this new i7 chip?
Click to expand...

The Iris Pro chip is very expensive for the Mini. It may be HD4600 or Iris 5000.
 
Ridley said:
That's not true. The mobile 4850-4860 Haswell mobile chips are Iris Pro. Those are under the i7 badge. Under the i5 badge the 4258 and 4288 have "Iris" graphics (not Iris pro).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haswell_(microarchitecture)#Mobile_processors
Click to expand...

See also http://www.cpu-world.com/news_2014/...s_Core_i5_i7_and_N-Series_mobile_lineups.html
(I guess those specs will make it over to the wiki page soon.)

I wonder if some might consider Iris 5100 "good enough" for a new mini.
 
I only know one thing for sure...

And you can take this to the bank as it is a FACT. It will soon be Tuesday and no way, no how, not under any circumstances will the new mac mini be here. NO.

Sorry to disappoint, but it is about time someone spoke the cold hard truth.

But next Tuesday? Anything is possible :)
 
iFitzgerald said:
Humm, let's say Apple reduces the size of the Mac Mini to something around those 3x3 inches (around 7,6cm x 7,6cm for other metric system people out there), the amount of real state that you "recover" is actually...pretty small imo, around the size of a standard post-it paper =O
Click to expand...

Not to be picky ;) but the area recovered would be MUCH bigger than a Post-it note.

Current mini: 388 sq cm (19.7 x 19.7)

3"x3" mini: 57.76 sq cm (7.6 x 7.6)

So it would be roughly 1/6th the size and considering the standard Post-it size is 3"x3" the recovered real estate would be 5 Post-it notes.
 
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