The new Mac mini is almost certainly NOT coming

[steve333]

No Mini, no Apple
I use a PC at work with no problems. I love the Mini but Apple has become a really annoying company that just doesn't care at all about their loyal customers.
Tim Cook needs to go, and take Ive with him

 

[Partron22]

Nobody has ever had to jailbreak a Mac to get unblessed apps on a Mac

That seems to get closer with each release.
I just wish Linux came with AppleScript.

 

[sleconte]

I gave up on Apple updating the mini a few months ago (sadly I was right) and picked up a Skull Canyon NUC. Have had zero problems with it and Windows 10 is now good enough that it's not a big trade off for my uses from OS X.

Is it also quite silent? I can't stand the sound of fans when I want to work. I want no background noise unless it's something of my own choosing. I guess there is earplugs (or headphones w. music)

 

[richpjr]

Is it also quite silent? I can't stand the sound of fans when I want to work. I want no background noise unless it's something of my own choosing. I guess there is earplugs (or headphones w. music)

When they CPU is under heavy load you can hear the fan (about like a laptop). When you are just doing normal computing like browsing, editing a document, etc. it is silent.

 

[cynics]

Did you guys feel oct 27th was a good time to launch a new system?

We are on the eve of some very good hardware refreshes. AMD with Vega (ion Zen), Intel with Kaby Lake.

I've toyed with the idea of building a PC but don't think now is a good time. Waiting seems advantageous for me currently. I wouldn't mind waiting for new Mini.

 

[CmdrLaForge]

Unfortunately I believe I have to enter this thread instead of the other. I am loosing faith in Apple in regards to their desktop offerings..

 

[jpietrzak8]

Did you guys feel oct 27th was a good time to launch a new system?

We are on the eve of some very good hardware refreshes. AMD with Vega (ion Zen), Intel with Kaby Lake.

Er, just how long should we have to wait? Sure, Kaby Lake would be a great upgrade for the current Mini architecture. But then, Skylake would be a great upgrade for the current Mini architecture. Heck, even Broadwell would be a great upgrade for the current Mini architecture. The 2014 Mini is still stuck all the way back on Haswell, very soon to be three entire generations out of date.

I think we've long since left the realm of "lets wait a little while longer in order to pick up the latest generation of processor." We've instead entered the realm of "hey, do you guys even care about this machine any more?"

 

[jasnw]

I think we've long since left the realm of "lets wait a little while longer in order to pick up the latest generation of processor." We've instead entered the realm of "hey, do you guys even care about this machine any more?"

Rest easy Tim, Jony, and gang, I got this one for you : No.

 

[cynics]

Er, just how long should we have to wait? Sure, Kaby Lake would be a great upgrade for the current Mini architecture. But then, Skylake would be a great upgrade for the current Mini architecture. Heck, even Broadwell would be a great upgrade for the current Mini architecture. The 2014 Mini is still stuck all the way back on Haswell, very soon to be three entire generations out of date.

I think we've long since left the realm of "lets wait a little while longer in order to pick up the latest generation of processor." We've instead entered the realm of "hey, do you guys even care about this machine any more?"

So that's a.....yes?

Which SKU's would you have used for Intel processors with the Mini (assuming it was release on the 27th)?

 

[Nefilim]

If it will come, most will be disappointed again, I'm afraid.

 

[essiw]

Did you guys feel oct 27th was a good time to launch a new system?

We are on the eve of some very good hardware refreshes. AMD with Vega (ion Zen), Intel with Kaby Lake.

I've toyed with the idea of building a PC but don't think now is a good time. Waiting seems advantageous for me currently. I wouldn't mind waiting for new Mini.

For a refresh I don't know, but to add a quad core option every date is a good time...

 

[jpietrzak8]

So that's a.....yes?

Which SKU's would you have used for Intel processors with the Mini (assuming it was release on the 27th)?

I think that question itself is indicative of Apple's current problem. If I'm shopping for a Dell, I can always just get one with the latest Intel processor, because Dell has no trouble updating their lineup with each Intel iteration. Same with HP, or Lenovo, or really any top name-brand computer manufacturer.

It's not like Intel isn't making advances with each new generation; Broadwell really is better than Haswell, because its 14nm process allows it to run at lower power levels (or alternatively, provide greater performance at a given power level). Skylake makes improvements with a new microarchitecture, including support for the latest low-level hardware features (such as Thunderbolt 3). And Kaby Lake adds a few more tweaks to Skylake, specifically support for higher clock speeds.

And, of course, the integrated Intel Graphics support also continues to improve by leaps and bounds with each new generation.

So I don't think nit-picking about how much improvement a particular SKU would provide is germane here: the question I have is why Apple has chosen not to make any improvements at all.

I should note, Apple does still provide updates for their iMac line -- those are currently running with Skylake chips (two generations past the current Mini). There's no particular reason they couldn't provide these chips for the Mini as well.

 

[cynics]

I think that question itself is indicative of Apple's current problem. If I'm shopping for a Dell, I can always just get one with the latest Intel processor, because Dell has no trouble updating their lineup with each Intel iteration. Same with HP, or Lenovo, or really any top name-brand computer manufacturer.

It's not like Intel isn't making advances with each new generation; Broadwell really is better than Haswell, because its 14nm process allows it to run at lower power levels (or alternatively, provide greater performance at a given power level). Skylake makes improvements with a new microarchitecture, including support for the latest low-level hardware features (such as Thunderbolt 3). And Kaby Lake adds a few more tweaks to Skylake, specifically support for higher clock speeds.

And, of course, the integrated Intel Graphics support also continues to improve by leaps and bounds with each new generation.

So I don't think nit-picking about how much improvement a particular SKU would provide is germane here: the question I have is why Apple has chosen not to make any improvements at all.

I should note, Apple does still provide updates for their iMac line -- those are currently running with Skylake chips (two generations past the current Mini). There's no particular reason they couldn't provide these chips for the Mini as well.

I don't disagree with you. But my point was you brought up outdated CPU's. So Apple could use a i7-6920HQ which is Skylake, and a very good quad core mobile processor. Quad core, hyper threading, etc etc

However it was released mid 2015.

I would say that would have been a good option for a Mini Oct 27th 2015. But Oct 2016? Sure its an upgrade but that just feels forced, rushed to me, little concern for the line.... much like what everyone is complaining about already. Albeit I would have bought it so that might be a moot point.

The MBP was released on Oct 27th and one of its criticisms is its CPU.

Trust me, I agree with you. The Mini is definitely due for an update. But if they do what they did in 2014 I'm not going to buy it.

Full disclosure : I feel they will do what they did in 2014 and the current i7-6920HQ would be a vastly superior option. But realistically Apple would have used dual core Skylake option anyway if it was updated on the 27th.

 

[v0lume4]

If I weren't in SE Asia I would for this somewhat ugly thing: https://system76.com/desktops/meerkat

Honestly, that's probably what I'll be moving towards as well. I'm not interested in running win10. Ubuntu and one of these little guy is probably what I will be end up getting next...

I just looked up the Meerkat. THAT THING IS SO COOL!! How have I never heard of it until right now?!

Think of all of the uses for a computer that small!


Also can we take a moment to acknowledge that it is just a $95 charge to go from 4GB of RAM to 16GB on the Meerkat? To go from 4GB to 16GB in the Mac mini (which is running slower DDR3 ram, mind you) is $300. $300!

 

[Rigby]

I just looked up the Meerkat. THAT THING IS SO COOL!! How have I never heard of it until right now?!

Think of all of the uses for a computer that small!

These are actually rebadged and preinstalled Intel NUCs:

http://www.intel.com/buy/us/en/catalog/components/nuc

They have been around for years. Intel has an even smaller model (although it doesn't fit internal 2.5" drives, so you have to use an M.2 SSD).

 

[aajeevlin]

These are actually rebadged and preinstalled Intel NUCs:

http://www.intel.com/buy/us/en/catalog/components/nuc

They have been around for years. Intel has an even smaller model (although it doesn't fit internal 2.5" drives, so you have to use an M.2 SSD).

Although I'm a bit concerned with the build quality of these machine. I thought about buying one awhile back. And was reading reviews on some website from owners. The build quality seems average at best. With menu citing hdmi connection issues and such. Anyone with personal experience here?

 

[Cloudsurfer]

Er, just how long should we have to wait? Sure, Kaby Lake would be a great upgrade for the current Mini architecture. But then, Skylake would be a great upgrade for the current Mini architecture. Heck, even Broadwell would be a great upgrade for the current Mini architecture. The 2014 Mini is still stuck all the way back on Haswell, very soon to be three entire generations out of date.

I think we've long since left the realm of "lets wait a little while longer in order to pick up the latest generation of processor." We've instead entered the realm of "hey, do you guys even care about this machine any more?"

Does Intel even make haswell chips anymore? Does Apple buy a huge batch of these chips and uses them until their stock is depleted? Always wondered how that works.

Anyway, the release of Zen next year is more important than people think. Zen is supposed to be on par with modern Intel architecture again, which could drive up the competition and innovation in the CPU market again. Really there haven't been any significant IPC gains on Intel processors since Ivy Bridge. Which is I suspect why Apple has been so slow with updating Macs.

Also, it appears apple has good relations with AMD. Their APUs run circles around any Intel GPU. It would be very interesting to see a Zen APU inside a Mini, something I would jump on in a heartbeat. Something that seems possible if Zen holds its IPC promise.

 

[Rigby]

Although I'm a bit concerned with the build quality of these machine. I thought about buying one awhile back. And was reading reviews on some website from owners. The build quality seems average at best. With menu citing hdmi connection issues and such. Anyone with personal experience here?

I run a small cluster of NUCs (5th gen/Broadwell based) that I use for development work (running VMWare ESXi). Never had any problems with them or their build quality. It's a very simple, robust design (won't win any beauty contests though). Very easy to work with when swapping RAM, SSD or HDD. If I could change one thing I'd relocate the power button so it stays accessible when you stack them.

 

[DesertSurfer]

I posted this over in the Mac Pro forum but it's worth repeating here:

Have you seen the latest version of the Mac page on the Apple website?

http://www.apple.com/mac/

Scroll the page down. MacBook Pro, MacBook, iMac. That's it. No mention whatsoever of the MacBook Air, Mac Mini or Mac Pro – it's as if they don't exist. They will still sell you them via the links to the store at the top of the page, of course, but that's clearly the end of the line for those machines. They are dead.

Oh my. Good catch, perhaps Apple has told us after all. Still, I'm surprised no one else has said it here, so I will. Let the slings and arrows fly:

The new mac mini is almost certainly coming.
[doublepost=1479589205][/doublepost]

Just bought an Amazon echo ($180) to tell us the weather and play music. Memo to Apple: why do not you have some similar product that we can just plug into our Mac mini or connect to our airport wifi? Oh, and did I say the echo also links up to ooma so we can make telephone calls just like talking to someone in the room? No need for an iPhone and a iEarplug or whatever (not yet released).

Ask it when the new mac mini is coming.
[doublepost=1479589480][/doublepost]After the $300 Apple Book, I am definitely wondering if i want to have anything to do with this corporation. This may be the moment when Apple jumped the shark.

 

[aajeevlin]

I run a small cluster of NUCs (5th gen/Broadwell based) that I use for development work (running VMWare ESXi). Never had any problems with them or their build quality. It's a very simple, robust design (won't win any beauty contests though). Very easy to work with when swapping RAM, SSD or HDD. If I could change one thing I'd relocate the power button so it stays accessible when you stack them.

Thanks for the input, at this price it's certainly worth to give it a try. I'll hold out for a bit longer, but if nothing comes along I think I'll give this a try.

 

[Boyd01]

Apple has discontinued their standalone displays, now they are discontinuing the Airport and Time Capsule products. Makes me wonder if the Mini will be next in their quest to "sharpen the company’s focus on consumer products that generate the bulk of (their) revenue"? https://www.macrumors.com/2016/11/21/apple-ceases-airport-wireless/

 

[Woofypawz]

Apple has discontinued their standalone displays, now they are discontinuing the Airport and Time Capsule products. Makes me wonder if the Mini will be next in their quest to "sharpen the company’s focus on consumer products that generate the bulk of (their) revenue"? https://www.macrumors.com/2016/11/21/apple-ceases-airport-wireless/

[doublepost=1479744258][/doublepost]

Yep .. seeming pretty clear now.

 

[sleconte]

[doublepost=1479744258][/doublepost]


Yep .. seeming pretty clear now.

It is Apple's total silence about whether they are updating their products that I find most upsetting - best thing for me to do is totally disengage from this site and just move on for a while, if possible. Try it? (alerts disabled)

 

[AlliePallie]

Apple has discontinued their standalone displays, now they are discontinuing the Airport and Time Capsule products. Makes me wonder if the Mini will be next in their quest to "sharpen the company’s focus on consumer products that generate the bulk of (their) revenue"? https://www.macrumors.com/2016/11/21/apple-ceases-airport-wireless/

The end of the Mini, the Pro, the iMac and, eventually, the MacBook line.
Apple is run by MBAs who know only profits. The MBAs say that all of the relatively minor "profit centers" need to be cut to maximize profits.
The Apple ecosystem will be severely damaged and Apple will go under in another 5 years (these predictions from a close friend - and an MBA).
I will get a couple of the 2014 Mini refurbs to carry me for another 5 years. At 91 years old, another 5 years should be enough.

 

[Appleaker]

Considering the Mac mini is now in a 2 year cycle (thanks Tim Cook ), Apple are only 2 months late and there are already the 'Mac mini is dead' comments.