The new Mac mini is almost certainly NOT coming

[jpietrzak8]

That's a great price. And for many tasks, the bottom tier Mac Mini is perfectly fine. The 1.4 ghz clock speed is deceiving. It is actually faster than the old 3 ghz core2duo (based on Geekbench scores).

True! There is really nothing wrong with the base Mini's CPU; it can handle a lot of tasks just fine. Sadly, there is something wrong with the base model's RAM; it's only 4GB, and can never be increased. That's going to put a stop to using it for a variety of current tasks (and quite likely many many more future ones), as macOS requires a whole lot of that space for itself these days...

 

[jblagden]

Apple could still offer different SKUs of MacMini with, e.g., different number of TB3 ports.
A cheap one with just one TB3 port (to be plugged into a display that then offered USB3 etc.pp.), a middle tier one with two TB3 ports and a high-end one with three TB3 ports, capable of doing 3x4k (which Kaby Lake does, AFAIK). If they only offer TB3 (and audio), these should be cheap enough to make and still offer an attractive enough product to generate a nice margin for Apple. Even though they don't really sell displays anymore.

That said, does anybody know of any non-Apple Kaby Lake desktop that offers 3xTB3?

I have no interest at all in 3d stuff. I just need desktop real-estate for my terminal-windows and Sublime ;-)

Thinking about running Linux?
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True! There is really nothing wrong with the base Mini's CPU; it can handle a lot of tasks just fine. Sadly, there is something wrong with the base model's RAM; it's only 4GB, and can never be increased. That's going to put a stop to using it for a variety of current tasks (and quite likely many many more future ones), as macOS requires a whole lot of that space for itself these days...

You're right about that! Apple really needs to make 8GB standard on MacBooks, MacBook Pros, MacBook Airs, iMacs, and Mac Minis. 4GB was the standard back in 2011, when I got my 13" MacBook Pro, and I ended up having to upgrade to 8GB within a year. Actually, 16GB should be standard. Or at least 12, if that's possible.
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That's a great price. And for many tasks, the bottom tier Mac Mini is perfectly fine. The 1.4 ghz clock speed is deceiving. It is actually faster than the old 3 ghz core2duo (based on Geekbench scores).

It's too bad CPU and GPU speeds aren't stated in FLOPS or some other architecture-independent measure. That would make it a lot easier to compare CPUs of different architectures and times.

 

[twalk]

So, is the general consensus that the Mac Mini will NOT be refreshed? I bought the base model last night at Best Buy as it was lowered to $399. This leads me to believe that either they are trying to get rid of stock because Apple is going to refresh, or Apple is discontinuing the line and they are selling off what they have left.

Oddly, Apple still has it at $499 on their site.

Thoughts?

I'd say the general consensus has moved that way. Consider that if you'd stick a usb-c port on an ipad, then give it a charging stand with a full port hub (4-5 usb-c, usb-a, hdmi, etc). Then patch up the ios software to support monitors and other peripherals. That's probably better than any mini for the vast majority of people and it's probably the way that Apple is looking.

BTW, after seeing the $399 price, for a lark, I decided to take a look. To my own surprise, I just bought a $352 open box mini from them. My mid-2011 Mini's dGPU has looked shaky the last week, with the screen display going out with a hot computer twice. Probably not long for this world... While the 2014 Mini just doesn't have nearly enough memory to replace my 2011 (16G), it will do fine as a HTPC (which I need one) and also to help build hacks

 

[jblagden]

I'd say the general consensus has moved that way. Consider that if you'd stick a usb-c port on an ipad, then give it a charging stand with a full port hub (4-5 usb-c, usb-a, hdmi, etc). Then patch up the ios software to support monitors and other peripherals. That's probably better than any mini for the vast majority of people and it's probably the way that Apple is looking.

BTW, after seeing the $399 price, for a lark, I decided to take a look. To my own surprise, I just bought a $352 open box mini from them. My mid-2011 Mini's dGPU has looked shaky the last week, with the screen display going out with a hot computer twice. Probably not long for this world... While the 2014 Mini just doesn't have nearly enough memory to replace my 2011 (16G), it will do fine as a HTPC (which I need one) and also to help build hacks

HTPC? Last time, I checked, Kodi can't play iTunes videos, even on a Mac that's signed into your iTunes account. Or are most of your videos DRM-free?

 

[twalk]

HTPC? Last time, I checked, Kodi can't play iTunes videos, even on a Mac that's signed into your iTunes account. Or are most of your videos DRM-free?

I don't have any iTunes videos or even music

 

[Shadowauthor]

Thanks for all the replies. This isn't my first Mac, I've still got a mid-2010 27" iMac (QCi5 - in need of a HDD replacement) and an early 2008 21" iMac (C2D) that are still humming along.

I was basically looking for something inexpensive that can be used as a daily driver for surfing, email, Scrivener 2 writing, and the occasional Garage Band or iMovie project. I thought about buying a used 2012 Mini, but the lack of a warranty turned me off.

I really just want Apple to release a desktop that isn't an all-in-one like the iMac or as horrendously expensive as the Mac Pro. If that continues to be the Mac Mini, then so be it.

 

[Shadowauthor]

And actually, the more I think about it, I'm going to return the Mini I bought last night (it's unopened) and bump up $200 to get the 1TB HDD/8GB RAM model.

 

[jblagden]

I don't have any iTunes videos or even music

Oh, okay. All of your videos are from DVDs and Blu-Rays? Okay, cool. I commend you for avoiding the limitation which is iTunes DRM.

 

[Count Blah]

And actually, the more I think about it, I'm going to return the Mini I bought last night (it's unopened) and bump up $200 to get the 1TB HDD/8GB RAM model.

Good call. It will last you longer, but you will still have to deal with awfully slow OS bootup/performance, due to the spiny drive.

 

[jblagden]

Good call. It will last you longer, but you will still have to deal with awfully slow OS bootup/performance, due to the spiny drive.

Yeah, but he can always install a solid state drive. Just because it doesn’t come with one doesn’t mean it can’t be added. Sure, it’s more work, but it’s worth it. A Solid State Drive is a huge speed improvement, and you don’t need M.2 or Apple’s proprietary interface to be able to benefit from a Solid State Drive - SATA is perfectly sufficient.

 

[Count Blah]

Yeah, but he can always install a solid state drive. Just because it doesn’t come with one doesn’t mean it can’t be added. Sure, it’s more work, but it’s worth it. A Solid State Drive is a huge speed improvement, and you don’t need M.2 or Apple’s proprietary interface to be able to benefit from a Solid State Drive - SATA is perfectly sufficient.

As long as he is A-OK with a simple 70 step process to complete the job, sure.

 

[jasnw]

So is there enough gain by using an external SSD to go that route rather than the major surgery required to put one inside the case?

 

[Count Blah]

So is there enough gain by using an external SSD to go that route rather than the major surgery required to put one inside the case?

I've not gone that route for a boot drive, sorry. Hopefully someone else can lend a hand here.

To be honest, if you have a nice big, clean, empty table space, and a couple hours to devote to it, these types of upgrades aren't that bad. I've swapped out storage in an iMac before, and that takes every tool in the book, including suction cups!

You just need patience, and a system to make sure the parts are placed in an order, so you know which ones to use, at the right time, when putting everything back together again. I'd also suggest taking pictures with your cell phone, while you progress, because the inside of your machine rarely matches EXACTLY with what's in the videos.

For a boot drive, like this would be, you have to make sure to setup the drive BEFORE you put it in the Mini. You don't want to have to go through the surgery twice

 

[Micky Do]

Got tired of the mac rumor schmucks with the "The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming" thing.

Please post here because the title of this thread is more accurate.

Hate to see what the mac pro thread is trending. Those guys get really upset.

Rumours of the demise of the Mac Mini date back nearly a decade and several iterations, which suggests that the title of this thread is almost certainly wrong.

 

[Boyd01]

So is there enough gain by using an external SSD to go that route rather than the major surgery required to put one inside the case?

I gave my 2012 base mini to my daughter's family at Christmas and wanted to upgrade it first. Increasing RAM to 16gb is very easy and only cost $65. But I did not want to tear it apart to install a SSD, so I got a 512gb Samsung T3 USB 3.0 SSD. It works great as a boot drive, and I set it up so that Time Machine backs up the SSD to the internal hard drive (this has already saved the day for them once). Here's how the external SSD performs

I think this is pretty good, but it is not as fast as a good internal SSD. I also have a 2012 quad i7 mini with the original Apple 256gb SSD. This is how it performs

Really, I doubt that most people would notice this difference in everyday use. However, the mini with the external SSD takes 30 seconds to boot and the mini with the internal SSD only takes 15 seconds.

Now note that this is a 2012 mini. The 2014 mini has a faster interface for the internal SSD. Have not used one of these, but I suspect it would be comparable to the 512gb SSD on my 2013 MacBook Air. That SSD clocks at 700MB/sec write and a little faster read.
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I thought about buying a used 2012 Mini, but the lack of a warranty turned me off.

I got a used 2012 quad i7 2.6 ghz mini with 16gb RAM and original 256gb SSD from MacSales (OWC) last summer. Really happy with this machine, it's very fast (about 50% faster than the top of the line 2014 mini and also cheaper). MacSales offers a 90 day warranty and 15 day return/exchange period.

Now this made sense for me because I am using it exclusively for video editing and wanted the fastest possible machine. If you want one of the lower spec models, I don't find the MacSales prices on the 2012 mini so compelling.

 

[jblagden]

As long as he is A-OK with a simple 70 step process to complete the job, sure.

Yeah, it's tougher with a Mac Mini than a MacBook Pro because the parts are really crammed in. But in a MacBook Pro, it's pretty simple.
1. Go to the Mac App Store and download the version of OS X you wish to install
2. Remove 8-10 screws on the back
3. Remove the back cover
4. Remove four screws from the hard drive retaining bracket
5. Unplug the original hard drive.
6. Plug in the SSD
7. Replace the four screws in the hard drive retaining bracket
8. Replace the back panel
9. Replace the 8-10 screws in the back panel
10. Plug in the original hard drive externally and boot up
11. Run the installer and have it install OS X on the SSD.
12. Run through the steps in the installer
13. Unplug the original hard drive, and boot up the MacBook Pro.

It's not a ton of steps, but it's not something most folks will do. But it's a great way to speed up a computer, and it's cheaper than buying a new one, especially when you're talking about a Mac.

I've learned that you're better off doing a fresh installation and then using Migration assistant (during or after OS X installation) than cloning. I started with the stock 5400 RPM 500 GB hard drive and upgraded to a 7200 RPM 750 GB hybrid drive after about a year. Then when that started dying a few years later, I upgraded to a 480 GB SSD. A couple months ago, I replaced my MacBook Pro's nonfunctional optical drive with a 2 TB hard drive. That's what I love about the non-Retina MacBook Pros - expandability!
[doublepost=1488549527][/doublepost]How about a wish list for a new Mac Mini?

I'm not a big fan of the Mini - for that much power, I'd prefer a laptop and I want my desktop to be more expandable. I'd really want something like a i7-equipped Mac Pro for expandability and power. Though, I can certainly see the appeal of the Mac Mini, especially for someone who doesn't expect to be bringing their computer with them too often. There are probably a lot of folks who have a Mac Mini at home and use an iPad as their mobile machine.

But to get the ball rolling:

• 512 GB SSD as stock configuration
• Option for a secondary drive at time of order
• 8 GB RAM as stock configuration, upgradable to 32
• Upgradable RAM & Storage
• Option for Quad-Core CPU
• GPU - Preferably Nvidia, possibly GTX 1060 or 1070
• Full-length PCIe slot on the side - so you can plug in a full-size GPU if you want - alright, this one's a little out there
• Full assortment of ports - Ethernet, USB Type-A, USB Type-C, SD card slot, 2 HDMI 2.0 ports (for dual displays)

 

[bigfatipod]

Oh, okay. All of your videos are from DVDs and Blu-Rays? Okay, cool. I commend you for avoiding the limitation which is iTunes DRM.

I've been using iTunes since it came out and realized that I cannot easily swing over to linux for my next computer. Luckily, it sounds like Windows 10 will continue to let me use my iPhone/itunes/icloud stuff. The intel nuc skull canyon seems like the way to go for me. First non-Mac purchase in over 20 years.

 

[jblagden]

I've been using iTunes since it came out and realized that I cannot easily swing over to linux for my next computer. Luckily, it sounds like Windows 10 will continue to let me use my iPhone/itunes/icloud stuff. The intel nuc skull canyon seems like the way to go for me. First non-Mac purchase in over 20 years.

I'm in a similar boat. I starting buying videos on iTunes back in 2008, and I've spent a lot of money there. On the one hand, that could anchor me in the Mac world, but there are options. For starters, there are programs like Tune4Mac. Another option would be for me to rebuy all of my iTunes movies and TV shows on DVD and/or Blu-Ray. Since I have an aging Mac and I want to make it last as long as possible, I'll probably just go the optical media route. Fortunately, DVDs have gotten pretty cheap. For example, it's $100 to buy Monk (whole series) on DVD, and it cost me $240 to buy it on iTunes.

Though, I'm still holding out a little hope that Apple might turn around and start making upgradable Macs. Hell, even Macs with useful I/O would be a start.

 

[Partron22]

The thread title becomes more plausible as we read that Apple is apparently giving up on the education market.
Perhaps they see their future as a phone, watch and content provider.
I don't see how they can expect to hook new users if they don't catch them young.

 

[Count Blah]

The thread title becomes more plausible as we read that Apple is apparently giving up on the education market.
Perhaps they see their future as a phone, watch and content provider.
I don't see how they can expect to hook new users if they don't catch them young.

I guess Apple figures that software content for the only product they give a damn about, the iPhone, spontaneously creates itself.

 

[sorcery]

but you will still have to deal with awfully slow OS bootup/performance, due to the spiny drive.

Not if you never shut it down. My MMs operating for years, headless, are only shut down for power outages and updates.

 

[Count Blah]

Not if you never shut it down. My MMs operating for years, headless, are only shut down for power outages and updates.

The OS slowness lasts long beyond the startup process. Enjoy the 10+ bounce startups, finder that seems to be often lost, etc...

 

[jpietrzak8]

The OS slowness lasts long beyond the startup process. Enjoy the 10+ bounce startups, finder that seems to be often lost, etc...

Only if you constantly shutdown / startup apps, and constantly use the finder. Personally, I do not; simply leave your apps up and running (which, with sufficient RAM, is no problem), and you don't suffer.

 

[Cape Dave]

Only if you constantly shutdown / startup apps, and constantly use the finder. Personally, I do not; simply leave your apps up and running (which, with sufficient RAM, is no problem), and you don't suffer.

The problem with that is... it works until it doesn't. Memory leaks, instability, SLOWNESS and even data corruption can sneak in if left on long enough. A reboot is your friend.

 

[Boyd01]

Just using my base 2014 mini as an iTunes server, I find that I can go a month or two between re-booting. Eventually some kind of issue will require a restart though. With the 2013 MacBook Air (i7/8gb/512gb) that I use as a primary computer, I can go for several months between reboots with no problems.