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The new Mac mini Pro is almost certainly coming

After seeing what happened to the iPod line-up and the 17-inch MacBook Pro, I think I should just give up hope and look elsewhere if I'm looking for an upgrade. Face it, there won't be a quad-core Mac mini until Intel makes quad-core processors baseline.
 
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In the original thread, everyone eventually got the 2014 mini and was disappointed.

In this thread, everyone will be disappointed when the Mac mini Pro comes out (or fails to).

The Mac mini was never intended to be a Pro machine.
 
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talmy said:
The Mac mini was never intended to be a Pro machine.
Click to expand...

Agreed, but the Quad i7 Mini gave people a taste of that possibility.

For many years there has been much demand and complaining that there's no standalone computer between the Mac Mini and the Mac Pro. It's been so long that I don't see Apple doing it, especially with their post-PC-era attitude...but man, the demand would be huge.
 
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According to the lore I've heard, they won't have a mid-sized Mac because they were burned with the Cube, which sold poorly.
 
talmy said:
According to the lore I've heard, they won't have a mid-sized Mac because they were burned with the Cube, which sold poorly.
Click to expand...

IMHO the Cube failed because it cost hundreds more than an equivalently-equipped Power Mac. I guess they were charging a premium for compactness or something.

If Apple made a standalone computer between the Mac Mini and Mac Pro, then yes, they shouldn't try to charge more for it than a Mac Pro.
 
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talmy said:
In the original thread, everyone eventually got the 2014 mini and was disappointed.

In this thread, everyone will be disappointed when the Mac mini Pro comes out (or fails to).

The Mac mini was never intended to be a Pro machine.
Click to expand...

"Pro machine"? What on earth is that. Its a computer, not a kitchen gadget or a carpentry tool. Job for the manufacturer of a computer is to put the damn CPU and ports in it and get out of the way - not to tell me how, what and why to use it. Its a computer.

Woz has it all the way correct on this one.
 
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All the reasoning in the lead post makes me there won't be a Mac Mini Pro, but a Mac Mini Luddite.
 
talmy said:
According to the lore I've heard, they won't have a mid-sized Mac because they were burned with the Cube, which sold poorly.
Click to expand...
Sold poorly because it was expensive. The base model cost $1799 when it was released in 2000.... Even the top-tier Mini doesn't cost that much today. Costs have come down for sure, but at $1799 back then (with inflation) that's well over $2000 for that computer.

When I bought mine, I want to say I paid $1299 for it, but could be wrong. It was a long time ago! I still have it in my closet.

http://www.macworld.com/article/1153341/cube_10thanniversary.html
 
talmy said:
In the original thread, everyone eventually got the 2014 mini and was disappointed.

In this thread, everyone will be disappointed when the Mac mini Pro comes out (or fails to).

The Mac mini was never intended to be a Pro machine.
Click to expand...

There sure is a lot of ground between the current Mini options, and a Mac Pro.

I have a quad 2012 Mini, a very sweet little machine, but no way I would describe it as a 'pro' machine. Not even fecking close. It is a okay powered amateur machine, by today's standards. I sure as **** don't need dual dedicated GPUs, or Xeon CPUs. But I sure as **** need quad core for video processing.

Deblocking, it's a real thing, bitches. And dual core just don't cut it.

Apple are fools if they don't fill that gap in their range between a dual-core Mini, and a Mac Pro. A quad Mini is a basic necessity, for them and us, not an indulgent luxury option.
 
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Really, MacRumors, **** is a swear word?

Well, eff-you-cee-kay u. o_O
 
Last edited:
What is typical of a Mac Mini?

1) Size - smaller than a typical PC
2) self contained with some models you can add RAM or swap drives
3) moderately low power consumption
4) headless (no monitor included)

What was typical of the Mac Pro?

1) Full size case and power supply
2) fast access to internals to swap out parts and ADD more
3) high power consumption
4) headless

What is typical of the new Mac Pro?

1) Size - smaller than a typical PC
2) self contained with access to RAM, drives and video are proprietary
3) moderate power consumption
4) headless


So, it appears we have a new Mac Mini Pro paraded around as a Mac Pro. Apple has dumped
the Mac Pro in favour of the Mac Mini Pro. Think about it.
 
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phrehdd said:
So, it appears we have a new Mac Mini Pro paraded around as a Mac Pro. Apple has dumped
the Mac Pro in favour of the Mac Mini Pro. Think about it.
Click to expand...
For $2,000 more ("starting at" price) than the top tier Mini? Don't think so.
 
When we had rumors of a new design pro, I totally thought they were going to do a stackable mini pro.

Maybe they can still pull it off.
 
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