I've been thinking of buying a new 2018 Mini (to replace my 2012), but it's now officially been out for 7 months...so I'm wondering if there might be a speedbump coming soon that might be worth waiting for. Of course, I'm hoping Apple will be more attentive to updates on the Mini this time. I'm not up to date on the latest processor releases from Intel that would be compatible with the Mini, so does anyone care to speculate on whether or not a speedbump is likely in the next 3-6 months? Or do you think we're looking at another 4yr update cycle! TIA
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Thoughts on a Mini Speedbump soon?
- Thread starter bryanus
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Intel isn't yet offering an improved version of the CPUs already in the 2018 Mac mini as far as I know, the 21.5" iMacs were refreshed with the socketed version of the exact same CPUs just last March, and Apple will likely want to focus on getting the new Mac Pro to a successful 2019 launch. The next Mac mini refresh is more likely to happen in 2020.
Gah, thanks Boyd!
Update: Pulled the trigger on the 3.2Ghz i7, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD for $1199 (no tax to CA!) from Adorama, using the 'APINSIDER' $50 off code.
Will pair it with a 500GB external Sandisk Extreme portable USB-C drive, and order a 16GB RAM upgrade, too.
Update: Pulled the trigger on the 3.2Ghz i7, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD for $1199 (no tax to CA!) from Adorama, using the 'APINSIDER' $50 off code.
Will pair it with a 500GB external Sandisk Extreme portable USB-C drive, and order a 16GB RAM upgrade, too.
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I believe so. Here's the page with all the models it applies to. Looks like all of them:
https://prices.appleinsider.com/mac-mini-late-2018
The one I got was also on sale for $50 off, so with the code it knocked off $100 total. Since I've had my 2012 for almost 7 yrs now, I figured I should get the i7...
I was looking at the 16GB vs. 32GB upgrades, and at least for Crucial, the 32 is a decent amount under twice as much - I think I'd spend the extra, open it one time, have enough RAM to really cover future use cases
I was looking at the 16GB vs. 32GB upgrades, and at least for Crucial, the 32 is a decent amount under twice as much - I think I'd spend the extra, open it one time, have enough RAM to really cover future use cases
Hmm good points! Adorama has a reward program and the mini purchase will result in about $10 in reward points to apply to my next order for the ram. The mini was on backorder anyway so I won't get it for a couple weeks anyway so j figured I would do a separate order for the ram so I could apply the rewards. 16GB had been enough for me with my 2012, but it gets tight when I run VMs for development. So 32GB would definitely cover my needs. Tha ks for giving me another data point to consider.
lastly, if anyone uses those Cashback sites I got another 2% from giving assistant! Every bit helps!
Which 2012 mini do you have?
If you do take the plunge with a 2018 model, please report back on your thoughts. I've got a 2012 quad core which is running great. But....I really don't see them updating the mini again for a very long time...so, I think, inevitably I'll end up with the 2018, anyhow.
I got my 2012 used in 2016, so its fairly "new" to me, so I feel a little guilty upgrading sort of early.
Not happenin' ...
Hope it doesn't take 4 years for the next speed bump!
I got my 2012 2.6ghz quad Mini about 3 years ago too. But there's no guilt, because it still does what I need and I have no immediate plans to upgrade. When I do, it may not be a Mini. Still using a 10 year old 23" Apple Cinema Display (1920x1200) on the Mini so an iMac might be a better upgrade for me. But I'll make that decision based on what is available when the time comes.
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The point is.... some of us think 2018 will be the last Mini. Ever.
The point is.... some of us think 2018 will be the last Mini. Ever.
That would suck! I'm trying to decide if I want to pick one up, mostly for video and photo editing. Depending on what Apple is planning on doing with iOS it might steer me towards picking one up or attempting to do those tasks on my iPad. But I am skeptical about how much Apple will add to iOS that would sway me that way.
If you are thinking of buying one now, why would you care if Apple ever updates it? But if you're waiting for a new model to be released before you buy.... you might have a LONG wait.
I'm not convinced that the 2018 will be the last Mini EVER, but it certainly could be. It did give me pause buying a computer that is now several months old, but after actually using it for the last 2 weeks, I can say that it runs beautifully and I'm very happy to have it.
It seems almost a certainty that the 2018 will be the last Intel Mini ever. The next iteration (if and when that occurs, probably 2020 or later) will include Apple's own processors.
It seems almost a certainty that the 2018 will be the last Intel Mini ever. The next iteration (if and when that occurs, probably 2020 or later) will include Apple's own processors.
If you are thinking of buying one now, why would you care if Apple ever updates it? But if you're waiting for a new model to be released before you buy.... you might have a LONG wait.
I'm actually waiting to see what Apple releases in iOS 13 before deciding. If they added some features like being able to read/write from external storage, enhanced multi-tasking and possible mouse support like the accessibility rumors say could happen, that might steer me towards using it. If the enhancements to iOS 13 aren't enough I'll likely just pick up the current Mini.
Seems like an odd choice between an iPad and a Mini. If you think portability is important, why wouldn't you be looking at a laptop?
LOL - it is an odd choice. I already have a 3rd generation 12.9 iPad Pro. I'd love to be able to use it for photo editing with the upcoming iOS version of Photoshop and video editing with LumaFusion. For my workflow, iOS is just too painful to use for those tasks. If 13 solves some or all of them I'd likely use it. If it doesn't, I'll pick up a Mini and use it as a dedicated box for those tasks.
My quad mini is dedicated to video/audio editing. I like keeping that on a separate machine that doesn't have a lot of other stuff installed and isn't used for personal things like e-mail, online shopping, etc. I can't imagine Apple making drastic enough changes in the next version of iOS for it to be a viable video editing platform. Now that I'm finally up to speed on Final Cut Pro X (after many years with legacy FCP) I'm not anxious to learn a whole new way of doing things either!
My quad mini is dedicated to video/audio editing. I like keeping that on a separate machine that doesn't have a lot of other stuff installed and isn't used for personal things like e-mail, online shopping, etc. I can't imagine Apple making drastic enough changes in the next version of iOS for it to be a viable video editing platform. Now that I'm finally up to speed on Final Cut Pro X (after many years with legacy FCP) I'm not anxious to learn a whole new way of doing things either!
I am skeptical they'll make enough improvements to iOS to get me there - we'll find out shortly! My video editing needs are simple and LumaFusion is a surprisingly powerful app that handles just about everything I need (especially with the improvements in the upcoming release). I could easily use it for that. Not sure what Photoshop will bring but it is supposed to be the full version on iOS so I guess we'll see there to.
How though? They would need to either change CPU’s or change the design to fit a gpu in it.
New cpu’s for the mini I don’t believe are out yet - this on intel rather than Apple.
And I don’t see them including a gpu anytime soon, especially when they can just push egpus.
What? The 9th generation of CPUs is out since October last year and the 10th generation will come out in December this year.
If Apple wanted to refresh the Mac mini line-up, they could have already done that together with the iMacs in the beginning of May 2019. Most of the iMacs got a refreshed CPUs (except the entry level).