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What generation was your first Mac Mini?

What was your first Mac Mini?

  • Early 2005, the G4 original

    Votes: 22 16.2%

  • Mid 2005

    Votes: 1 0.7%

  • Late 2005

    Votes: 5 3.7%

  • Early 2006, the change to Intel Core

    Votes: 5 3.7%

  • Late 2006

    Votes: 4 2.9%

  • Mid 2007, the change to Core Duo

    Votes: 9 6.6%

  • Early 2009

    Votes: 18 13.2%

  • Late 2009

    Votes: 12 8.8%

  • Mid 2010 - the redesign

    Votes: 7 5.1%

  • Mid 2011 - the change to Core i5 & i7

    Votes: 15 11.0%

  • Late 2012

    Votes: 33 24.3%

  • Late 2014

    Votes: 5 3.7%
  • Total voters
    136
  • Poll closed .
Was probably not a good time to start a poll……

For a few people so far the 2014 model is/will be their first Mac Mini. Are the any more out there?
 
Late '06 intel duo core~~still running pretty well for an 8 y/o~~"new" refurb 2012 base mini being delivered tomorrow :cool:
 
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Late 2012

i5 Base Model, and it is brand new. I just picked it up from Best Buy last week. Today the upgraded memory (16Gb) and second hard drive (2TB) will arrive.

I'm a noob when it comes to Mac devices and so far I have liked what I am seeing with Mavericks.
 
Early 2009, upgraded to 8 GB of RAM, and a 7200 RPM hard drive. Was debating for the longest time between upgrading to SSD or just simply going with whatever the newest mini at the time. Then the 2014 disappointment plus the low price best buy had on the i5 for $399; I made the jump.

Looking at it maybe it would be most cost effective if I had simply swapping out the HDD to an SSD, but I wonder how much faster that would actually be (along with having to open up the mini again). But anyways, loving the "new" 2012 model, will upgrade to SSD + maxing out the RAM whenever they are cheap enough. Good God, the DDR3 for 16GB is relatively expensive these days. I remember getting a 16GB for my Macbook Pro a year and half ago and that was around $100. I can't find anything for less than $130-150 right now for the RAM.
 
1.5Ghz PPC w/ 64 Mb graphics card...still have it. I seem to recall getting it late '05 or early '06. Still runs fine on Tiger OS.
 
First Mac ever was a 2012 i5 base model I bought refurb early 2013 for 519. Sold it and moved to a bunch of different machines and finally I settled. I now have a 13 rMbp with a henge dock hooked up to a 1440p monitor and I took advantage of the best buy sale to get another 2012 base model for server and htpc needs. This setup has to last me through my masters so two years then I'll think about upgrading.
 
Cracked 100 responses now, with the pattern remaining similar to early on.

Just over 20% are relatively recent comers to the Mac Mini club, with the 2012 generation being their first. Just under 20% joined with the original 2005.

Most of the remainder joined over the intervening years, with early 2009 and 2011 accounting for a couple of near 12% bumps.

The latest generation has attracted about 4% at this stage…… Underwhelming that it is, somehow I doubt that the late 2014 will attract a great number of newcomers.
 
Now the dust is starting to settle….. Any more responses before the poll closes on 29 Nov?

I guess I should have included "Not yet" and "Never will own one" among the options, but too late now.
 
mine was a early 2006, intel switch, Mac mini 1,1

despite the fact i broke the tabs on the bottom , and i never upgraded to a core 2 duo for 10.7 and the optical drive was a system pull from a macbook pro on eBay i got. plus its 2 gigs of ram and 320 gig scorpio black, it still sold on eBay for $58 plus shipping
all of this was noted on the auction page
 
Early 2009. This machine came after one of the longest, technologically-lacking dry periods in Mac Mini history. It was like Moses finally coming down with the tablets (no pun intended).
 
Richard8655 said:
Early 2009. This machine came after one of the longest, technologically-lacking dry periods in Mac Mini history. It was like Moses finally coming down with the tablets (no pun intended).
Click to expand...

It was the one that made the Mini a measure for iMacs. Not quite right up there with them, but close enough for buyers to seriously consider, which is probably why there is a rise in the percentage for that model. Previous Minis had lagged behind by quite a bit.

The 2012 has moved ahead in the percentage stakes…… maybe people who were waiting to make the 2014 Mini their first, are going for the last of the 2012's to be had.
 
2011 server...

Summer this year I bought a new 2011 server with 8GB and quad core i7 2635QM.
A decision I still do not regret.
 
Bought an Late 2009 a year ago for a fun project, though it really isn't in use anymore. Just got a Late 2014 that is my first one for "real" use. It's already served up 2TB+ to Crashplan and is handling file server duties like a champ.
 
Dont Hurt Me said:
1st Mini was the original and it still works, use it for running classic apps on rare occasions though I would like to upgrade the 10.3.9 to 10.4 one of these days. I still think mid late 2011 was the golden year for the Mini ! A real graphics chip and not the integrated handicap crap apple has been doing and real upgradeable memory! The mid 2011 is a great machine in my view. If you can find one get it!
Click to expand...


I jumped in on the early 2009 model initially (as a htpc), then sold it as it couldn't handle my needs. Followed it up with a 2011. 9300m. Best decision I made. So glad I put some time into researching which of the 2011 models to get.
 
My first mini was the 1.42ghz G4 model, then i upgraded to the 1.5ghz Core Solo and upgraded the cpu to a 2GHZ Core 2 duo. Now i'm on my third mini which is a Mid-2010 :D
 
Just over a week to go on this…..

A slight change on the early pattern, when the 2005 Original and the 2012 were nearly equal at about 20%. Now the 2012 was the first Mac Mini for nearly a quarter, and the has dropped to about 17%. The other high point remains the early 2009 at nearly 14%.

Just over a month since its release, has the 2014 bought any more newcomers to the Mac Mini?
 
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Just bought a 2012 refurb quad i7. First Mini, not first Mac.

First Mac was a 2005 12"PowerBook G4. Then in 2008 a dual quad-core Mac Pro. Then in 2011 a MacBook Air which I traded in for the 2013 model.

The PowerBook sits in a drawer somewhere. The MBA is my daily go-to, and the Mac Pro is being replaced by the 2012 Mini. More than enough for audio work. And way more power efficient than the Mac Pro.
 
Poll closes in three days.

With 132 votes, the promotion of recent ('11 / '12 / '14) first Minis has gone up compared with early on. Together they account for nearly 40%.

The biggest total is '12 with just over 24%

The early 2005 original is next most common at just under 17%….. Promoted as an entry level Mac for folks making the change, it seems quite a few have stuck with the Mini concept, including me. It was the first computer I owned.

The early 2009 is the third most common first Mini, at nearly 14%. (It was my second, and the one I am still using)
 
What generation was your first Mac Mini?

Late 2007 (1.1 flashed to 2.1, upgraded to 2.16GHz C2D) , now with SSD and removed Superdrive (it broke), still works as Plex client/server (HTPC).
 
Less than a day to go on this poll…..

It looks like, among those who have voted, there was a burst of interest in the original Mini (just over 16%), but that waned until the early 2009 (just over 13%). It is the last couple of generations that have generated the most first time Mac Mini buyers, with the 2012 accounting for nearly a quarter.

The somewhat 2014 has yet to attract many first time buyers among the MacRumors set, many of whom lust after more powerful specs the Apple have delivered.
 
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