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What would a spec bump look like?

krause734

krause734

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jul 30, 2010
592
1,405
This is in my dreams but here it goes:

All models
  • 8GB RAM Upgradable to 16GB
  • 1TB Fusion Drive Upgradable to SSD

Base Model $499
  • Kaby Lake i3 capable of 4k @ 60hz (iMac Killer)
  • Decent Graphics Card

Mid Model $699
  • i5
  • Good Graphics Card

Top Model $999
  • i7
  • Best Graphics Card
 
spacebro said:
Look at the intel NUC line. Take those specs, halve the ram and bump everything else down a little bit. Now double the price. That is your theoretical mac mini refresh.
Click to expand...

yes...probably.
i am looking at the skull canyon version to migrate from aperture to lightroom. i just cannot fathom buying a 2012 quad mini - and dont have high expectations of a new model :(
 
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TMRJIJ said:
The Mac Mini has always been in my eyes, an entry level Mac. I don't see it getting anything over the MacBook, iMac, or Mac Pro.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's the sad thing; back in the beginning, the Mini wasn't so much an entry-level Mac, as it was a small-form-factor Mac. There were entry level iMacs and entry level Minis, as well as high-level iMacs and high-level Minis (relatively speaking, anyway). But yeah, today, the Mini is the "cheap" Mac, not the "small" Mac. :(
 
Apple will never include a dGPU in the mini, if they can possibly prevent it - they don't want to a lose a single sale of an iMac.

Apple will never include a quad core again - they don't want to a lose a single sale of an iMac.

Apple will never offer easily upgradeable innards again - they want to maximize margins.

AMD Ryzen is the only wildcard in the not too distant future. There will be iGPUs available at some point, with 4core,8thread CPUs that are cheaper than 4core,4thread intels. But the KEY motivation will always be taken into account - lose not a single sale, of an iMac. But the Mini is likely to be discontinued before we even get there.
 
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If Apple were to release another Mac Mini any time soon then the entry model would most likely be bumped up to 8GB. Sadly they would probably use the same processors as used in the Macbook line, to avoid 'cannibalizing' the (much more profitable) iMac and Mac Pro.

8GB will become seen as increasingly essential to run Mac OS smoothly over the next couple of years. If we look to the last 13" Macbook Air 'upgrade', the only actual improvement was to offer 8GB, which really is required on a Macbook Air for an acceptable experience within OS Sierra.

You would pray that they include an SSD as standard on the base model, but who knows with Apple.
 
Having just got a decent deal on an i5 NUC and putting it together with an M2 drive, 16gb memory and 2tb 2.5" drive, I can't see Apple ever catching up in price/performance/footprint areas in this sector.
They could but they aren't interested.

I don't really care what operating system I use, so am not tied to using their hardware.
 
all i want is an iMac with a decent GPU and 2 x easily swappable bays and HDMI in for my PS4 pro. I want to go apple but I'm very close to getting a Hackintosh.
 
Just fix a Lenovo M900 to run OSX10.14.
Leave it at that, and get out of the computer hardware business.
Spin off the MacOS division, and let it diverge from from iOS, so us computer users can actually get some work done.
Go full Open source on the entire OS.
Continue to support iTunes, if you must, but only as open source.
 
paulryp said:
all i want is an iMac with a decent GPU and 2 x easily swappable bays and HDMI in for my PS4 pro. I want to go apple but I'm very close to getting a Hackintosh.
Click to expand...
I was all set to go this route, as well, and then i saw the instructions to enable iMessage... I'm not willing to go through all that - which is a shame, because thats the only app tying me to the platform anymore.
 
I FEAR that Apple will update the Mac mini in Late 2017 to Skylake only, borrowing the "one year later" approach they did with the previous one (Haswell MacBook Air specs one year later).
 
Andres Cantu said:
I FEAR that Apple will update the Mac mini in Late 2017 to Skylake only, borrowing the "one year later" approach they did with the previous one (Haswell MacBook Air specs one year later).
Click to expand...

You'll be lucky if they ever refresh the mini. Ask yourself this, what would it look like if apple wanted to retire the whole mac line? Would they start going longer between updates and start killing accessories like the airport and cinema display?
 
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spacebro said:
You'll be lucky if they ever refresh the mini. Ask yourself this, what would it look like if apple wanted to retire the whole mac line? Would they start going longer between updates and start killing accessories like the airport and cinema display?
Click to expand...

..and merging the MacOS devs into the iOS dev group, so MacOS development stagnates. Have the presentation of their flagship new MBP be the 1st 1/3rd about totally different stuff, showing off the emoji bar, then running for the exits so no questions can be asked. Constantly promoting the iPad Pro as the only computer you need. Making it so that iOS can use APFS, when it obviously doesn't need an industrial strength file system (=Apple isn't thinking small for iOS). Having yearly updates on anything being a guessing game. Large numbers of employees that are attached to MacOS, including top-level talent, leaving Apple. etc, etc, etc....
 
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Now for what will really happen:

BASE MODEL: 1.4 GHz processor, Intel 4k graphics, 4 GB RAM, $499 US

MID MODEL: 1.5 GHz processor, Intel 4k graphics, 4 GB RAM, $599 US

TOP MODEL: 2.5 GHz processor, Intel yadda yadda "pro" graphics, 8 GB RAM $2,500 US

And all three models will come with only ONE USB port that you have to juggle power, keyboard, mouse, and monitor through! But hey, it'll be shiny, right?
 
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Andres Cantu said:
I FEAR that Apple will update the Mac mini in Late 2017 to Skylake only, borrowing the "one year later" approach they did with the previous one (Haswell MacBook Air specs one year later).
Click to expand...
Still better than no update at all (discontinuation). That is what I fear.

To br fair regarding the Late 2014 update and Haswell, it was still current at that time. Skylake in Late 2017 definitely would not be current.
 
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