What's the most likely release time for a new mini?

[SoCalReviews]

... But It's almost a year and half old and I don't want to spend the same money buying old technology.

You better wait for the 14nm Intel Broadwell technology then because Haswell chips are based on the same old 22nm technology as the 2012 Ivy Bridge based Minis. The main noticeable performance advantage a Haswell based Mini will have over the current generation of Ivy Bridge Minis at similar clock speeds will be the improved Intel on board graphics. The rest of the improvements in the Haswell design were geared towards power savings which is less important for non-battery powered desktop systems like the Mini.

 

[iMacFarlane]

I know that Apple tried and failed with gaming a long time ago with the Pippin.

But . . .

What if they are positioning themselves to be one of the premier, official Steam Machines? Both Valve and Apple would win big if the next Mini could be postured in this way. SteamOS need not apply, all of the games Valve has ported to Linux already work on OSX, and both use the same graphics engine (OpenGL).

Big win for Apple. Big win for Valve. Big win for us.

 

[873089]

Mini back in stock on amazon.de

Maybe Apple will release the mini the same way they did with nMP.

A teaser of the new mini in March or WWDC and later this year(fall) a redesign with Broadwell and other new features (AC, TB2
what do you think, would this be possible.?

@iMacFarlane: This would be awesome!
Other than iOS, Apple never cared about gaming, but maybe they will change it, because the gaming market is HUGE.

A mini with dedicated graphics would be a big success,

 

[tubular]

Anyway, I continue to find all this geeky angst a bit of a giggle. Why does when an updated Mac Mini appears matter so much?

A fair question. In my case, I do occasionally do some graphic-heavy stuff (Blender rendering, casual gaming). I've got a dual-core from late 2010, and around June of last year started to itch for a quad-core. Checked here at that point and saw that the current model, solid as it is, was expected to be replaced with one with better graphics. And then the wait began...

Any current model would be an improvement over my 2010, but if I'm going to put the bucks down, the difference between replacing a four-year-old machine versus replacing a four-and-half-year-old machine is marginal, but the difference between the current model's graphics and the next round is significant enough to be worth the wait.

What's cranked the drama quotient is that compared to the last couple updates, this one has turned out to be much longer. Expecting the machine to drop early last fall wasn't unreasonable - just wrong. Same with October. Same with February.

 

[squirrrl]

T
Anyway, I continue to find all this geeky angst a bit of a giggle. Why does when an updated Mac Mini appears matter so much?

I've been looking to replace my POS Dell at work for a while now but have been even more antsy to replace it since microsoft is no longer supporting XP. Yes, i realize i could have upgraded my OS a while ago, but have put it off since I'd have to reinstall a bunch of technical biology software i have installed on this machine already. I inherited this computer back in 2009 and didn't want to spend limited work funds replacing it until I needed to, but now's the time. Since I'll likely be using this computer for a while, I don't want to buy a 2 year old machine when a new one may be around the corner. Since I do some fluorescence microscopy (pictures and video), the upgraded graphics would be nice to have. Basically, since they usually keep the mini cost the same, but upgrade most of the components, it's a better deal for me to wait for a refresh since I'll be keeping this mac mini for a few years down the road.

I've been frustrated with doing complex calculations on this stupid Dell computer since the processor is slow(even for 2009 standards) and I'm about to go office space on it if Apple doesn't come up with a mini refresh.

Also, the advantage for me of a mini over an iMac is I can take the mini home with me (and not have to install all the expensive technical software on my home macbook) and do work from home when I need to.

 

[talmy]

Being Wednesday, it won't be upgraded for at least another 6 days.

So I bought one to replace a 4 year old mini that appears to be on its last legs. 4 years old and used as an entertainment center (one of 2 I use that way) the WiFi is failing, I had to replace the HDD, and the audio failed twice (the first when new and last year I plugged in a USB audio out device as a fix).

So base model refurb with a 5% Discover Card discount brings it to $483 plus change. And I get 4x the disk capacity, 2x the RAM, much faster processor and HDMI. (Of course I'll lose the DVD drive, but that's OK.) If a new one comes out March 5 I won't cry.

I'll take the limping machine to work to use it as a documentation system, which I'm currently doing with my MBP (overkill!).

Next mini purchase will be replacing my Mac mini server, but I wait on that until the new ones come out so the server model will be $750.

 

[TahoeBlue]

These two statements seem to be at odds with each other….. one is comes from Amazon's sales, I presume. Where the other comes from, who knows?

Direct from Apple. They said on the investor call the number one selling desktop is the iMac line. Not the MacMini. I think myself and others are going to be waiting a long time because there are other priorities at Apple.

If they just do a minor Haswell spec bump from the present configuration (I noted it wasn't necessary excepting the graphics because the current top line MacMini is an amazing desktop), I won't be buying. I want to buy the MacMini that will be so good that I can't resist buying it, and I speculated that one won't come out until the very end of the year or even 2015 given Intel's issues.

 

[Micky Do]

Direct from Apple. They said on the investor call the number one selling desktop is the iMac line. Not the MacMini. I think myself and others are going to be waiting a long time because there are other priorities at Apple.

If they just do a minor Haswell spec bump from the present configuration (I noted it wasn't necessary excepting the graphics because the current top line MacMini is an amazing desktop), I won't be buying. I want to buy the MacMini that will be so good that I can't resist buying it, and I speculated that one won't come out until the very end of the year or even 2015 given Intel's issues.

Ah yes, the iMac line of two sizes, each with two standard configurations, whereas the Mini line comes in just two standard configurations plus the server.

On Amazon they list their top selling Mac as the 2.5 Ghz Core i5….. the lowliest Mac of them all, and probably all the computer many need. It is fifth on their bestseller list for all computers.

The next Mac at 13th is the 3.4 Ghz Core i5 27 inch, with the 3.4 Core i5 27 inch at 15th…….. and the 2.3 ghz Core i7 Mini is 17th.

 

[dudedude]

Being Wednesday, it won't be upgraded for at least another 6 days.

So I bought one to replace a 4 year old mini that appears to be on its last legs. 4 years old and used as an entertainment center (one of 2 I use that way) the WiFi is failing, I had to replace the HDD, and the audio failed twice (the first when new and last year I plugged in a USB audio out device as a fix).

So base model refurb with a 5% Discover Card discount brings it to $483 plus change. And I get 4x the disk capacity, 2x the RAM, much faster processor and HDMI. (Of course I'll lose the DVD drive, but that's OK.) If a new one comes out March 5 I won't cry.

I'll take the limping machine to work to use it as a documentation system, which I'm currently doing with my MBP (overkill!).

Next mini purchase will be replacing my Mac mini server, but I wait on that until the new ones come out so the server model will be $750.

That's a great deal, I thought of doing the same last night but waited and now I see they are gone this morning. Thanks for the heads up though on the 5%. Man I wish we could get some news on a new one. Tired of waiting.

 

[Karlitr0s]

So base model refurb with a 5% Discover Card discount brings it to $483 plus change. And I get 4x the disk capacity, 2x the RAM, much faster processor and HDMI. (Of course I'll lose the DVD drive, but that's OK.) If a new one comes out March 5 I won't cry.

They retail in the UK for $830.

 

[Crosscreek]

When Apple can't keep even the refurbs in stock there is no motivation to release a new one. I would't plan on seeing one till Broadwell. The Haswell is only a slight CPU bump and with out Iris Pro very little GPU bump. Broadwell will offer much more in the way of GPU bump and probably not much in CPU because it is the Toc of Hasswel. IMHO 2015 will be the refresh or redesign since Intel is holding back the new chips to cut back inventory of Hasswell.

 

[talmy]

They retail in the UK for $830.

That includes VAT. It would be $691 without, which is still $92 more than list here, but let's keep the comparison fair (pre-tax). What I paid was for a refurbished model with an additional credit card discount and I live in a state with no sales tax, so I got $116 off list.

In the UK, refurbished would be £419, removing the VAT and converting to US dollars thats $580 so your refurb price is at least less than our new price.

Regarding the refurbished store, the three minis I've got I bought in a 6 month time frame. Two were refurbs and one was new. It's the one that was new that gave me all the problems, and that I'm replacing. The refurbs are both still running fine.

 

[Karlitr0s]

That includes VAT. It would be $691 without, which is still $92 more than list here, but let's keep the comparison fair (pre-tax)

I didn't say it was Apple's fault that the mini was expensive in my country - Purely that it IS more expensive, and that makes me sad.

 

[talmy]

I didn't say it was Apple's fault that the mini was expensive in my country - Purely that it IS more expensive, and that makes me sad.

I don't know how they justify the additional $92.

 

[Karlitr0s]

I don't know how they justify the additional $92.

Nope, me either. Minis really hold their value on the second-hand market here too, so although it's a great thing for them to be in a seller's market, I'd like a super-cheap one until the release of the next one. I did have a finger hovering over the £419 i5, but I wasn't quick enough.

 

[Cloudsurfer]

I think Apple (and a lot of other companies) also consider purchasing power.

For example, imagine a job that would land you 2000€/month in Europe. In the US, the same job would land you 2000$/month. The salaries are the same, it's just the exchange rate that is different.

So, in order to retain their position in the market they have to artificially raise the price in other regions.

so 1160€ for a base i7 mini may seem a lot to an outsider, but the ratio is quite the same. Only when you exchange currency the difference matters.

 

[kazmac]

Regarding the refurbished store, the three minis I've got I bought in a 6 month time frame. Two were refurbs and one was new. It's the one that was new that gave me all the problems, and that I'm replacing. The refurbs are both still running fine.

This is good to hear (refurb minis are solid.) That would be the only Mac I'd trust in refurbished or new.

Congrats on your 'new' purchase. I will continue to wait, just hope my iMac continues to sort of behave.

 

[talmy]

This is good to hear (refurb minis are solid.) That would be the only Mac I'd trust in refurbished or new.

From my experience, you can trust any Apple refurb. I've bought refurbished MacBooks and my MacBook Pro and a refurbished Airport Extreme with no problems. The only systems I haven't bought as refurbished are iMacs, but I wouldn't hesitate to do so.

 

[unreal77]

From mac mall chat:

xxx: Hello. My name is xxx and my extension is 55555. How can I help you Today?
me: Hi!
Is there a date for the new mac minis?
xxx: Hi you
No estimated Date yet for the Mac Mini 2014 models

with a grain of salt. Either he doesn't really know or he has to move stock.


Next week I'll buy a current one if nothing happens.

 

[TahoeBlue]

Ah yes, the iMac line of two sizes, each with two standard configurations, whereas the Mini line comes in just two standard configurations plus the server.

Hey, if you want to accuse Apple of lying to their investors, go right ahead but leave me out of it.

 

[Nathan France]

Good News, Apple store it's closed.
Yeahhhhhhh.

 

[Nathan France]

Sorry, false good news

 

[Micky Do]

Not lying, just a broader measure.

Hey, if you want to accuse Apple of lying to their investors, go right ahead but leave me out of it.

Not accusing Apple of lying…… just using less detailed stats. People / companies / organisations do it all the time depending on the message they want to get across, for whatever reason. Frankly, I don't give a hoot.

Obviously the current base model Mini continues to sell OK, so I doubt that there is any urgency to update the line it just to satisfy an antsy few on MacRumors.

 

[Lesser Evets]

Obviously the current base model Mini continues to sell OK, so I doubt that there is any urgency to update the line it just to satisfy an antsy few on MacRumors.

It sells well enough, it also has enough power for the price when compared to the line up of Macs.

Chance of update before 2H '14 is slim.

 

[kazmac]

From my experience, you can trust any Apple refurb. I've bought refurbished MacBooks and my MacBook Pro and a refurbished Airport Extreme with no problems. The only systems I haven't bought as refurbished are iMacs, but I wouldn't hesitate to do so.

I do not doubt most folks have good luck with refurbs.

I've had nasty experiences with refurb iMacs so, the only refurb I would consider now is mini as they have such great track records. With all the display issues with rMBPs and even some iMacs, I would never risk refurb or new actually.

I do appreciate you chiming in and am glad you've had wonderful experiences with refurbs.