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That silent update could happen anytime between today and late next year.

The mini tends to get the silent-update treatment. Suddenly it will be there on the website, unless it gets a redesign that necessitates a press release.

Im looking to buy a mac mini for christmas 2014. i hope there will be a new one out then :)

Undoubtable. That's 13 months away.
 
Apple won't see any of my money until:

-They update the mini with the ability to run two thunderbolt displays and output HDMI at the same time.
-Update the thunderbolt displays with USB3, Magsafe2, and the thinner IMac profile.
-They include touchID in their iPads.
 
They'll always keep the memory interchangeable.

As long as > 1" thick device yes.

Betcha we see minis with solid SSDs soldered to the board within 2 or 3 years. They'll be tiny computers with no moving parts and little configuration.

Bet don't. Flash SSDs aren't pragmatically "solid state". It is a destructive, over time, state change that stores new values. Hence they wear out. They aren't fragile but if moving GB/s per day they will wear over time. All the more, so as the implementation process sizes get smaller. There are lots of tricks to keep the lifetime from collapsing but it isn't likey to get longer.

There may be an iOS device that attempts to cannibalize the low end of the Mini's price space, but if the Mini is going to go after some of the current users of iMacs and Mac Pros the capacity and computational "horsepower" requirements are going to keep it from getting small.
 
If they redesign it like they did the pro, it could look like darth vader's coffee cup (instead of the mac pro darth vader trash can)

Not likely. External bulk storage is far less common in the lower end of the market. Hence, the iMac with both HDDs and PCIe SSD in the 2013 updates.

If anything the tall rectangular Airport/Time Capsule shape probably would be close since still would have 1 ( maybe 2 HDDs) in the container.

To date though Apple has made the Mini's logic board a derivative of a laptop board. As long as those are oriented in a horizontal orientation the Mini will likely also track the same orientation.
 
Interesting, they are out of stock again.

The plot thickens!

Possible scenarios:

1. They got a very small amount of stock in yesterday or today. (Not likely)
1. They never got any more stock in. The brief "restocking" was due to Amazon carefully assessing what they had left and offering these remaining units. (More likely)
3. Neither of the above scenarios, the "restocking" was due to other reasons we'll never understand. (Most likely)

I'm hoping this all means something.
 
Amazon is also out of stock or low on stock when they actually don't. The best way to convince people to buy quick is to make an item appear scarse or a last opportunity. Just read into webshop conversion tactics! Guess Amazon masters them pretty well.
 
The plot thickens!

Possible scenarios:

1. They got a very small amount of stock in yesterday or today. (Not likely)
1. They never got any more stock in. The brief "restocking" was due to Amazon carefully assessing what they had left and offering these remaining units. (More likely)
3. Neither of the above scenarios, the "restocking" was due to other reasons we'll never understand. (Most likely)

I'm hoping this all means something.

Another possibility: they have got 2013 refreshed mac mini from apple, but they mistook the new 2013 one for the old 2012 one, since there are no change in the appearance. So they wrongly placed them back to stock, and finally realized they made mistake and then cancelled the "restocking" update.
 
Another possibility: they have got 2013 refreshed mac mini from apple, but they mistook the new 2013 one for the old 2012 one, since there are no change in the appearance. So they wrongly placed them back to stock, and finally realized they made mistake and then cancelled the "restocking" update.

Nice! Let's hope that's the real answer. The only thing that makes me doubt this all is that Apple's online store shows immediate availability for all 3 models.
 
Nice! Let's hope that's the real answer. The only thing that makes me doubt this all is that Apple's online store shows immediate availability for all 3 models.

That's normal, I don't believe that apple never updates its products until it sells out the last one of them. The resellers are also stocking the new alternatives when doing the clearance of the old ones. They are waiting for apple's announcement. Apple should prepare new cheap products to compete with cheaper PC of Haswell update in the holidays.
 
The local referb store was flooded with minis this morning, something that only happens (here, in Singapore) when a refresh is on the cards in the coming weeks - usually about a month, sometimes less.

Could be a coincidence, but I'm thinking(/hoping) for an update alongside the MP in Dec.
 
As long as > 1" thick device yes.

Bet don't. Flash SSDs aren't pragmatically "solid state". It is a destructive, over time, state change that stores new values. Hence they wear out.

Well, they are going to reduce that Mini until it is under 1". They could do it today; the mini could be redesigned anytime to become an iDevice-like device sans screen and with power for OSX. They don't choose to do such for a variety of reasons, but in the future they will almost inevitably take that step.

The Mini in that developmental step will be made smaller, simpler, cheaper, and will be a disposable device with a 3 year support span. If they keep the Mini as it is today through 2016, I'd be amazed. If they shrink it, it will have more components soldered down… RAM less likely than SSD, but you never know.

Apple should neuter the basic mini and do a $499 computer sans a few ports with lack of configurations, everything soldered tight. Though, in a couple years the iPads will probably begin to swallow the Mac line-up as it grows capable enough to do much of what Mini users are presently doing.
 
i agree, your prediction seems like a very pleasant and forward-thinking approach (maybe a tad too wishful). personally, i'd love to see (buy) a more compact mac mini (less footprint) with SSD - nuc proves it's already possible, and i'm confident apple can surpass intel's ambitions easily. integrated graphics seem to have a bright future, too.

yet i'm not quite sure if the ipad (or other tablets) will entirely replace "casual" computing - the convenience of a 27" display, split-screen multitasking and precise controls (mouse for photoshop, etc.) still need some kind of equivalent.
 
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...quite sure if the ipad (or other tablets) will entirely replace "casual" computing - the convenience of a 27" display, split-screen multitasking and precise controls (mouse for photoshop, etc.) still need some kind of equivalent.

The iPad obviously won't be that capable. Intensive amateur and pro work, still image and audio, will be possible on iPads circa 2016-on. The iPad will "replace" the mini and iMac by the end of the decade, but it would probably need a way to expand outward from the mere monitor; they would need expansion bays which are able to easily integrate and keep most of the info, while the screen can travel.

If Apple doesn't take the cue to innovate in that direction, they'll become dinosaurs. Every 10 years the tech changes drastically. A company can't hold onto the old form factor or performance unless it wants to become passé pronto.
 
Prolly people want the IRIS graphics...which is a big step forward from hd4000, or even dedicated gpu.

Man, even though a dedicated GPU is implausible (Competing with iMac? But then again, they said they have no issues with cannibalising their own products), I'd love to have that.

Wouldn't mind a machine that is able to game lightly and something that is as portable as the Mac Mini.
 
I bought a new rMBP and had it for 5 days. Its has everything i want in features
but I would rather have a Mini that I could upgrade myself and really suit my needs better. I use this to run my entertainment center and HD tv. If I could get a Mini with the same chip, graphics and TB2 ports I would send this Back in a second. Could be why Apple holding out on a new release on the Mini. It would cut into their sales of the new MBP and iMacs.
 
Iris or Iris Pro is good enough for me on the mini. If I want (somewhat better) mobile discrete graphics, I'll get an iMac. While Apple has improved somewhat on the graphics front, they are still being greedy. The $1,499 21.5" iMac to me should have an option to up the graphics memory from 1 GB (default) to 2 GB.

I don't know if the 755M (that's in the 27" iMac) is much of an improvement over the 750M. I'm waiting for the improvements in 2014.
 
Well, they are going to reduce that Mini until it is under 1". They could do it today; the mini could be redesigned anytime to become an iDevice-like device sans screen and with power for OSX.

WTF does a iDevice-like ( really iOS-like device ) need with OS X? That is just a goofy concept. Applealready has an OS that is even more popular to put on tablets and ultra thin devices. They don't need OS X there. That function is filled.

Ultra device sans screen? Like AppleTV which is running an iOS derivative now.

The future 'horsepower' will get applied to iOS. A substantively difference class of performance & horsepower will get applied to OS X.


They don't choose to do such for a variety of reasons, but in the future they will almost inevitably take that step.

Not really. The reasons for high capacity storage, > 20W CPU/GPU thermal envelopes , etc aren't really changing all that radically over the intermediate future.


The Mini in that developmental step will be made smaller, simpler, cheaper, and will be a disposable device with a 3 year support span. If they keep the Mini as it is today through 2016, I'd be amazed.

I suspect you will be amazed. one of the primary issues that Intel will likely address over 2014-2016 is how to put entry-mid level desktop GPU graphics into the Core i5/i7 mobile series that the Mac Mini uses. That is actually a long term weakness that has highly limited the Mini's competitiveness in the market. I would be surprised if Apple throws that under the bus to create a device throttled down to the iOS device level. They already have iOS devices.


Apple should neuter the basic mini and do a $499 computer sans a few ports with lack of configurations, everything soldered tight. Though, in a couple years the iPads will probably begin to swallow the Mac line-up as it grows capable enough to do much of what Mini users are presently doing.

That is goofy. if the iPads are moving up into the current Mac Mini 'horsepower' zone then the Mini can just move up into the, at that point 'old', iMac 'horsepower' zone.

The huge presumption you are floating here is that vast majority if users "horsepower" and "local storage" needs in all these diverse categories are stagnant. For example several years into the future a reasonable sized, 20-27" , 4+K display will be as affordable as the current ones are. That increases CPU/GPU workload.

If the users' workload are stagnant and the iPad moves up to cover the same space as the, mini they don't need to make it smaller. It just needs to be discontinued. Trying to become exactly that which is eating you alive in the marketplace isn't going to save you. It only points that really bring nothing particularly different to the market.
 
Have to agree with the above post. The next mini likely looks like the current mini which looks like the previous mini.... Apple is not putting a whole bunch of resources into redesigning their lowest profit/unit machine. Nor should they just as most other businesses wouldn't. My expectation is the next mini will look like the current but with revised innards largely ported over from the rMBP (sans SSD).
 
WTF does a iDevice-like ( really iOS-like device ) need with OS X? ... It only points that really bring nothing particularly different to the market.
I have the feeling you didn't read my post carefully. There are so many projections and assumptions and interjections I can't even begin unraveling that post.
 
Have to agree with the above post. The next mini likely looks like the current mini which looks like the previous mini.... Apple is not putting a whole bunch of resources into redesigning their lowest profit/unit machine. Nor should they just as most other businesses wouldn't. My expectation is the next mini will look like the current but with revised innards largely ported over from the rMBP (sans SSD).

Most businesses (and most countries) don't have Apple's cash. Apple open and frequently states that they're out to make the best products above all else.

The could/should make the mini a whole lot better.
 
... Apple is not putting a whole bunch of resources into redesigning their lowest profit/unit machine.

The mini is not so much low profit as relatively low unit volume. The margins are likely the same. They definitely make money on them. They don't sell as many. A contributor to that it needs more value for what limited space available. They need to invest something to keep from shrinking to even small number of units sold.

They partially offset the low units by reusing a high fraction of components and design solutions from the far more higher volume laptop solutions.


Nor should they just as most other businesses wouldn't. My expectation is the next mini will look like the current but with revised innards largely ported over from the rMBP (sans SSD).

The SSD would be relatively easy to include if starting from the the rMBP 13" motherboard. Just dump the lower, 2nd, and harder to get to, general standard SATA drive bay for the same PCIe SSD socket used on the rMBP. They get volume discounts by using the same parts. Instead of cutting motherboard short to open space for the bay, just keep the increased board space. Still can do Fusion drive (in fact, just like the iMac does it with 'blade' SSDs). Like the iMac, they don't have to put the SSD in the default configs ( so the minor change logical board change is actually hook up a SATA lane from the chipset as in the iMac ).

The only thing they 'loose' with that is server models with mirrored RAID 1 HDDs. I don't think that is a big deal. Folks who used two HDDs to go RAID 0 would be nudged to the SSD. Folks who need lots of bulk storage (more than a 2.5" drive worth) would be nudged outside (just like iMac and Mac Pro and every other Mac at this point.).

I think the fear is that Apple will go extra, super-duper cheap and not add the so-DIMM sockets ( and Ethernet and additional USB sockets ) back to the derivative logic board. That they will just mutate the Mini's enclosure to wrap around the rMBP logic board and they will be exactly the same board sold in different containers. The problem with that fear is that is precisely what Apple has not done with the mini for its entire existence. There is enough volume (and certainly profits) to justify limited resources to tweak the board to fit the different role the mini has to play from the laptop.

IMHO, it would be better if Apple kept around a thicker, 0.8-0.9" , laptop that could carry a HDD and PCIe SSD [ all the while continuing the jihad against ODD ]. Fusion drive setups in the laptop space make sense for very similar reasons they make sense in the desktop space. That would make keeping the Mini's so-DIMM and HDD capable design simpler also. Between the combination of those two, the unit volume is likely going to be around as high as any of the individual slimmed down laptop models. A revised MBP 13" and Mac mini showing up together in 2014 ( or spread a month or so apart in 2014 ) would not be surprising.
 
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