New Mac Mini at Macworld San Francisco 2009? [Archive]

MacRumors

Dec 15, 2008, 10:31 PM

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com/2008/12/15/new-mac-mini-at-macworld-san-francisco-2009/)

Wired claims (http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/12/rumor-new-mac-m.html) that Apple will be launching a new version of its Mac mini computer at Macworld Expo San Francisco in January.

Wired cites an Apple corporate employee as the source who could only confirm a release date at Macworld Expo. The Mac mini has been long overdue for updates leading many to assume that it had been abandoned by Apple. Recent reports (http://www.macrumors.com/2008/11/05/apple-acknowledges-mac-mini-update/) have indeed suggested that a Mac mini update is imminent.

The author speculates the new Mac mini will adopt many of the recent physical and environmental improvements in physical design as well as include the newly introduced mini Display Port.

Article Link: New Mac Mini at Macworld San Francisco 2009? (http://www.macrumors.com/2008/12/15/new-mac-mini-at-macworld-san-francisco-2009/)

Tallest Skil

Dec 15, 2008, 10:32 PM

No faked specs.

Therefore no sense in discussing further. :D

But yeah, we knew this.

basesloaded190

Dec 15, 2008, 10:33 PM

Wes1731

Dec 15, 2008, 10:34 PM

how many times have we heard this before? :p

Sirobin

Dec 15, 2008, 10:34 PM

I hope this rumor actually comes true...for once:p

Salavat23

Dec 15, 2008, 10:35 PM

Lets all hope!

Mac Mini with ~MacBook Specs.

alexbates

Dec 15, 2008, 10:35 PM

Great, that would be a good computer to have if it was the same price and had a better graphics card.

Any ideas of how much HD and RAM they will have?

macrumorsMaster

Dec 15, 2008, 10:35 PM

watch out Pystar.

I'm sure many who were going to go the hackintosh route, may go the new mac mini route.

DipDog3

Dec 15, 2008, 10:38 PM

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/525.18.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.1 Mobile/5F136 Safari/525.20)

So Aluminum Mac Minis?

detz

Dec 15, 2008, 10:38 PM

I hope so, I want to build my new media center out of one of these and I'm holding off to get a new one.

alexbates

Dec 15, 2008, 10:39 PM

watch out Pystar.

I'm sure many who were going to go the hackintosh route, may go the new mac mini route.

This is another reason that Apple will probably be coming out with a new Mac Mini. People would always go with the Mac, because it probably has better hardware than a Pystar.

ceiph

Dec 15, 2008, 10:39 PM

if this is true ill be highly interested, all i ask is firewire since we know we will never get esata and well thats really all there is to ask for, also dont only give me display port, i need dvi

Tallest Skil

Dec 15, 2008, 10:39 PM

So Aluminum Mac Minis?

As opposed to the material out of which they are currently made...

The top will change to black glass.

pismodude2

Dec 15, 2008, 10:40 PM

It's about time! :mad:

DavidCar

Dec 15, 2008, 10:40 PM

So would a new mini with displayport plus the new cinema display = iMac?

mr.steevo

Dec 15, 2008, 10:40 PM

Hi,

I'd like a 3.5" hdd in it this time.

Keep the FireWire port.

And no putty knives, please.

s.

DMann

Dec 15, 2008, 10:40 PM

One can always hope. In this economy, this would likely do better than before, especially with better specs. A combined Mini-Apple TV would be very cool.

serpico

Dec 15, 2008, 10:41 PM

I'll believe it when I see it.

SFStateStudent

Dec 15, 2008, 10:44 PM

alexbates

Dec 15, 2008, 10:44 PM

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/525.18.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.1 Mobile/5F136 Safari/525.20)

So Aluminum Mac Minis?

It sounds like it, and probably also thinner than the 1st Generation.

alexbates

Dec 15, 2008, 10:49 PM

Maybe an increase in speed (at least 2.5), RAM (4GB), and HD (320GB) would be nice for starters. Price similar to current mini's, keep the firewire, wireless keyboard, wireless mouse, (Standard!!!), mini-DVI port, and do we really need four USB ports?

I don't think so...You are not going to get 320GB HD and 4GB of RAM for the same price. The current Mac Pro has 320GB of HD and only 2GB of RAM and it costs $2799 compared to the $599 Mac Mini. Also, compare the sizes of the Mac Pro and the Mac Mini...

SwiftLives

Dec 15, 2008, 10:49 PM

Aluminum enclosure. Mini DisplayPort.

As for the guts, think AppleTV + Mac Mini

Perhaps an AppleTV with DVR capabilities?

Starts at $499

detz

Dec 15, 2008, 10:52 PM

This and the new 17" and I'm a happy guy.

younker

Dec 15, 2008, 10:52 PM

About 20 days to wait,

I hope it will have FW and HDMI, also a 3.5" HD with capacity more than 320G

I will use it as my HTPC.

alexbates

Dec 15, 2008, 10:54 PM

Aluminum enclosure. Mini DisplayPort.

As for the guts, think AppleTV + Mac Mini

Perhaps an AppleTV with DVR capabilities?

Starts at $499

Good idea, what we need to see is Apple also incorporate the App Store with the Apple TV.

***moviemaker**

Dec 15, 2008, 10:55 PM

Do you think they would add an HDMI connection similar to the Apple TV or perhaps combine the two.

Maybe wishful thinking...

iAlan

Dec 15, 2008, 10:58 PM

I'd like to see Apple release a 'headless iMac'. Basically, bridge the gap for those who don't want an all-in-one, those who don't want the power of a MacPro and don't want the limitations of the current mini. It could be a mini on steroids with the ability to customize a little more than is currently available, or the mini can stay as is with a 'mini-tower' to add to the line.

I know Apple doesn't like to muddy the waters with too many hardware options, but I do think the market has the space, and need, for a better non-iMac consumer option other than just the mini. I love the iMac but think Apple needs to liven things up a bit.

luv the idea of DVR capability as mentioned above

alexbates

Dec 15, 2008, 11:02 PM

Beric

Dec 15, 2008, 11:02 PM

Any Mac Mini is still going to be crazy expensive compared to a PC desktop. I'd like to see the specs, but I'll prepare to be disappointed.

EDIT: How about this combination:

---$599---
-2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
-2GB memory
-120GB Hard Drive or 32GB SSD(extra)
-SuperDrive

---$799---
-2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
-2GB memory
-160GB Hard Drive or 32GB SSD(extra)
-SuperDrive

Does this sound reasonable?

If those aren't high prices, I don't know what high prices are. Try cutting your prices in half. Then they'll be a bit more reasonable.

Luke1robb

Dec 15, 2008, 11:08 PM

And so the Macworld rumor mill begins..... nice to see it back up and running.

adderz

Dec 15, 2008, 11:08 PM

genereyes

Dec 15, 2008, 11:09 PM

I highly doubt SSDs will come to the Mac mini (or any Mac desktop) for the next few years. One of the main selling points for SSDs is no moving parts... Which helps tremendously for notebooks but is not as huge a factor with desktops. SSDs will take over, but much faster on the mobile side than with the desktop side.

CristobalHuet

Dec 15, 2008, 11:09 PM

How about this combination:

---$599---
-2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
-2GB memory
-120GB Hard Drive or 32GB SSD(extra)
-SuperDrive

---$799---
-2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
-2GB memory
-160GB Hard Drive or 32GB SSD(extra)
-SuperDrive

Does this sound reasonable?

NO, lol, not reasonable at all.

Heck for that price, you're betting off forking the extra $100 or so and getting the last gen MacBook. :p

AidenShaw

Dec 15, 2008, 11:11 PM

Any Mac Mini is still going to be crazy expensive compared to a PC desktop.

The new Apple mini will be a small mini-tower. Some user-upgradability - but still very restricted compared to the maxi-tower.

One could even hope that it will come in a "smaller" and "larger" model. Same motherboard, but the "larger" model would have space to add a second optical/hard drive and larger PCIe x16 graphics card.

Base model should have GMA or Nvidia motherboard graphics - but with on open PCIe x16 half height slot for a real graphics upgrade.

motulist

Dec 15, 2008, 11:12 PM

gkarris

Dec 15, 2008, 11:13 PM

From Wired:

Similar to the MacBooks, the Mac Mini will sport a silver enclosure composed of a block of aluminum.
Some internal parts will be PVC-free, and combined with its size and low power requirements, Apple will tout this as the "greenest Mac ever."
For video output, the Mac Mini will use the DRM-crippled DisplayPort for connectivity, which Apple is offering to manufacturers for a no-fee license.
It'll have a CD-DVD slot loader (i.e. Super Drive). There will be no Blu-ray player, because Steve Jobs believes the format is a "bag of hurt."
It'll ship with 2 GB of RAM, expandable to 4 GB — up from the current 1 GB, expandable to 2 GB. (The aluminum case should make expanding RAM easier than in the original Mini.)
It'll ship with at least a 160-GB hard drive.
The Mac Mini will come in two options with different processor speeds: a 2.0-GHz Core 2 Duo and a 2.3-GHz Core 2 Duo (up from 1.83 GHz and 2.0 GHz).
Like the higher-end MacBook and MacBook Pro, the 2.3-GHz Mac Mini will ship with an Nvidia video card, making this higher-end model a decent gaming device.
The 2.0G-Hz Mac Mini will ship with an Intel video card, perhaps the GMA X3100 graphics card found in the low-end, white MacBook.
The slower model will cost $500, and the faster model will cost $700 ($100 less than the current Mac Minis), in light of the recession.

Hmm, I thought that Steve Jobs mentioned at the last presentation that Apple "doesn't know how to build a $500 computer" - did they figure it out?

$599 for the base 1/120 model (more along the lines of the basic White MacBook)

CristobalHuet

Dec 15, 2008, 11:15 PM

In bold

The Mac Mini is in a difficult position.

If it upgrades its internals anymore it will encroach on iMac sales..

Plus of course they dont want people using IT as a HTPC, when they should be buying an Apple tv.

I think it will:

Same 1.83 and 2ghz processors No 1.83, I see the baseline coming at 2, maybe they'll offer one flavour at 2.1 or 2.2 GHz?
Same 1gb ram 1GB sounds reasonable, 2GB for the upper-end.
Slightly upgraded hard drives (base imacs is 250gb so...) I think 160GB for hte baseline and 200GB for the upper level is doable
Nvidia integrated graphics - ATI could and has a better chance.
100% aluminum enclosure - That could be a possibility, and with the MacBook's going aluminum, I don't see why Apple would discontinue its trend.
Displayport No doubt at all, they'll make you buy that DisplayPort-to-VGA adaptor that costs $60 or so too. :p

I'd put the baseline at $499, the upper level at $699, Apple-price wise that may be too generous.

lostngone

Dec 15, 2008, 11:15 PM

Come on Apple when are you going to update the MacBook and MacBook Pro.

Geezzz!!!

queshy

Dec 15, 2008, 11:17 PM

No new hardware at mwsf is my prediction...it will be all about snow leopard and iPhone stuff.

gkarris

Dec 15, 2008, 11:20 PM

In bold

Yea, I forgot - $499 is feasible then if you are talking 1Gig RAM, an x3100, and only a 120 Gig HD like the White MacBook, but then have to plop down another $50 or so for a Displayport to VGA (or HDMI, or DVI) adapter, and of course, no remote (another $20).

kettle

Dec 15, 2008, 11:22 PM

So would a new mini with displayport plus the new cinema display = iMac?

yeah, and the whole point is you bring your own keyboard and monitor.

alexbates

Dec 15, 2008, 11:23 PM

...I'd put the baseline at $499, the upper level at $699, Apple-price wise that may be too generous.

I think that $499 is the lowest that Apple could go with this. If you buy the Leopard disk, it costs $129. If you subtract that from $499, you end up with something close to the price of an iPod Classic. Which one would you want: a Mac mini or an iPod Classic? Most people would choose the Mac mini if they were the same price, and Apple knows that. I think it would have to be a base price of $599, or Apple would sell way to many compared to other products.

iansilv

Dec 15, 2008, 11:23 PM

Im glad it will adopt the new manufacturing aspects of the macbook pros. Because that is what apple needs to do- beef up the way a small extremely cheap computer is made for when it sits on a desk for all its life. I mean- much better idea than copy and paste, consolidated email inbox and flash on the iphone- much better.

California

Dec 15, 2008, 11:26 PM

No firewire, aluminum, 2.0 and 2.1 with upgraded graphics card and display port is also my bet.

alexbates

Dec 15, 2008, 11:27 PM

Come on Apple when are you going to update the MacBook and MacBook Pro.

Geezzz!!!

I think that Apple will get rid of the old polycarbonate MacBook and the 17-in MacBook Pro at Macworld. The MacBook should be replaced with a cheaper netbook (probably not aluminum, around $799). The MacBook Pro should be replaced with a new 17-in (similar to the 15-in but with a 2.6GHz processor).

dolbinau

Dec 15, 2008, 11:31 PM

yeah, and the whole point is you bring your own keyboard and monitor.

How will that work with DisplayPort? Will Apple include converters?

Maxington

Dec 15, 2008, 11:34 PM

Ah about time eh.

Maven1975

Dec 15, 2008, 11:37 PM

MacBook08

Dec 15, 2008, 11:41 PM

gusapple

Dec 15, 2008, 11:45 PM

I dunno, I've had my iMac since they came out with new Minis in August 2007. They've since updated the iMac twice. It's time for Apple to put it on the line. Kill the Mini or come up with a killer new way for it to work out. If it turns out to just look like the :apple:TV, then it will be a waste. It needs something bigger like a 300 dollar price tag or a new display (17" anybody?) to come with it.

bytethese

Dec 15, 2008, 11:47 PM

I hope so, I want to build my new media center out of one of these and I'm holding off to get a new one.

Same here! I'd love if I could do some sort of DVR on it tho. I've LOVE to record shows and watch on my iPhone. :)

Aluminum enclosure. Mini DisplayPort.

As for the guts, think AppleTV + Mac Mini

Perhaps an AppleTV with DVR capabilities?

Starts at $499

Stop it. Stop it now. I think I just pitched a tent. That's EXACTLY what I am hoping for. :)

rick3000

Dec 15, 2008, 11:51 PM

I don't think they will drop FW, especially after the uproar over the MacBook. The Mini has space for FW, the new MB didn't which I why (I think) it was removed. But I do hope they do a midrange Tower, or something.

chadder007

Dec 15, 2008, 11:52 PM

One can always hope. In this economy, this would likely do better than before, especially with better specs. A combined Mini-Apple TV would be very cool.

That would be awesome to be an all inclusive like that with HDMI output and maybe even blu-ray option but I doubt that one.

Wiggin

Dec 15, 2008, 11:52 PM

The Mac Mini is in a difficult position.

Plus of course they dont want people using IT as a HTPC, when they should be buying an Apple tv.

Why wouldn't they want people using it as a HTPC? I'm sure Apple makes a greater profit from the sale of a mini than they do for an AppleTV. And with the addition of DisplayPort they could then enable sale and renting of HD movies from the mini (since it would then have the needed DRM for the studios to agree to it...that's why you can only rent HD movies via AppleTV, it has the DRM on it's HDMI port).

So add DisplayPort, sell a higher profit margin piece of hardware, and still have the iTunes Store revenue stream.

I also find it add the people think it will be milled from a solid block of aluminum like the new MBs. That new manufacturing process caused a price increase in MBs and lowered Apple's margins. And milling a chunk as deep as the mini (vs the MBs 1-inch thickness) would be even more difficult. Why on earth would such construction be needed for a computer that is going to just sit there on your desk?

FrenchKheldar

Dec 15, 2008, 11:54 PM

Hooray ! Let the rumor flood gates open for the Mac Mini.

I just want the new MacBook specs for a decent ($700?) price to trade my white iMac and replace it with the much more easily transportable Mac Mini !

I don't think we'll see a $499 price point, and definitely no SSD. Could see some higher end processors if the iMac moves towards quad cores, but I'm not sure the correct core i7 are ready yet for this...

As far as cannibalizing the iMac sales, I think Apple's market is now large enough that these 2 machines do not overlap as much as they would couple of years if they had similar specs... Some of the new Apple customers will never abandon the convenience of the all-in-one, where the Mini can be a great secondary machine with creative use for the more enthusiast crowd.

mdntcallr

Dec 16, 2008, 12:06 AM

One can always hope. In this economy, this would likely do better than before, especially with better specs. A combined Mini-Apple TV would be very cool.

yeah, so would a version with a BD-Rom reading superdrive. :-)

AidenShaw

Dec 16, 2008, 12:19 AM

DisplayPort is a given.

Standard DisplayPort?

Or Apple's proprietary Mini-DisplayPort and Apple's $30 to $100 Mini-DisplayPort to whatever dongles?

dolbinau

Dec 16, 2008, 12:22 AM

Standard DisplayPort?

Or Apple's proprietary Mini-DisplayPort and Apple's $30 to $100 Mini-DisplayPort to whatever dongles?

It will be Mini DisplayPort.

BTW

Dec 16, 2008, 12:24 AM

I like Wired's specs for the update Mac Mini. I'd buy one.

One thing that would make it a more interesting deal would be the incorporation of the glass trackpad on top of the Mac Mini. Bizarre, I know! :eek: It would be like a half-laptop and you wouldn't need a mouse as apart of the low-budget deal.

Of course you would need a preference to completely turn off the trackpad if you stack Mac Minis or place it in your entertainment unit with other devices.

MagnusVonMagnum

Dec 16, 2008, 12:46 AM

The author speculates the new Mac mini will adopt many of the recent physical and environmental improvements in physical design as well as include the newly introduced mini Display Port.

Hooray for $99 cables. I mean seriously, how am I supposed to get a 25 foot mini Display Port to DVI (or HDMI) adapter cable so I can hook this up to my projector based home theater??? So the Mac-Mini will finally have decent graphics, but there will be no simple way to connect it to my home theater system due to Apple using propriety connectors. Maybe if you took the $99 cable and then used a DVI to DVI adapter which then connected to a 25 foot DVI cable it would work?

Bubba Satori

Dec 16, 2008, 12:50 AM

How about this combination:

---$599---
-2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
-2GB memory
-120GB Hard Drive or 32GB SSD(extra)
-SuperDrive

---$799---
-2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
-2GB memory
-160GB Hard Drive or 32GB SSD(extra)
-SuperDrive

Does this sound reasonable?

For a mac, yes.

But, to put it into context, my last sale today was a Gateway tower. Quad core processor, 6GB memory, 640GB HD and a 512MB Nvidia 9600. For the price of the base mini, $599. Yes, I know it doesn't run OS X. The base mini should be $400, not $600.

twoodcc

Dec 16, 2008, 01:10 AM

alright! finally we're hearing something about macworld! i hope this is true and that the mini is not dead. let's hope it'll hold over 4 GB of RAM also

zombitronic

Dec 16, 2008, 01:13 AM

A combined Mini-Apple TV would be very cool.

Perhaps an AppleTV with DVR capabilities?

I hope so, I want to build my new media center out of one of these and I'm holding off to get a new one.

If this comes to be true, the only question that remains for me is, will I be buying one of these new Minis or will I be buying one of these new Minis and some elgato products to go along with it. I'm hoping Apple finally gives us the Safari capable Apple TV DVR (http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/03/13/apple_tv_dvr_interface_revealed_in_patent_filings.html).

Erasmus

Dec 16, 2008, 01:20 AM

Hopefully now Apple have beefed their notebook line pretty well lately, they can finally start getting around to the poor, neglected desktops. The Mac Pro hasn't been touched in over a year! Mac Mini for two! Even the iMac is very old. So let's hope for some new Mac Pros!

I never had much interest in a Mac Mini. I kind of don't understand them. The only reason why I can see people buying them is to Xgrid dozens together for a DIY supercomputer. I don't see many people with great computer screens, who yet want the cheapest computer they can get. And so the reason you don't want an iMac is because... it's a little more expensive? It's considerably better, and you don't need to have/buy a screen!

4np

Dec 16, 2008, 01:26 AM

I hope they do include audio over displayport / hdmi so you can use it as a proper media center....

infernohellion

Dec 16, 2008, 01:28 AM

*disappointed*

Till today, no news about the 17" MBP

hiptobesquare

Dec 16, 2008, 01:28 AM

I have been wanting something like this for some time...

Let's see if Apple can push the envelope, or fall short.

It should be versatile, that being the key word.

Versatile enough to be a HTPC. AppleTV is an appliance, not a source, and thus, doesn't cut it.

Versatile enough to be a micro-server, headless, stable, and reliable, and not power hungry and intrusive.

Versatile enough to be a competent desktop computer, and run dual monitors side by side.

How is it so hard to offer Core 2 Duo and Quad processors, DDR3 RAM, a full size 3.5" hard drive, or 2x 2.5" hard drives in the same footprint, optional BluRay optical drive, and nVidia video processing, perhaps with a laptop-style expandable video card, or even a modest size expansion slot for video. On a stationary machine, why not have USB, FireWire, and maybe even eSata. USB2 does not cut it as well as FW, or eSata for large file volume file transfers, and extensive backups.

If they go with MiniDP video, it should come with an adapter to DVI, minimum, included in the package, if not also to HDMI, or some sort of analog video output, like S-video, or something, or some sort of compact VGA port, for use with legacy video equipment.

Desktops can afford to be more versatile, and have capacity for more configurability, and adaptibility, and even slight upgradeability. Value is becoming ABSOLUTELY more important. Selling a computer today needs to be viable for LOTS of uses by different consumers, for a long time. I know they want to go with planned obsoleteness, and sell computers again sooner. But that isn't going to fly in this economic condition. Products have to be great, not just good, to justify expenditure.

Apple is well capable of creating great products, but if it is luke-warm, like the new MacBooks, with some drawbacks to overlook, it will be harder to sell, that includes missing the proper price point, and significant profit-taking is not exactly a value position in a tight economy. More features for less money, and people will be thinking that they are getting something for their dwindling dollars spent.

Alan-in-NC

Dec 16, 2008, 01:44 AM

Here's my question, if they use a mini-DP, and you don't use a DP monitor, but instead a regular LCD with an adapter, will you not be able to watch HD movies from iTunes?

Isn't that part of the DRM issue associated with DP? I know earlier it was tested and found it wouldn't work with a "non-approved" display attached to a MacBook (Apple issued a patch to allow SD content to display on a non-DP monitor). But, what happens with its HD content? Isn't part of the lure of the Mini to be able to use (bring) your own keyboard / mouse / monitor? If it's not DP, will users be facing potential, future DRM restrictions with a regular monitor? Or am I missing something?

It will be Mini DisplayPort.

zombitronic

Dec 16, 2008, 01:46 AM

I never had much interest in a Mac Mini. I kind of don't understand them. The only reason why I can see people buying them is to Xgrid dozens together for a DIY supercomputer. I don't see many people with great computer screens, who yet want the cheapest computer they can get. And so the reason you don't want an iMac is because... it's a little more expensive? It's considerably better, and you don't need to have/buy a screen!

Aside from being a modestly priced "intro" Mac, the Mac Mini is popular with hobbyists who try to cram it everywhere (http://team.gobanzai.com/) and (http://www.123macmini.com/gallery/) in (http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/6-gadgets-for-the-star-wars-geek) everything (http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/top-5-strangest-mac-mini-modsprojects) they can find. Also, probably because of it's size and price, it has gained some popularity in the living room as a media center in place of an Apple TV. There are also 3rd party DVR software and hardware (http://www.elgato.com/elgato/na/mainmenu/products.en.html) options.

Plus, many businesses upgrade old computers with these. They may already have a ton of monitors. Especially if you're buying a lot, then yes, the difference between dozens of Mac Minis and dozens of iMacs might be something a company needs to consider.

leehericks

Dec 16, 2008, 01:46 AM

I think it's obvious that the Mac Mini has been saved for MWSF09.

DisplayPort is a given.
I think some kind of case change is a given if it's a new product headliner, especially given the old white plastic on top. The look is outdated.

9400M would be really nice for the Mac Mini. The 9400M has processing cores, meaning better performance with Snow Leopard. Additionally, the combined chipset/graphics takes little space.

As for Firewire, I could see Apple keeping it for a couple reasons. On the MacBook, with the new internals, there wasn't really space for it. However, firewire isn't going to disappear off desktops, especially ones like the mini. The mini is used in server farms and probably deployed in some businesses. It's much easier to swap out a defective mini than an iMac. So target disk mode is important for those IT people.

TheMadMilkman

Dec 16, 2008, 01:49 AM

Hmm, I thought that Steve Jobs mentioned at the last presentation that Apple "doesn't know how to build a $500 computer" - did they figure it out?

Can we drop this please? It's clear to anyone with more than half a brick for a brain that he meant Apple won't build a $500 laptop. Give it a rest.

cleric

Dec 16, 2008, 01:52 AM

I pray to the Apple gods to bless me with a core i7 mini but I know they will just put the macbook in a new box :-(

robanga

Dec 16, 2008, 02:09 AM

I hope it is as this rumor says, I am going to buy the higher end model for a media center.

spacecadet610

Dec 16, 2008, 02:11 AM

i'd definitely buy one. no way its an i7 though. i love my mac mini!

talkingfuture

Dec 16, 2008, 03:05 AM

I'm looking forward to seeing if this is true. There does look to be a lot of obvious guess work in the wired article to me though.

illegallydead

Dec 16, 2008, 03:10 AM

I don't think so...You are not going to get 320GB HD and 4GB of RAM for the same price. The current Mac Pro has 320GB of HD and only 2GB of RAM and it costs $2799 compared to the $599 Mac Mini. Also, compare the sizes of the Mac Pro and the Mac Mini...

That's comparing apples and oranges. There is a very good reason the Pro is so bloody expensive, and the difference is not just HDD and RAM.

The Mini uses laptop components, including a 2.5" HDD (vs. 3.5" in the Pro), a Core 2 Duo laptop model (vs. the Pro's Server-class Xeons), the Mini uses a tiny MoBo, the Pro uses one that can take 2 physical CPU's and up to 8 sticks of RAM.... need I go on? The price difference is there for a reason (part of it is because they are apple and they know that they just CAN charge that much, part of it is the fact that it's specs blow the Mini out of the water.)

angemon89

Dec 16, 2008, 03:13 AM

So..... case redesign?

Eric S.

Dec 16, 2008, 03:16 AM

The new Apple mini will be a small mini-tower. Some user-upgradability - but still very restricted compared to the maxi-tower.

That would be nice, but I don't hold out much hope that Jobs will ever favor expandability and customer choice in any Apple computer.

The current mini's specs are so down-rev now that Apple either has to upgrade it or kill it. Even though it's no midrange tower, Apple's lineup would have a big hole without it so I hope we do see a revised mini.

Eminemdrdre00

Dec 16, 2008, 03:18 AM

Can we drop this please? It's clear to anyone with more than half a brick for a brain that he meant Apple won't build a $500 laptop. Give it a rest.

:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

knightlie

Dec 16, 2008, 03:21 AM

Maybe an increase in speed (at least 2.5GHz), RAM (4GB), and HD (320GB) would be nice for starters. Price similar to current mini's, keep the firewire, wireless keyboard, wireless mouse, (Standard!!!), mini-DVI port, and do we really need four USB ports?

Yes yes yes, I agree, let's have a well-specced top-of-the-range Mini. I'll be in the market for a replacement for my Core Duo iMac soon, and I'm seriously considering a Hackintosh as I'm not impressed with the new iMacs. A Mini with those specs will be more future-proof for me than my iMac was.

The only issue for me is the mini display port, as I want to use my existing 22" monitor.

fiatlux

Dec 16, 2008, 03:23 AM

It will be Mini DisplayPort.

That is unfortunately going against the current "bring your own keyboard/monitor/mouse" approach, unless they put a DVI or VGA adapter in the box. Not a lot of people with a (mini) DisplayPort monitor yet.

sine-nomine

Dec 16, 2008, 03:26 AM

My bet on specs:
Pentium II
10GB hard disk
128MB of RAM
1 USB 1.1 port
1 VGA out
all for the low price of $899

In all seriousness, I bet the biggest upgrade will be the price. I bet the guts will be a slightly downgraded version of the current white MacBook. Basically:
1.83 or 2GHz Core 2
x3100 graphics
1GB RAM standard
120GB hard disk
no FireWire, but no extra USB ports, either
Display Port if Santa Rosa even supports it

And I bet they either kill the base model and jack the price up on the up-level model another $100, or they keep the base model, still with the ComboDrive so no one will want it, and raise the price of both models by $100 - so a very modest performance gain possibly accompanied by a disproportionate price increase. I guess what I'm getting at is that we will not see the Mini become a good buy for what you actually get. I feel like no one at Apple has yet had the idea to actually make the poor Mini worth buying, which is a shame since it could be a sweet little machine.

MacFly123

Dec 16, 2008, 03:31 AM

Here you have it:

- Aluminum & Black design slightly shorter but wider like the Apple TV.
- Mini DisplayPort (obviously).
- MagSafe power adaptor that will be wonderful with the new LED Cinema Displays.
- New Core2s
- Hopefully they keep the one FireWire! But its possible it will be left out :confused:
- Optional second hard drive in place of SuperDrive as well as optional SSDs.
- 2 GB RAM, support for up to 4.
- NVIDIA GeForce 9400M.
- Maybe a new keyboard same as current, but black keys. (like below but without my multi-touch trackpad built in ;))

And for crying out loud Apple get rid of the forsaken ComboDrive in the name of all that's holy!

Jowl

Dec 16, 2008, 03:47 AM

Dear Steve,

Quad core Mini
Graphics Chipset capable of 1080p
Blu-ray (I'll accept reader only)
No putty knife to upgrade the HDD/RAM

and I will buy at £500 inc VAT

*carries on dreaming*

yoppie

Dec 16, 2008, 04:04 AM

I hope this rumor proves true.

Kar98

Dec 16, 2008, 04:09 AM

Can we drop this please? It's clear to anyone with more than half a brick for a brain that he meant Apple won't build a $500 laptop. Give it a rest.

Oh really? What's your reasoning on THAT?

Lesser Evets

Dec 16, 2008, 04:18 AM

They really need that 3.5" HD in there.

Aside from that it just needs upgrades on processors.
If they need to make it a little bigger, that's fine.

talkingfuture

Dec 16, 2008, 04:28 AM

Barabas

Dec 16, 2008, 04:29 AM

About 20 days to wait,

I hope it will have FW and HDMI, also a 3.5" HD with capacity more than 320G

I will use it as my HTPC.

[x] All of the above.

SFStateStudent

Dec 16, 2008, 04:44 AM

without my multi-touch trackpad built in ;))
And for crying out loud Apple get rid of the forsaken ComboDrive in the name of all that's holy!

+2 on that keyboard. Looks pretty sharp...:)

MrCrowbar

Dec 16, 2008, 04:57 AM

I'd love them to make a keyboard like that.

Agreed. The mighty mouse is kind of a failed design in my eyes. If it touches its cable or the flat Apple keyboard, you can't click it, lifting the left finger to right-click is unergonomic. The scroll ball is nice, but there's no way to clean that thing really. But worst of all, the tracking sensor is utter crap. I also don't like the way Macs handle cursor movement, the acceleration curve is just too steep.

The trackpads on the other hand are excellent. I use my Macbook's trackpad much more often than I use my mouse (Logitech G5). So a large glass trackpad would be pretty neat.

motulist

Dec 16, 2008, 05:03 AM

http://att.macrumors.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=148614&d=1229416302

Apple HATES asymmetry. So it looks cool, but I doubt it'll happen.

Scroll left and right here and you'll see what I mean.

http://www.apple.com/mac/

EDIT: Heck, look at the website design itself. Even the webpage layout looks like you can fold it in half and have the sides match up!

Pigumon

Dec 16, 2008, 05:18 AM

This needs to be able to play true 1080P with a minimum of 30fps.

HDMI needs to happen too.

I finally gave to another company because Apple TV and the current Mac Mini can't do 1080P or HDMI, bought an HDX-1000 for $200.

HDMI, Component, 1080P, networked, view youtube and other itv without onscreen garbage (just the video itself), 3.5" SATA drive bay (I've got a TB running right now), built-in torrent, upscales all content to 1080P, much more.

Apple, you made me look elsewhere for something you should have had by now.

I hope I just wasted my money, no really, give me an Apple HTPC!!

winterspan

Dec 16, 2008, 05:47 AM

Hopefully now Apple have beefed their notebook line pretty well lately, they can finally start getting around to the poor, neglected desktops. The Mac Pro hasn't been touched in over a year

Check out the Mac Pro's (and iMac) graphics card choices.. They literally still have ATI Radeon 2600s as standard card on there still... That is TWO GENERATIONS old. Pathetic!

I pray to the Apple gods to bless me with a core i7 mini but I know they will just put the macbook in a new box :-(

*SNIP* Could see some higher end processors if the iMac moves towards quad cores, but I'm not sure the correct core i7 are ready yet for this...

No chance of an Intel i7/Nehalem. The only Nehalem chips out right now are the high-end (high power) desktop "Bloomfield" chips with Quickpath that use the X58 chipset. The cost of the cheapest i7 and motherboard together would probably be close to $500 alone! The mini will most likely continue to use mobile chips for their low power dissipation, and quad-core laptop codenamed "Clarksfield" i7 chips won't be out until Q3 2009. And the only dual-core Nehalem chips, both mobile and desktop, are the ones with graphics cores integrated onto the CPU package and both have been delayed until early 2010.

Here's my question, if they use a mini-DP, and you don't use a DP monitor, but instead a regular LCD with an adapter, will you not be able to watch HD movies from iTunes? Isn't that part of the DRM issue associated with DP? ....

I'm not sure how it will work with Apple, but the laptops with mini-DP can output a DVI signal with an adaptor cable, and I believe some 3rd party manufacturers are making miniDP->HDMI converters as well. Now, both the HDMI and the DVI spec can support the HDCP DRM, and many DVI-only monitors also support HDCP. So it is theoretically possible, It really depends on Apple's implementation.

This needs to be able to play true 1080P with a minimum of 30fps. HDMI needs to happen too *SNIP*

Agreed. Even if they don't roll out iTMS content right away (or BluRay for that matter) they need to make the AppleTV (and all the Macs) capable of 1080P H264 decoding and output.

Trip.Tucker

Dec 16, 2008, 05:55 AM

The new Apple mini will be a small mini-tower. Some user-upgradability - but still very restricted compared to the maxi-tower.

One could even hope that it will come in a "smaller" and "larger" model. Same motherboard, but the "larger" model would have space to add a second optical/hard drive and larger PCIe x16 graphics card.

Base model should have GMA or Nvidia motherboard graphics - but with on open PCIe x16 half height slot for a real graphics upgrade.

Here we go :rollseyes:

LeviG

Dec 16, 2008, 06:20 AM

Well if the price is right (this is important) then it makes sense to produce a new mac mini, it's about time :rolleyes:

But from a personal perspective, it better have a way to connect up to a hdmi socket on a tv, I don't mind if its a dvi to hdmi adapter but if they stick just a display port on it, it will lose a huge market (htpc) which I would put money on it being used for as theres no (current) adapters.

Winterspan - there are core2 quad core mobile cpu's out now (or very soon), you can already order/get them in laptops from the likes of dell and hp - they're literally a cpu drop in as long as the cooling is good enough so they're ideal for the likes of the imac and mac mini (not likely anytime soon in my opinion).

Tallest Skil

Dec 16, 2008, 06:25 AM

I pray to the Apple gods to bless me with a core i7 mini but I know they will just put the macbook in a new box :-(

Pretty much, yeah.

i'd definitely buy one. no way its an i7 though. i love my mac mini!

Props for correct thinking.

Could see some higher end processors if the iMac moves towards quad cores, but I'm not sure the correct core i7 are ready yet for this...

Not until Q4 2009 for either the iMac or Mac Mini.

Porco

Dec 16, 2008, 06:41 AM

bezerk3r86

Dec 16, 2008, 06:43 AM

Everyone, keep in mind that there are many possibilities for the 'rumored' MacMini update::confused:

1) Apple is a premium seller so it's no reason to see them charge $599 for a base model. They are a hardware company at heart, and they do take pride in their work while giving people the service they expect for their money. The MacBook started off at $1099 before Apple decided to lower it to $999 for the polycarbonate model.
2) Because Apple has now chosen to go with NVIDIA for the chipset and display GPU, they have given MacBook onwers more bang for their money (5x gaming performance and improved rendering when using Cover Flow and using Final Cut Express. I bet people can now run the Adobe Production Suite or Final Cut Studio without any problems). Recall that in the video about the unibody MacBook, the engineer claimed that NVIDIA approached them about putting the 9400M in the desktop but they were interested in putting it into a laptop. they just might make their way to the minis.
3) With OpenCL specs already finalized and AMD/ATI announcing support for them + NVIDIA claims that the 9400M is fully compatible with it, it'll be nice to see who provides the display GPU for the MacMini.
4) Computing power has gotten faster and efficient while also becoming cheaper. It would be no surprise to see a 2.2Ghz Core 2 Duo as a minimum. In addition, the MacBook range now uses DD3 RAM, so they might make their way to the iMacs and minis. It's their chance to push it out to the market for acceptance since it takes less power to run it.
5) For the GPU, they could do some compromises by having a sizeable chunk as dedicated VRAM and the rest being shared from physical memory . For the 9400M, a dedicated 128MB and the remaining shared from memory would give it the 256MB, but there might even be a bid from AMD to replace it with their Radeon chipset. This will give owners more value.
6) Regarding ports and expansion, the minis feature 4 USB 2.0 ports so I guess they would want to keep it that way. Also, a miniDisplay port bundled with a adapter will help gain acceptance from the consumer. FW400 may not be eliminated as it's a standard on their desktop range. Gigabit Ethernet is a given, along with Airport wireless+Bluetooth2.1.
7) An entire aluminum enclosure that would be easily opened for future expandability can be a possibility. Not only lighter but also much sleeker in its visual aesthetics. Combine it with less power intensive componenets that also have less heat dissipation, and you're looking at a possible new HTPC. They might even be able to make it slightly thinner and smaller.

Overall, there are som many things to speculate about the mini but Apple hasn't forgotten how the mini helped push the Mac into households.:apple:
:)

Compile 'em all

Dec 16, 2008, 06:58 AM

No faked specs.

Therefore no sense in discussing further. :D

But yeah, we knew this.

No one knew anything.

Tallest Skil

Dec 16, 2008, 07:08 AM

No one knew anything.

A few weeks ago, someone said that they had contacted Apple and a spokesperson had told them that they hadn't forgotten the Mini and that an update was imminent.

There wasn't any more than that, so you wouldn't really think that it's good enough evidence, but for some reason, perhaps because there hasn't been an update in over 400 days, perhaps because Apple already said the current lineup was the holiday lineup and therefore they're just clearing out old stock, I believed that.

So yeah.

I mean, seriously. If they wanted to kill it, they wouldn't wait for an event. They'd just take it off the store quietly like they did with every other product they discontinued minus the iPod mini.

VoR

Dec 16, 2008, 07:09 AM

I'm guessing it'll be another nearly-mac, with some things improved and some thing gimped.

I'd be very surprised if it isn't just the aluminium MacBook in box minus the screen and keyboard/trackpad, just like the current mini is basically an old MacBook in a box minus the screen and keyboard/trackpad.

I'm hoping it's basically this, a macbook in the mini case.

I'm not fussed about expansion cards, firewire, dp (assuming they include a hdmi/dvi adapter and digital sound) and the optical drive - but more than anything, I'd like it to be a sensible price - Not exactly apple's expertise.

I think being able to vesa mount it the back of a screen would be quite a nifty idea but I can't see that happening. A 3.5" disk with some airflow would be a big improvement in my opinion.

The current lower priced mini should be the upper price bracket. I could justify recommending them to anyone buying a computer, buy one for every tv in my house and I'm sure the osx market share on the home desktop would drastically change overnight.

organerito

Dec 16, 2008, 07:17 AM

For a mac, yes.

But, to put it into context, my last sale today was a Gateway tower. Quad core processor, 6GB memory, 640GB HD and a 512MB Nvidia 9600. For the price of the base mini, $599. Yes, I know it doesn't run OS X. The base mini should be $400, not $600.

I am curious about a mac, but I'll never pay the same amount of money for something with half the features and power.

joemama

Dec 16, 2008, 07:22 AM

How about this combination:

---$599---
-2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
-2GB memory
-120GB Hard Drive or 32GB SSD(extra)
-SuperDrive

Does this sound reasonable?

How about NO drives? Just like the AirBook, IF you need a drive, you can buy the ad-on one, or perhaps stream from another computer.

When Apple waits so long between updates, it's generally because of a redesign. My guess is smaller size, different build materials, better specs, AND the Apple TV incorporated on the higher model.

--- $399 ---
-2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
-1GB memory
-120GB Hard Drive or 32GB SSD(extra)

--- $599 ---
-2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
-2GB memory
-200GB Hard Drive
-Firewire
-AppleTV w/HDMI out

We can dream, right?

MrZebra

Dec 16, 2008, 07:49 AM

I'm happy with my current Mini but aside from FW elimination, any change will be welcomed (especially if you consider that it's been so long since the last upgrade that anything would be an improvment), but I for one would like to see desktop parts in apple desktop line; that's my only wish.

fithian

Dec 16, 2008, 07:59 AM

No firewire. (but really need it)
2.0 and 2.4 GHz
2.5 drives up to 500 GB
2GB Memory upgradeable to 6GB (third party)
Easy to open case.
Same graphics and proc as new MacBook w/displayport
BT, GigE, Superdrive, optical audio, and wireless-N
Price $599 & up; Educ price $549
Fully loaded about $1200.

theamazingkazoo

Dec 16, 2008, 08:04 AM

Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay!

Tallest Skil

Dec 16, 2008, 08:07 AM

cmegens

Dec 16, 2008, 08:17 AM

What about a mix between Apple TV and Mac Mini? A lower processor, say a 1.8 or 2.0 dual core and a 9400 nvidia chip, 160gb HD and 1GB of memory for 399, with all the apple TV ports? Even if they do it with an intel x4500 it would still be very interesting... Especially for that price.

But please apple, no more putty knives. Bring back that G4 Cube magic, which you could flip open and work on. That was amazing stuff, and I know Johnny is up for it!

gkarris

Dec 16, 2008, 08:22 AM

They'll be all "boos" when you see specs that you don't want. The minimum price will still be $599.

Well, as I said before, I can now see $500, as it's only going to have X3100, 1Gig RAM, 120 Gig HD (like the White MacBook), no more FW, no more Remote, heck, no more Ethernet can be a possibility (use the Ethernet USB adapter) - but Ethernet available on the "higher end".

dernhelm

Dec 16, 2008, 08:27 AM

Edge100

Dec 16, 2008, 08:34 AM

I hope so, I want to build my new media center out of one of these and I'm holding off to get a new one.

Exactly my situation. I keeping switching between getting an aTV and a Mini, and if this revision brings 802.11n and a decent graphics card to the Mini, I'm sold. It would be nice to see Firewire retained as well, but not absolutely essential for my purposes.

A small price cut would be nice too...

milo

Dec 16, 2008, 08:36 AM

This is another reason that Apple will probably be coming out with a new Mac Mini. People would always go with the Mac, because it probably has better hardware than a Pystar.

I wouldn't count on that. The mini will certainly be better than the old version, but based on its track record there's a good chance it will still lag machines that are even cheaper.

The mini has been a blunder from day one, specifically the decision to go with a form factor that requires laptop parts. It will likely ALWAYS be uncompetitive until they redesign to something bigger that can use desktop parts. At this point I'd rather see them dump it in favor of a small tower, it would have the potential to be much better AND cheaper.

javierbds

Dec 16, 2008, 08:37 AM

Agreed. The mighty mouse is kind of a failed design in my eyes. If it touches its cable or the flat Apple keyboard, you can't click it, lifting the left finger to right-click is unergonomic. The scroll ball is nice, but there's no way to clean that thing really. But worst of all, the tracking sensor is utter crap. I also don't like the way Macs handle cursor movement, the acceleration curve is just too steep.

The trackpads on the other hand are excellent. I use my Macbook's trackpad much more often than I use my mouse (Logitech G5). So a large glass trackpad would be pretty neat.
Yep, replaced my "mickey" mouse with a 5 euro mouse (this one works). You need a dark completely uniform color surface for it (mickey) to work ok. I miss the scroll ball, but it only worked for a year ...

mags631

Dec 16, 2008, 08:40 AM

NO, lol, not reasonable at all.

Heck for that price, you're betting off forking the extra $100 or so and getting the last gen MacBook. :p

Small form factor implies more expensive than a "normal PC," although Apple's pricing will allow them to claim "cheapest Mac" to market towards the budget folks who are considering a Mac.

A similarly priced Dell Studio Hybrid with a 2GHz CPU, 2GB of RAM, 160GB hard drive, wireless networking and Vista Home Premium is $549.

Personally, I don't trust the speculated hard drive specs -- I would guess these would mirror the MacBook: 160 or 250. The CPU specs may also mirror the MacBook as well.

milo

Dec 16, 2008, 08:47 AM

Apple won't be shipping any new computers without an actual video card in them. It won't be any better than the one in the new MacBook, but you'll at least get that.

They're prepping their new lineup to be opencl enhanced.

I doubt it. Some cheaper machines probably won't support opencl.

Small form factor implies more expensive than a "normal PC," although Apple's pricing will allow them to claim "cheapest Mac" to market towards the budget folks who are considering a Mac.

A similarly priced Dell Studio Hybrid with a 2GHz CPU, 2GB of RAM, 160GB hard drive, wireless networking and Vista Home Premium is $549.

But if you want a cheap PC, there are options cheaper than the dell "mini". Many users could care less about the form factor, they just want the cheapest mac available.

funkyp56

Dec 16, 2008, 09:19 AM

How about this combination:

---$599---
-2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
-2GB memory
-120GB Hard Drive or 32GB SSD(extra)
-SuperDrive

---$799---
-2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
-2GB memory
-160GB Hard Drive or 32GB SSD(extra)
-SuperDrive

Does this sound reasonable?

Sounds perfect, but give it the Macbook Pro graphics PLEASE!!! that Dual Vid car would fit perfect in here!!!

Tallest Skil

Dec 16, 2008, 09:20 AM

Sounds perfect, but give it the Macbook Pro graphics PLEASE!!! that Dual Vid car would fit perfect in here!!!

Don't get your hopes up.

Maxington

Dec 16, 2008, 09:24 AM

Aluminum enclosure. Mini DisplayPort.

As for the guts, think AppleTV + Mac Mini

Perhaps an AppleTV with DVR capabilities?

Starts at $499

I would take a OS X with the Mini with aTV capabilities... this would solve a lot of problems.

SleepyHead157

Dec 16, 2008, 09:24 AM

i'm going to want a new mac mini for work or home so i won't have to carry my macbook every day. this is welcoming news

nixfu

Dec 16, 2008, 09:26 AM

huntercr

Dec 16, 2008, 09:27 AM

Hi,

I'd like a 3.5" hdd in it this time.

Keep the FireWire port.

And no putty knives, please.

s.

Ditto for me. The 3.5inch HDD, and easy upgrading would be awesome.
802.11n and the video chipset from the new Macbooks is probably a no brainer here too.

I'd love to see 3 or 4 dimm slots ( can you do odd numbers with a system like this? ) instead of just 2 but I doubt they'll do that.

ddTaylor

Dec 16, 2008, 09:30 AM

Any Mac Mini is still going to be crazy expensive compared to a PC desktop. I'd like to see the specs, but I'll prepare to be disappointed.

EDIT:

If those aren't high prices, I don't know what high prices are. Try cutting your prices in half. Then they'll be a bit more reasonable.

This is APPLE we are talking about - and they are NOT into low-prices. Period. I wish they were - but it seems as though their current pricing model is working - as much as I disagree with that model. While those prices are higher than any PC of similar specs - for Apple, they are reasonable and that is why those will not be the prices as they are too 'reasonable' for Apple - expect the prices to be higher and the specifications to be lower - and NO FIREWIRE! I own two MBP's, a 20' iMac, a PB 15" and eMac. I went the hackintosh route for my main editing computer. I also have OS X on my Acer One with excellent results.

D

iWizzard

Dec 16, 2008, 09:32 AM

I gont care if if it has an 486SX processor, all I want is

- 1080p (and everything related to that like 7,1 sund HDM etc)
- low price
- small/nice design

Tallest Skil

Dec 16, 2008, 09:33 AM

- low price

$599 good enough?

ddTaylor

Dec 16, 2008, 09:33 AM

The Mac Mini is in a difficult position.

If it upgrades its internals anymore it will encroach on iMac sales..

Plus of course they dont want people using IT as a HTPC, when they should be buying an Apple tv.

I think it will:

Same 1.83 and 2ghz processors
Same 1gb ram
Slightly upgraded hard drives (base imacs is 250gb so...)
Nvidia integrated graphics
100% aluminum enclosure
Displayport

I think that is closer to accurate than those who are calling for the upgrade to be more like an iMac. Good call - but a bit disappointing for me. I would like to use one as a music server with my USB DAC and the current Mini I own (G4 1.25GHz is not enough for that purpose). I hope you are wrong, though.

D

That-Is-Bull

Dec 16, 2008, 09:38 AM

It sounds like it, and probably also thinner than the 1st Generation.

Yes, because thinness is very useful in a desktop computer. My desk has a shelf behind my monitor a few inches high and my Mac Mini is under it, and if the Mini were just a little bit taller it wouldn't be able to fit. Also, my desk at home happens to be in the exact shape of the current iMacs. The only reason I didn't buy an iMac before the aluminum model is because they were just so damn thick and wouldn't fit in my desk. Never mind power and expandability, being thin is more important.

mags631

Dec 16, 2008, 09:39 AM

But if you want a cheap PC, there are options cheaper than the dell "mini".
That may be true -- however, I did not claim that it was the cheapest PC, or even a budget PC, only that it will be the cheapest Mac, and Apple may market it as such (among other things) to attract budget-minded consumers.

Many users could care less about the form factor, they just want the cheapest mac available.
Yet, some do.

iWizzard

Dec 16, 2008, 09:46 AM

$599 good enough?

To much for a media center, atleast with current exchange rate 1 usd = 8 Sek a few month ago it was 1 usd = 6 sek. 3500 sek or $415 is more in line of what I would like to pay for a mediacenter (Boxee)

jdw17G4

Dec 16, 2008, 09:50 AM

Has anyone noticed the mini is #1 on Amazon's desktop best selling list today...it has been in the top 10 for some time now.

Capt Crunch

Dec 16, 2008, 10:03 AM

Here's what I hope (and think is reasonable):

2.0 Ghz Core 2 Duo
2 GB of Ram
120 GB HD
$500

Why? So I can get a previous gen for $300 as an HTPC for Plex and my library of 1080p movies. :)

tomjleeds

Dec 16, 2008, 10:14 AM

Mini DisplayPort eh? They sure as hell better bundle a (choose-able) adapter in the box then.

Thomas2006

Dec 16, 2008, 10:15 AM

I guess what will what it INCLUDE and what will it DROP

Cough..Firewire..Cough

Would love to see the mini with similar specs to the macbook but please include the firewire..for the sake of this forum
FireWire400 is definitely getting dropped, but eSATA, being faster than USB 2.0, FireWire400, and even FireWire800, would make a nice replacement for it; however, Apple might find it easier to either drop FireWire completely or start using FireWire800.

Count Blah

Dec 16, 2008, 10:34 AM

Has anyone noticed the mini is #1 on Amazon's desktop best selling list today...it has been in the top 10 for some time now.

Yeah, it's a shame Steve hates it so. I mean, why would he want more and more market share that a constantly updated mini would give him. That would just be silly. :mad:

And if it is a mini display port, there better be a min->VGA/DVI adaptor in the box, or there will be a lot of confused people.

Capt Crunch

Dec 16, 2008, 10:43 AM

Yeah, it's a shame Steve hates it so. I mean, why would he want more and more market share that a constantly updated mini would give him. That would just be silly. :mad:

I dunno, right now he's selling <$200 worth of hardware for close to a grand... seems like he's smarter than we thought.

Superman07

Dec 16, 2008, 11:25 AM

This may have come up in other threads, but I figure it's worth posting in here as well.

I have already been in contact with at least one company that plans to solve the Macbook to HDTV issue. MonoPrice.com, a wholesale distributor of computer cables and accessories based in California, has informed me that Apple fans are on their radar and a Mini DisplayPort to HDMI video adapter is on the way. “Yes, we will carry this item soon. However, it won’t be available until end of January 2009 or so,” a company representative said via email.

http://www.macyourself.com/2008/12/11/macbook-owners-rejoice-mini-displayport-to-hdmi-adapter-soon/

However, since I was thinking the Dell 24" Ultrasharp would go nicely with this, the fact that there isn't a mDP->DP adapter also seems weird.

stinhoutx

Dec 16, 2008, 11:44 AM

Now, to figure out the equation based on the new specs, new price (if any) and whether I will regret finally grabbing a mini at 30% (Live CashBack) off two weeks ago...:o

diamond.g

Dec 16, 2008, 11:49 AM

Aluminum enclosure. Mini DisplayPort.

As for the guts, think AppleTV + Mac Mini

Perhaps an AppleTV with DVR capabilities?

Starts at $499

With or without Cable Card?

milo

Dec 16, 2008, 12:13 PM

I will tell you one thing....

If they DON'T have a new Mac Mini at MWSF.....

I AM GOING TO build a new hackintosh.

I have been waiting as long as I can, and this is pretty much the do or die for me and apple's hardware relationship.

I suspect there are quite a few people in that situation. A number of mac lines are overdue for updates, and if those updates don't come in January, or if those updates are underwhelming, those holding out may take a serious look outside of apple options.

$599 good enough?

Probably not, especially if the machine is as underwhelming as the mini historically has been.

Yet, some do.

Which is why I said MANY as opposed to ALL. And it's not good enough for apple to hype a machine as "the cheapest mac" if there are PCs that are considerably less (and often with superior specs).

I dunno, right now he's selling <$200 worth of hardware for close to a grand... seems like he's smarter than we thought.

But we don't know how many of those are selling. I don't think anyone doubts they could sell WAY more if the machine wasn't so outdated and overpriced.

Eric S.

Dec 16, 2008, 12:17 PM

FireWire400 is definitely getting dropped, but eSATA, being faster than USB 2.0, FireWire400, and even FireWire800, would make a nice replacement for it; however, Apple might find it easier to either drop FireWire completely or start using FireWire800.

eSATA is only a replacement for storage devices; it's not going to help audio and video users who need Firewire. And of course it doesn't offer anything to people who currently own FW devices.

kingtj

Dec 16, 2008, 12:28 PM

There's practically NO chance the new Mac Mini won't switch to Mini DisplayPort - especially since these systems are built around notebook-centric components, and Apple already has DisplayPort on all the new notebooks.

What they might very well do, however, is include the Mini DisplayPort to DVI and/or VGA cables in the box with the new Mini -- since they realize it appeals to people who want to "bring their own monitor, keyboard and mouse" from standard Windows PC setups.

if this is true ill be highly interested, all i ask is firewire since we know we will never get esata and well thats really all there is to ask for, also dont only give me display port, i need dvi

VoR

Dec 16, 2008, 12:32 PM

esata is basically free to add to their new machines, it's just another item to add to the 'why on earth didn't they/isn't there....X feature' list

Mal

Dec 16, 2008, 12:32 PM

eSATA is only a replacement for storage devices; it's not going to help audio and video users who need Firewire. And of course it doesn't offer anything to people who currently own FW devices.

None of those people are in Apple's target market for the Mac mini. It's a switcher machine, and hardly any PC users have much in the way of FireWire devices (the one exception is a FireWire video camera, where there's definitely a valid reason for keeping it, but it's not enough apparently to convince Apple FireWire needs to stay on a consumer machine).

There's practically NO chance the new Mac Mini won't switch to Mini DisplayPort - especially since these systems are built around notebook-centric components, and Apple already has DisplayPort on all the new notebooks.

What they might very well do, however, is include the Mini DisplayPort to DVI and/or VGA cables in the box with the new Mini -- since they realize it appeals to people who want to "bring their own monitor, keyboard and mouse" from standard Windows PC setups.

That would be reasonable. At least include DVI (pretty much all monitors made in the last few years include DVI), although there would be some frustration stemming from the lack of DVI-I availability, which isn't really going to change most likely.

jW

tom53092

Dec 16, 2008, 12:35 PM

I'd like to see Apple release a 'headless iMac'.
It'll be a Mini only. Predictable specs a la MacBook. Price points high enough to make you wince but not so high that you won't buy it. And Apple will again leave millions on the table by not offering a headless consumer desktop, giving us only the choice of a Mini. ...and I'll buy it, and like it.

Mousse

Dec 16, 2008, 12:40 PM

I pray to the Apple gods to bless me with a core i7 mini but I know they will just put the macbook in a new box :-(

I'm hoping the new box will be a Cube?:cool: *crosses fingers...all twelve of them*:eek:

Cave Man

Dec 16, 2008, 12:40 PM

Like (http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/12/rumor-new-mac-m.html) the higher-end MacBook and MacBook Pro, the 2.3-GHz Mac Mini will ship with an Nvidia video card, making this higher-end model a decent gaming device.

Nice. Driving a 30" display at native resolution on a Mini would be kick-@ss. Let's just hope we don't need one of those $100 adapters.

kingtj

Dec 16, 2008, 12:41 PM

With Apple, when you buy into the "mid range" or "high end", you start getting much more "bang for the buck". Only at the low end do you run into this big "gap" in price vs. raw performance (largely because you're paying for the OS X license and Apple's generally superior level of support, no matter how low-end a product of theirs you select). There are some big expenses associated with operating hundreds of retail stores, all of which allow customers to bring in any system in warranty for drop-off service. If you don't think this is part of the "Apple tax" you pay, ask companies like Gateway how cheap it was for them to run their "Gateway Country" retail stores (and why they're all gone today!).

I am curious about a mac, but I'll never pay the same amount of money for something with half the features and power.

Cave Man

Dec 16, 2008, 12:45 PM

I am curious about a mac, but I'll never pay the same amount of money for something with half the features and power.

Then I guess you'll soon be buying a Mac. :rolleyes:

DaBrain

Dec 16, 2008, 12:46 PM

Let the betting begin How do you think Apple is going to cripple the new Mini so that only the most need-nothing users are able to use the mini? My bet is on

1) no firewire

2) only display port for video out.

I fear your probably right. Although you might add they will include a mini 5 " glossy only display built in the top and no display out!--)))) Nothing would surprise me as I look at past trends. Perhaps then Apple will add an option for display out port for an additional $200?--)) :D

DaBrain

Dec 16, 2008, 12:51 PM

hiptobesquare

Dec 16, 2008, 12:53 PM

With or without Cable Card?

With CableCard would be utterly fantastic,

Other than the tyrannical licensing that CableCard seems to require, and why it seems so hard to come by.

The Mac Mini/AppleTV-computer, with Cable Card, would probably cost $2k, or something insane.

HTPCs with CableCard functionality seem to be insanely high priced, as well, and most of it seems to be licensing via a special licensed BIOS tag from Cable Labs, to enable CableCard functionality in a computer.

Plus, the licensing from Sony for BluRay playback, and HTPC consideration for the MPAA/industry... It is a wonder that computerized home theater is possible at all.

Tyrannical crazy policies. I can understand legitimate intellectual and property rights, but protectionist business practices, and draconian measures end up doing more harm, and loses more potential growth, than it ever does good.

fivepoint

Dec 16, 2008, 12:53 PM

wizard

Dec 16, 2008, 01:22 PM

OpenCL is very important to Apple, I truly doubt any new Macs will be built without support for it. So whatever comes next month it will have some sort of support for OpenCL. This means most likely in the video chip.
When the 9400M came out Nvidia described the chip as a colaboration with Apple and that the original concept was for a desktop chip. I don't need to be whacked over the head to read between the lines here. There is a very good possibility that a 9400M++ chip for desktops could be in the works for Mini. Apples goals here would be the elimination of one chip on the motherboard design while keeping thermals under control. In other words this is still a low power chip relative to most desktop hardware but will come with a few more execution units for better performance. Instead of a 5x performance increase expect 8 - 10x. You can take this to mean that the new Mini will me more than a Mac Book in a box.
I'd like to believe that Apple isn't going to abandon Firewire, it simply has a feature set that can't be beat currently. However there will be lots of competition for I/O space on future machines, so I can see Apple instituting a mezzazine type expansion card slot. This will give people options as to serial I/O so they can have Firewire, eSata, XYZ networking port or whatever is their hearts desire in the machine. An expansion card slot is the best way to deal with competeing demands that are reasonsable. The negative here os that the unbundled port costs you money now.
I'd love to see Apple go hybrid with storage. That is a small Flash drive for the OS and a normal magnetic drive for user data. Done right the SSD used for system storage only really needs to be fast for reads, this would lead to very snappy performance of apps that go to disk allot to read code segments. User data and log files would be directed to the magnetic drive. The question becomes this how large does the flash drive have to be, I'm thinking 48 to 64 GB which should be manageable cost wise. The thing to remember is that we are looking for fast reads only so slower to write flash would work fine. Such an implementation could do a lot to make for snappy on even modest processors.
I'm really hoping that the hardware supports standard memory and at least 8GB of it. Apple has been a bit slow here and I believe they need to realize that some people do need that space.

A short list. My guess is that Apple will go farther with this new machine than some here want to believe. Apples goal will be to make the machine compelling for it's pricepoint. It is something they have done before when introducing a new product so they certainly can do it again. I expect that this new Mini is to have a five year life span in the marketplace so it should be an interesting design.

My greatest fear is that Apple will choose form over function and screw a good portion of the user space. We can hope note but the new notebooks don't exactly light a fire with electronic innovation.

Speaking of which the new Minis housing is likely to be Aluminum, atleast partially. What I'm hoping for is that they control expenses here and either go stamped or die cast. If they go diecast the could go with a Zinc Aluminum alloy which can be cheap and effective in these sorts of applications. CBC machining a housing for a low end product like the Mini does not seem to be wise in my opinion.

----------------------------

Sadly I'm getting all worked up about this yet I know I don't need a new machine. Speculation is so much fun ;)

Dave

MrZebra

Dec 16, 2008, 01:54 PM

I'm really hoping that the hardware supports standard memory and at least 8GB of it. Apple has been a bit slow here and I believe they need to realize that some people do need that space.

I guess that Apple has realized that the people who need that space are in the market for the MacPro.

My greatest fear is that Apple will choose form over function and screw a good portion of the user space. We can hope note but the new notebooks don't exactly light a fire with electronic innovation.

I hear you.

essential

Dec 16, 2008, 02:02 PM

I've been waiting for this refresh because I want to use a Mac Mini as a media computer, been holding off on a popcorn hour for this release:

Here is what I require to buy the new Mac Mini:

1) Core 2 Duo CPU

2) Minimum 2GB RAM

3) Nvidia Graphics Chipset

4) HDMI (Or have their Mini-Display Port support audio, and have a Mini-Display Port To HDMI dongle sell for no more than $29.99 in an Apple store for an all-in-one audio/video solution)

5) Support for a second/optional 3.5" HDD, i'm fine that the main HDD is a 2.5" SATA, but we should have the option to add an internal 3.5" HDD, even if that means loosing the Superdrive. This was my idea for adding HDDs: Think of laptops with docking stations, how the bottom of the laptop had the input for a docking station, and when it was docked, everything plugged into the docking station would work on the laptop. Well, I want something similar in the new Mac Mini ... basically a square box that's the exact same dimensions as the Mac Mini body, with pins/whatever coming out of the top of the box like something that goes into an iPod, and then the bottom of the Mac Mini having a docking port like an iPod. Basically the box would accept 3.5" SATA HDDs, which can be stacked under the Mac Mini, but when stacked make it look like one piece. The stackable boxes should also have docks on their bottoms, so numersous HDDs could be stacked. If power and file transfer can go through an iPod cord at USB 2.0 speeds, why not this type of idea for an HDD? If the stackable boxes were around $99 empty, I think many people would buy them, the Mac Mini would have endless amounts of storage and still look sleek, not be too tall unless you add 3 or more HDDs, and Apple would make a lot of money for an empty box. It will never happen, but I think it's a great idea.

6) Native 1080p output, for those of us hooking it up to a HDTV.

I think that's about it.

rockdog

Dec 16, 2008, 02:17 PM

An update can only be a good thing for the mini but I do sadly expect the loss of fire wire. Hopefully video out isn't restricted to only the mini port

bergmef

Dec 16, 2008, 02:25 PM

I'd love to see Apple go hybrid with storage. That is a small Flash drive for the OS and a normal magnetic drive for user data. Done right the SSD used for system storage only really needs to be fast for reads, this would lead to very snappy performance of apps that go to disk allot to read code segments. User data and log files would be directed to the magnetic drive. The question becomes this how large does the flash drive have to be, I'm thinking 48 to 64 GB which should be manageable cost wise.

I've been waiting for this for a long time. I don't even think you need that much flash, enough to let the hard drive spin down while surfing, emailing ... etc. Hell, make the drive internal firewire 3200 ;-) ... ok, maybe esata internal. It would be nice.

I'm in the media center market.

Romanesq

Dec 16, 2008, 02:33 PM

I am curious about a mac, but I'll never pay the same amount of money for something with half the features and power.

When you can see the differences yourself, you tend to downplay the price differences.

As most folks are not computer security experts, the time you spend trying to delouse your PC is nothing short of a hideous cost IMHO.

Once stayed up to 2:30 in the morning trying to clean up a friend's machine.

Eric S.

Dec 16, 2008, 02:35 PM

None of those people are in Apple's target market for the Mac mini. It's a switcher machine, and hardly any PC users have much in the way of FireWire devices (the one exception is a FireWire video camera, where there's definitely a valid reason for keeping it, but it's not enough apparently to convince Apple FireWire needs to stay on a consumer machine).

They may not be in Apple's target market but that doesn't mean users aren't using minis for this purpose currently. How do you know they aren't?

I'd like to believe that Apple isn't going to abandon Firewire, it simply has a feature set that can't be beat currently. However there will be lots of competition for I/O space on future machines, so I can see Apple instituting a mezzazine type expansion card slot. This will give people options as to serial I/O so they can have Firewire, eSata, XYZ networking port or whatever is their hearts desire in the machine. An expansion card slot is the best way to deal with competeing demands that are reasonsable.

There have been reports (in this thread (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=583377)) that Firewire cards won't even work in the ExpressCard slot of the current MBP.

Tallest Skil

Dec 16, 2008, 02:37 PM

Hell, make the drive internal firewire 3200 ;-) ... ok, maybe esata internal.

So... just SATA then. :rolleyes:

And there's no such thing as "internal" FireWire.

mags631

Dec 16, 2008, 02:42 PM

Which is why I said MANY as opposed to ALL. And it's not good enough for apple to hype a machine as "the cheapest mac" if there are PCs that are considerably less (and often with superior specs).

Define "good enough"? What do you think Apple's goal is related to the Mini? As you point out, there is a market of cheap PCs, in which Apple does not play. With the Mini, Apple has superb product at a price point which qualifies it as the cheapest Mac.

I'm not really following your point, unless it's simply "I wish the Mini were cheaper", which is fine but hardly qualifies it as some crucial truth that Apple is missing.

awmazz

Dec 16, 2008, 02:45 PM

Is it just me, or does the display port virtually eliminate the benefits of the mini... namely the ability to keep your old display. Now, when you buy a new mac, the only way to keep your old display is to buy one upwards of $3000 in a Mac Pro. Lame.

First thing that came to my mind as well at the suggestion of a displayport-only. It would defeat the whole purpose of the Mini for switchers unless an adapter was included.

tsukurite

Dec 16, 2008, 02:49 PM

While those processors are pretty old, if it can drive my 30" and it's faster than my g5, what's the problem again?

The Mac Mini is in a difficult position.
I think it will:

Same 1.83 and 2ghz processors
Same 1gb ram
Slightly upgraded hard drives (base imacs is 250gb so...)
Nvidia integrated graphics
100% aluminum enclosure
Displayport

OllyW

Dec 16, 2008, 02:51 PM

Define "good enough"? What do you think Apple's goal is related to the Mini? As you point out, there is a market of cheap PCs, in which Apple does not play. With the Mini, Apple has superb product at a price point which qualifies it as the cheapest Mac.

I'm not really following your point, unless it's simply "I wish the Mini were cheaper", which is fine but hardly qualifies it as some crucial truth that Apple is missing.

The mini wasn't bad value back in August 2007 when it was last updated but to call it a superb product in December 2008 is pushing it a bit.

o0samotech0o

Dec 16, 2008, 03:29 PM

I don't know why you guys are speculating so much. The link posted in the first post said this:
Apple will launch an upgrade to its low-end desktop, the Mac Mini, at January's Macworld Expo in San Francisco, according to an Apple corporate employee who contacted Wired.com.
The source, who wished to remain anonymous (to keep his job), could not disclose details about the Mac Mini other than its upcoming announcement at Macworld Expo, which begins Jan. 5. That's where CEO Steve Jobs traditionally launches major products during his famous keynotes (assuming he does indeed show up).
An upgrade to the Mac Mini is long overdue: The product hasn't seen a refresh since August 2007, and Apple computers normally have a life cycle of roughly six months. This long period of silence led many to speculate that Apple was going to drop the Mac Mini from its product line. However, Apple has shown no signs of discontinuing the product. It's also noteworthy that although Apple has been quiet about Mac Mini sales numbers, the diminutive desktop appears to be selling quite well. For example, the Mac Mini has been among the top 5 of Amazon's best selling desktops; it currently stands at No. 3.
Though our source confirms there will be a new Mac Mini announced January, it's unlikely this will be Apple's big product launch at the show. (Last year's major Macworld announcement was the MacBook Air; the year before that was the iPhone.) However, speculation about Apple's next major Macworld launch has been surprisingly quiet, so word about the Mac Mini is the most we have so far.
Here's what Wired.com believes will be in the next Mac Mini, based on trends seen in Apple's latest products:
Similar to the MacBooks, the Mac Mini will sport a silver enclosure composed of a block of aluminum.
Some internal parts will be PVC-free, and combined with its size and low power requirements, Apple will tout this as the "greenest Mac ever."
For video output, the Mac Mini will use the DRM-crippled DisplayPort for connectivity, which Apple is offering to manufacturers for a no-fee license.
It'll have a CD-DVD slot loader (i.e. Super Drive). There will be no Blu-ray player, because Steve Jobs believes the format is a "bag of hurt."
It'll ship with 2 GB of RAM, expandable to 4 GB — up from the current 1 GB, expandable to 2 GB. (The aluminum case should make expanding RAM easier than in the original Mini.)
It'll ship with at least a 160-GB hard drive.
The Mac Mini will come in two options with different processor speeds: a 2.0-GHz Core 2 Duo and a 2.3-GHz Core 2 Duo (up from 1.83 GHz and 2.0 GHz).
Like the higher-end MacBook and MacBook Pro, the 2.3-GHz Mac Mini will ship with an Nvidia video card, making this higher-end model a decent gaming device.
The 2.0-GHz Mac Mini will ship with an Intel video card, perhaps the GMA X3100 graphics card found in the low-end, white MacBook.
The slower model will cost $500, and the faster model will cost $700 ($100 less than the current Mac Minis), in light of the recession.
That's as much as we're going to speculate right now. Have anything you'd like to ad

Pretty accurate right? Maybe. Maybe not. Gives us an idea.
I thought it was already aluminum though? :D:apple:

-Sam:p;):rolleyes:

Porco

Dec 16, 2008, 03:31 PM

And there's no such thing as "internal" FireWire.

Um, well I have one of these ... http://www.sonnettech.com/product/tango_2.html

But obviously that's not going in a mini. :p

alphaod

Dec 16, 2008, 03:57 PM

Damn time to return the MSI Wind. Who cares if I have to pay restocking.

bananas

Dec 16, 2008, 04:43 PM

So this time Macworld could be about desktops..
That would make sense since all the laptops have been updated quite recently

tonyl

Dec 16, 2008, 04:45 PM

This is exciting, the rumor does indicate a case redesign.

tonyl

Dec 16, 2008, 04:51 PM

An update can only be a good thing for the mini but I do sadly expect the loss of fire wire. Hopefully video out isn't restricted to only the mini port

No firewire in the Mini? NO!! That'll be too sad. Firewire is great for external storage.

Courtaj

Dec 16, 2008, 04:58 PM

I don't know why you guys are speculating so much. The link posted in the first post said this:Yup. And here's the kicker:Here's what Wired.com believes will be in the next Mac Mini, based on trends seen in Apple's latest productsWow. That's some inside source.

Andrew.

Drag'nGT

Dec 16, 2008, 06:40 PM

From Wired:

Hmm, I thought that Steve Jobs mentioned at the last presentation that Apple "doesn't know how to build a $500 computer" - did they figure it out?

$599 for the base 1/120 model (more along the lines of the basic White MacBook)

I think he was referring to a netbook at or under $500. Mini's lack the keyboard and monitor... so that's how that plays out.

I would love to see a $500 mini starting point. A good salesman should be able to get customers into a Mac at the retail stores like BB pretty easily at that price.
Too bad an iMac makes better sense if you need the keyboard and display. Glad I got mine! :D

iDave

Dec 16, 2008, 07:06 PM

Steve Jobs hates the Mac mini so much he's not going to show up at Macworld to introduce it. He's going to make Phil Schiller do it. :eek:

juniormaj

Dec 16, 2008, 08:27 PM

So... just SATA then. :rolleyes:

And there's no such thing as "internal" FireWire.

I had a 350 MHz G4 tower (http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/powermac_g4/stats/powermac_g4_350_agp.html) ("Sawtooth") that had an internal FireWire port.
I was never really sure what it could be used for, though.
I suppose you could connect a bus-powered FireWire travel drive to it and Velcro it to the inside somewhere.

Eric S.

Dec 16, 2008, 08:36 PM

I had a 350 MHz G4 tower (http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/powermac_g4/stats/powermac_g4_350_agp.html) ("Sawtooth") that had an internal FireWire port.
I was never really sure what it could be used for, though.
I suppose you could connect a bus-powered FireWire travel drive to it and Velcro it to the inside somewhere.

Interesting article from 1999:

http://lowendmac.com/tech/internalfw.shtml

How things have changed!

dolbinau

Dec 16, 2008, 08:56 PM

LOL! :rolleyes:

Is that "They will" "They won't" or "That was a stupid question?"

I don't see what is stupid about thinking that the Mac Mini will fail hard if we have to go out and buy adapters in the off chance we didn't happen to buy an overpriced Apple display.

mrichmon

Dec 16, 2008, 09:23 PM

How about this combination:

-120GB Hard Drive or 32GB SSD(extra)
-160GB Hard Drive or 32GB SSD(extra)

Does this sound reasonable?

Not likely. It's not like anyone cares about solid state drives for desktop machines.

PVguy

Dec 16, 2008, 09:29 PM

"Although you might add they will include a mini 5 " glossy only display built in the top"

With a folding screen like a laptop? I have my stereo cabinet mini connected to a 5" gamecube composite lcd (by way of the composite/s-video adapter) so I can run front row without firing up the TV (connected to the s-video end of the adapter). Plenty good enough for front row. Fits in the stereo cabinet shelf without moving anything. Wireless keyboard and mouse for when I want to do something more, which requires closeview.

I wonder if a DVI monitor switch would let me switch between that composite/s-video adapter and a VGA to component converter. The TV can handle 720P by component, so that would be good enough to do system updates and so forth.

iParis

Dec 16, 2008, 09:43 PM

YES, FINALLY.
Praise Steve Jobs; even though he won't be presenting the keynote this year.

Hopefully...

Low end - $499 or $599:
2.0GHz
160GB HDD (may only be 120GB)
2GB Ram
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics
Superdrive

High end - $699 or $799:
2.4GHz
250GB HDD (may only be 160GB)
2GB Ram
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphic
Superdrive

Do these specs look familiar? (Hint; one of the products recently updated)

iDave

Dec 16, 2008, 10:12 PM

Hopefully...

Low end - $499 or $599:
2.0GHz
160GB HDD (may only be 120GB)
2GB Ram
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics
Superdrive

So you're hoping for the same specs as the MacBook, only without the display, keyboard, battery and trackpad, for $700 less? It would be nice, but I think unlikely. Realistically, the best I would hope for is that, at $799, and I'd probably go for it.

iParis

Dec 16, 2008, 10:20 PM

So you're hoping for the same specs as the MacBook, only without the display, keyboard, battery and trackpad, for $700 less? It would be nice, but I think unlikely. Realistically, the best I would hope for is that, at $799, and I'd probably go for it.

Basically.
Although, I wouldn't be surprised if the low end I stated had a 120GB drive and Intel GMA X3100 graphics.
That actually seems more likely.
And why did you mention anything about a battery? Or a trackpad?
Why would a desktop computer need a battery?
Trackpad? That's what the mouse is for, even though you have to pay extra for it.

ZiggyPastorius

Dec 16, 2008, 10:22 PM

Basically.
Although, I wouldn't be surprised if the low end I stated had a 120GB drive and Intel GMA X3100 graphics.
That actually seems more likely.
And why did you mention anything about a battery? Or a trackpad?
Why would a desktop computer need a battery?
Trackpad? That's what the mouse is for, even though you have to pay extra for it.

A trackpad on a desktop would be an interesting concept. I love Apple's trackpads, but it's be kind of awkward putting your hand on top of your tower to use a trackpad :P

iParis

Dec 16, 2008, 10:26 PM

A trackpad on a desktop would be an interesting concept. I love Apple's trackpads, but it's be kind of awkward putting your hand on top of your tower to use a trackpad :P

YA, but no desktops from Apple have ever come with a trackpad.
And yes, putting my hand on top of a Mac Mini to move the cursor would make me lol.

ZiggyPastorius

Dec 16, 2008, 10:30 PM

YA, but no desktops from Apple have ever come with a trackpad.
And yes, putting my hand on top of a Mac Mini to move the cursor would make me lol.

I didn't say I thought it was going to happen. I just said it's an interesting concept (i.e. it's funny that it's mentioned). I would hope they wouldn't do that. The only way I could see that being utilised is if (and I would be interested in this) they made an option for the desktops to replace the standard keyboard with a keyboard like it, except that there's a trackpad as part of the keyboard. I really love Apple's trackpads, and I think an Apple Keyboard with a trackpad instead of the number pad for like $60-70 would be cool, rather than the Keyboard + Mouse for over $100. That's an off-topic rant, though.

iDave

Dec 16, 2008, 10:40 PM

Basically.
And why did you mention anything about a battery? Or a trackpad?
Why would a desktop computer need a battery?
Trackpad? That's what the mouse is for, even though you have to pay extra for it.
Basically a MacBook, minus the keyboard, battery, trackpad and display for $700 less than that MacBook is unlikely. Make sense now? :)

TurboSC

Dec 16, 2008, 10:44 PM

They better come out with something. It seems they're losing momentum. I don't blame them, the economy is going to **** as well. Fun times.

iParis

Dec 16, 2008, 10:45 PM

Basically a MacBook, minus the keyboard, battery, trackpad and display for $700 less than that MacBook is unlikely. Make sense now? :)

Yes, indeed.
It doesn't sound like a bad idea though, does it?

iDave

Dec 16, 2008, 10:48 PM

Yes, indeed.
It doesn't sound like a bad idea though, does it?
As I said earlier, it'd be nice but the best I'd expect is $500 less. This is Apple we're talking about here.

iParis

Dec 16, 2008, 10:53 PM

As I said earlier, it'd be nice but the best I'd expect is $500 less. This is Apple we're talking about here.

Ya, but remember that the Mini hasn't been updated in awhile.
And in a later post I stated maybe the low end will have a 120GB HDD and the same graphics as the current white plastic MacBook.

PCFan

Dec 16, 2008, 10:58 PM

I use a 32" Insignia LCD TV as my computer monitor and I don't want to replace it with an all-in-one computer such as an iMac, and I can't afford a notebook that starts at 999$ for the last generation model. The Mac mini would be perfect for me, it's just that 650$? I could get a desktop PC with Intel Core 2 Quad CPUs, 6GB of RAM, 640GB of HDD and a 22" monitor for that price. Make the Mac mini a little more updated at half of the price of the current one, and count me in as a first-time Mac user.

iDave

Dec 16, 2008, 10:59 PM

Ya, but remember that the Mini hasn't been updated in awhile.
Proving Apple doesn't care about the mini.
And in a later post I stated maybe the low end will have a 120GB HDD and the same graphics as the current white plastic MacBook.
That, I would expect for $599. It's far more likely than expecting the specs of the new aluminum MacBook in any Mac mini; even at the high end.

iDave

Dec 16, 2008, 11:03 PM

Make the Mac mini a little more updated at half of the price of the current one, and count me in as a first-time Mac user.
Sorry to break it to you but the Mac mini will never go below $599 again. If that was going to happen, the price of the current outdated one would have been lowered by now.

iParis

Dec 16, 2008, 11:04 PM

PCFan

Dec 17, 2008, 10:46 AM

I highly doubt the Mac Mini is going to drop to $300.
And remember, your PC most likely runs Windows [Vista], OS X.
Also, because Macs mainly run OS X they don't need 6GB ram.

Yes, I use Windows Vista Home Premium.
Apple is like the only company that still doesn't have an affordable Core 2 Quad core CPU. HP has the one I mentionned for almost 700$ (with 6GB of RAM, 640GB HDD). Who in their right mind would pay 100$ more for a computer with:

-No screen
-No keyboard
-No mouse
-1GB of RAM
-120GB of HDD
-Graphics with 64MB of DDR2 SDRAM
-Intel Core 2 Duo

I could get an Acer or eMachines desktop for 300$ with better specs than that:

-No screen
-Keyboard included
-Mouse included
-Speakers included (although they're crappy)
-1GB of RAM
-160GB of HDD
-NVIDIA GeForce 6150SE nForce 430 with 256MB of dedicated memory
-Built in media card readers
-DVD+/-RW drive
-AMD Athlon 64+ 3800

So much more for half the price, except for a slower processor.

The only thing making me think about getting a Mac is Mac OS X and the beauty of the machine, but I'm not willing to pay 800$ for a computer with specs A LOT lower than one for a 100$ less.

nick9191

Dec 17, 2008, 10:55 AM

2.0 Core 2 in both models
1gb and 2gb DDR3
120 and 160gb Drives, SSD BTO.
Superdrive
9400M
Mini DisplayPort
No Firewire on low end model, possibly none at all.
$599 and $799 (£449 and £549)

If your hoping for anything else then you're delusional :)

iDave

Dec 17, 2008, 11:13 AM

The only thing making me think about getting a Mac is Mac OS X and the beauty of the machine, but I'm not willing to pay 800$ for a computer with specs A LOT lower than one for a 100$ less.
I know how you feel. I just broke down and bought my first windows portable for $500 (a netbook). The closest Apple had, price-wise was $999. The closest Apple had, weight-wise was $1800. I decided Mac OS wasn't worth it in this case. But this is a Mac mini forum. Sorry for straying off-topic.

Mac mini specs will likely improve soon. How much is yet to be seen.

Tallest Skil

Dec 17, 2008, 11:15 AM

Cave Man

Dec 17, 2008, 11:15 AM

The Mac mini would be perfect for me, it's just that 650$? I could get a desktop PC with Intel Core 2 Quad CPUs, 6GB of RAM, 640GB of HDD and a 22" monitor for that price. Make the Mac mini a little more updated at half of the price of the current one, and count me in as a first-time Mac user.

I don't think you "get" the Mini.

Yes, I use Windows Vista Home Premium.
Apple is like the only company that still doesn't have an affordable Core 2 Quad core CPU.

That's because all Macs, other than the Mac Pro, are based on notebook components. There's a glaring hole in Apple's lineup, but you're not going to see a Mini with anything other than notebook components.

HP has the one I mentionned for almost 700$ (with 6GB of RAM, 640GB HDD)...I could get an Acer or eMachines desktop for 300$ with better specs than that:
<snip familiar list of pc components that have very little to do with the Mac Mini>

Can you put all that in an enclosure that's 6.5" x 6.5" x 2", uses very little electricity and silent? And can you show us benchmarks for those PC's? I suspect they don't compare to the Mini.

So much more for half the price, except for a slower processor.

But Win PCs are less efficient than Macs. Check out Geekbench - when you find Macs and PCs with identical cpus, the Macs always score better. There's more to a computer's performance than cpu gHz. And there's more to a computer than speed.

The only thing making me think about getting a Mac is Mac OS X and the beauty of the machine, but I'm not willing to pay 800$ for a computer with specs A LOT lower than one for a 100$ less.

Well, then you have two options. Buy a PC with winblows, or build yourself a hackintosh.

VoR

Dec 17, 2008, 11:27 AM

Can you put all that in an enclosure that's 6.5" x 6.5" x 2", uses very little electricity and silent? And can you show us benchmarks for those PC's? I suspect they don't compare to the Mini.

The mini is basically mini-itx with the edges shaved off (the 0.2" - sure you could get more off without needing the mounting screws) right?
There's all sorts of motherboards you can get in this form factor that will take any cpu - cheap desktop quads included, even intel sells one off the shelf for cheap.

There's lots of nice cases you can buy with all the money left over. I didn't care about the mini's exact form factor, and got an omaura tf5 case - and much prefer the look.

Cave Man

Dec 17, 2008, 11:31 AM

But you'll have a fan running at all times. Noisy.

Mini is silent (except for HB encodes).

Edit: just looked at your omaura - it's a lot bigger than a Mini's enclosure and about US$200.

Eidorian

Dec 17, 2008, 11:32 AM

We can only hope.

http://vr-zone.com/articles/nvidia-mcp79-based-atom-nettop-first-look/6313.html?doc=6313

While it is Atom it's a step in the right direction.

VoR

Dec 17, 2008, 11:33 AM

But you'll have a fan running at all times. Noisy.
Mini is silent (except for HB encodes).

Yeah I've got a fan running all the time, mine's silent even when running handbrake :)

PCFan

Dec 17, 2008, 11:40 AM

I don't think you "get" the Mini.

That's because all Macs, other than the Mac Pro, are based on notebook components. There's a glaring hole in Apple's lineup, but you're not going to see a Mini with anything other than notebook components.

Can you put all that in an enclosure that's 6.5" x 6.5" x 2", uses very little electricity and silent? And can you show us benchmarks for those PC's? I suspect they don't compare to the Mini.

But Win PCs are less efficient than Macs. Check out Geekbench - when you find Macs and PCs with identical cpus, the Macs always score better. There's more to a computer's performance than cpu gHz. And there's more to a computer than speed.

Well, then you have two options. Buy a PC with winblows, or build yourself a hackintosh.

The real comparison in my post is the 700$ Core 2 Quad CPU compared to the 800$ Mac mini with a Core 2 Duo processor. I'm sure the HP destroys the Mac Mini in every single way.
And I don't really care about the size of the Mac mini, because it's not a notebook so it's not supposed to be portable. Being a small machine means there's no space for upgrades. A small PC that can still take some upgrading by the consumer is the HP Slimline series.

VoR

Dec 17, 2008, 11:41 AM

Edit: just looked at your omaura - it's a lot bigger than a Mini's enclosure and about US$200.

It's the same size as all the other gear it's around though, and imo looks much nicer - I've got a feeling they're not making them any more but havn't looked - strangely when I got mine you could order them off the dell site (I also paid less than that).

My point was that you could build one the same size as the mini, using current technologies, off the shelf parts and for less - I'm sure a firm like apple could design something very quickly that's pretty damn powerful, small and cheap.

Cave Man

Dec 17, 2008, 11:48 AM

The real comparison in my post is the 700$ Core 2 Quad CPU compared to the 800$ Mac mini with a Core 2 Duo processor. I'm sure the HP destroys the Mac Mini in every single way.

I'm sure it doesn't. It runs winblows, after all.

And I don't really care about the size of the Mac mini,

But many people do.

because it's not a notebook so it's not supposed to be portable. Being a small machine means there's no space for upgrades. A small PC that can still take some upgrading by the consumer is the HP Slimline series.

There's really no point in you following this thread, then. The Mini always has been, and always will be, a small footprint computer based on notebook components. Your bitchin' and moanin' won't change that. Go buy your HP and have fun.

iParis

Dec 17, 2008, 11:58 AM

Y

-No screen
-Keyboard included
-Mouse included
-Speakers included (although they're crappy)
-1GB of RAM
-160GB of HDD
-NVIDIA GeForce 6150SE nForce 430 with 256MB of dedicated memory
-Built in media card readers
-DVD+/-RW drive
-AMD Athlon 64+ 3800

So much more for half the price, except for a slower processor.

The only thing making me think about getting a Mac is Mac OS X and the beauty of the machine, but I'm not willing to pay 800$ for a computer with specs A LOT lower than one for a 100$ less.

Yes, my mom recently got me a $200 eMachine for Christmas
- No Monitor
- Keyboard Included
- Mouse Included
- 2GB DDR2 Ram
- Windows Vista Home Basic
- 320GB HDD

Even though the Mini's specs suck compared to that, I would still choose the current Mini over it.
Vista sucks. Period.
Plus, any Mac is more than likely to last you at least three or four years.
I suspect that eMachine to last me only 6 months.

drewsof07

Dec 17, 2008, 12:07 PM

Plus, any Mac is more than likely to last you at least three or four years.
I suspect that eMachine to last me only 6 months.

I had an eMachine for 4 years before buying my Powerbook, it ran for ~2 years after that with XP, which beats the pants off Vista any day. I get your point that cheap PCs aren't built to last, but it was a cheap machine that handled most of my computing except gaming (massive FAIL). Only 2 ram slots and 1 PCI slot; I guess that's more expansion than the mini tho :p At at least 1/10th the size of my eMachine, I can see how the Mini would be popular.

iParis

Dec 17, 2008, 12:09 PM

I had an eMachine for 4 years before buying my Powerbook, it ran for ~2 years after that with XP, which beats the pants off Vista any day. I get your point that cheap PCs aren't built to last, but it was a cheap machine that handled most of my computing except gaming (massive FAIL). Only 2 ram slots and 1 PCI slot; I guess that's more expansion than the mini tho :p

Well I'm glad your's lasted long.
I've heard other wise; from power supplies randomly being shot to hard drives failing within several months.
You're the minority.
The majority of people don't have as much luck with cheap PC's as you do.

drewsof07

Dec 17, 2008, 12:14 PM

Well I'm glad your's lasted long.
I've heard other wise; from power supplies randomly being shot to hard drives failing within several months.
You're the minority.
The majority of people don't have as much luck with cheap PC's as you do.

Yes, after mine started having trouble I researched those issues. It ended up succumbing to MB failure and I parted it out to make $ for my MBP. That's what I call turning lemons into lemonade :D
The 90 day warranty did kind of suck with those machines though :(

yrsonicdeath

Dec 17, 2008, 02:25 PM

There's really no point in you following this thread, then. The Mini always has been, and always will be, a small footprint computer based on notebook components. Your bitchin' and moanin' won't change that. Go buy your HP and have fun.

There must be some point to him. It looks like he joined MR to post in this thread. :D

flir67

Dec 17, 2008, 02:32 PM

bbotte

Dec 17, 2008, 02:32 PM

I hope there is a new MacMini in SF, I want one to go with my 24" LED Cinema Display.

drewsof07

Dec 17, 2008, 02:33 PM

I hope there is a new MacMini in SF, I want one to go with my 24" LED Cinema Display.

Some speculate there will likely be new Cinema Displays unveiled at Macworld. As well as Mac Pro and iMac updates :)

robertg123

Dec 17, 2008, 05:19 PM

I know that most of the people posting here are comfortable with the fact that Apple sometimes ships hardware for a greater price than comparatively spec'ed hardware from other manufacturers. But in these economic times, people are going to be more interested in getting the most of their money. Such was the case during the recession in 1992. During that time, I worked at a small computer store that sold Apple PCs. When Apple started losing sales, Apple's first reaction was to raise prices a bit. THAT started a decline (along with a couple of other factors) until Steve Jobs returned. People decided they would rather put up with Windows because it worked "well enough."

The point is that the greater market considers Apple's products as luxury items. During recessions, luxuries are the first things to be budgeted, and I think Apple's hardware business is particularly vulnerable to this. The great value in a Mac lies in OSX. It's simply the best, slickest, easily used UNIX that's out there. Power Users have access to over 30 years of UNIX stability and 3rd party programs and development tools and Casual Users never have to worry about what's behind the desktop.

To Apple's credit, some of their new computer offerings do match up favorably with comparatively spec'ed products - but not for long. Apple's hardware release schedules lag pathetically behind the Dells and HPs of the world and I submit that they need to address this more aggressively.

I think the new mini will have:
The fastest processor (Duo or Quad) with which they can still manufacture a SILENT computer. This is very important to Apple.

A discrete video chip solution. Intel X3100 is GARBAGE. It uses system RAM and performance lags well behind nVidia and ATI. My P4 mini uses a separate graphics processor and performs very well.

2-4 GB RAM / 800 MHz bus. OSX is nowhere near the system hog that Windows is, but sometimes we need the extra RAM to virtualize other OS's. I love and use OSX at home, but Windows pays the bills.

HDMI/DVI outout. It's a mini, and the selling point IS to connect it to a 3rd party keyboard/mouse/monitor.

Hard Drive - Does that really matter? Get the small one and upgrade yourself for much less $$$ (Goes for RAM, too).

USB, of course. Firewire? Good question. Bulk throughput is mostly the same on both, but Firewire has an advantage when you're making many small and frequent disk accesses due to processing circuits on the motherboard. But THAT adds cost, whereas USB relies on the CPU for communications processing.

Integrated Bluetooth / WiFi. I bought my P4 mini without it, so I had to use a bluetooth dongle and had to wire my house with CAT6 cable. The upside was wiring my house with CAT6!! :)

OSX Snow Leopard, or a coupon for the upgrade.

Of course, if they DONT offer a decent Mac Mini, maybe I WILL buy an iMac from the refurbished store and use my existing monitor as a second display...

optophobia

Dec 17, 2008, 05:47 PM

To all the people who keep posting 'aluminum enclosure' .... Have you ever seen a current mac mini? If so what the he'll do you think it is made of ?

Tallest Skil

Dec 17, 2008, 05:52 PM

I think the new mini will have:
The fastest processor (Duo or Quad)

It'll have the processors from the newest MacBook.

A discrete video chip solution. Intel X3100 is GARBAGE. It uses system RAM and performance lags well behind nVidia and ATI. My P4 mini uses a separate graphics processor and performs very well.

It'll have the nVidia 9400M. In other words, integrated.

2-4 GB RAM / 800 MHz bus. OSX is nowhere near the system hog that Windows is, but sometimes we need the extra RAM to virtualize other OS's. I love and use OSX at home, but Windows pays the bills.

1GB standard, upgradable to 4.

HDMI/DVI outout. It's a mini, and the selling point IS to connect it to a 3rd party keyboard/mouse/monitor.

Mini DisplayPort with the Mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter in the box.

Hard Drive - Does that really matter? Get the small one and upgrade yourself for much less $$$ (Goes for RAM, too).[QUOTE]

Oh, no. Being able to store files on your computer doesn't matter. 100GB on the base model, 160 on the top.

I'm not even going to touch FireWire. I don't expect it, though.

[QUOTE]Integrated Bluetooth / WiFi. I bought my P4 mini without it, so I had to use a bluetooth dongle and had to wire my house with CAT6 cable. The upside was wiring my house with CAT6!! :)

It has that now...

OSX Snow Leopard, or a coupon for the upgrade.

Not unless you expect it to start shipping after WWDC in June.

Eric S.

Dec 17, 2008, 07:32 PM

It'll have the processors from the newest MacBook.

It'll have the nVidia 9400M. In other words, integrated.

1GB standard, upgradable to 4.

Mini DisplayPort with the Mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter in the box.

... 100GB on the base model, 160 on the top.

I'm not even going to touch FireWire. I don't expect it, though.

In other words, basically a headless/keyboard-less Macbook.

basesloaded190

Dec 17, 2008, 07:33 PM

In other words, basically a headless/keyboard-less Macbook.

yes, and if priced right, would be a very good little computer

Tallest Skil

Dec 17, 2008, 07:34 PM

In other words, basically a headless/keyboard-less Macbook.

Yep. Exactly like what the current Mac Mini is, only not with the specs of the MacBooks from two years ago.

DYER

Dec 17, 2008, 07:44 PM

Yep. Exactly like what the current Mac Mini is, only not with the specs of the MacBooks from two years ago.

i think that is a pretty decent spec anyway the current MB are not bad at all.
I think a new mini would complement my MBP nicely as would be nice to have somewhere to store all my photos as my current mbp well failed at that (i have 8gb free and all my external drives are full)

*continues trying to convince himself he needs a mac mini*

MatLane

Dec 17, 2008, 07:48 PM

Tallest Skil

Dec 17, 2008, 07:50 PM

I think there might be
If not a new one a speed bump.
It needs a bit of both really
then again they could kill it? still seeing these 'Mac Mini discontinued' rumors
I highly doubt it though
:apple:

Your posts are cool because they read like haikus, but please cut the spacing out. ;)

Does anyone else feel like saying "Burma-Shave" at the end of that?

surroundfan

Dec 17, 2008, 07:59 PM

If it goes DDR3 for the RAM, it's unlikely to have 1GB in the base model because I am not sure that there are any 512MB DDR3 SODIMMs around...

It's also unlikely that they will differentiate the graphics chipsets in the two models to obtain economies of scale.

I also think Firewire will remain because there isn't likely to be the space constraints that face the MacBook...

My guesses as to spec are therefore:

$599
2.0GHz Core 2 Duo
9400M GPU
2GB DDR3 RAM
120GB HDD
1xFW800
4xUSB2

$799
2.4GHz Core 2 Duo
9400M GPU
2GB DDR3 RAM
200GB HDD
1xFW800
4xUSB2

Basically headless MacBooks with Firewire.

iDave

Dec 17, 2008, 08:03 PM

When the mini was updated August of '07, Apple kept it a generation behind the MacBooks of that summer. I think it's very likely they'll do that again but I hope not.

Would you all prefer Apple to do that and offer the mini at $599; or go with the newest specs at $799. I just don't see a new mini with the specs of the newest MacBook going for $599, but I guess Apple could surprise us. :cool:

iDave

Dec 17, 2008, 08:06 PM

Does anyone else feel like saying "Burma-Shave" at the end of that?
You're showing your age. ;)

Tallest Skil

Dec 17, 2008, 08:11 PM

You're showing your age. ;)

Nineteen?!

iDave

Dec 17, 2008, 08:11 PM

I also think Firewire will remain because there isn't likely to be the space constraints that face the MacBook...

There are no such "space constraints" in the MacBook. Previous models had Firewire. Apple designed the new MacBook to not have Firewire. If they had wanted it to have it, it would have had it. I don't think a revised mini will have Firewire. Apple wants to upsell us to the iMac.

iDave

Dec 17, 2008, 08:15 PM

Nineteen?!

Where have you seen Burma-Shave signs in the last 19 years???

Tallest Skil

Dec 17, 2008, 08:22 PM

Where have you seen Burma-Shave signs in the last 19 years???

Nowhere, really. :o

Just because I'm young doesn't mean that I don't like or appreciate the classics. The kids may listen to the rap music (which gives them the brain damage, you see?), but I tend to separate myself from the current stereotypical teenager vibe.

Is it wrong that one of my favorite musicians is Cat Stevens? I like the 40s, 50s, and 60s! ;)

DMann

Dec 17, 2008, 08:31 PM

I think there might be

If not a new one a speed bump.

It needs a bit of both really

then again they could kill it? still seeing these 'Mac Mini discontinued' rumors

I highly doubt it though
:apple:

The haiku responses are provocative.

They are insightful

Yet concise

Perhaps a mixture of both

I find them to be cool.

iDave

Dec 17, 2008, 08:32 PM

Nowhere, really. :o

...but I tend to separate myself from the current stereotypical teenager vibe.

Cool. I got a kick out of your Burma-Shave comment. Chances are, most other readers won't understand it. :D

kdarling

Dec 17, 2008, 09:57 PM

Burma Shave story and examples

Those, and the signs giving the distance to Wall Drugs (http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2216), were the major entertainment going cross country back in the pre-Interstate days.

(when I was stationed in Korea on the DMZ, we saw Wall Drug signs)

cult

Dec 17, 2008, 10:38 PM

that Apple sorely needs a midrange desktop computer for those who want more than an iMac but less than a Mac Pro. I'm a perfect example of someone who would plunk down my money in a heartbeat for such a product. I just sold my MacMini (Core 2 Duo, 2 gig RAM) because it wasn't enough for me; I want a headless Mac so I can make use of my monitor; and the Mac Pro offers too much (I don't need an eight core machine) and at the same time, too little (not enough memory, too few USB 2.0 ports, no SD card reader) at WAY too high a price point. I have two netbooks, which are my primary machines as I spend most of my time writing and emailing, and my desktop is a triple core, AMD processor Gateway with 6 gig of RAM, 500 gig hard drive and six USB ports not to mention four card readers. For this machine I paid, brand new, $550. I mean, it just becomes ridiculous after awhile. I would rather have a Mac but actually feel that they can't be bothered to make the product I need. I am trying my hand at Hackintoshing the Gateway, but hopefully, Apple WILL bring out a new desktop in a more median price range. I don't mind paying a LITTLE more for a Mac than a PC, but $2000 more for something with a third of the RAM of my current machine is a bit much.

Trip.Tucker

Dec 17, 2008, 10:50 PM

They'll be all "boos" when you see specs that you don't want. The minimum price will still be $599.

You need to stop making statements that have no basis. You have no idea what the products are to be released in the coming months/years. No one except Apple does and even then, things can change at the last moment. So enough with the insinuated inside knowledge.

What does "So yeah" mean?

Trip.Tucker

Dec 17, 2008, 10:55 PM

So... just SATA then. :rolleyes:

And there's no such thing as "internal" FireWire.

The G4's (Sawtooth) had an internal Firewire port and other brands also include them. The OP was talking eSATA, not SATA.

iDave

Dec 17, 2008, 11:07 PM

The OP was talking eSATA, not SATA.
eSATA means external SATA.

PCFan

Dec 17, 2008, 11:10 PM

I'm sure it doesn't. It runs winblows, after all.

But many people do.

There's really no point in you following this thread, then. The Mini always has been, and always will be, a small footprint computer based on notebook components. Your bitchin' and moanin' won't change that. Go buy your HP and have fun.

In case you didn't understand my goal in all this, it's to get the current Mac mini at around 300$ or make the new one a lot better and leave it at the current price. I'm just saying that, especially with the economic crisis, it's a little hard spending 800 big ones for a barebones, 14-month-old unupdated computer. If I just wanted a powerful computer I would get the HP but I want to try the Mac. Also, I think it's pointless having such a small desktop computer because a desktop computer isn't meant to be portable, that's just my opinion.

By the way, this is a forum, I'm completely allowed to state my opinion with the rule "no foul language", which you're currently not respecting: "bitchin'". So don't tell me what to do. I may be a newbie here on MacRumors, but I have a pretty good reputation on other forums (such as www.afterdawn.com great forum by the way) so don't treat me like a newbie.

Eric S.

Dec 17, 2008, 11:29 PM

By the way, this is a forum, I'm completely allowed to state my opinion with the rule "no foul language", which you're currently not respecting: "bitchin'". So don't tell me what to do. I may be a newbie here on MacRumors, but I have a pretty good reputation on other forums (such as www.afterdawn.com great forum by the way) so don't treat me like a newbie.

Let's see, you come to a Mac forum, call yourself PCFan, and in one day post several messages derogatory to Apple and its computer products and try to start a flame war. Nice start!

basesloaded190

Dec 17, 2008, 11:42 PM

In case you didn't understand my goal in all this, it's to get the current Mac mini at around 300$ or make the new one a lot better and leave it at the current price. I'm just saying that, especially with the economic crisis, it's a little hard spending 800 big ones for a barebones, 14-month-old unupdated computer. If I just wanted a powerful computer I would get the HP but I want to try the Mac. Also, I think it's pointless having such a small desktop computer because a desktop computer isn't meant to be portable, that's just my opinion.

A $300 mac isn't going to happen, ever. And when they do update the mini you won't be paying "800 big ones" for an out-of-date computer. Having a small foot print a la the mini is something people like to go for, its great for saving space and is pleasing to the eyes. So again before you bitch some more, wait until it is updated, and if you don't like it, go buy the HP please, and stop all the complaining.

Cave Man

Dec 18, 2008, 12:44 AM

In case you didn't understand my goal in all this, it's to get the current Mac mini at around 300$

Ain't gonna happen, so just go buy that $300 eMachine. BTW - none of those $300 PCs are even close to the Mini in terms of overall performance.

or make the new one a lot better and leave it at the current price.

What you don't seem to realize is that the 2 year old 2 gHz Mac Mini outperforms any PC that is (1) in the same form factor and (2) equal to or less than it in cost ($800). You can get a PC with a faster processor in that ff, but because those manufacturers skimp on the other things (e.g., L2 cache) you end up with a weaker computer. Go over to geekbench and check out the winblows-based on P/T8xxx series processors (such as that found in the Dell Studio Hybrid). They routinely score less than the 2 gHz Mini (T7200). The gHz myth is alive and well, thanks to Dell and the like.

I'm just saying that, especially with the economic crisis, it's a little hard spending 800 big ones for a barebones, 14-month-old unupdated computer. If I just wanted a powerful computer I would get the HP but I want to try the Mac.

So build yourself a hackintosh. It's really easy. Under OS X mine scores a geekbench of nearly 7,000, but when I boot in XP Pro it's just over 5,000. Just make sure you buy a retail copy of OS X. ;)

Also, I think it's pointless having such a small desktop computer because a desktop computer isn't meant to be portable, that's just my opinion.

Once again, that's fine for you, but there are plenty out there who are perfectly happy with the Mini. Mine handles high bitrate Blu-ray rips at 1080p with DD or DTS audio with no problem. IMO, it is the most elegant computer on the market today. And I hope it is surpassed come MWSF.

By the way, this is a forum, I'm completely allowed to state my opinion with the rule "no foul language", which you're currently not respecting: "bitchin'".

Golly gee, Wally, I'm real sorry.

So don't tell me what to do.

I'm not telling you what to do, just giving you advice. I'm simply stating that you have two options: buy that $300 PC or build a hackintosh. There are no other alternatives based upon your needs.

I may be a newbie here on MacRumors, but I have a pretty good reputation on other forums (such as www.afterdawn.com great forum by the way) so don't treat me like a newbie.

You want the Mini to be based on non-laptop components. You want it to be $300. How else can I treat you?

Dirty Harry

Dec 18, 2008, 03:15 AM

I don´t care much about the new upgraded specs, any improvement making the mini a better machine will be fine for me. The only thing I am begging for is, please Apple: KEEP FIREWIRE.

The question is, if Apple drops Firewire, what are your plans for a new machine?

I'd go for the white macbook used as a desktop machine, with my external monitor and usb keyboard.:rolleyes:
Maybe the low end imac too... The thing is, if the mini has no firewire I won´t buy a mini, and if it does, I will.

detz

Dec 18, 2008, 03:54 AM

I hope they don't drop firewire, I have three external 1TB drives all setup waiting the arrival of the new MacMini...It would be a downer if I couldn't use the cases because there was no firewire.

mackiwi

Dec 18, 2008, 03:58 AM

The consumer desktop is facing extintion - the macmini is going to die off to simplify the mac desktop line to 2 (imac & macpro). hopefully the bottom spec imac is brought down in price to $899.

The Macbook & iphone are apples "switcher" products now - with the fabled iphone pro/tablet being a likely addition.

Cave Man

Dec 18, 2008, 11:53 AM

The consumer desktop is facing extintion

No, it isn't.

the macmini is going to die off to simplify the mac desktop line to 2 (imac & macpro).

Not any time soon, it appears. If Apple EOLs the Mini, then the number of hackintoshes will increase exponentially. Apple's making a ton of cash off the Mini and if anything, Apple makes good business decisions. The Mini will be around for a while.

PCFan

Dec 18, 2008, 03:45 PM

Ain't gonna happen, so just go buy that $300 eMachine. BTW - none of those $300 PCs are even close to the Mini in terms of overall performance.

What you don't seem to realize is that the 2 year old 2 gHz Mac Mini outperforms any PC that is (1) in the same form factor and (2) equal to or less than it in cost ($800). You can get a PC with a faster processor in that ff, but because those manufacturers skimp on the other things (e.g., L2 cache) you end up with a weaker computer. Go over to geekbench and check out the winblows-based on P/T8xxx series processors (such as that found in the Dell Studio Hybrid). They routinely score less than the 2 gHz Mini (T7200). The gHz myth is alive and well, thanks to Dell and the like.

So build yourself a hackintosh. It's really easy. Under OS X mine scores a geekbench of nearly 7,000, but when I boot in XP Pro it's just over 5,000. Just make sure you buy a retail copy of OS X. ;)

Once again, that's fine for you, but there are plenty out there who are perfectly happy with the Mini. Mine handles high bitrate Blu-ray rips at 1080p with DD or DTS audio with no problem. IMO, it is the most elegant computer on the market today. And I hope it is surpassed come MWSF.

Golly gee, Wally, I'm real sorry.

I'm not telling you what to do, just giving you advice. I'm simply stating that you have two options: buy that $300 PC or build a hackintosh. There are no other alternatives based upon your needs.

You want the Mini to be based on non-laptop components. You want it to be $300. How else can I treat you?

1) I said around 300$ for the current one, after the new one comes out, the current one won't be current anymore so the price is supposed to go down. Or, make the new Mac mini alot better and leave it at 800$ and it'll be worth it.
2) I need help with Hackintosh. I tried it on my current PC, it worked a long time ago (everything except for the graphics) so I thought it was pointless so I re-installed Windows. When I tried to go back (I tried Kalyway and Zephyroth) it doesn't work anymore. :(
Having an AMD processor doesn't help the situation at all. I'd be really glad if you would help me.
3) Wanting a machine for a cheaper price doesn't mean I'm a newbie. Once you know my age you would think I'm a newbie, but I'm not. It's good not to be one on the internet but it's good to be one for having a social life. :o

specialbuddy

Dec 18, 2008, 05:10 PM

tuc

Dec 18, 2008, 05:55 PM

Let the betting begin How do you think Apple is going to cripple the new Mini so that only the most need-nothing users are able to use the mini? My bet is on

1) no firewire

2) only display port for video out.

I would happily buy a couple updated Minis with those limitations. I just hope they don't cripple it in some other way, such as x1300 instead of 9400M.

No doubt at all, they'll make you buy that DisplayPort-to-VGA adaptor that costs $60 or so too.

Yea, I forgot - $499 is feasible then if you are talking 1Gig RAM, an x3100, and only a 120 Gig HD like the White MacBook, but then have to plop down another $50 or so for a Displayport to VGA (or HDMI, or DVI) adapter, and of course, no remote (another $20).

Yes, the Apple adapters are expensive, but I don't know where you guys are getting these $60/$50 numbers. They retail for US$29, right?

MacBook08

Dec 21, 2008, 04:22 PM

I expect a daring new design for the Mini along with a major ad campaign. Hell, throw in some colors too. Perfect for this economy. Something that will melt hearts. I don't think the small internal upgrades will keep the Mini alive if all they do is throw some black glass on the top.

How about this? I think the colors could help sales.

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x281/KevzDog/minichromatic.jpg?t=1229894482

Or maybe a mini with an opaque top that glows different colors that the user can select.

jashic

Dec 21, 2008, 04:45 PM

1) I said around 300$ for the current one, after the new one comes out, the current one won't be current anymore so the price is supposed to go down. Or, make the new Mac mini alot better and leave it at 800$ and it'll be worth it.
2) I need help with Hackintosh. I tried it on my current PC, it worked a long time ago (everything except for the graphics) so I thought it was pointless so I re-installed Windows. When I tried to go back (I tried Kalyway and Zephyroth) it doesn't work anymore. :(
Having an AMD processor doesn't help the situation at all. I'd be really glad if you would help me.
3) Wanting a machine for a cheaper price doesn't mean I'm a newbie. Once you know my age you would think I'm a newbie, but I'm not. It's good not to be one on the internet but it's good to be one for having a social life. :o

Here is what I suggest. Delete this account, create a new one and name it something other than "PCFan". Then come back and not act like a newbie who is here to start flame wars. Then maybe you'll be taken seriously. Until then, have a great time with your HP. I hear it's a good machine but obviously, I wouldn't know. =)