My Idea for a new Mac mini.

[sarcasm]Im amazed with ideas like that you haven't gotten Steve Jobs job yet.[/sarcasm]

a Core 2 Duo Mini should be coming up pretty soon.

Jman888 said:

Ok heres My Idea.
1. Update the Mac mini to a Core2 And have more Normal Ram
2. Apple Needs to invents a Connector like how some laptops have Docks but have it so that you can connect a little cord to a external GPU thru a HDMI like cable. So you can have your little Mini and underneath it have a
7600GS : Mini Edition Connected Thru MBP (Mega Bandwith Port)
Also MBP Would need about 4x The bandwith (Max) Of Pci Express For Futureproofing.
3. The Mac mini Would need to have about 4 Of those 4 Usb Firewire On the Back.
4. Open it up so that Ati + Nividia Can make their own Graphics cards for it.(I'd Love a Mini with a External x1950 XT )
5. Market it correctly with the Right Features and the Right Price and THERE YOU HAVE A PC KILLER.
People who need expandablilty would love it because they can just plug up a New card if they so please. (That would also please gamers)
Cheap people (Like me) Would love it because its affordable and Fast at the same time.
Also all people who hate apple would have to agree. That was a good idea.

I mean think about it. You now have the ultimate Tiny Modular Mac
Just buy it and then later on need Some more GPU Power? No problem Just Get the 7900GT Mini Editon. Need to add a sound card or something. No prob just plug it in. The Possibilities are endless
__________________

Click to expand...

You need a PeeCee.

Some of the ideas are nice, but it is just so impractical. Ever wonder why we don't have external connections supporting enough bandwidth for a PCIe bus?

Well think of it this way, how are you going to transmit such high frequency electronic signals down a... cable or some dock connector without loss or clock skew? Not going to happen. Apple may be innovative, but like God they better obey the laws of physics.

Why doesn't apple just send people parts and have them build the computer. On top of that license OS X, so everyone can use it!!!

I think not.

Nice idea but the single best selling point of the mac IMO is the "It Just Works" philosiphy. you're idea needs a lot of assembly, plus that high speed buss will be a PIA to get working reliably

Chris

Jman888 said:

Ok heres My Idea.
1. Update the Mac mini to a Core2 And have more Normal Ram
2. Apple Needs to invents a Connector like how some laptops have Docks but have it so that you can connect a little cord to a external GPU thru a HDMI like cable. So you can have your little Mini and underneath it have a
7600GS : Mini Edition Connected Thru MBP (Mega Bandwith Port)
Also MBP Would need about 4x The bandwith (Max) Of Pci Express For Futureproofing.
3. The Mac mini Would need to have about 4 Of those 4 Usb Firewire On the Back.
4. Open it up so that Ati + Nividia Can make their own Graphics cards for it.(I'd Love a Mini with a External x1950 XT )
5. Market it correctly with the Right Features and the Right Price and THERE YOU HAVE A PC KILLER.
People who need expandablilty would love it because they can just plug up a New card if they so please. (That would also please gamers)
Cheap people (Like me) Would love it because its affordable and Fast at the same time.
Also all people who hate apple would have to agree. That was a good idea.

I mean think about it. You now have the ultimate Tiny Modular Mac
Just buy it and then later on need Some more GPU Power? No problem Just Get the 7900GT Mini Editon. Need to add a sound card or something. No prob just plug it in. The Possibilities are endless
__________________

Click to expand...

1. If by more normal RAM you mean 1GB, I bet the next revision gets 1GB. If you mean not SO-DIMM, well there just isn't the room.

2. You really have no idea what the Mini is about. Insert

It seems whether it is the unreleased iPhone or other Apple products, there are always, and to my dismay, far too many, people here who are never satisfied with what is available, they want features and capacities that are not always realistic, and they want it for it seems next to nothing. I'm not saying this is the case necessarily with the OP, but I get a bit tired of some of the narrowmindedness that says that this item or that needs this feature and without it it's worthless, etc. etc. ad infinitum ad nauseum, because the reality is that Apple has to make products that can appeal to most people and in doing so have to leave certain things out, either because they are unrealistic, unfeasible, or too limiting as to the marketing thereof, or because they simply didn't think of it. Not everything they do is perfect.

3. There are plenty of hubs out there. The Mini doesn't have room for 4 USB and 4 Firewire.

4. Since #2. doesn't work, neither does 4. While I would like to see dedicated graphics on the Mini, it doesn't need it to be successful. And Apple knows that. If you think it will be a PC killer with it and not cannibalize too much of their iMac sales, remember it has a notebook drive in it, so there will always be complaining. IT IS AN ENTRY LEVEL MACHINE. Hence the price point. Lowest ever in an OS X Mac.

5. Maybe there will be a Mac Pro Jr. or Mac Mini Extreme or Mac Cube II, and that will be the machine for this. And it will run $1500-$2000. But it really won't see marketing, because it appeals to build-a-boxers, not generic know nothing it just works consumers like my Mom.

Apple is quality. Not cheap. Their prices have become more competitive. But they will never strive for a price war, their stuff is too well built, and that's what you pay for. And they honestly aren't interested in getting a gamer or any other user into an ultimate machine with loads of future proofing at the low end. If you really want that. BUY A MAC PRO, change out the video as needed, change drives, add RAM, drop in a new pin compatible CPU.

You want to know the really really great thing about Macs. They tend to hold pretty good value. You can buy one, keep it for 8-15 months, and still sell it for good money. Go out and replace it. It's like a built in lease program where for less than $200-500 a year you can own the latest and greatest machine. How's that for future proofing.

Jman888 said:

Well think this Way. Pci Express x16 Has 8GB/S Expresscard Has Like 3Gb/S And HDMI has 10.2GBPs
So.. Whats making this impossible (Actually i find it weird Hdmi is faster then Pci express..)

Also another part of my idea is that you just plug it in and it "works" Automaticly shuts off your internal card and offloads. And also if you unplug it it switches back.
Just imagine that on Macbooks and Minis and iMacs !

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pci_express
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expresscard
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hdmi

Now seing that all of that was done.. Why cant apple?
I mean HDMI is from 2002 Its 2007 Now im sure they could do faster then hdmi ..

Click to expand...

Ummm, HDMI is alot less then PCI Express. Notice the small 'b' on the bandwidth part of the HDMI page. B = byte, b = bit, 8bits in a Byte. Your ideas simply would not work. Ever try removing a video card from a computer? The Mini is good the way it is. Either buy a Windows box or a Mac Pro, cause that is what you need.

Jman888 said:

I mean think about it. You now have the ultimate Tiny Modular Mac
Just buy it and then later on need Some more GPU Power? No problem Just Get the 7900GT Mini Editon. Need to add a sound card or something. No prob just plug it in. The Possibilities are endless

Click to expand...

I thought about it. Apple should probably build you a time machine (hardware ) so you can go to the future and get the latest system. How's that for FUTURE PROOFING?

This is what I think is the next Mac mini from Apple:

1. Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 Quad-Core
2. 8GB Memory
3. 2 512MB Nvidia GeForce 8800.
4. 1000GB Hard Disk Drive.
5. 6 FireWire 800 ports, 4 FireWire 400 ports and 12 USB 2.0 ports.
6. 1 Blu-Ray drive
7. 1 HD-DVD drive
8. 1 16x SuperDrive double layer.
9. Airport Extreme n enabled.
10. Maximum price of $500 US.

Max Payne said:

This is what I think is the next Mac mini from Apple:

1. Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 Quad-Core
2. 8GB Memory
3. 2 512MB Nvidia GeForce 8800.
4. 1000GB Hard Disk Drive.
5. 6 FireWire 800 ports, 4 FireWire 400 ports and 12 USB 2.0 ports.
6. 1 Blu-Ray drive
7. 1 HD-DVD drive
8. 1 16x SuperDrive double layer.
9. Airport Extreme n enabled.
10. Maximum price of $500 US.

Click to expand...

You forgot to mention the belt clip

Max Payne said:

This is what I think is the next Mac mini from Apple:

1. Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 Quad-Core
2. 8GB Memory
3. 2 512MB Nvidia GeForce 8800.
4. 1000GB Hard Disk Drive.
5. 6 FireWire 800 ports, 4 FireWire 400 ports and 12 USB 2.0 ports.
6. 1 Blu-Ray drive
7. 1 HD-DVD drive
8. 1 16x SuperDrive double layer.
9. Airport Extreme n enabled.
10. Maximum price of $500 US.

Click to expand...

And of course a flux capacitor. And for an extra $100 a Mr. Fusion to power it off banana peels and orange rinds.

Heck, I'd be happy with user upgradable memory.

AlexH said:

Heck, I'd be happy with user upgradable memory.

Click to expand...

You'd think they could place an access door the bottom like a laptop, since minis use SO-DIMMs now.

not when a service call is billed at 100 dollars an hour, you wouldn't!

"Sure, we can install that $35 stick of RAM for you.....that'll be 100 dollars please."

/leaves apple store.

Max Payne said:

This is what I think is the next Mac mini from Apple:

1. Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 Quad-Core
2. 8GB Memory
3. 2 512MB Nvidia GeForce 8800.
4. 1000GB Hard Disk Drive.
5. 6 FireWire 800 ports, 4 FireWire 400 ports and 12 USB 2.0 ports.
6. 1 Blu-Ray drive
7. 1 HD-DVD drive
8. 1 16x SuperDrive double layer.
9. Airport Extreme n enabled.
10. Maximum price of $500 US.

Click to expand...

So basically, he wants a Mac Pro at 75% off

Core 2 Duo - options for any speed
4 DIMM slots 2 x 1GB Standard
1 FW400, 1 FW800
4 USB 2.0
S-Video, HDMI
Airport & Bluetooth
Gigabyte Ethernet
1 PCIe 16 Slot for video
1 PCIe 16 open
Video Options X1300, X1600....whatever
iLife, iWork, OSX
Keyboard & Mighty Mouse

Prices $700-$900