Mac Mini to be Discontinued?

[MacRumors]

Gizmodo believes that the Mac mini may have already been discontinued by Apple. According to the site's European retailer sources, Apple has stopped orders for the low end Mac and has reportedly told the retailers not to expect any more.

The Mac mini may be pronounced dead as soon as today's Apple earnings conference call, as two major retailers in Europe have confirmed to me that they can't order any more of the little computers. While this could signal an updated model coming in, they have been told by Apple to expect no more of it. Their impression is that—once again—the Mac Mini may be dead dead DEAD for real, even while you can still order it at the Apple Store.

Rumors of the demise of the Mac mini started circulating back in May, 2007, though the most recent reports have claimed that Apple was still working on revising it.

Apple will be reporting their Q4 2008 financial results today, and could reveal more during their conference call.

Article Link: Mac Mini to be Discontinued?

[plumbingandtech]

Nooooooooooooooooooo!!!!


Kaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

[DaftUnion]

Originally Posted by plumbingandtech

Nooooooooooooooooooo!!!!


Kaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

I was thinking more along the angry lines of KAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHNNNNN!!!!!!!!

[sighlent]

Originally Posted by plumbingandtech

Kaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

Originally Posted by plumbingandtech

!!!!

[starflyer]

If it hasn't sold very well, I say kill it.

[DARKJ3DI]

Originally Posted by starflyer

If it hasn't sold very well, I say kill it.

it would sell better if Apple upgrades it

[polaris20]

Originally Posted by DARKJ3DI

it would sell better if Apple upgrades it

I agree. If it had 9400m graphics, 2.0 and 2.4Ghz choices, up to 4GB of RAM, and larger drive choices......oh wait, that's a MB!

[BenRoethig]

Originally Posted by polaris20

I agree. If it had 9400m graphics, 2.0 and 2.4Ghz choices, up to 4GB of RAM, and larger drive choices......oh wait, that's a MB!

Mini has always been the desktop version of the iBook/Macbook.

[FF_productions]

Originally Posted by starflyer

If it hasn't sold very well, I say kill it.

I know we all like to defend Apple here and there, but this is class A bullshi*.

The Mac Mini isn't selling at all because it's $600 for over-priced hardware, and by the time you make it usable, the iMac becomes your choice and Apple locks you in.

Apple, are you guys kidding?? You guys have been in a slump, killing Mac Mini will make it even worse.

The cheapest desktop starts at $1100? are you kidding me?? Thanks Apple for being so helpful to the economy, we all are looking forward to buying your overpriced products.

[ChrisA]

Originally Posted by FF_productions

The cheapest desktop starts at $1100? are you kidding me?? Thanks Apple for being so helpful to the economy

You have to remember that Apple is based in Cupertino California. Even with the current housing problem you can't really buy a house there for under $500K and double that price is not unreasonable. You have to figure that the Engineers and managers working at Apple are making enough to live near the campus. I can't imagine many of them making less then $6K a month first level managers would be at double that. To most of these people $1,100 is not so much that they'd need to talk it over with the wife before spending $1,100. Yes if you are working at a $12/hour job $1,100 is a big amount and you'd have to save up, but to anyone who works at Apple it is kind of at the top of the "impulse buy" range.

It's reasonable that the people at Apple would set the low end price point at $1,100.

[Azmordean]

Originally Posted by ChrisA

You have to remember that Apple is based in Cupertino California. Even with the current housing problem you can't really buy a house there for under $500K and double that price is not unreasonable. You have to figure that the Engineers and managers working at Apple are making enough to live near the campus. I can't imagine many of them making less then $6K a month first level managers would be at double that. To most of these people $1,100 is not so much that they'd need to talk it over with the wife before spending $1,100. Yes if you are working at a $12/hour job $1,100 is a big amount and you'd have to save up, but to anyone who works at Apple it is kind of at the top of the "impulse buy" range.

It's reasonable that the people at Apple would set the low end price point at $1,100.

Actually, I'd be rather surprised if first level managers are pulling in that kind of money. Remember, the rule in places like the Bay Area, like DC, like NYC, is simply different than in the rest of the US. People simply don't expect to own a home. Rent in all those places is high, but doable. Salaries are high enough to cover rent - but not to own a big home. Generally only wealthy people, or couples where each person has a relatively high paying job purchase single family homes in these areas. Apple is aware of the low end/budget market, they just don't want to compete in it. In their mind, they are the computer version of "Lexus," not "Toyota," so they don't want to make a Corolla.

[madmaxmedia]

Originally Posted by ChrisA

You have to remember that Apple is based in Cupertino California. Even with the current housing problem you can't really buy a house there for under $500K and double that price is not unreasonable. You have to figure that the Engineers and managers working at Apple are making enough to live near the campus. I can't imagine many of them making less then $6K a month first level managers would be at double that. To most of these people $1,100 is not so much that they'd need to talk it over with the wife before spending $1,100. Yes if you are working at a $12/hour job $1,100 is a big amount and you'd have to save up, but to anyone who works at Apple it is kind of at the top of the "impulse buy" range.

It's reasonable that the people at Apple would set the low end price point at $1,100.

No, it's not. It's called market research, and every company even 1/100th the size of Apple does it.

In other times this kind of move might fly, but if the Mini is indeed cancelled with no replacement then I think this is gonna bite them in the ass in a year or so. Especially if the white MacBook is phased out too (not sure of their plans there.)

[schneb]

Originally Posted by ChrisA

You have to remember that Apple is based in Cupertino California. Even with the current housing problem you can't really buy a house there for under $500K and double that price is not unreasonable. You have to figure that the Engineers and managers working at Apple are making enough to live near the campus.

Simple. Create a sister company in Nevada or elsewhere. They do not HAVE to work in Cupertino. That should be the executive branch.

[OriginalMacRat]

Originally Posted by starflyer

If it hasn't sold very well, I say kill it.

They sell quite briskly.

If you have ever watched the Apple refurbs page, Mac mini's seldom last for more than a day before they are sold out.

[maccompaq]

Originally Posted by OriginalMacRat

They sell quite briskly.

If you have ever watched the Apple refurbs page, Mac mini's seldom last for more than a day before they are sold out.

They usually sell out in minutes.

[heisetax]

Originally Posted by starflyer

If it hasn't sold very well, I say kill it.

With the lack of any recent updates & a price much too high for the current state of the Mac Mini. If Mac Mini sales are low it is the result of Apple's lack of keeping it even somewhat up-to-date. Thus Apple will ensure that the Mac Mini can be set for deletion.

Combing the Mac Min with the Apple TV would as others have said make an interesting computer. But does Apple want to do anything in this type of an area. They only seem to be interested in the iPhone, iPod & to a certain extent the FW excluded Intel MacBook.

[macerroneous]

I didn't read the thread, sorry. Nevertheless, I can see Apple releasing a new product, somewhat larger than the mini, but acting as a full multimedia machine. It's a Mac Mini, plus TV tuner and DVR functionality. HDMI to power my plasma. DVD player, probably not Blu Ray. Mini price would make it huge, IMO. Built in airport, since it would be connected to my cable modem.

[JFreak]

I hope not. It's good to have a headless Mac option, but sure, they need to either drop it or upgrade specs.

[rael00]

noooooooooooooooooo. should i buy one now?

[mail4asim]

Originally Posted by rael00

noooooooooooooooooo. should i buy one now?

nah, I would wait and see what happens. If it is discontinued, then surely they would come up with something in it's place.

[Rocketman]

A few things. A baseline Mini is about $600. A baseline MacBook is about $1000. Running completely headless there is a cost upcharge for the Book. But if you need a monitor and keyboard and you plan to buy them with the Mini there is only a slight premium and you do get all-in one and mobility and BATTERY UPS for free in the deal.

As for Apple shifting to all glass displays for ecological reasons, it is a sales pitch and matte goes out the window as a result. Get a plastic cover with matte and be un-ecological. Apple refuses to breach their ecological virginity to offer a widely customer demanded feature.

The Cube form factor with its limited expandability is where I would like to see the Mini go toward. Dual internal discs, upgradable graphics, basically limited user interaction as a design point, unlike most other Macs. I would also like to see software and hardware to provide backward compatibility to older hardware accesable on the network via this Cube/mini device. I wish.

As for the higher margin computers released this week, new MacBooks starting at $1299, Apple is in a strong growth phase in terms of market share and unit volume. That has to be capitalized. Two main ways to do that is spend down the cash balance they have, or charge slightly higher margins so they partially self fund as initial capitalization is recovered. In the environment we are in taking a conservative tactic to fund rapid growth is smart. It is known companies like Apple have limited access to commercial paper so must be self funding.

It may be the case that once a level of saturation starts to show they may decrease margins a bit for the reverse of the above reasons. It will be interesting to watch what strategy Apple employs when they actually have a LARGE market share.

Rocketman

[toke lahti]

Originally Posted by Rocketman

As for Apple shifting to all glass displays for ecological reasons, it is a sales pitch and matte goes out the window as a result. Get a plastic cover with matte and be un-ecological. Apple refuses to breach their ecological virginity to offer a widely customer demanded feature.

This is the funniest part; there is of course a plastic display panel behind the glass, so how does it get greener when you add glass in front of it?
Useless bulk to recycle, when macbooks could be lighter and non-glaring without it. Surely the ingenius unibody would be strong enough without glass?

[xbjllb]

Originally Posted by Rocketman

.

As for Apple shifting to all glass displays for ecological reasons, it is a sales pitch and matte goes out the window as a result. Get a plastic cover with matte and be un-ecological. Apple refuses to breach their ecological virginity to offer a widely customer demanded feature.

You can easily etch glass to have a matte finish that doesn't hurt resolution a bit. Check out the glass in any picture frame at Wal-mart.

Apple will get around to it, eventually. They want to drive everyone crazy with reflections first, so they'll be forced to "upgrade" to more sensible matte finishes later.

Why sell a product once when you can make double by selling it twice?

Apple didn't always think this way; they used to rely on true innovation and taking pride in being cutting edge.

No longer.

[LaDirection]

Originally Posted by rael00

noooooooooooooooooo. should i buy one now?

No, the mini is a ridiculously overpriced, under-powered box. It is CLEAR Apple (i.e. Steve Jobs) never wanted that thing to succeed, it was, according to many insider reports, built to satisfy stock holder's repeated demand for an affordable headless Mac. Jobs made sure it failed.

With the mini's current spec and lack of mouse or keyboard, it should sell for $399, not it's actual asking price.

[MrJingles]

Originally Posted by LaDirection

No, the mini is a ridiculously overpriced, under-powered box. It is CLEAR Apple (i.e. Steve Jobs) never wanted that thing to succeed, it was, according to many insider reports, built to satisfy stock holder's repeated demand for an affordable headless Mac. Jobs made sure it failed.

With the mini's current spec and lack of mouse or keyboard, it should sell for $399, not it's actual asking price.

You have a point there. I was very excited when the first mini was being announced because we finally would have a headless mac but after the specs came out it was obvious you were getting $300-400 in parts, minus keyboard and mouse, for what $700 at the time? (plus only a 5400rpm HD, limited in ram etc)

People aren't tech savvy so if you had to choose between a crappy compaq e-machine for $400 (with crappy monitor, keyboard and mouse) vs the mac mini with no accessories for almost twice as much there isn't much of a reason to get the mini in that person's mind. After all they obviously couldn't afford anything for more!