They're not cannablising anything.
You think the iMac, the most profitable machine, would sell if they had an easily expandable desktop? Apple has stood there ground for a very long time on this for a reason, or else they would do it.
They're not cannablising anything.
You think the iMac, the most profitable machine, would sell if they had an easily expandable desktop?
How can you be so sure?Yes.
Most people (especially most mac users) do not expand their machines.
How can you be so sure?
In consideration: This topic really more to do with Mac Pro than Mac Mini, and therefore its more relevant for the "Mac Pro" thread. But for fun here's my take on the...
"next gen" Mac Pro tower
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* Mainly a heck of a lot smaller tower.
* No Dual CPU option. Takes up too much unnecessary space.
* A maximum of 4 x 2.5" Drive bays. For third-party SATA III SSDs. Or 2.5" 7200rpm mechanical backup drives.
* No 3.5" bays. Since that would be pretty pointless these days.
* Between 1 and 2 full length, Double height, full length PCI Slot for Discrete Graphics Cards. In other words between 2 and 4 *single-height*, full-length PCI slots. I wouldn't like to say how many exactly, it depends a lot on other people's views. But 4 slots gives enough space for 1xgraphics + 1pci SSD + 1 other PCI card eg peripheral. I don't believe SLI (dual-gpus) is worth it however.
* CPU:
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1) Mobile i7 Quad core power envelope is necessary for a smaller case.
2) We can ditch the Xenons for Mobile i7's and save the extra TDP headroom for other things in the case - namely a better discrete GPU. After all - its the lack of proper discrete graphics that's the one major defeciency of the Mac Mini.
4) However the Mobile i7 CPU will definately have the fastest integrated graphics bundled in it totally for free. iGPU has that Intel QuickSync transcoding engine which people desperately need for video editing. Not only is transcoding faster with QuicSync, its also freeing up the other main components (CPU+dGPU) while doing the transcoding in the background.
I can't figure out the overall design intention here due to the seemingly high number of design conflicts.
That doesn't make sense with your other parameters. You want to go with mobile cpus. This means very few PCI lanes. Your typical mobile gpu actually runs on 8 instead of 16... If you're looking for a lot of bandwidth, you're actually tied to Xeons.
You're making an entirely different computer class.
This makes very little sense. You pay more for less with cpus deemed mobile, and 45W desktop cpus exist anyway.
In terms of integrated graphics, you can get them on desktop gpu types as well. There isn't a reason to go this route at all if you're looking for cost effectiveness.
Yes.
Most people (especially most mac users) do not expand their machines.
Most of Apple's products have been un-competititve during that time, especially in terms of price/performance ratio.I don't think Apple will choose to make something that is positioned to compete with desktop PCs. Because it has done that in the past (PowerPC series). They were widely criticised back then for those products being un-competitive.
3.5" drives still offer 2 times the size compared to their 2.5" counterparts. For quite some of the intended use cases for a "Mac Pro" this may have some importance.* No 3.5" bays. Since that would be pretty pointless these days.
For smaller devices - agreed. But the whole idea of a big box computer (let alone a tower) is to have more options inside the box and less cluttering on the desk, plus the fact that internal connections used to be a lot better/faster before Thunderbolt - nowadays the internal connections are at least significantly cheaper for comparable speeds.* No Slot 5.25" for Blu-Ray. Do away with it because those people who need one can just plug in an external one.
Ahem - there is more than black and white. Quite some people love to have upgrade options for one reason or the other (e.g. upgrading / replacing the harddrive) and are forced to either use external devices (clutter, power consumption, does not help in case of defect on the internal unit) or be upsold to the expensive, server-grade Mac Pro. While the mini can be considered a low-noise, low power-consumption entry-level device where certain compromises can be accepted somehow, the iMac does _not_ fill the void of a medium level unit for people who like/need the expansion/self-service options together with some performance for less than server-grade prices.The Pro is still useful for those who need a full size tower with internal upgrade options but for the rest of us we have 2 choices, iMac or Mini.
Better airflow = better (quieter) cooling, accessability for upgrades / repairs of defective drives or upgrades, option to used internal solutions to avoid cluttering. For quite some people those reasons are perfectly valid and even a potential dealbreaker.I really don't see the point in a Mini Pro, if its too small then 3.5" drives would not fit, they are still bigger capacity than 2.5". So what would be the point of a bigger case than the Mini?
Other people may have different requirements than you (see above). Apple itself proved that a computer bigger than the mini can look good while still providing more / better options. Think about what possibilities modern technology would offer in e.g. a Cube case!If you look at any of the mini PC towers they don't offer much in the way of upgrades and look butt ugly next to the Mac Mini with no real advantage apart from taking up more desk space.
There are people like that and for those the market is favourable currently. But there still is the other group which does not want/like/need an AIO - and be it only that they have to pay for the hardwired monitor which they don't need/want (glare!) and which threatens to make the whole computer unusable in case of a defect.PC makers have realized many users don't want or need a tower so why not have an AIO? Just like Laptop users they will upgrade every few years or when the need arises instead of messing with the internals.
Chicken-egg-problem! Most of Apple's products does not allow any upgrades except for memory in the first place. Is it really that people would not use upgrade options if they were actually available on an Apple computer that is not technical and financial overkill for anything less than business use?If you are implying that most mac users (as in, 51% or more) upgrade things other than memory before buying a new machine, I'm quite certain you are wrong.
Drive bays
=========
You say: "what's the harm in the 3.5" bays?" I agree with your description of their merit as a form factor for Mechanical HDDs. However its not enough to make that a pressing necessity going forwards.
How many legitimate use cases for 3.5" HDDs anymore? It depends what you are comparing to. You can buy 512GB Crucial M4s which are pretty affordable these days (vs the total system cost of Mac Pro). And the newer 7200rpm 2.5" HDDs themselves aren't really that much different anymore than any standard 3.5" HDDs performance-wise. If you previously wanted a 10,000 RPM hard drive - it makes little sense not to buy an SSD instead.
For larger storage, ssds make very little sense. 10k rpm SATA drives haven't been popular for a long time. You're still pushing forward with something that doesn't solve any real problems. There's a good chance that your design would drop more customers than it would recover as you're just trying to make a smaller desktop. As I've already mentioned, other brands often have setups that can accept 2.5 or 3.5" drives. In the case of 2.5" drives, you can fit more of them. What could you possibly gain over such a solution by making it 2.5" only?
Its clear that you don't. But that was MY prime reason which I explained pretty clearly. Good or bad, its the reason why the other bullet points... including the 2.5" drive bays, clear enough?I don't see the point of prioritizing the engineering toward a small form factor.
No. I disagree. The qualities you are valuing there are all excelled by any typical Dektop PC these days. Lots of big drive bays and so on etc. Perhaps those are the kinds of user you think would be turned away? But the basis of my argument is that the Mac Pro is definately not a PC. So why should it have to look anything like one? The person you are actually disagreeing with: Johnny Ive.These aren't built as cluster units, and many of these suggested compromises turn away more users than they would ever bring.
I'm not disagreeing with you on this point. Since that is exactly what it is... However its important to realize what is still OK to be upgraded: the RAM, the Storage (or at least any 2.5", as we previously disagreed), and the graphics card. In particular, there is no other Apple product where people can upgrade any GPU themselves. Thunderbolt enclosure doesn't work well enough, and probably never will. It doesn't mean all those people who want to do that also want to have a massive chassis and upgrade everything else too.In the end you could end up with something nearly as expensive with fewer options...
In the end it needs to appeal to someone, and I see this as a machine that would have limited marketability.
You're wishing for something the Mac community has been wanting since the dramatic simplification of Apple's product line back in 1998, the Mythical Midrange Macintosh Minitower. Keep hope alive
Isn't that the case with the iMac too?
Indeed, since Jobs' return, it's been the norm.
You think the iMac, the most profitable machine, would sell if they had an easily expandable desktop? Apple has stood there ground for a very long time on this for a reason, or else they would do it.
I think the desktop wouldn't sell because iMac has all you need. If you want a desktop to upgrade the cost will be similar to a Mac Pro. The Mac Mini itself with a comparable monitor will cost roughly close to the iMac but worse in performance.Yes.
Most people (especially most mac users) do not expand their machines.
barkmonster said:Also, expanding more than the RAM in a Mac Mini involves warranty voiding user-installed upgrades.
cosmichobo said:Isn't that the case with the iMac too?
Indeed, since Jobs' return, it's been the norm.
NO IT HASN'T.
It was Jobs return that brought the G3-G5 entry level systems, the iMac, the Mac Mini, the simplification of their lineup!
I guess you've only being using Macs since they switched to Intel because you can still run Windows on them, have no idea what they used to offer and only know Jobs from all the iHype
The G4 Cube was my first . And very good it was too!Apple once offered an 8 Inch cube with the same power as the Mac Pro equivalent back then. I'm sure they can do it again, without that mind blowing price tag.