I doubt Apple will do anything like that. They'll just keep it the way it is, throw in the leftover pieces of the new Macbooks coming out later on, and call it a day.
so you mean they do what they always do with the mini ..give the customer some % more processor speed and the customer keeps quiet
which would mean the 2.66ghz which is now optional made baseline and maybe a downclocked i3 as optional upgrade and the obvious price increase
basically a small half sized MacPro 12 core
sorry but thats my idea of a Mac mini top model and i bet it would sell really well , because not everyone wants to buy a iMac if he needs a bit more processing power then the mini offers at the moment , but a MacPro is for most just overkill , so there is definitely a big Gap in the Mac range that could be filled
and my idea is not to get rid of the mini like it is completely ,its fine for the basics so keep it there , but that gap is annoying me that i need to buy a AIO system if i only would need a small desktop for a bit more then just the basics ..call it "Mac maxi "or "Mac mini Pro " placed above the mini server
sure it would steal some sales in MacPro's and iMac's , but would create profits on its own in return
sorry but thats my idea of a Mac mini top model and i bet it would sell really well , because not everyone wants to buy a iMac if he needs a bit more processing power then the mini offers at the moment , but a MacPro is for most just overkill , so there is definitely a big Gap in the Mac range that could be filled
I'd be up for it!
But why stop at 2'', if Apple wanted they could make the Mini a bit cheaper with lower end intel i3 and intel graphics to cut costs, in the current size. Then Mac a G4 cube sized Mac with the ability to upgrade the CPU, GPU and HDD(and makes room to opt out of a DVD drive for a custom built model...or if it was largest enough have two HDD slots to start with)
But Apple seems scared off from the G4 Cube, but I don't think the form factor from that device was the reason for failure, it was the other things such as a price of 1699. Why not make it lower, something like 1199, because while the PowerMac during the G4 launch where using desktop parts, the Mac Pros of today are using server grade parts. We don't have a headless Mac that can be upgrade that is has full desktop computer parts inside. The only issue might be beating out iMac sales, because it would be cheaper and/or have better specs. But I suppose it could be lower end in the CPU department when but level room for user upgrades. I can't imagine your average joe would upgrade it, but use, Macrumors users would be very interested in doing so.