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2011 Mac Mini - Speculation

I am hoping that Apple found a way to put a decent spec'd machine together for $999 or less to call the 2011 mini and phases out the "server" variety. 2 x 2 core i3 or 1 x 4 core i5's, 256GB ssd, 1TB sata hdd, 1 thunderbolt port and one hdmi output, graphics capable of smoothly running CS5, FCP, Aperture, etc..

But I doubt it. There's not large enough room for profit in these specs to suit Apple imo. But correct me if I'm wrong, this is entirely doable and could be in the build process now in a mini case, right?:D

edit: ok, maybe the ssd is going a little overboard. lol
 
Come on ... I'm getting impatient.
Where is the news of more dwindling 2010 Mini supplies.
 
The words "clutching" "at" and "straws" comes to mind I'm afraid. What next tea leaf reading about the arrival of an upgraded mini? Looks imminent posts every month now since February. I have spoken again with my local Apple reseller today and he has no knowledge of constrained supplies for UK market. You can also buy one in almost every large high street electronics store right off the shelf. Stores have loads of stock.

I really hope I'm proved wrong but I'm starting to resign myself to living with my iMac for yet another year. :mad:
 
Lankyman said:
The words "clutching" "at" and "straws" comes to mind I'm afraid. What next tea leaf reading about the arrival of an upgraded mini? Looks imminent posts every month now since February. I have spoken again with my local Apple reseller today and he has no knowledge of constrained supplies for UK market. You can also buy one in almost every large high street electronics store right off the shelf. Stores have loads of stock.

I really hope I'm proved wrong but I'm starting to resign myself to living with my iMac for yet another year. :mad:
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You're probably right &, FWIW, I don't see updates as a given, at least not for the Mini considering Apple's past neglect of it. But with Lion's release set for July, this is one final rumour I'm prepared to give at least some credence to.

However, if it doesn't happen, then I'll get a refurb soon after Lion's released. SL is more than fine for my needs &, besides, a lot of my time now is spent working with a Windows 7 PC anyway. :)
srf4real said:
My birthday is in july. :D
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So should your folks want any ideas for a present for you, no prizes for guessing what that might be. :)
 
gregorsamsa writes .......However, if it doesn't happen, then I'll get a refurb soon after Lion's released. SL is more than fine for my needs &, besides, a lot of my time now is spent working with a Windows 7 PC anyway
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To be honest the current Mini more than suits my present computer needs. My only gripe with the Mini is lack of storage and I resent paying for an upgrade for what should be a minimum starting point.

I have also spent a lot of time of late on my Windows 7 PC as I'm sick to death of seeing my handsome face reflected on the iMac screen :rolleyes:. I'm finding Windows 7 a real easy OS to get along with and can't fault it. It's situations like this that cause manufacturers to lose out to their competitors.
 
gregorsamsa said:
Latest rumour of Mac hardware updates, including Thunderbolt-equipped Minis, speculates it might coincide with Lion's release in July. Certainly seems worthwhile hanging on for, just in case it happens:

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/06/16/apple_may_freeze_new_mac_introductions_until_release_of_mac_os_x_lion.html
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Yes. July may be too late. I may very well have thrown the money at a Llano-powered laptop by that time. I mean, it'll be low on power usage (yes that matters to me, even in a desktop PC), probably a tad slower CPU-wise and a tad faster GPU-wise. CPU will still be all I need, GPU has been the bottleneck in my current machine, so I'm inclined to buy something with better graphics. Plus, I can plug all my current peripherals in it, or I can carry it wherever I go :). Only downside IMO is that I won't have OSX Lion. Missing out on T-Bolt is ok for now.
 
I think they'll update the higher-priced Pro first in order to exploit desperate people who can't wait longer.
 
I'd almost prefer the old operating system on a refresh. At least then I can hold off upgrading until I know there are no issues with my perferred apps.
 
mrklaw said:
I'd almost prefer the old operating system on a refresh. At least then I can hold off upgrading until I know there are no issues with my perferred apps.
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I agree. It's always nice to be able to boot in the previous system, if the new one is buggy. For some, the loss of Rosetta will make that even more important this time. A mini that boots only into Lion will be less desirable to me at this stage. In a year, it won't matter.
 
Lankyman said:
To be honest the current Mini more than suits my present computer needs. My only gripe with the Mini is lack of storage and I resent paying for an upgrade for what should be a minimum starting point.

I have also spent a lot of time of late on my Windows 7 PC as I'm sick to death of seeing my handsome face reflected on the iMac screen :rolleyes:. I'm finding Windows 7 a real easy OS to get along with and can't fault it. It's situations like this that cause manufacturers to lose out to their competitors.
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Here, here! Strongly agree about Windows 7. For me also glossy screens remain a big issue & in a way beyond mere cosmetic preference for matte. Since having a matte screen set-up my eyes no longer ache, even after a few hours spent looking at a screen.

With my glossy iMac (FWIW, the logic board fried) eye-strain was always an issue. For that reason alone, never again will I go down that path! If Apple ever abandon the Mini, I may have to seriously consider abandoning Apple.
 
Same here, I need to be able to run Rosetta for the foreseeable future, so I need something that can boot SL. If the new Mini comes out with Lion, I'll be getting a 2.53 '09 to upgrade, or a MBP to hook up to my large display.
 
makes sense... it'll be a more compelling reason to switch over or test run OSX, which is why the mac mini exists
 
lvlarkkoenen said:
Yes. July may be too late. I may very well have thrown the money at a Llano-powered laptop by that time. I mean, it'll be low on power usage (yes that matters to me, even in a desktop PC), probably a tad slower CPU-wise and a tad faster GPU-wise. CPU will still be all I need, GPU has been the bottleneck in my current machine, so I'm inclined to buy something with better graphics. Plus, I can plug all my current peripherals in it, or I can carry it wherever I go :). Only downside IMO is that I won't have OSX Lion. Missing out on T-Bolt is ok for now.
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If needs must, then I also wouldn't hesitate for much longer about buying. Not only is Windows 7 an excellent, user-friendly OS, but you can pretty much get exactly what fits your needs with PC hardware for less. Maybe you can pick up a cheaper refurb Mini sometime later for your OS X stuff.

TBH, I'm not that overwhelmed by what I've seen of Lion so far & if I thought that Mini updates were unlikely next month, I'd probably get a refurb now. But as we're already past mid-June, waiting a few weeks more won't bother me.

Re T-Bolt, I quite agree as its advantages for Macs won't be fully realized for some time yet. Probably not for years.
 
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Minicube said:
Correct. Macs only boot the OS they ship with (or later versions). The will not boot previous OS's. Which is sort of odd, when you think about it.
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No, that depends on the hardware. If the Macs that ship with Lion don't come with any hardware changes - they can certainly be "downgraded" to Snow Leopard.
 
It would be very nice to see a new mini shipping with Lion (rawr). I realised recently I won't be able to upgrade my Core Duo one, it had quite failed to occur to me, and it's due for a replacement anyway IMO.

I haven't read the thread here, but I'm thinking SSD would be a nice thing to have in there - were the last gen HDs still running at 4200RPM? The only downside might be getting lumped with the Intel HD 3000 GPU hmmm?
 
Minicube said:
Correct. Macs only boot the OS they ship with (or later versions). The will not boot previous OS's. Which is sort of odd, when you think about it.
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Not really odd when you consider that Apple is a software developer that makes money by controlling the hardware on which you can operate it.;)

I really wanted an update without Lion, but if they beef up the mini enough I won't bat an eye at having to start out on Lion. If they haven't beefed up the processor performance, ram capacity and storage options, I'll be hunting for a refurb Mac Pro on 10.6 I guess.
 
DisMyMac said:
I think they'll update the higher-priced Pro first in order to exploit desperate people who can't wait longer.
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The Sandy-Bridge Xeon CPUs suitable for the next Mac Pro aren't due till Quarter 4 2011. Considering when Intel will stop shipping Core 2 Duo processors I think it's highly likely the Mini will be updated long before the Pro.

MartiNZ said:
I haven't read the thread here, but I'm thinking SSD would be a nice thing to have in there - were the last gen HDs still running at 4200RPM? The only downside might be getting lumped with the Intel HD 3000 GPU hmmm?
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A SSD would provide a good speed improvement. The 2009 Minis are much easier to mod than the 2010s. The SATA connector on the 2010 is easy to break. Both of these come with 5400RPM SATA HDDs and have SATA II connectors.

I have two 09 Minis and personally I'm waiting to see what the next Mini is like before I consider updating.
 
calaverasgrande said:
It sucks that I have to buy a boat of a macbook at 17" to have access to pro level connectivity. EG Apogee soundcards, UAD DSP cards, eSata connectivity.etc.
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I'm not against the card slot. But, the 17" is not a boat - very slim, elegant, and light. And, you can get 1920x1080. I'm surprised everyone doesn't prefer the 17" to the 15".
 
Mac Mini update - hopeful

I'll be keen to see a new mini update and would consider the Mini Server if price point is right and hardware is a decent upgrade - minimum 750-1T HDD's, decent i3 or i5 processor, 1 4G RAM module included and discrete graphics chip.

Still happy with my 2010 model though as media centre, but would like to go server route with number of Macs now running on my WLAN.
 
Mr Rogers said:
and hardware is a decent upgrade - minimum 750-1T HDD's, decent i3 or i5 processor, 1 4G RAM module included and discrete graphics chip.
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It seems to me that for most mini purposes, the new SB with the embedded
HD 3000 would be perfect. This would be adequate for anything but gaming, keep the price down, and keep the power down.
 
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