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2011 Mac Mini - Speculation
- Thread starter Nanker/Phelge
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I would think they wouldn't ship you a different product from the one you bought. So I really doubt the orders being placed now are going to be filled with the new Mac mini...especially if they change the price for the new ones. After all, some people may not want Intel graphics and Lion. Just because Apple says it's an upgrade doesn't mean the customer will automatically agree.
The delays could be due to Apple not sending out extra inventory to retailers, that is, only sending minis to retailers that already have customer orders for them. Which slows things down quite a bit.
Yes. Apple give a 2 week remorse period during which you can return your Mac with no quibbles. You may have to pay a small restocking fee for this.
However, I don't know what Apple's policy is once the remorse period elapses. Hopefully, if Apple release a new Mini very soon after that, they'd still be understanding about it.
Of course, growing speculation about Mini updates coinciding with Lion's release, or thereabouts, are just that: speculation. If Apple have a massive stockpile of C2Ds left over, as for example they did with the GMA950s, then the low-end laptops will get updated first, the Mini probably much later. If that happens, it'll be a major bummer as I won't wait much longer.
Meantime, I'm slowly switching more of my stuff to Windows 7 to avoid this type of hassle in future. GL!
sporadicMotion
macrumors 65816
My 2.3 GHz i5 in some tasks was handling double the workload of my 2.66 C2D. In most cases, it was at least 30% faster. Most of my apps are heavily multithreaded.
I bought a Mini about two months ago, kept it for 14 days, and decided for the money, I'd rather hold off on a 2011 model. There was no restocking fee.
Well that's a quad core vs dual core which a whole different issue. I guess my question was whether a dual core i3 and a C2D running at the same clock speed were really equally fast, but it looks like I've already been answered on that.
In light of recent events (such as the nearest BB with a mini being in Erie, PA, 128 miles away) I've converted from the ranks of the skeptics. What are the chances of the new mini dropping to $599 with perhaps a bare bones i3 processor, perhaps 2.50GHz i3-2100T with Intel HD2000 graphics, 4GB RAM (min for Lion is 2GB and I can't see Apple going with the bare minimum there), and about the same HDD size as now or maybe smaller? Power users will not like that one bit but with the US economy sputtering and the expense of TBolt might force them to lower the price and lower the expected specs even more.
And the main target market for the mini probably won't care about any of this other than the price tag and the catchy processor name.
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I have to confess that having read the latest rumours today that Lion will be released along with the Air and Mac Pro but still no sign of a Mini might be the final straw as far as I'm concerned.
I have a notional date in my mind regarding my cut off point for a Mini upgrade release and beyond that I may well buy a new Windows set up. I know of no other company especially in the tech market that can get away with what Apple manage to with their long suffering customers. Let's be honest about this the Mini was either under specified overpriced or a combination of the two when it was released in 2010. However, to be still charging this amount a year later yet having achieved zilch in the upgrade stakes when all around your competitors products have moved forward in leaps and bounds is I feel taking the proverbial, really quite shocking and I for one am almost clean out of patience. 😡
I have a notional date in my mind regarding my cut off point for a Mini upgrade release and beyond that I may well buy a new Windows set up. I know of no other company especially in the tech market that can get away with what Apple manage to with their long suffering customers. Let's be honest about this the Mini was either under specified overpriced or a combination of the two when it was released in 2010. However, to be still charging this amount a year later yet having achieved zilch in the upgrade stakes when all around your competitors products have moved forward in leaps and bounds is I feel taking the proverbial, really quite shocking and I for one am almost clean out of patience. 😡
santosmarco
macrumors newbie
Mac Mini end of line, discontinue, no market....
Has someone in this thread considered that Mac Mini probably will not be updated and this is the end of line? 😡
We are here suffering and dreaming and Apple might decide to shut down the Mac Mini product line. Can someone give a good reason why Apple should keep the Mac Mini in production? If not I am almost decided to build-up my HTCP based on PC/W7 😱
Has someone in this thread considered that Mac Mini probably will not be updated and this is the end of line? 😡
We are here suffering and dreaming and Apple might decide to shut down the Mac Mini product line. Can someone give a good reason why Apple should keep the Mac Mini in production? If not I am almost decided to build-up my HTCP based on PC/W7 😱
SJ certainly doesn't like the Mini and had he got his way it would have been consigned to the tech graveyard quite some time ago. It was the Apple board that vetoed his efforts to ditch the Mini as they wanted a sub $700 dollar route into the world of Macs for the switchers. However, the iPad has now well and truly claimed that mantle so it is a possibility that the Mini may well be put out to pasture. All major UK retail outlets are now showing the Mini as out of stock, only the Apple stores and Apple online have them.
It sells very well and Apple just redesigned the case last year. I think those are reasons enough to keep it around at least another year or two.
John.B
macrumors 601
DCIFRTHS
macrumors 68000
srf4real
macrumors 68040
Bwa hahah hah hah.. mini discontinued lol. Skeptics have also forecasted the demise of Mac Pro which is now reliably rumored to be new for sale this week shipped with Lion pre-installed along with mb airs. Both mini and MP are available in server configurations and there is a crowd that says any Mac can be a server with Lion. But a mini server is very attractive to quite a large crowd of IT departments including mine. And $2000 cheaper than a MP server.
I don't even care about the price point of a new mini; I'm interested in its minimal footprint and an ability to be a main workstation for those of us who will not stoop to Windows machines but don't need the iMac screen or the massive server grade features and vast expandability of the Mac Pro.
Methinks the mini is evolving into the much coveted 'mini tower' over time. But in the mean time a decent performance bump (significant BUMP considering current c2d config.) and hd graphics performance comparable to current mini with room for expansion through thunderbolt and dual display capability.. a nice lil' machine for less than a grand!😀
A couple years from now when high performance chips are less energy consuming and heat creating, the mini will be an even more attractive and powerful option to draw in switchers. I don't see the iPad making a lot of folks move over to Apple computers. Most average folks probably don't even need more than an iPad nowadays unless at their business or place of work in which case the employer chooses the OS and provides the workstations.
Mini should continue to be the high end computer/OS with low cost entry Mac that it is.
I don't even care about the price point of a new mini; I'm interested in its minimal footprint and an ability to be a main workstation for those of us who will not stoop to Windows machines but don't need the iMac screen or the massive server grade features and vast expandability of the Mac Pro.
Methinks the mini is evolving into the much coveted 'mini tower' over time. But in the mean time a decent performance bump (significant BUMP considering current c2d config.) and hd graphics performance comparable to current mini with room for expansion through thunderbolt and dual display capability.. a nice lil' machine for less than a grand!😀
A couple years from now when high performance chips are less energy consuming and heat creating, the mini will be an even more attractive and powerful option to draw in switchers. I don't see the iPad making a lot of folks move over to Apple computers. Most average folks probably don't even need more than an iPad nowadays unless at their business or place of work in which case the employer chooses the OS and provides the workstations.
Mini should continue to be the high end computer/OS with low cost entry Mac that it is.
He's probably referring to the dual core actually. On Geekbench's Mac results page the dual 2.3 i5 in the 2011 13" MBP gets 5917/6448 (32/64 bit) vs 3627/4003 for the 2.66 2010 mini.
As for a cheaper i3 model I don't think it's a bad idea...although without knowing the demographics and actual sales numbers it's hard to say whether it'd be justifiable business wise. It'd be a way to bring the mini back down (or vaguely closer) to an actual entry level price, and for margins/higher end use more expensive models could still be sold.
I figure it wouldn't have gotten a redesign if they were going to ditch it at this point. That said I'm wondering where they sell the majority to. It's the cheapest Mac but it's far from cheap, I know it's decently popular in the HTPC space, and it seems to have gotten into the cheap server space. It's become like some random use machine where the other Macs wouldn't be ideal for one reason or another.
The stock shortages would seem to indicate either a refresh or a discontinuation. It's hard to believe that they would discontinue the mini at the exact same time they release Lion; if they wanted to discontinue it it would make more sense to do so when the supply of C2D runs out in fall or winter.
Unless they don't think the 2010 minis can handle Lion without RAM upgrades, and don't want to sell any new Macs without Lion. But that would be bizarre...why not just upgrade the RAM to 4GB? They'd still be making a killing at $699.
Also, there would be little point in keeping a discontinuation secret. Announcing the discontinuation before it happens might actually intensify sales.
philipma1957
macrumors 604
Bingo if it is getting discontinued they would let us know to get us to buy it out.
Also iPads don't cut for many people looking to switch to mac. If you gave free iPads I would sell them as they just don't fit my needs.
I would rather a powerful macbook air over an iPad.
I can imagine Apple dropping both the mini + AppleTV, and releasing a machine that combines them. Lion is the perfect opportunity for it.
(I wouldn't buy it though, since I don't share Steve's goals for my lifestyle...)
Actually, carrying the ideas of my previous post further, there's another possibility. What if they're just planning to upgrade the 2010 minis they still have in stock on Lion Day to 4GB RAM and preload them with Lion? What they're doing now fits exactly with that scenario -- limit the minis sent to non-Apple retailers to the bare minimum while keeping the Apple Stores stocked, since the Apple Stores can be expected to comply with the orders to upgrade the RAM before selling them once Lion comes out.
If they were doing a full-blown refresh, why would they continue supplying Apple Stores with 2010 minis? All the stock they have when the 2011 mini is released would have to be sold at a discount. Why not just keep a limited number at the Apple warehouses for online orders.
If they were doing a full-blown refresh, why would they continue supplying Apple Stores with 2010 minis? All the stock they have when the 2011 mini is released would have to be sold at a discount. Why not just keep a limited number at the Apple warehouses for online orders.
I didn't mean that iPads replace the Mini, rather they provide potential switchers with the opportunity to see what the world of Mac has to offer.
No more patience
Got out today, did some tests on the current model in the Apple reseller's shop and walked out with a Mac Mini. Have ordered from OWC memory at less than a third of the cost the local resller wanted for 2 x 2Gb. And this is inclusive freight shipping to NZ. Will be using bootcamp - am reverting my laptop back to Vista Ultimate (came with that) and will use the Win 7 license on the mini.
Main reason I moved away from a laptop is screen size (deteriorating eyesight) and although more power would have been nice I do not like more heat generation (noisy fans) and I absolutely hate glossy screens. If they upgrade the Mini then I might consider a new one but only if they have a CPU that does not run hot. (the i3...M / i5...M have 35 watt disipation, the P8600/P8800 25 watts. Cannot see Apple putting in an i3...UM or i5...UM which has 18 watts dissipation). If they discontinue the mini well then this will be my only (new) Apple purchase. If ASrock had an importer here in New Zealand selling the Vision 3D I would have bought one of those but they don't (although would have worked out more expensive and it would have media capability that I would never use).
Thanks for all who chimed in, I am taking my leave again (other things to do), was fun being here for a while.
Got out today, did some tests on the current model in the Apple reseller's shop and walked out with a Mac Mini. Have ordered from OWC memory at less than a third of the cost the local resller wanted for 2 x 2Gb. And this is inclusive freight shipping to NZ. Will be using bootcamp - am reverting my laptop back to Vista Ultimate (came with that) and will use the Win 7 license on the mini.
Main reason I moved away from a laptop is screen size (deteriorating eyesight) and although more power would have been nice I do not like more heat generation (noisy fans) and I absolutely hate glossy screens. If they upgrade the Mini then I might consider a new one but only if they have a CPU that does not run hot. (the i3...M / i5...M have 35 watt disipation, the P8600/P8800 25 watts. Cannot see Apple putting in an i3...UM or i5...UM which has 18 watts dissipation). If they discontinue the mini well then this will be my only (new) Apple purchase. If ASrock had an importer here in New Zealand selling the Vision 3D I would have bought one of those but they don't (although would have worked out more expensive and it would have media capability that I would never use).
Thanks for all who chimed in, I am taking my leave again (other things to do), was fun being here for a while.
I've already moved most of my mini's server duties off to an unraid NAS setup. The only thing I really use it for is a plex front end, and plex media server.
I wanted a faster mini to better handle transcoding to an appleTV in the spare room. But I like the richer full plex front end for the lounge.
If there is no sign of a refresh, I'll look at moving the server part to my gaming PC (noisy and energy inefficient, but I can probably manage), which will have more than enough grunt to transcode. And then either keep the current mini, or pop another appleTV under the TV and live with the simpler interface (albeit 720p though)
Kinda sums up my thoughts also. Of course Apple only get away with it because, strictly speaking, there are no hardware competitors running OS X (not legit anyway).
Thus they know even if they don't update the Mini, people will still continue buying simply because they need a new, less expensive, headless Mac & prefer a 3 year warranty, whilst many of these will be wholly unaware of even obvious differences in components, eg. between C2D & Sandy Bridge.
Like we've said, they have previous form here when they stockpiled cheap GMA950 boards & had that c/rap inside Minis for some 20 months. I guess having got away with it then, they'll assume they'll get away with it again if they have similar quantities of C2Ds left.
Great products, dodgy company! If no updates soon, I'll get an older Mini for a few OS X specifics & continue spending even more of my time working in Windows 7.
Not that Apple will care, but I'll also be selling all my OS X games soon anyway (no more iMacs for me after the last disaster + headache-inducing glossy screen) & rebuying some titles for far cheaper on Windows. I'll probably get faster frame-rates to boot. If I could switch everything over to Windows, I probably would, but I still need a Mac for some OS X only stuff.
what minimum spec would you think would cover all likely 1080p plex front end duties? Any 2009 mini? I have a GMA950 2GHz mini and it doesn't like some content. If no refresh soon I might go for a light refresh to decode anything, and then move server duties to my windows 7 machine.
I don't have a Mini yet so this isn't gospel, but I'm fairly sure that I've read that any Mini with 2GHz & the 9400M GPU (so yes, 2009 models) would more than suffice for Plex as it can use the GPU's power to assist with decoding.
Let's hope Apple don't leave us waiting much longer. GL!