2014 Mac Mini Teardown Highlights Increased Difficulty For User Upgradability

[Lankyman]

I last met a person who upgraded his computer four years ago. Upgradability on computers, removable battery on phones & memory cards on tablets are interesting perhaps to less than 1% of the market.

Some people really need to stop trying to conserve technology products for ages and get a new device when the time comes, just like the rest of us. In 2014 tech products are designed to be easy to manufacture & be thrown away when their time comes. Deal with it

So you care little for your environment or anyone else's. What a disgraceful indictment of today's culture.

 

[gadgetguy03]

So you care little for your environment or anyone else's. What a disgraceful indictment of today's culture.

It's actually more of an indictment of Apple's culture. No upgrade capability means people are throwing them away more. So much for pushing for greener standards.

 

[flyinmac]

So we should just continue and support a large part of the countries population, because they dont want to work.

I see many people everyday at my job who have the latest phone, clothes, pocketbooks, toys ye they hand me welfare card as insurance

A perfect example of self centered shallow and arrogant thinking. Whatever helps feed your superiority complex.

Obviously you didn't bother to attempt to understand a very simple concept that explained the phones. Instead, you just let your superiority complex blast away and propel yourself back to your self righteous self appointed god status.

And, maybe you should spend some time living in a shelter, helping at food banks, etc. That might just open your eyes and explain how some people might have the things you claim as evidence that they are not struggling.

Community members who have compassion, and understand what the people are going through often donate to such places, or volunteer at such places, and it might surprise you that you can walk into a food bank starving, and walk out with your belly filled, a box of food to ration for the coming week, and up to 5 items of clothing, and even some toys for your children, some books, and so on. And, you can go back once a week for more of the above.

It's all to help those who need help to better their lives. So, just because someone appears to be bathed, wearing nice clothes, and has a new cell phone that was provided to them, doesn't mean that they are well off and scamming you or anyone else by handing you a government issued Medicaid insurance card.

But, I know you'll pretend to be illiterate and unable to comprehend such simple words of truth. So, enjoy your life of comfort and luxury until it's your turn to end up at the bottom. It can happen to anyone. Best hope that when you get there you aren't unfortunate enough to have someone like yourself come along and call you a lazy bum and kick mud in your face.

Your own actions and attitudes may come back around and show you the error of your ways. But, I'm sure as you lay on the pavement, the memory of your insensitive words will be of little comfort to you when others scoff at you as they pass.

 

[AnalyzeThis]

First, are you being paid by Apple to post here or something? You posted fourteen times in this thread, basically defending Apple on their choice to hobble the Mac Mini. In case you haven't noticed, this is a big deal to a lot of people. And this isn't the only thread. There are at least three other threads for you to "post against the grain".

Second, I have previously built hundreds of PCs, upgraded computers, watercooled some, cold-cathode lighting, you name it. I have never ONCE worn a wrist strap.

This has nothing to do with Apple trying to cut down on support calls for botched memory installations. One need only look at the trend over the last few years in the Mac lineup. And that trend is ----------> "user inaccesbile".

Phil Schiller's body language when talking about the Mini during the keynote speaks volumes. He knew it was going to piss off a lot of customers.

Judging by the scarce availability of refurbished mac-minis, not wearing wrist strap and damage caused by user upgrades never was an issue. Thanks Apple for making me ride my Hack for a couple of years more, until may be you (Mr. Crook) would come up with decent mac-mini. Sorry, but $$$$ stays in my pocket for the nearest future.

 

[UpperQuadrant]

When I wanted to upgrade the ram on my iMac, I simply took a few minutes to find what part # that Apple used for the larger ram chips, then found a dealer who carried the same ram, but for a FRACTION of the cost.

How in depth were the specs you found? If you look at engineering specs, they are usually very difficult for the common person to understand and it's very difficult to get the exact same thing. It really gets more in-depth when you are looking at the engineering specs, which I have never seen Apple publish.

Do you have a site that shows the specs of memory that Apple specs out from their engineering department?

They normally give people more generic specs and that sometimes works and sometimes it doesn't. I've dealt with a lot of memory suppliers over the years and found Kingston (brand specific) to be about the best when it comes to Apple memory. They are actually a certified Apple 3rd party. Not all of them are.

I've compared what Apple uses to what some of these 3rd parties sell and many times the 3rd party will use less density chips on the module and what happens is they require more power, they end up generating more heat and then become flaky.

The problem if your system is covered under warranty or AppleCare, they typically have to start troubleshooting the system to make sure it passes the AHT and if you have 3rd party components, then you have to swap them out to Apple parts and it ends up being a hassle just to save a couple of bucks.

Bottom line, your 3rd party memory might work, but if it doesn't, it's a more of a hassle in the long run. I just learned to pay the money, get AppleCare and then it's a LOT less hassle. I have NEVER, in over 35 years of using an Apple computer ever had RAM issues when i used Apple labeled memory. They test it and spec it to work, not all 3rd parties do that.

Saving a buck doesn't mean it's better. It just means you haven't experienced what you will probably experience at some future time. I've got battle scars over the use of 3rd party memory and i won't go there anymore. lesson learned.

 

[Beercules]

That's funny, I'm a heavy user, very heavy user, but I don't see anywhere near that many problems, I've had way more problems with my many iPads than any computer.
Maybe it's because I build my own machines, who knows, but I certainly don't get viruses every other day and crashes hardly ever, except for a couple of rogue updates not long ago, not much different from Apple updates.

I wont go into tablets, apple ecosystem provides a better foundation then any other tablet on the market, this is what IOS device are kick but and users are staying current with the software updates.

Heavy user doesnt mean I surf the next 24 / 7. A heavy user is someone that consently and consistantly stresses the compoents. Including but not limited to CPU, memory, video card and storage.

Also, I challenge anyone who hasnt used a mac, to be open minded and goto a apple store and play with one, if you get you head out of the idea that it should be fully customizable you will see the benefits of owning a mac , BUT remember once you go mac, you never go back

Beercules

----------

Judging by the scarce availability of refurbished mac-minis, not wearing wrist strap and damage caused by user upgrades never was an issue. Thanks Apple for making me ride my Hack for a couple of years more, until may be you (Mr. Crook) would come up with decent mac-mini. Sorry, but $$$$ stays in my pocket for the nearest future.

This is a Apple store tactic, remove all old devices before posting new device. After if not before xmas you will see referb mac minis again.

 

[gadgetguy03]

Boy this thread has exploded since I got off of work.

After reading a LOT of posts, I can safely wrap up my comments on this issue as such:

Not being able to upgrade the RAM or storage is unfortunate for those it matters to. For me it doesn't matter so much and I intend to buy a newer model when I can afford it.

I still think Apple makes the best computers around. I work on a PC at the office and all I can think about is how much better my Mac is even though it is a late 2009 model. (though I could be biased since I don't have admin rights on the PC at work )

Regardless of how everyone feels, this is the way the 2014 model is going to be. I can't see them changing because of some large third-party forums. I do agree with some previous posts here that speculate Apple eventually blending the Mini into the Apple TV. They could create a new headless model but we will just have to see. Until then, Apple will lose that vocal segment of customers that appreciated the limited customization of the 2012 model.

 

[Beercules]

Judging by the scarce availability of refurbished mac-minis, not wearing wrist strap and damage caused by user upgrades never was an issue. Thanks Apple for making me ride my Hack for a couple of years more, until may be you (Mr. Crook) would come up with decent mac-mini. Sorry, but $$$$ stays in my pocket for the nearest future.

So what your saying is ill hold my breath until Apple see it my way. LOL
Enjoy the short lived life.

When I saw mac released a 5K imac I was upset too, as I just purchased a imac in october of last year, but I wouldnt have had the past 6 months of joyful computer experience now would I?

I hope you get as much joy out of having your money in your pocket as I do with my imac on my desk

 

[UpperQuadrant]

First, are you being paid by Apple to post here or something? You posted fourteen times in this thread, basically defending Apple on their choice to hobble the Mac Mini. In case you haven't noticed, this is a big deal to a lot of people. And this isn't the only thread. There are at least three other threads for you to "post against the grain".

Second, I have previously built hundreds of PCs, upgraded computers, watercooled some, cold-cathode lighting, you name it. I have never ONCE worn a wrist strap.

This has nothing to do with Apple trying to cut down on support calls for botched memory installations. One need only look at the trend over the last few years in the Mac lineup. And that trend is ----------> "user inaccesbile".

Phil Schiller's body language when talking about the Mini during the keynote speaks volumes. He knew it was going to piss off a lot of customers.

No, I'm not paid by Apple. But I've worked for some of the largest Apple resellers that sold to corporate accounts, I've sold plenty of top tier computer products over the years. I have had Apple training at various levels over the years and I have experience to draw from.

I also have friends over the years that have worked for Apple at various levels and I get some of the inside scoop (not covered under their NDA) on what happens. It's part of being in the industry since the mid-80s.

Talking to most of the people here, they aren't all people that have that same type of industry experience or training. One of the resellers I worked for was training us on Industry Best Practices that we would tell our large customers because they had to manage their computers/IT on a level to analyze all of the costs involved and most people don't have a clue about this.

The average consumer just wants to save a buck, but doesn't understand the risks involved and how much it really costs over the lifespan of the computer.

In order for Apple to design a product, they have to consider a lot of different things and judging by the changes in computer designs, they are moving from a user replaceable model away from it on certain models. Laptops are basically nothing is easily replaceable by the user. I understand both sides. The second a non-trained and certified person starts to install anything, it opens up for more problems. If you use 3rd party products, again, that opens up to more potential problems.

Body language is not an exact science. I wasn't paying attention to Phil Schiller's body language while he's giving a presentation. Maybe the guy was constipated as he ate something that didn't sit well with him.

Phil doesn't design anything. He's a marketing guy. he's also not in charge of Apple Support or a Finance guy looking at the bottom line.

Well, I don't care if you never worn a wrist strap, a trained professional is SUPPOSED to wear one as just touching the power supply doesn't always last long enough. People have carpet in their house that builds up static electricity minute after you touch the power supply, so wearing a wrist strap just ensures you won't have problems. Jeez.

 

[Bubba Satori]

Apple doesn't come to MacRumors to see this.

Source?

Countless people I know within Apple.

Well, that seals it then.

Source showing they come here to check for problems? [url=http://smiliesftw.com/x/roflugh_1.gif]Image[/URL]

I don't need a source for something I didn't claim.
I don't know whether Apple employees visit here or not.
You see, I don't know a lot of people at Apple.
But I did spend a night at a Holiday Inn Express once.
Oh, and I sold Macs for four years.
Great experience, especially during the Vista years.
Piece of cake.

 

[Beercules]

No, I'm not paid by Apple. But I've worked for some of the largest Apple resellers that sold to corporate accounts, I've sold plenty of top tier computer products over the years. I have had Apple training at various levels over the years and I have experience to draw from.

I also have friends over the years that have worked for Apple at various levels and I get some of the inside scoop (not covered under their NDA) on what happens. It's part of being in the industry since the mid-80s.

Talking to most of the people here, they aren't all people that have that same type of industry experience or training. One of the resellers I worked for was training us on Industry Best Practices that we would tell our large customers because they had to manage their computers/IT on a level to analyze all of the costs involved and most people don't have a clue about this.

The average consumer just wants to save a buck, but doesn't understand the risks involved and how much it really costs over the lifespan of the computer.

In order for Apple to design a product, they have to consider a lot of different things and judging by the changes in computer designs, they are moving from a user replaceable model away from it on certain models. Laptops are basically nothing is easily replaceable by the user. I understand both sides. The second a non-trained and certified person starts to install anything, it opens up for more problems. If you use 3rd party products, again, that opens up to more potential problems.

Body language is not an exact science. I wasn't paying attention to Phil Schiller's body language while he's giving a presentation. Maybe the guy was constipated as he ate something that didn't sit well with him.

Phil doesn't design anything. He's a marketing guy. he's also not in charge of Apple Support or a Finance guy looking at the bottom line.

Well, I don't care if you never worn a wrist strap, a trained professional is SUPPOSED to wear one as just touching the power supply doesn't always last long enough. People have carpet in their house that builds up static electricity minute after you touch the power supply, so wearing a wrist strap just ensures you won't have problems. Jeez.

PC electronics have been designed to take ESD for the past few years, having to wear a wrist strap to protect your componets is no longer required but if it helps you sleep at night I suggest you keep one on when you service your equipment.

 

[RockSpider]

I wont go into tablets, apple ecosystem provides a better foundation then any other tablet on the market, this is what IOS device are kick but and users are staying current with the software updates.

Heavy user doesnt mean I surf the next 24 / 7. A heavy user is someone that consently and consistantly stresses the compoents. Including but not limited to CPU, memory, video card and storage.

Also, I challenge anyone who hasnt used a mac, to be open minded and goto a apple store and play with one, if you get you head out of the idea that it should be fully customizable you will see the benefits of owning a mac , BUT remember once you go mac, you never go back

Beercules

Look, I think some people here have got the wrong idea about me, I have quite a few Apple products, I've also got a Core i7 Mac Mini with Windows 8.1 on Bootcamp, and as from last night, now on Parallels.
I've done all kinds of heavy duty stuff on PCs like ray tracing and animation, photo manipulation and converting Blu Ray videos.
Even though I own Apple products, I really can't see how anyone with some intelligence can restrict themselves to one ecosystem, which is not all that great. The best thing about owning a Mac is the fact that you can run Windows, wether it be in a VM or Bootcamp.

I bought a Mac, and I'll always be looking back, especially at this time where Apple is intent on dragging everyone back into the past.

 

[UpperQuadrant]

Judging by the scarce availability of refurbished mac-minis, not wearing wrist strap and damage caused by user upgrades never was an issue. Thanks Apple for making me ride my Hack for a couple of years more, until may be you (Mr. Crook) would come up with decent mac-mini. Sorry, but $$$$ stays in my pocket for the nearest future.

Well, we don't know what the Support calls are like? We don't have the metrics to analyze this, but Apple does. They track every support call, they do analysis on what are the most common problems. That's why they got rid of internal optical drives. They had too many problems. to cut costs and make the product more reliable, they are deciding to use surface mount soldered RAM. Even the most experienced people can install ram modules and the ram doesn't always seat perfectly.

 

[snorkelman]

You are the perfect costumer for this machine then because if you are comparing ram to hubcaps then you have no idea what ram is used for. Btw it's no a decoration piece

nopes I'm pointing out that there wasn't any point waiting till the RAM sockets were removed before complaining about 'lack of upgradability', 'poor sustainability', the 'death knell for out of warranty repairs' etc

Not when same concerns can be applied to phasing out of socketed CPU's and discrete graphics cards.

"If the RAM fails I'll now have to throw it away" Uhuh, and if the CPU or graphics fail in any Mac Mini in last 5 years?

"Being able to update the RAM can extend the life of the machine by 3.274 milenia" Sure and just think how much longer still it would last if they let you swap the CPU or graphics out too.


Up until the day that 'the hub caps cant come off the car' you can still replace the wheels.

That weeny little ability to still deal with the wheels alone (with no continued access to any of the other parts) hardly makes the previous model of the car a paragon of user serviceability or environmental sustainability. Time to complain was long long before then; when the engine, gearbox and suspension were still up for grabs.

If folks were genuinely concerned about the mac minis sustainability, environmental footprint and post warranty repairability yada yada yada, then they'd have complained a hell of a lot earlier than now. When the first of those subsystems went to the wall, not the last of them.

As it is the only thing they look genuinely concerned about is the added cost of buying the RAM from Apple rather than sourcing it themselves - that's fair enough I get that.

 

[flyinmac]

Judging by the scarce availability of refurbished mac-minis, not wearing wrist strap and damage caused by user upgrades never was an issue. Thanks Apple for making me ride my Hack for a couple of years more, until may be you (Mr. Crook) would come up with decent mac-mini. Sorry, but $$$$ stays in my pocket for the nearest future.

Not to worry, Apple has terrible history of ousting CEO's... Only Steve came back, and that was a fluke really. And, good ole Steve bit off the hand that invited him back in.

Wonders what Gil is up to these days... He walked into a mess, analyzed the problem, devised a strategy that involved bringing NeXT into Apple, and in turn NeXT CEO Steve got Gil booted.

Obviously, Gil's vision proved to be successful, otherwise OS X wouldn't be here. But, Apple would never dare to bring him back, he was known for tightening belts, firing unnecessary employees, and restructuring the company to restore focus. He saw a similar problem to what is presenting now, Apple has divided it's attention too far, and lacking focus, it's beginning to show lackluster and uninspiring products in all categories.

You can do many things at an acceptable level, or do a few things exceptionally well. Lack of focus is producing Macs that are barely more than minor tweaks, iPhone's with no inspiring reason to desire a new model, OS X versions that seem less refined, software updates that break more than they fix, iPod's that are all but forgotten, and customers scratching their heads wondering why it feels like we're moving backwards.

Their single biggest innovation of the last couple years? A way to use our phone to pay for things... umm.... yeah been there, done that... I'll stick with my cards, far simpler.

Oh, and let's not forget the uninspiring product of the year, a watch... wow, you took something simple and made it dependent on a phone, oversized, clunky, in your way, and ugly too... umm... yeah, I'll pass. As will everyone I know.

You know, it was all over the news for days. And, conversations started by people who were around when the stories played were "WTF????? why would anyone want that?"

Not seeing the watch play out big for them either. I expect they are still selling more neglected iPods than they'll sell Apple Watches.

They purchased some music company that few people had ever heard of prior to all the hoopla about the purchase. Yeah, can see that one headed south already.

They've got their hand in tons of places, considerably more than I've mentioned. And, the result is unfocused and uninspiring.

It's time for Apple to return to it's core and focus on a few things exceptionally well, and innovate, amaze, and dazzle us with what the new ones can do. iPhones and Macs are where the innovation needs to happen.

 

[Tim0]

How in depth were the specs you found? If you look at engineering specs, they are usually very difficult for the common person to understand and it's very difficult to get the exact same thing. It really gets more in-depth when you are looking at the engineering specs, which I have never seen Apple publish.
...

Sorry to interrupt, but you do sound a bit like a troll in this thread. For one, it's not a rocket science to wrist-strap ©, take out an original Apple-certified RAM module, read the specs on the chips and trace down the supplier. But for those of us who want it easy, there's Crucial MacMemory that's supposedly certified

http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/apple-memory

You might say they're crooks and liars - but if this were so, I'm sure they'd be up to their ears in lawsuits from Apple for using their trademark.

 

[flyinmac]

No, I'm not paid by Apple. But I've worked for some of the largest Apple resellers that sold to corporate accounts, I've sold plenty of top tier computer products over the years. I have had Apple training at various levels over the years and I have experience to draw from.

I also have friends over the years that have worked for Apple at various levels and I get some of the inside scoop (not covered under their NDA) on what happens. It's part of being in the industry since the mid-80s.

Talking to most of the people here, they aren't all people that have that same type of industry experience or training. One of the resellers I worked for was training us on Industry Best Practices that we would tell our large customers because they had to manage their computers/IT on a level to analyze all of the costs involved and most people don't have a clue about this.

The average consumer just wants to save a buck, but doesn't understand the risks involved and how much it really costs over the lifespan of the computer.

In order for Apple to design a product, they have to consider a lot of different things and judging by the changes in computer designs, they are moving from a user replaceable model away from it on certain models. Laptops are basically nothing is easily replaceable by the user. I understand both sides. The second a non-trained and certified person starts to install anything, it opens up for more problems. If you use 3rd party products, again, that opens up to more potential problems.

Body language is not an exact science. I wasn't paying attention to Phil Schiller's body language while he's giving a presentation. Maybe the guy was constipated as he ate something that didn't sit well with him.

Phil doesn't design anything. He's a marketing guy. he's also not in charge of Apple Support or a Finance guy looking at the bottom line.

Well, I don't care if you never worn a wrist strap, a trained professional is SUPPOSED to wear one as just touching the power supply doesn't always last long enough. People have carpet in their house that builds up static electricity minute after you touch the power supply, so wearing a wrist strap just ensures you won't have problems. Jeez.

At the very least, if you have the computer unplugged, you can wrap a length of copper wire (like cheap speaker wire) around your wrist and screw the other end of the wire to the screw that hold's your light switch plate on the wall. That keeps you grounded while you work.

Just don't use plain wire if you're working on something that's powered / live...

But, generally, as long as you're keeping away from the power supply, you should be on the DC side of things anyway (memory modules are on the DC side)... So, not too much to worry about. They usually keep AC components under cover inside computers these days.

 

[UpperQuadrant]

Boy this thread has exploded since I got off of work.

After reading a LOT of posts, I can safely wrap up my comments on this issue as such:

Not being able to upgrade the RAM or storage is unfortunate for those it matters to. For me it doesn't matter so much and I intend to buy a newer model when I can afford it.

I still think Apple makes the best computers around. I work on a PC at the office and all I can think about is how much better my Mac is even though it is a late 2009 model. (though I could be biased since I don't have admin rights on the PC at work )

Regardless of how everyone feels, this is the way the 2014 model is going to be. I can't see them changing because of some large third-party forums. I do agree with some previous posts here that speculate Apple eventually blending the Mini into the Apple TV. They could create a new headless model but we will just have to see. Until then, Apple will lose that vocal segment of customers that appreciated the limited customization of the 2012 model.

I agree. What's funny is the most people (consumers) don't budget properly when it comes to computers. Heck, most people don't budget at all. They just look at their bank account to see if they can afford something or not, but they rarely take into consideration the ancillary costs of ownership of a computer for a 3 year period. I now buy what I THINK I'm going to need 3 years from now and that usually takes into consideration storage and ram. I buy more than I think I'm going to need, because I usually end up using it.

Some people buy the entry level model, but come to realize a year or two later, they should have bought a higher level model. I guess it comes down to knowing what your are going to do with it. With computers, no matter what the processor speed, we always get used to what we have and we always want faster. Same goes with RAM and Storage.

I'm actually getting to the point where I just want to boot off the internal storage when I need to, but to actually get an external RAID drive to use as my boot disk. This way, I can have a much more reliable external RAID system with everything on it, vs, an internal drive that I exceed the available storage. I know external RAID does get expensive, but it is certainly more reliable, plus you can easily transfer it to the next computer.

 

[Beercules]

Not to worry, Apple has terrible history of ousting CEO's... Only Steve came back, and that was a fluke really. And, good ole Steve bit off the hand that invited him back in.

Wonders what Gil is up to these days... He walked into a mess, analyzed the problem, devised a strategy that involved bringing NeXT into Apple, and in turn NeXT CEO Steve got Gil booted.

Do you know this for a fact or are you using factless movies and books to back up your opinion. Fact, After Steve Jobs became CEO of Apple, apple went from worst company ever to best company ever, which it still holds today.
What have you done in your life time even compares to this?

Stop mixing facts with your opinion.

 

[UpperQuadrant]

Sorry to interrupt, but you do sound a bit like a troll in this thread. For one, it's not a rocket science to wrist-strap ©, take out an original Apple-certified RAM module, read the specs on the chips and trace down the supplier. But for those of us who want it easy, there's Crucial MacMemory that's supposedly certified

http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/apple-memory

You might say they're crooks and liars - but if this were so, I'm sure they'd be up to their ears in lawsuits from Apple for using their trademark.

Supposedly. I have had problem with their memory, I've got friends that have had problems with their memory, I've known certain large accounts that had problems and I have also read their user blogs and have seen comments by others when they were sending out incompatible RAM to MacMini customers, specifically. Obviously, some companies do change their business practices as they get forced to, some don't. I won't touch Crucial memory based on the experiences that I have. I won't touch ANY 3rd party memory, unless the computer is out of warranty, I might get Kingston, I've had good luck with theirs, but since i get AppleCare, I don't want to play the memory swap game just to save a couple of bucks. I've found it's not as good in the long run. I've never had bad Apple labeled memory. EVER. Since 1977 in all of the Apple computers I've used at work and home, I've not had a Apple labeled RAM go out. I've seen it happen only VERY rarely and it was usually on computers that were not well taken care of and they were filthy on the inside with a lot of cat/dog hair, dirt, etc. I just play by Apple's rules and I'm much happier of a customer as a result. But if you want to roll the dice, go right ahead. I stopped gambling with 3rd party internal components years ago.

Just to satisfy your own curiosity, if you are looking at a 3rd party memory supplier, check their user service blogs if they have them. Sometimes you'll see someone that has the same computer you do with some horror stories. I was assisting someone that was getting a MacMini and checked out Crucial as he was looking into it and I found a bunch of entries by customers that were getting incompatible and flaky memory from Crucial and Crucial, at the time admitted they were sending out bad incompatible memory. This was about 3 years ago. So, please be careful before you spend money. And remember that all of this "research" you're doing prevents you from doing something else and that difference in price melts away since you have to spend more time just researching memory to ensure you are getting the right stuff through a 3rd party. With Apple, they make it simple, it's hard to buy the wrong Apple memory, unless you don't know what computer you have.

 

[roadie.f]

Guess I'm going to stick with my 2012 mini, with DIY fusion drive and RAM upgrade, for a few more years..

 

[SeenJeen]

Apple crapped the bed with this refresh.

I understand that they had to do a very minimal update in order to reduce the price $100 to reach a bigger audience, but to remove the ability to upgrade the RAM in all models is just sad.

 

[AnalyzeThis]

So what your saying is ill hold my breath until Apple see it my way. LOL
Enjoy the short lived life.

When I saw mac released a 5K imac I was upset too, as I just purchased a imac in october of last year, but I wouldnt have had the past 6 months of joyful computer experience now would I?

I hope you get as much joy out of having your money in your pocket as I do with my imac on my desk

Enjoy your iMac 5K.

BTW, I would not care if you have 10 of them on your desk.

I was neither holding nor waiting for anything, because of I have a solution already that beats your iMac 5K for a fraction of what you paid for it. When Apple comes up with something worse looking at with reasonable price I would reconsider.

 

[flyinmac]

Do you know this for a fact or are you using factless movies and books to back up your opinion. Fact, After Steve Jobs became CEO of Apple, apple went from worst company ever to best company ever, which it still holds today.
What have you done in your life time even compares to this?

Stop mixing facts with your opinion.

yes almighty defender of the sacred Apple cash pile

How funny that you don't even contradict what I said, yet apparently you think you have.

 

[Oracle1729]

Anyone considering the midrange or top-of-the-line Mac mini should take a careful look at the 21.5" iMac, middle of the line.

You get:
2.7GHz Quad-core Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 3.2GHz
8GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2X4GB
1TB Fusion Drive
Intel Iris Pro Graphics

PLUS:
1920 x 1080 Display
Apple Magic Mouse
Apple Wireless Keyboard (English) & User's Guide

for $1,499 !

...

The mini makes little sense anymore.

You may have a point about the mouse and keyboard. But I do not want the screen attached. For me it's just useless ugly dead weight that makes the whole computer useless to me.

If the dropped the iMac price to match the mini, I'd still choose the mini over that iMac for $1000.