40% Off Low-End 2014 Mac Mini

[grcar]

A low-end 2014 mac mini in the stock configuration (1.4 GHz / 4 GB / 500 GB) and in mint condition recently sold for $310 on eBay. This valuation is a large drop from the $499 retail price and a huge slap in the face for the big apple.

Check it out at http://www.ebay.com/itm/391536681249

 

[grcar]

The low prices continue. Today, August 28, the same seller auctioned five more of the low-end stock-configuration 2014 minis for between $300 and $311. Apple retail price is $500.

Apple could have easily given this model a faster i5 chip for a few dollars more (very few) and have a decent machine, even with the slow HDD, but that would cannibalize sales of the mid-range model. Just pure greed on the part of Tim Cook. What a shame.

 

[Monsieur_beau19]

The low prices continue. Today, August 28, the same seller auctioned five more of the low-end stock-configuration 2014 minis for between $300 and $311. Apple retail price is $500.

Apple could have easily given this model a faster i5 chip for a few dollars more (very few) and have a decent machine, even with the slow HDD, but that would cannibalize sales of the mid-range model. Just pure greed on the part of Tim Cook. What a shame.

Agreed. I just picked up a Mid 2011 Mac Mini for $360 on ebay; refurbished. I wanted the 2012 but I would have had to fork up an extra $60 but the specs were still pretty good. Intel Core i5 at 2.3 Ghz/ 500 GB SSHD/ 8 GB of Ram. These specifications are much better than the low end Mac Mini 2014. Having the HDD and the Ram soldered to the device is what killed my chances of picking up the latest Mac Mini. Planned obsolescence at its finest.

 

[paulrbeers]

The low prices continue. Today, August 28, the same seller auctioned five more of the low-end stock-configuration 2014 minis for between $300 and $311. Apple retail price is $500.

Apple could have easily given this model a faster i5 chip for a few dollars more (very few) and have a decent machine, even with the slow HDD, but that would cannibalize sales of the mid-range model. Just pure greed on the part of Tim Cook. What a shame.

Based on the responses, I'm not sure people really care. Frankly I don't think the issue has anything to do with the processor. Geekbench shows that the difference in the 1.4 i5 and the 2.6 i5 is about 20% only. The real limitation of this computer is the 4GB of RAM. Further, these have been readily available via brick and mortar businesses for $400. These truly are entry level machines.

 

[grcar]

The real limitation of this computer is the 4GB of RAM. Further, these have been readily available via brick and mortar businesses for $400. These truly are entry level machines.

At time of purchase you can opt for 8GB or 16GB.

The Intel suggested retail of the i5-4260 (1.4 GHz) in the $499 entry-level MGEM2/LLA mini IS THE SAME as the i5-4278 (2.6 GHz) in the $699 mid-level MGEN2LL/A mini.

The cheapest you can find new machines is at the $479 education price. Apple will not allow retail stores to deviate from its suggested prices until the very end of a product life.

 

[dogslobber]

A low-end 2014 mac mini in the stock configuration (1.4 GHz / 4 GB / 500 GB) and in mint condition recently sold for $310 on eBay. This valuation is a large drop from the $499 retail price and a huge slap in the face for the big apple.

Check it out at http://www.ebay.com/itm/391536681249

Who'd buy this though? Only 4gb max. in 2016 just won't do.

 

[grcar]

Who'd buy this though? Only 4gb max. in 2016 just won't do.

Yeah, I dunno. Maybe a cheap hub for an entertainment center?

 

[paulrbeers]

At time of purchase you can opt for 8GB or 16GB.

The Intel suggested retail of the i5-4260 (1.4 GHz) in the $499 entry-level MGEM2/LLA mini IS THE SAME as the i5-4278 (2.6 GHz) in the $699 mid-level MGEN2LL/A mini.

The cheapest you can find new machines is at the $479 education price. Apple will not allow retail stores to deviate from its suggested prices until the very end of a product life.

not even true on the pricing....

https://www.fatwallet.com/forums/hot-deals/1433081 - Microcenter for $399 - Back in March is just one example

http://camelcamelcamel.com/Apple-MGEM2LL-Desktop-NEWEST-VERSION/product/B00746X7G2 - Amazon has had it for $450 and currently has it for $464

As for opting for more memory.... At $100 for 4GB, one might as well step up to the Mid-Mini, especially since it can be readily found for about $600 which is what apple will charge you for the base Mini + memory ( twice the hard drive space and a better GPU) and you'll never find a custom built Mac on sale just the "base models"

Mid Mini for $629:
https://www.fatwallet.com/forums/hot-deals/1410634

Yes these are sales, but that's the point....

 

[grcar]

not even true on the pricing....

https://www.fatwallet.com/forums/hot-deals/1433081 - Microcenter for $399 - Back in March is just one example

http://camelcamelcamel.com/Apple-MGEM2LL-Desktop-NEWEST-VERSION/product/B00746X7G2 - Amazon has had it for $450 and currently has it for $464

I took the link and did not find these prices. The Fat Wallet subject title "Mac Mini $100 off at Micro Center $399 - in store only" is supplied by whoever posted the "find". However, the actual link (below)

https://www.fatwallet.com/redirect/bounce.php?afsrc=1&mid=18984667&eurl=http://www.microcenter.com/product/440798/Mac_mini_MGEM2LL-A_Desktop_Computer&orig=forums.hot-deals.test.FW100A

is to Micro Center (an authorized reseller) for $479, which is the just Apple educational price, and by the way the listing says the item is "NOT CARRIED AT MICRO CENTER STORE".

Maybe Micro Center did have a display model to sell. If so, it would appear that dealers are clearing out the present models in anticipation of something new.

 

[krause734]

The entry level model is not worth buying for any amount. They really should put 8GB RAM in it. I don't see why they haven't bumped the specs or dropped the price.

 

[dogslobber]

The entry level model is not worth buying for any amount. They really should put 8GB RAM in it. I don't see why they haven't bumped the specs or dropped the price.

Maybe the base 2016 model comes with 8gb and an SSD by default. Surely spinners are now dead given this device will be on the market until the 2018 mini refresh. I simply can't see Apple having the brass neck to sell a spinner system in 2018.

 

[ActionableMango]

The cheapest you can find new machines is at the $479 education price. Apple will not allow retail stores to deviate from its suggested prices until the very end of a product life.

You are right, $479 seems to be the best "regular" price at the moment. However, sales must be an exception because on occasion I've seen $449 at Best Buy, Amazon, and B&H Photo.

I know very specifically that it was $449 at Best Buy on March 9, because I bought a used one on Craigslist that day and I used Best Buy's current $449 sales price to lower his asking price.

 

[Bubba Satori]

Useless POS.
Dirt cheap is still throwing away your money.

 

[Osamede]

This is good riddance, not a good deal

 

[JackieInCo]

Yeah, I dunno. Maybe a cheap hub for an entertainment center?

I bought a 2012 i7 Mini to use as an iTunes server. Worked great with just 4GB RAM. Last year, I upgraded it to 16GB just for the fun of it and I'm still using it as an iTunes server.

 

[Micky Do]

Useless POS.
Dirt cheap is still throwing away your money.

Do you have one? Have you used one? Nah….. 'neath your dignity, no doubt.

Sure its not for everyone, but for some it is al they need; spending more would be throwing away money. Several have posted their satisfaction with the 1.4 GHz Mac Mini on these forums.

 

[Cheruman]

Maybe the base 2016 model comes with 8gb and an SSD by default. Surely spinners are now dead given this device will be on the market until the 2018 mini refresh. I simply can't see Apple having the brass neck to sell a spinner system in 2018.

I bet they do though

 

[dogslobber]

I bet they do though

Given that Apple has tossed the headphone jack, I think spinners are next.

 

[grcar]

Given that Apple has tossed the headphone jack, I think spinners are next.

Yup, but probably to be replaced by fusion drives, which are the cheapest way to give terabytes of storage.

 

[Larry-K]

I bought a 2012 i7 Mini to use as an iTunes server. Worked great with just 4GB RAM. Last year, I upgraded it to 16GB just for the fun of it and I'm still using it as an iTunes server.

What a difference 2 years makes.
[doublepost=1473722134][/doublepost]

Yup, but probably to be replaced by fusion drives, which are the cheapest way to give terabytes of storage.

They only throw out older technology that is actually useful.

 

[jpietrzak8]

Yup, but probably to be replaced by fusion drives, which are the cheapest way to give terabytes of storage.

No, actually, a straight-up HD is the cheapest way to give terabytes of storage. Stacking a tiny SSD on top of a terabyte-sized HD just increases the price.

 

[dogslobber]

No, actually, a straight-up HD is the cheapest way to give terabytes of storage. Stacking a tiny SSD on top of a terabyte-sized HD just increases the price.

But you can get an SSD for buttons nowadays. Apple can buy them even cheaper for the mass market so it is just that they're being mean to buyers when then still ship spinners.

 

[jpietrzak8]

But you can get an SSD for buttons nowadays. Apple can buy them even cheaper for the mass market so it is just that they're being mean to buyers when then still ship spinners.

Yah, you can get an SSD for buttons. Go ahead and do so. Nobody's stopping you.

Apple is not being mean here. Whenever you buy an SSD from Apple, you know you're going to have to spend a whole lot more buttons than if you bought that SSD yourself, because Apple markups are ridiculous. Better to get a minimal set of hardware from Apple and upgrade it yourself than to get a well-specced device from them...

 

[grcar]

No, actually, a straight-up HD is the cheapest way to give terabytes of storage.

Yes. MacSales offers 1TB Samsung SSD for $539 but 1TB 7200 rpm HDD for $71. Big difference! And they do not offer 2TB SSD.

 

[Boyd01]

Maybe a cheap hub for an entertainment center?

I just bought one for an iTunes server. Was previously using a 2012 4gb mini, but upgraded to 16gb and re-purposed it for editing SD video. It was dead simple replacing the iTunes server with the base 2014 Mini; just plugged it in, ran migration assistant and was back up and running immediately with nothing to re-configure.

I would agree it isn't much of a bargain though, and it will be a dead end since I can't upgrade the RAM later. But 4gb is plenty for a machine that just runs iTunes.