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Apple Announces New Mac Mini Starting at $499

13" Macbook Pro Retina?

Looks like the same specs as the 13" MacBook Pro Retina, probably using the same boards to save costs. Makes sense, moving forward the Mac Mini may just always be a headless MacBook instead of really getting the power of an iMac. Wish it was otherwise, I like the screen I have and don't want to spend $2000 to get an iMac with quad-core i7, but then the resale value probably has these making sense overall.
 
Anyone know whether the new Mac Mini's processor is slower than the old one?
I checked the passmark and it's showing a slightly lower overall score (~3500 vs. ~3800 on the new), though slightly higher single-threaded.
 
mdelvecchio said:
it's a low-end machine for low-end computing. what do you expect? grandmas don't need the crap you're complaining about. if you want a high-end or configurable machine, get one of those.
Click to expand...

from the upvotes im getting, and the lack of any you've gotten, something tells me that a lot more people care about the "crap" than you assume. how juvenile.
 
mdelvecchio said:
it's a low-end machine for low-end computing. what do you expect? grandmas don't need the crap you're complaining about. if you want a high-end or configurable machine, get one of those.
Click to expand...

Grandma is still using her indigo iMac and won't be buying something newer anytime soon.
 
They could not care less

Damned,i'm not in the group of people Apple wants to make happy anymore.

No great display for my new Mac Pro , and no update to the mini that is an actual upgrade to my 2011 quad core mini server.

Wich means waiting another year or 2 i guess .
 
cgc said:
Good enough for Solitaire but not for FPS or "real games". Ugh...
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Um, yeah, good enough for office work, like the person you quoted.

And, in fact, good enough for many commonly popular "real games" like WoW. Will it play the latest/greatest FPS at 4K resolution with all the settings turned on? No. But someone who is interested in that performance wouldn't expect to do so on a $500 rig.

Most comparisons have it "In a best case scenario, the IGP machtes a dedicated GeForce GT 640M LE. In other cases, however, the performance is only at the level of the GeForce GT 620M"

See also Futuremark's benchmarks - especially the "Compare" category.

Is it a barn-burner? No. Is it perfectly usable for 95% of computer users? Yes. Just as some people need the dual GPUs of the Mac Pro, the vast majority are fine with integrated graphics.
 
hvfsl said:
Well TBH, Apple should just sell a version of OSX Server that is licensed to run on ESX (running on hardware by other manufacturers). This is what I am hoping no Server mini means.

But I can't see them getting rid of Server altogether, I know too many companies and schools that would be forced to switch to Windows or try out Chromebooks if they could no longer manage their Macs properly.
Click to expand...

I can...it's becoming crystal clear that Apple is heading in the direction of disposable, portable, consumer items. Nothing can be upgraded or even opened. In the rush to make everything see-thru thin, we (you know, the customer) loses the freedom to make our device better through upgrades over time. It's now disposable.

Schools? iPads for everyone. Get rid of the old Mac's, schools can do everything with an iPad in each kids' hands. Then, you don't need a Mac server anymore, right?

They've already pretty much given up on the corporate world with the current OS X Server and it's paltry configuration options.

The future of Apple is in iMacs, iPads and iPhones. Period. Hollywood and others with deep pockets will buy the Mac Pro (because they have no other choice), but those numbers will be low and ultimately, it won't see any major update for years, just like the old Mac Pro.
 
Steve121178 said:
You have got to be kidding? You really hoped the CD drive would make a comeback?

Still laughing...
Click to expand...

Yes I am serious, but I knew deep down inside that Apple would never bring it back. I think the lack of a CD drive truly prevents it from being an "all in one" desktop
 
justkev said:
I can't believe that 1TB is the largest storage capacity :(

I was looking to upgrade my 2.5Ghz i5, 4GB, 500GB Mac Mini to something with 2TB of storage!

Might have to look at a NAS device, can anyone recommend one that will work with iTunes?

Thanks in advance, so disappointed :mad:
Click to expand...

Limited to the capacity of one 2.5" form factor drive or a small flash drive.

Edit: I've subsequently discovered that Seagate and Sammy are now making 2TB 2.5" 9.5mm hard drives.
 
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Between this new Mac Mini thread, and the new iPad thread (I haven't read the iMac thread yet) Apple has pissed off a bunch of their loyalists today. No one is taking much of what was introduced as that great.

Best product pipeline in 25 years? It must be stuck in the pipe because we ain't seen it yet. Get the plunger!!! :eek:
 
markyr17 said:
This is really crappy. This computer went from being a mini powerhouse to more of a toy.

I guess they felt they had to do this to bring the price point down. It will still sell very well and suit many people just fine, though.
Click to expand...

Yup. I think it's something like these:

Desktop:
Light use/internet/mail - Mini
Medium use/some works - iMac
Heavy use/pro - Pro

Laptop:
Light use/internet/mail - Air
Medium use/some works - Pro

Mini can also be used as server or as part of a peon unit in larger network.

six-minis.jpg
 
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SmileyDude said:
Honest non trolling question -- what are people using FireWire for these days?
Click to expand...
To create an instant fast network between two computers. I suppose if we all had younger than two year old Macs and $39 Thunderbolt cables, than that wouldn't be an issue. But it's just nice to be able to use a cable that costs less than a third and supports legacy hardware.

lacie-flat-cables-firewire.jpg
 
ksuyen said:
Yup. I think it's something like these:

Desktop:
Light use/internet/mail - Mini
Medium use/some works - iMac
Heavy use/pro - Pro

Laptop:
Light use/internet/mail - Air
Medium use/some works - Pro

Mini can also be used as server or as part of a peon unit in larger network.
Click to expand...

I just checked and the high-end Mac mini is basically the same as the high-end 13-inch MacBook Pro Retina for about US$500 cheaper.
 
Nice fresh design and I truly don't think I've seen anything like this before.

I'm glad Apple is still innovating, or rather still updating specs :rolleyes:
 
Moto G said:
i5 = two physical cores, 4 logical cores. There you go - enjoy :)
Click to expand...

The extra "logical" cores (hyperthread) represent no more 1/4 real core each, depending on the instructions encountered.


surfing, Skype and a bit of Twittering; will barely ever use ONE core, let alone 2 or 4.
Click to expand...

That's just plain wrong. Just about anything you do that creates a burst of activity will engage 4 cores. Most applications long ago become multi-threaded, and the OS has enough stuff to do in background to keep them busy, at least when you are actively using the machine.

BTW, I'm a software engineer. Amazed that some people (not pointing a finger, you didn't say this - well, not exactly...) still claim that "most applications don't use multi-threading.

When I was doing Windows development, every project I was ever involved in used multi-threading. Every single one. And that was 15 years ago.

As well, whether or not a given application itself uses multi-threading, system services and APIs that the application uses will.
 
jtara said:
That's just plain wrong. Just about anything you do that creates a burst of activity will engage 4 cores. Most applications long ago become multi-threaded, and the OS has enough stuff to do in background to keep them busy, at least when you are actively using the machine.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I think it's more accurate to say that most usage would never *tax* more than 1 core worth.
 
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