Apple Announces New Mac Mini Starting at $499

[roxics]

I feel bad for all of you who were waiting to get a new mini. But I'm also happier about my purchase last year. When I bought my quad core i7 in August of 2013 I was a little worried Apple would be updating the machine in a couple months. I'm happy I've been able to use this machine for over a year now before a new model was released. Then to learn that the new model isn't as powerful as my current model and more expensive once you add the upgaded CPU. Granted I would have still liked the machine anyway. I bought it because I needed it. But it's always nice to know your machine is the newest and/or maintains its resale value should you need to sell it.

I always planned that my next machine after this would be an iMac anyway. I need the better GPU for video editing.

But I almost wish Apple would have kept the older CPUs form 2012 and just added a dedicated GPU to the new mini.

 

[kwikdeth]

Idiots around here have no idea how good these new dual core cpu's are, too funny!!

it doesnt matter how good they are, the fact is there's no reason Apple couldnt put a quad in there that is upsetting. i dont care how good a dual core is, I want the most bang for my buck that I can get.

 

[Canado]

i5 core duo vs 2009 2,53 Ghz

Idiots around here have no idea how good these new dual core cpu's are, too funny!!

You can ask but you should not be that impolite. If I tell you that this question is more provocative and means that I open a box here so no ebay-buyers will be convinced to buy an old one at ebay which is "quite as fast". I know they are not the same at all due to the advanced architecture and instructions of the CPU.

To be fair, you should learn that the real question is, how much percent increase and in real life on Yosemite this new machine has. And of couse if you go with apple PCIe SDD your perfomance is a few percent better than with a after market SDD.

 

[miguelsan22]

500 bucks...

21.5" base iMac =>1.4GHz i5, 8GB and 500Gb HDD = 1099
Base Mini => 1.4GHz i5, BTO 8GB $100+ and 500GB HDD = 599

That's 500 bucks extra for a keyboard, mouse and and 1080p display.

 

[TXCherokee]

Really? I doubt it, and 640K is enough RAM for everyone...gimme a break, Apple had a big opportunity and wasted it.

Most likely top end CPU; Core i7-4578U Passmark 5,204
Intel Iris 5100 Passmark 756 (nVidia 750M Passmark = 1505)

Good enough for Solitaire but not for FPS or "real games". Ugh...

I disagree. I don't play that many games on mine, but my HD4000 does just fine with the ones I do. Left for Dead 2 is an example of a game that plays just fine. (A four old game on my 2 year-old bottom end Mac Mini.)

If all you are into is the latest and greatest in video gaming then this computer will never be for you.

 

[storkpkp]

Since I can't see them in the store, what is a good price for the 2012 2.3 i7 with 4GB of RAM? I am seeing them new at some resellers for $700

 

[potatis]

it notes a max ram capacity of 16gb. Im sure the interior design is unchanged

it says "only configurable at apple online store" ...means soldered or they have sealed shut the bottom lid (no pic of the bottom either)

 

[alchemistTi]

I'm tempted to visit an Apple store, pull down my pants, and take a steaming dump on the floor.

This made me laugh because I was at an Apple store once and the gentleman helping me stopped in his tracks and started calling out "HAZMAT ALERT" on the radio...an individual just so happened to lose control of their blatter next to the iPhone table...and then ran out...I don't suppose you live in the midwest and tried this before?

 

[iDento]

Design

21.5" base iMac =>1.4GHz i5, 8GB and 500Gb HDD = 1099
Base Mini => 1.4GHz i5, BTO 8GB $100+ and 500GB HDD = 599

That's 500 bucks extra for a keyboard, mouse and and 1080p display.

And Design, for some people design is really, Really important, it might be a deal breaker.

 

[brdeveloper]

The message Apple leaves is: if you have a Mac, why buying a newer one? This new generation with just Iris Graphics, the same old DDR3 RAM (c'mon, no quad-core option???) is far from being enough to justify an upgrade from my 2010 Mini with 16GB ram and a SSD.

 

[Lankyman]

21.5" base iMac =>1.4GHz i5, 8GB and 500Gb HDD = 1099
Base Mini => 1.4GHz i5, BTO 8GB $100+ and 500GB HDD = 599

That's 500 bucks extra for a keyboard, mouse and and 1080p display.

But only people who are certifiably mad buy that particular iMac.

I used to have the current Mini design then bought an iMac. I was hoping to come back to a Mini next time around but this so called upgrade is hopeless.

 

[sonicbaz]

Anyone have an opinion on what the xcode experience would be like on the entry level mac mini? Will the mac mini's drive 2 displays at 1920 x 1080?

 

[laflores]

There's no longer a HDMI to DVI adapter included in the box...

 

[CIA]

Anyone have an opinion on what the xcode experience would be like on the entry level mac mini? Will the mac mini's drive 2 displays at 1920 x 1080?

Can't speak for Xcode, but our 2012 mini's drive a pair of 1080p displays with no issues. The new mini's have better GPU's.

 

[jtara]

I'm tempted to visit an Apple store, pull down my pants, and take a steaming dump on the floor.

This made me laugh because I was at an Apple store once and the gentleman helping me stopped in his tracks and started calling out "HAZMAT ALERT" on the radio...an individual just so happened to lose control of their blatter next to the iPhone table...and then ran out...I don't suppose you live in the midwest and tried this before?

I was going to implore you not to do this (yea, I know you are not serious) or to at least not yell out "I've got Ebola, you're all screwed!" I mean, the CDC has more important things to attend to than sending a hazmat team to an Apple store.

Then I thought better.

Then I saw this.

 

[SmileyDude]

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.

Except that they didn't bring the price point down. I bought my Mac mini last year -- I got the 2.6GHz Quad i7 config for $899, added a 256GB Samsung 840 Pro SSD, OWC 2nd drive kit and 16GB of RAM from Crucial to being it up to $1300 total. Today's maxed CPU is a 3.0GHz Dual i7 for $1199. That comes with a 1TB Fusion drive and 8GB of RAM. I think I would rather pay $1300 for my now 2 year old machine than today's prices.

I know Haswell has a slight advantage performance wise over Ivy Bridge, but it's not a big difference. My 2014 15" rMBP is about the same performance wise as my 2012 mini was.

Is Thunderbolt 2, PCIe SSD and Iris graphics (not Iris Pro, sadly) worth an extra $300 and a loss of 2 cores?

I'm really glad I'm not in the market for a Mac mini anytime soon.

 

[alchemistTi]

Imagine a 2015 Quad!

Notice how you don't see performance numbers being advertised this time around?

*sigh*

Well I'm an optimist, so I guess I could look at it like this...If they introduce a Skylake quad in the Mac mini down the road, then they could advertise "UP TO 8000X FASTER THAN PREVIOUS MAC MINI!" since the new base benchmark is so low. Just wait!

*facepalm*

 

[webpoet73]

Interesting...

The low-end Mac Mini has the same specs as the low-end 13" Macbook Air (sans the hard drive) and the middle Mac Mini has the same specs as the low-end 13" Macbook Pro Retina (sans the hard drive)...

The Macbook Air is great for what it does. No, I doubt it could be used for a gaming laptop, but it isn't marketed that way. But, it is a good basic productivity machine that plays every media thrown at it. I use an external Blu-ray drive with Blu-ray software on a Macbook Air 2012 and it works great...

So, for a home media center, even the low end would work well. And I am certainly entertaining that idea. Much more versatile than an AppleTV ... and only 400 dollars more...

 

[Robotti]

What i gotta do??

What i have: Mac Pro 1,1 (a dinosaur, i know) with dual 2,66ghz, 8gb ram, ati 4870hd, 5tb storage

Usage (i'm a professional Photographer, so i work with that): 90% Lightroom 5, 10% Photoshop CS5

Lightroom benefits greatly from a fast hard drive, especially if you are working with high megapixel images, so that should be the main focus in my opinion. Haswell cores are pretty good clock-for-clock, so I don't think you would be disappointed with the new Mini. But, as stated here many times over, there is no reason you shouldn't get the previous Mini if you happen to find one. Just make sure you have an SSD in it.
Heck, maybe you should just fit an SSD in what you have now! It probably won't go to waste when you finally upgrade, and it may give a really nice boost for now.

 

[bungiefan89]

Maybe this is what the "It's been way too long" tagline was referring to.

Yeah, MAYBE.

Honestly, I think it's a major disservice that they had an event tagline like that to get us all worked up, and then the thing that the tagline was actually referencing ends up really being a footnote at the end of an event largely about updates to some itoys and a needlessly high resolution on a desktop computer.

"And also, a small update to the Mac Mini" Yeah, a small update indeed. Spec bump, price drop and one new port after more than two years. Whoopee?

 

[Thoir]

There was a person, I believe on this forum, who had bought his/her Mac Mini just before the store went down.

Normally Apple will silently upgrade a newer product for the old one, when discontinued.
He/ she might be lucky to still receive the old one. As I believe reading all the blogs and fora's that the old one is more powerful than the 2014 one...

 

[alchemistTi]

New Hashtag Ideas...?

What about #MyOldMiniIsBetter or #MinisJustWentBackwards ...? I'm not very creative in this area...

 

[JackANSI]

Not sure how this translates for the Mac mini but:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SvtXUT-hfA
(I don't know why idiots these days need to put stuff like this in a youtube video. Annoying as hell for people who want to consume the information they are trying to provide...)


I'm pretty sure on the CPU side that the quad core i7 in the late 2012 will meet or beat the dual core i5 in every important way. I'm certain the 2012 won't lose out in any benchmark so bad that replacing a 2012 will be a no-brainer.

The newer GPU in the 2014 might be worth the upgrade if you need a little more GPU power for whatever reason. I can't see a single instance that the non-base 2014's will lose to the 2012 when it comes to GPU. I do think the base model 2014 will be slower than the 2012 though.

To be honest this new 2014 model just wiped any plans of sticking with a mac mini (I bought a 2012 i7 2.3). I'm just not going to buy a new mac for 3-4 years (unless a good mini comes along) and just get a 2018-2019 mac pro. I started saving to replace my Mac mini with another Mac mini immediately after I bought it so I should be pretty well off on the mac pro's price tag at $50 a month by then or over on the price of a refurb or used one. The pro's footprint isn't much if at all bigger than the mini either so I can keep a small desk.



Despite the "lower" price... Apple seems happier selling customers a high profit margin device more than a high performance margin device. Apple is not about the price/performance ratio. It will push people who want a better mac into the next device/price tier. Only thing apple loses is someone who was ready to buy a mini every 2 years, but it gains someone that will buy a pro every 6-7 years which is probably a "push" for them as far as profits.

If I wanted to explain what pure capitalism looks like in practice, I would simple tell someone to study Apple.

 

[groovyf]

When did they drop the "Server" version from the store? Was it still available before the store went down today? Just curious, as I see no dual-drive option, (nor quad core, for that matter).

Got my quad core i7 dual-drive mac mini server a couple of years ago and can't think of any reason to replace as yet.

 

[storkpkp]

Is there any reason not to buy the i7 2.3 GHz with 4 GB RAM (I will upgrade it) for $700 as opposed to the new mid model mini?

I am not seeing it