Apple CEO Tim Cook: Mac Mini Will Be 'Important Part' of Future Product Lineup

[cmichaelb]

Folks here would complain if this is all Apple did for a new Mac Mini.

It has to be thinner with one port. lol

I can dream can’t I? Lol

Btw - love the avatar

 

[groovyd]

Remember. Just because you say something is true, doesn't mean its true because reality states different.

Mac Mini is important? 3 years of no updating it?

I will believe this when I see it.

Remember, it takes time for the real innovations

 

[Abazigal]

I see the Mac mini either being a budget version of the Mac Pro, or possibly taking on the Apple TV form factor. Wouldn’t mind the latter.

 

[kazmac]

Wouldn't mind a budget version of the Mac Pro myself.

 

[GhostRaider]

It makes sense for the Mac Mini to be the budget friendly Mac Pro. Whether it will be modular is unknown.

 

[Awesom-0]

I swear you all are quite easy to make happy. The Mac Mini is not a complex product. Any normal computer company would have refreshed it 2-3 times since it was last updated. Tim makes a "just trust us" comment and everyone is ready to go "see, they do care". Tim actually talked to a customer... wow... really??? So if they update it, how long will it be before its updated again... 5 years???

Given Apple's current direction, I wouldn't' be shocked if they produces a Mac Mini that only ran iOS.

Yup this is what I expect. I really want just a updated one with a quad core cpu even integrated graphics and USB-c/thunderbolt.

What we will probably get is a arm based mini no outputs just Bluetooth and wifi. Oh and thin can't forget thin.

 

[cecil444]

There is one and only one thing that prevents me from buying one right now (aside from the current model being a museum exhibit) and that is the lack fo Apple branded stand-alone display.

Apple should really deliver a Retina display that we could use with our MacBooks and minis.

I replaced my aging 2009 Unibody MacBook with a top of the line 2012 Mini earlier this year. Maxed out the RAM. Kept the 1TB HDD and added a 512GB SSD in the spare drive bay. Runs beautifully paired with my Thunderbolt Display, and wasn’t an expensive upgrade overall.

 

[Aldaris]

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...normous-amount-on-macs-of-the-future.1704705/

Seems like he’s lying because he said the same things 3 years ago. If a computer company with the resources of Apple can’t come up with something in 3 years, I doubt if it’s worth selling computers.

The whole computer line is the same design for how long?

See the link... he made that same statement about computers three years ago. How trustworthy

Holy sh*t. Practically 4 years later and here we are...

 

[alvindarkness]

Look Tim, no need to reinvent the wheel here.

Don't go all minimalist on us and give us a port-less thinner box.

Just update the ports, give us quad-core processor option, a decent GPU, and user-accessible RAM.

Exactly, would be perfect!

 

[inscrewtable]

the 2012 mac mini with 4 cores is faster (a lot faster) than the one you can buy today 5 years later because they are only 2 core, and software like Corel Painter need CPU more than they need GPU.

 

[Cape Dave]

That person should've added a picture of the Mac Mini to the email for reference...I always get the feeling like they're thinking of something else.

My thoughts precisely Does he even know what the mini is?

 

[dogslobber]

Bring back the core solo Mini with a slower spinner than the 5k drive!
[doublepost=1508460911][/doublepost]

course he says this like a week after i finally broke down and bought a mini after waiting years for the refresh

Santa Tim has come early for Mac users this year.

 

[dumastudetto]

I don't really see the point of updating these products anymore tbh. The future of the Mac is iPad. We don't need lower-cost entry points to a dead platform.

 

[senseless]

I don't really see the point of updating these products anymore tbh. The future of the Mac is iPad. We don't need lower-cost entry points to a dead platform.

I'm not going to be able to power my office from an iPad.

 

[sers]

Wish they had updated it this year. Waited and waited for an update, but to no avail. Ended up buying a Windows i7 desktop instead.

Your loss, Apple.

 

[freediverx]

'Important Part' of Future Product Lineup = Only way to have a $499 price point in the Mac lineup

 

[aidler]

Someone else recently said: "Less talk - more action!"

 

[kamaboko]

That last round of Mac Mini's only did one thing: push people to make Hackintoshes. I suspect much of the same this time. I'm guessing a Coffee Lake i3, 8GB DDR4 RAM, and a 128GB SSD will roll in at around $900.

 

[mj1108]

"What does the Mac Mini look like again?" - Tim Cook right after sending that response.

 

[elkhound]

I think the delays are because they are adding new features that complement the new phones, so the top surface may be a wireless charger, and the faceid sensors may be integrated somewhere.

 

[femike]

Tim talks crap and has no integrity. You just don't totally ignore a product you say you love for three years. There is no meaning in his words.

Still waiting for a mac mini or equivalent.

 

[jm001]

I was always for the Mac Pros and saw the mini as just a good computer for those that need a computer to meet simple computing needs. I convinced my brother, who is always budget conscious, to get one, and then I decided to replace a 4th gen. Apple TV with an Apple certified mini refurb. for my man cave. It has been one of my best purchases. I have grown to love this little machine. I'm not sure why Apple is dragging its feet on their desktop options. Sure Jobs declared the end of the PC era and long live the devices, but desktops give you the most bang for your buck still. I sure hope Apple gets back in touch with their roots and give some love to the desktop division.

 

[hero209]

I bet they will release Mac Mini X

 

[PickUrPoison]

Why can't they rev the CPU and internals every year? Doesn't Apple have eleventy trillion dollars? I really don't understand this.

It’s been 10 years since Intel was making processors having significant gains year over year. Today’s CPUs are only marginally faster than 3 years ago, so yearly updates are not gonna happen, especially with low volume products like the mini.

However, the situation with the mini is mostly on Apple, not Intel. True, there were no drop-in quad cores and Apple would have had to design a different motherboard to offer quad core.

But the real issue is that with the 2014 Mac mini update, Apple shifted the target audience. Without the 2 drive bays and quad core CPUs of the 2012 models, Apple obviously intended the mini to be mostly a consumer product—not a server/power user product. The current mini actually serves the $499 entry level consumer quite well, the $699 box is a good upgrade from that.

I’m really not sure where they expected users with higher end requirements to go; there’s really no product offering suitable, to this day. Seems like a strategic blunder, like the current MacPro.

The fact is, if Apple is going to make this market segment happy, they’re just going to have to accept that lower volume models are a necessary evil. Not everything can sell in the tens of millions. (Similarly, MacPro and iPad mini, both important to lower-volume market segments.)

A few thoughts on a new Mac mini:

1) A quad-core CPU (e.g. i5-8350U or i7-8550U, available as of 3Q2017), with 2 internal drive bays is a basic requirement for a server/power user mini.

2) An SSD boot drive, ideally socketed/upgradable, would be awesome (separate from the 2 internal bays). Graphics requirements vary, but TB3 will allow for an eGPU.

3) Unfortunately, LPDDR3 must be soldered and is limited to 16 GB max. So DDR4 would be my preference, socketed for upgrades to 32 GB.

4) Not sure if a new, larger enclosure would be necessary, or if passive cooling would suffice; if a fan were needed it could likely be low RPM and very quiet.

5) Apple may choose to do some type of modular mini, where a 2nd chassis may hold part of the hardware. Snap together and connect with TB3. eGPU? Multiple drive bays? Who knows...

 

[dampfnudel]

Not interested in the Mac mini myself, but I know someone who is. What Tim says and what he really knows is usually two different things. I'm sure an update is coming and hopefully those interested will be more satisfied than the people who waited for the MBP update.