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

[Abazigal]

 

[scoobs69]

Dear Apple,

Give me a Mac Mini with a 3GHz 4-core i7 and fast DEDICATED graphics and I will stay up until midnight to place an order the very second it is available to order.

P.S. If it is more than about 5 inches tall the deal is off.

Mark

Dear Apple: Give me a double height 8700K 6-core Mac Mini with an 8GB RX 580 GPU, dual user upgradable NVMe slots, and 4 user upgradable memory slots (up to 64GB). For $1,800.

 

[scoobs69]

Agreed. Apple is a perplexing entity on this matter. I wanted to go with a MacPro and refreshed Apple display, and waited years to see an update since my MBP/30" ACD combo was failing. I got a 27" iMac, which wasn't my first choice. At the end of all this, my general excitement for Apple desktop products is at a 30-year low.

I'm in the same boat. I have a 2009 Mac Pro with an updated GPU, SSD, memory upgrade, and it's struggling to keep up with the photo processing software as the Pro camera file sizes continue to increase.

I've been waiting for a legit Mac Pro workstation, as the 2013 machine never interested me with it's lack of internal expansion. It was basically a pimped out Mac Mini with Xeons and ECC memory. I really don't require a Xeon nor ECC memory and the inflated price they bring with it.

If you're going to offer those kind of components, then at least make them user upgradable (CPU and GPU included). Don't close the system off.

I was really feeling like Apple completely abandoned it's Mac Pro, then they announced a $5,000 iMac Pro and hinted at a new Modular Mac Pro. But left both open to possibility of a closed system, as Tim never really defined modular as being user upgradable - just hinted that it would be easier for Apple to upgrade the components when it needed a refresh - basically the exact opposite of what Apple created with the 2013 Trash Can.

I have a new 7820X build part list waiting on PC Part Picker. I'm not waiting past Black Friday, so it would be nice to know if Apple is planning on a hybrid Mac Mini Pro with the 8700K CPU. That would convince me to stick around for at least one more cycle - provided it had the RX 580 GPU and upto 64GB of ram. Hell, I'd take the RX 570 GPU and 32GB of ram at this point with the 7700K at $1,500 with 6 USB 3 ports and 2 Thunderbolt 3 ports.

 

[scoobs69]

Apple could do so much more with this form factor. Consider the HP Z2 Mini
http://store.hp.com/us/en/mdp/business-solutions/hp-z2-mini-workstation--1

Skip the ECC memory and Xeon processor, but yes. This is my take as well. A mini sized workstation is grossly missing in Apple's line up. See my post just above.

 

[ekwipt]

https://pikeralpha.wordpress.com/2017/10/20/coffee-lake-cpuids/

 

[recoil80]

It means they'll upgrade the Mini sooner or later. That's a good news, but let's see what they come up with.
I don't want a slimmer Mini with everything soldered, just for the sake of making it thinner and lighter.
Being able to upgrade RAM and storage was one of the reasons why we got some Minis a few years ago in my company. If you can't upgrade the Mini there are less reasons to prefer it to an iMac or a Macbook, you save money but you'll end up buying a new machine whenever you need to update a single component

 

[PickUrPoison]

Dear Apple: Give me a double height 8700K 6-core Mac Mini with an 8GB RX 580 GPU, dual user upgradable NVMe slots, and 4 user upgradable memory slots (up to 64GB). For $1,800.

I think you’re in the ballpark; how much RAM and what disk config do you see at that price? You’re around $800 BOM with the CPU, GPU, case, power supply and motherboard. Is the boot disk in one of the two NVMe slots? Any room for 2.5” drives? Cooling will be an issue, fan noise and all.

 

[thekeyring]

I believe him. There’s no way he’d say “there’s an update coming” and then not update it. They would surly stay quiet and with the next round of Mac updates quietly discontinue it.

What worries me, though, is that a product that is “important” to them can go three years without an update.
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It has not been for the last 3 years. So why would we believe that now?

Because the CEO of Apple wouldn’t lie to a customer. It would ruin his credibility.
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That matrix needs adjusting to include tablet as separate from notebook, and a “low end” option opposite from Pro.

Low Cost Consumer Professional
Desktop
Laptop
Tablet

 

[Easttime]

I

I was just playing with the Apple configurator for the Mac Mini: with i7, 16 RAM and SSD. I know it's older generation intel but how bad would that Mac be? Sounds like it would be reasonably capable?

I was very pleasantly last year when I had to replace my two simultaneously dead Mac’s. I ended up getting a 2014 Mac mini with specs like that like that and a Fusion Drive. It functions just fine as my main desktop. Heavy MS Office work, occasional image production, multiple apps open all the time, driving two large monitors, syncing with my iDevices and MacBook, multiple backups. Works great. I can see where it would not work for a user doing work requiring heftier CPU or graphics horsepower, but certainly not a toy. Would love to have a less expensive mini replacement in my future with user replaceable RAM and hard drive.

 

[pika2000]

My guess is the Mac mini would be used as a test platform for an Ax based Mac. It's a "lower" risk product to see how consumers react, plus there's no expectation for it to perform like a Mac Pro.
So maybe a new "mac" mini, not much larger than an Apple TV, still BYODKM.

 

[obiwan]

Great that there has been a response from Tim on the issue. But 'We do plan for Mac mini to be an important part of our product line going forward' to me it looks like he's forgotten that it even existed, and they haven't even started planning anything for it yet.

It's gonna be a long wait...!

 

[opeter]

Perhaps the updated Mac mini will be the next Mac Pro.
They will drop the "mini" word and it will be simply called "Mac". The more expensive version will be called "Mac Pro".

 

[Micky Do]

As I said in a post the other day and many times in the past.

I hope this is the evidence needed for the countless people that are insistent on the idea that Apple have axed it.

Anyway, the shock here is the fact that Tim Cook said it to a customer, which is unexpected.

2018 will be an exciting year for Macs.

Wannabe pundits have been predicting the imminent demise of the Mac Mini for more than a decade now....
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/where-are-the-mini-replacement-rumors.314711/
..... and I guess will still be doing so a decade from now!

 

[biggrim]

I've been holding out for over a year for a mini refresh as I'd like to dip my toe into OSX and get away from windows. However, I'm now getting to the stage where this may be too little too late and have been eyeing up an Intel NUC system. Will do exactly what I need it to and can be much better specified that the current mini.

NUC7I5BNK (Core i5 - 7260U)
16GB RAM
250GB SSD
Windows 10

All in I reckon I'll be able to get it for just shy of £600.

I'll be pulling the trigger soon which is a sure fire way of Apple releasing a new Mac Mini lol

 

[HBX]

I wouldn't mind a AMD Ryzen 3/5 based Mac Mini with an ARM chip as a co-processor, would be nice to get 32gigs of memory, and come with at least a 120gig SSD standard (an M.2 SSD would be nice as well) mainly I say AMD just to bring down the cost, I know they're already low cost starting at $499, but that 4gigs of memory with a spinning drive just doesn't cut it.

But if they do stick with Intel the new i3/i5/i7 8th gen chips will be just fine as well, just would be nice not have to pay 1k or more for a decked out machine that you'll just use for day to day tasks. An AMD Threadripper Mac Mini with a Polaris chipset wouldn't bother me either.

 

[ThiGeever]

Neglected Apple products all of a sudden become so important to them once we say something about it. Anyway, if true, expect to pay $999 for an entry level Mini.

 

[tubular]

This is what HP did in a similar form factor (HP Z2 Mini): ... Think Apple will do any better?

It's interesting that HP is aiming it at designers and architects. Daniel Libeskind, highlighted on their site, is about as big a name as it gets in architecture. I think it's another indication that manufacturers are seeing exactly how Apple's fading, soldered desktop line fails the professional user, and they're making their move.

 

[gctwnl]

What is frankly worrying is that Apple, the firm that almost never talked about products in the pipeline has felt the need to start talking about these (Mac PRO, Mac mini) and even announcing them (iMac PRO). So, while talk about it meant 'release', now talk of a product means 'by far not yet ready for release'.

And the fact that they talked about it this Spring made me hope for a Fall release. As it is now talked about again suggests that it is still far from done. I was hoping for a 2017 release, but with this news, I'm guessing a 2018 release. Until they start talking about it again in Spring 2018, of course.
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I'm starting to think the new Mini will be pocket-sized, fan-less, and run on ARM. It's 'important' because it will be first to test market reaction to OS X on ARM.

That's also why there's been no update in going on 4 years. Make users desperate enough to give the ARM Mini a fair shot, and allow the A-series chips to become so much faster than the old Mini that the ARM model can boast a big performance advantage.

Only if they get Microsoft to support the ARM architecture in Office on macOS. That could explain the wait too. But I would not buy if it's ARM. Not enough applications will make that move anytime soon.

 

[PortableLover]

I'd love to see one with a single upgradable nvme slot, up to 32gb ram, dGpu, and a desktop processor. Maybe apple could offer two versions? One ultra compact that has mobile components and one larger thicker machine with potientally a desktop processor

 

[gctwnl]

I'd rather have Apple not talk but ship

 

[convergent]

I'm in the market for a new computer now, so while I appreciate that they the mini will still be in the mix, this is a frustrating statement not knowing when they will do something. I can't wait forever. And really, they should have done something about a year and a half ago.

Kind of like after the backlash following the MBP, they cobbled together a"we still care about pros" message? The leadership of this company is being "phoned in". I believe Tim is more worried about making political statements than running Apple. Seriously, his keynotes come across insincere and contrived. Its like they reviewed Steve Jobs keynotes and pulled out a set of buzzwords they need to say, and they try to mimic his style. It comes off fake.
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You can fill in iPhone where the question mark is. Or better yet, you can change this to a circle, put the iPhone in the middle, and everything else they make is some kind of an accessory for the iPhone. That is their main product, and they are only updating the others as it relates to better support or integration with the iPhone.

 

[tubular]

I think Apple is paying a steep price for having violated the first law of computing: an update is an upgrade, period, end of sentence. Each model has to be better than its predecessor.

The Great Mac Mini Lobotomy of 2014 violated that law, the upgrade that was a downgrade.

The Macbook Pro Donglemania Whammy-bar Edition is another example of "Newer, not Better."

This wouldn't be an anxiety-inducing problem if it weren't clear that the Apple, under the current team, is perfectly capable of misfiring badly when it comes to the Mac. Not just a one-Cube-a-decade misfire, but a gut-the-mini toss-magsafe mac-pro-thermal-trap expensive-toy-touchbar USB-you-ain't-got-that-version misfire. It takes a certain kind of genius to paint yourself into a thermal corner in a machine that doesn't actually *have* any corners.

I am eyeballing the 15-inch Macbook pro without the Pacman bar, because -- like the 2012 Mac mini quadcore I'm typing this on -- there's a not-insignificant chance that it will be the last real machine in the category.

 

[ChrisChaval]

Thanks Tim, but thanks no, too late for me now

Without any possibility to update my (otherwise perfectly fine) late 2009 Mac Mini and no new Mini in sight I opted for something else ..

being important = getting attention

can't say that of the Mini

 

[tubular]

Another comment -- I'm awfully damned tired of hearing Wayne Gretzky's comment about "skating to where the puck is going" as an excuse to do silly damn things to the Apple line. Whether or not the puck will someday be at the USB-C standard being ubiquitous, it sure ain't ubiquitous now, and taking it away from the professional user got the massive blowback it absolutely, 100% deserved.

Professional users are always, by definition, WHERE THE PUCK IS NOW, and they need to be served WHERE THE PUCK IS NOW.

 

[convergent]

Another comment -- I'm awfully damned tired of hearing Wayne Gretzky's comment about "staking to where the puck is going" as an excuse to do silly damn things to the Apple line. Whether or not the puck will someday be at the USB-C standard being ubiquitous, it sure ain't ubiquitous now, and taking it away from the professional user got the massive blowback it absolutely, 100% deserved.

Professional users are always, by definition, WHERE THE PUCK IS NOW, and they need to be served WHERE THE PUCK IS NOW.

Maybe the next Mac Mini will be in the shape of a hockey puck with only one USB-C port.