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

Hey, Apple?

Lose the pointless metal plate that made upgrades harder for no user benefit next time, please

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SSDGUY said:
Like the Mac Pro, it seems a challenge to get users excited about form factor that's basically been put out to pasture for years. The too-long-awaited promise of an update creates a tad bit o' bitterness for those waiting.
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What would get me excited would be not having to replace the monitor as well every few years. I have old iMacs sitting around with monitors that, if they could be repurposed, would still be excellent.
 
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tipoo said:
Hey, Apple?

Lose the pointless metal plate that made upgrades harder for no user benefit next time, please

IMG_0456.jpg
Click to expand...

Don't worry, I would not be surprised if the next Mac Mini is sealed and soldered so that you can't upgrade it. Of course in the name of "thinner". But don't worry, you'll get a single USB-C port to take care of all your upgrades. With a few hubs and dongles, it will be a beautiful thing.

DevNull0 said:
You think pro = macOS and Cosumer = iOS?

You're already living in a different world from Apple *and* the majority of their customers.
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Right... I realized that I was living in a different wold from Apple and did something about it!
 
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The fact that Cook is only acknowledging the Mac Mini at this point when the resounding echo of the marketplace is that Apple has abandoned their desktop users is evidence to me that Cook is scrambling. What kept him from saying this at anytime over the past 3 years!
 
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Abazigal said:
I think you need to examine the chart again.
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the graphic clearly says "Consumer (iOS), Pro (macOS)" at the top.

One thing that people keep taking for granted is that A11/etc means the computer has to run iOS. It doesn't have to be the case. Apple had OS X running on PowerPC and Intel at one point, I'm assuming Apple doesn't like being dependant on Intel just as much as they were dependant on IBM (G5, anyone?). I'm pretty sure Apple has macOS running on ARM-powered Mac Mini and MacBook Air prototypes (perhaps it will be renamed to MacBook mini).

Given the price of Intel's CPUs, it could also allow Apple to lower the price of their entry-level machines.

I'm a Mac mini user, and the most CPU-intensive thing I do in my daily tasks is image compression using ImageOptim. Apart from that, I use Mail, iTunes, Pages, Safari, Chrome, TextWrangler, FTP client. On the personal side, the most CPU-intensive programs I use are probably Handbrake (maybe three times a year) and Sketchup (about 10 hours every week).

If Microsoft can run x86 apps on ARM, surely Apple can too. They had Rosetta to run PPC apps on Intel so it's not uncharted territory for them either.

And switching Macs to Apple's own line of AXX processors is also in line with the "Important part of future product lineup" quote.
 
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Yvan256 said:
the graphic clearly says "Consumer (iOS), Pro (macOS)" at the top.

One thing that people keep taking for granted is that A11/etc means the computer has to run iOS. It doesn't have to be the case. Apple had OS X running on PowerPC and Intel at one point, I'm assuming Apple doesn't like being dependant on Intel just as much as they were dependant on IBM (G5, anyone?). I'm pretty sure Apple has macOS running on ARM-powered Mac Mini and MacBook Air prototypes (perhaps it will be renamed to MacBook mini).

Given the price of Intel's CPUs, it could also allow Apple to lower the price of their entry-level machines.

I'm a Mac mini user, and the most CPU-intensive thing I do in my daily tasks is image compression using ImageOptim. Apart from that, I use Mail, iTunes, Pages, Safari, Chrome, TextWrangler, FTP client. On the personal side, the most CPU-intensive programs I use are probably Handbrake (maybe three times a year) and Sketchup (about 10 hours every week).

If Microsoft can run x86 apps on ARM, surely Apple can too. They had Rosetta to run PPC apps on Intel so it's not uncharted territory for them either.
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I'm pretty sure if they move off Intel then every app would need to be modified and recompiled to run on it. That was the case with PowerPC to Intel. So if they want to do that, I say go for it. It will be a train-wreck of app compatibility.
 
Abazigal said:
I think it’s more that the Mac mini is in a very awkward position now and maybe even Apple isn’t clear on what role it is supposed to fill.
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The Mac mini's role is quite clear and Steve Jobs described it as such when he introduced it: it's supposed to be a low-cost, BYODKM machine for people who want to try to move away from Windows.

The problem is, Apple is too focused on the low-cost part of the equation and therefore has to use low-cost hardware in it, making the whole "first experience of the Mac" able to be summed up as "Macs are crap" by those potential switchers who never used any other Mac.

Stop using laptop CPUs in desktop computers. They have a worst power-to-price ratio than desktop CPUs. Keep the same footprint but make the Mac mini taller, it sits on your desk it doesn't matter if it's 3cm tall or 12cm tall.

They should be ashamed of still using mechanical hard drives in 2017. It doesn't even need to be an ultra-fast M.2 SSD, anything SSD even on SATA1 is faster than a 5400 RPM hard drive. And I know that for a fact since I have an entry-level SSD in my mid-2010 Mac mini which only has a SATA1 port.

Contrary to what Apple's upgrade prices seem to indicate, RAM is cheap these days. If they're selling computers which cannot have their RAM upgraded, make the entry-level systems with enough RAM to last for at least three years if not more. That currently means 8GB of RAM in 2017. Modern websites are reason enough. Huge photos are another reason. Shared RAM with the integrated GPU is another reason.

USB-C may be the future, but we're still using USB-A today. Switchers have USB-A hardware, you can be sure of it. They probably won't have USB ports on their keyboard, so the basic keyboard + mouse setup already requires two USB-A ports. Add two more USB-A ports for external hard drives, flash drives, etc.

Wi-Fi is nice but ethernet is required for a desktop computer. Some people live in wi-fi crowded areas and have to use wires for fast and reliable connections.
 
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elkhound said:
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.
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It would make sense but I don't expect it.

Heck, Apple haven't even come out with a stand-alone keyboard with touchbar to compliment the Touchbar on the MacBook Pro.

they're trying to sell this Laptop with this "MUST HAVE" feature, that you can't even use once you dock it and use an external keyboard.

the computer lineup right now is a mess. They don't appear to have a clue what they're doing.
 
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Wait another 3 years for an actual product. Meanwhile, we will see a Franken-iMac like mini. Franken-Mini here we go
 
When it arrives it will have default 8GB soldered memory, not 4.

(But I hope still for better things)
 
tipoo said:
Hey, Apple?

Lose the pointless metal plate that made upgrades harder for no user benefit next time, please

IMG_0456.jpg
Click to expand...
It made upgrade harder. It was working as intended.

There’s no reason for the internal redesign of the 2014. It didn’t save space to make more room for more internals. They even lowered the cpu to a more energy efficient dual core for a lower end cooling solution.

The 2014 was purely made so that it would become a disposable computer similar to the MacBook Air.

They do not want us in the internals.
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ijlakw said:
The fact that Cook is only acknowledging the Mac Mini at this point when the resounding echo of the marketplace is that Apple has abandoned their desktop users is evidence to me that Cook is scrambling. What kept him from saying this at anytime over the past 3 years!
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He’s probably so out of touch with computers that he doesn’t actually know what he’s talking about.

He probably genuinely believes that the Mac minis low sales are because PCs are dying, instead of the fact he’s released a product that doesn’t really make sense to buy
 
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I use mine as a media server and have upgraded with a 2TB SSD. However the poor Intel 5000 graphics is a major limitation and I would be delighted to buy new if they would put a decent Radeon or similar graphics suite. I just hope it does not suffer the port theft that my MBP suffered. The current suite of ports is great. I would not object if they replaced two of the USB ports with USB C but leaving two of the large USB-A/3 ports. An HDMI port is important also.
 
OldSchoolMacGuy said:
You need an understanding of the PC industry in general right now to understand why Apple isn't releasing new machines in the way they use to.

The entire industry has seen a big slowdown in sales. There are less and less desktops and laptops being sold. Because of this, it doesn't make financial sense to invest heavily in releasing a steady stream of new machines as they've all done in the past. They'd be wasting their money trying to capture buyers from a smaller and smaller market. You don't invest where the market is drying up.

Instead, they've put their resources where the money and sales growth is. Smartphones and even tablets.

There's a reason Apple is the richest company in the world and you're not a CEO. They understand where to invest their resources for the best return.
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Well most companies try to refresh all the categories they're in. They want to be a one stop shop where they can fulfill the customers needs. Either you're in some category or you’re out. Not halfbaked. It’s technology and not an antiques store.

If Apple continues the route they’ve chosen some 5 years ago I can guarantee they'll be needing those billions on the bank much sooner.
 
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I think Apple should bring out an Mac Micro Mini. Something with a very small amount of flash memory and an ethernet port and USB socket for a keyboard (maybe BT).

There are so many places that just need a machine that does internet access/LAN access and use a web browser as a front end to access databases.
 
HippyRabbitFish said:
How many Mac Mini server farms are out there? Hmm?
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Il'l' give you that... I guess that sort of usage falls in line with what Apple considers "pro", which is okay with me. It just makes me question whether or not Apple plans on reentering the truly "pro" market that has setups like the picture below. If Apple is completely writing this market off, then yes, the mini is pro, and the rest of us are becoming desensitized to the new usage of this word pro. In the industry, pro means enterprise, and commercial scale. Which is why, yes, I'll concede to the mini being used on a commercial scale. But let's not use that as an excuse to justify Apple dropping the ball on the real pro market.
data-center.jpg
 
He didn't say an upgradable or powerful Mac Mini ... it'll be very small with the internals of a MacBook. Maybe 2 USB-C ports and 1 HDMI port. No Ethernet.

What we want is something with the internals of a 15" MBP, upgradable RAM and SSD. The only way we get this is if we're okay with paying $1500+.
 
wilsonlaidlaw said:
I use mine as a media server and have upgraded with a 2TB SSD. However the poor Intel 5000 graphics is a major limitation and I would be delighted to buy new if they would put a decent Radeon or similar graphics suite.
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The good news is that eGPUs are coming and as long as there is TB3 on the next Mini, it will be possible to use external discrete GPUs in the Mini. I'm already doing that with a TB1 connection on a 2012 Mini with a RX580 and it works pretty well, would probably be much better with TB3.

So with eGPU support, what's left for me? A quad core option and ideally user replaceable/upgradeable storage device and RAM.
 
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