Apple Classifies 2011 Mac Mini as Obsolete

[OldSchoolMacGuy]

You may have cause-and-effect reversed here. If tech companies focus their innovations on mobile and treat desktops as second-class citizens, then of course, you're going to have a drop in consumer interest and sales in desktop PCs. IIRC, PCs were experiencing a slump in sales back in the late 90s when Apple introduced the iMac and the whole anti-beige, Internet-era makeover thing caught on. Mac and PC sales took off again for many years after.

If that were true then the PC desktop market wouldn't have seen sales drop at all, as Dell, HP, and others are offering more new models than ever before.

It's not simply a matter of "If you build them they will sell." as you claim. People don't want desktops as much anymore. They want portable. That's why we saw tablet sales expand as desktop went down.

 

[shigzeo]

I'm hobbling along with a late-2012 iMac (top BTO), which barely chugs through 150 image deep composit photographs. The idea (stupid, I know) was to replace it with a Mac Mini, hook up an external Eizo display and get a proper outboard graphics card. This computer could be toted one place and then another when work requires me to travel a bit. But no way... the mini has been treated so poorly except for its early years. It's the perfect size and price for pros in my business to be able to afford the desktop and wallet space to get a backup for when hardware inevitably fails.

Maybe I'm stupid to rely on an AIO iMac, but besides going three times to Apple for various repairs, it's worked for me- just not optimally.

 

[Williesleg]

What's a Mac computer? Is that like an 8 track tape or CD? I remember Grandma talking about using one with dial up internet a log time ago

 

[acadiel]

I have a 2011 (with Thunderbolt USB 3), 16GB, 1TB SSD plus 2TB internal spinning drives and it's still the daily family computer.

Basement back up system is a 2014 model with 1TB fusion drive and 16GB.

Not replacing either until one dies

 

[itguy06]

It's not simply a matter of "If you build them they will sell." as you claim. People don't want desktops as much anymore. They want portable. That's why we saw tablet sales expand as desktop went down.

And now that tablet sales have cratered what's the next big thing? I did the iPad thing and was too limited. Went back to a laptop and it's a much better experience.

Desktops are great - but for different reasons. I'm lucky in that I have both - an ultra powerful desktop and a great portable.

 

[BootsWalking]

So will the saint-like praise for Jobs' legacy (some of it not true yet amplified) end next year?

There wouldn't be an Apple today if Jobs hadn't returned in '97, so you can label it whatever you want.

 

[TheFluffyDuck]

I wish Apple just licenced out their computer OS. That way we can get hardware that is not junk, and Apple doesn't have to waste time on a token computer effort when clearly all their balls are in iPhone mobile court. It is a Win Win!

The Mac died with Steve Jobs.

 

[cecil444]

Personally I wish Apple would get on board with the Right To Repair movement instead of locking down their machine hardware, as they did with the 2014 Mini and now increasingly across their product lines. As much as we’d all prefer they updated their desktop machines every year, it absolutely does make better economic sense for them to focus on phones, tablets, and laptops than on desktops. But if they’re going to let the desktop hardware languish, at least design the machines to be user-upgradeable (as with the 2011 and 2012 Minis) so users have some options for extending the life of their machines as they wait for the next upgrade. Releasing locked-down products like the 2014 Mini is just a cruel joke — and not an environmentally friendly one at that.

 

[Naraxus]

I wish Apple just licenced out their computer OS. That way we can get hardware that is not junk, and Apple doesn't have to waste time on a token computer effort when clearly all their balls are in iPhone mobile court. It is a Win Win!

The Mac died with Steve Jobs.

Hackintosh
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Personally I wish Apple would get on board with the Right To Repair movement instead of locking down their machine hardware, as they did with the 2014 Mini and now increasingly across their product lines. As much as we’d all prefer they updated their desktop machines every year, it absolutely does make better economic sense for them to focus on phones, tablets, and laptops than on desktops. But if they’re going to let the desktop hardware languish, at least design the machines to be user-upgradeable (as with the 2011 and 2012 Minis) so users have some options for extending the life of their machines as they wait for the next upgrade. Releasing locked-down products like the 2014 Mini is just a cruel joke — and not an environmentally friendly one at that.

That would mean consumer choice which is something Apple's never believed in

 

[trifid]

Personally I wish Apple would get on board with the Right To Repair movement instead of locking down their machine hardware, as they did with the 2014 Mini and now increasingly across their product lines. As much as we’d all prefer they updated their desktop machines every year, it absolutely does make better economic sense for them to focus on phones, tablets, and laptops than on desktops. But if they’re going to let the desktop hardware languish, at least design the machines to be user-upgradeable (as with the 2011 and 2012 Minis) so users have some options for extending the life of their machines as they wait for the next upgrade. Releasing locked-down products like the 2014 Mini is just a cruel joke — and not an environmentally friendly one at that.

100% right. I have a Mac Mini 2011 that came with 2gb RAM by default, I'm now able to upgrade to 8Gb and extend its life for several years more. But now the 2014 model comes with 4gb soldered RAM which is already too little for the newest OSX and will force people to upgrade hardware sooner. It's an evil scheme that's pro-profits anti-environment.

There is 0 reason to solder RAM on Mac Minis, only reason is evil.

 

[steve333]

100% right. I have a Mac Mini 2011 that came with 2gb RAM by default, I'm now able to upgrade to 8Gb and extend its life for several years more. But now the 2014 model comes with 4gb soldered RAM which is already too little for the newest OSX and will force people to upgrade hardware sooner. It's an evil scheme that's pro-profits anti-environment.

There is 0 reason to solder RAM on Mac Minis, only reason is evil.

That's why I decided to replace the logic board in my 2011 Mini for $339. Just failed last night.
If I'm getting a new Mini it will have 16 Gb RAM and an SSD Drive so it lasts as long as possible. Did not want to shell out $1100 at this time.
I could pop into Costco and buy an HP desktop for $550 that's at least as packed as that Mini

 

[magamen]

uh yea it was obsolete years ago

 

[benji888]

Look, High Sierra lists a number of computers that are obsolete as supported and you will get the exact same support from Apple as you would any out-of-warrenty device. It is not a matter of "can be installed" but rather Apple supports the latest OS on obsolete hardware.

There’s nothing indicating Apple actually offers support for macOS, they simply state “Can your Mac use High Sierra?” https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201475 Not all those machines take advantage of every feature, something I wish Apple was more detailed about.

The only thing "obsolete" means is that you will not be able to take the physical hardware into an Apple Authorized Service Centre and have the physical hardware repaired. That said, other than in the Apple Store, I don't think you would have any problems getting someone to work on your obsolete computer; you might just have problems getting some parts. Need a new hard drive? No problem. Need to replace the logic board? Not going to happen.

Not necessarily, (at least in the US), in some cases, you might be able to find parts in places like ifixit. If you can find an Apple Authorized Repair shop (not the Apple Store), they might be able to fix under their own terms. That being said, I’ve owned highly reliable Macs and Macs that had issues after warranty ran out, but, (when I had it) before AppleCare ran out.

 

[Haswell]

I am so glad that I sold my 2012 Mac Mini just a few weeks ago and went with an Mini ITX Hackintosh instead.

 

[SSDGUY]

The 2017 mini should also be on that list.

Throw the Mac Pro in there with 'em.

 

[macsrcool1234]

Not true, just went into a Best Buy last week and the Asus, Dell, Lenovo and HP desktops all had DVD drives. Didn't look at the laptops.

i meant the laptops
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So sad. The Mini could be such a kick-butt part of the Mac line-up but Apple perpetually ignores it and undercuts it. I do not understand what they're thinking.
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Good for them. Maybe one of those forward-looking companies would like to come purchase everyone's DVD collections to make sure we're all on the same page. Personally, I plan to continue using all the DVDs I've invested in for as many years to come as I can.

Do you still watch VHS tapes too? It's trivial to convert dvd's to digital media. It's nobody's fault you are stuck in the past.

 

[ds2000]

I gave my 2011 to my parents, swapped out the HDD for an SSD and stuck a load more RAM in it and it's a quick little machine and ideal for them. All those lovely ports too

 

[anthorumor]

Read headline as, "Apple Classifies Mac Mini as Obsolete".

 

[tech3475]

Apples indifference to the Mac Mini has cost them my business in the past.

I already have a desktop/monitor and the Mini would have sat perfectly on my desk as a second system, but the outdated hardware was inadequate for my needs even though a newer (at the time) CPU would have.

 

[Princess Cake]

With Apple it seems these days you're either buying a iPhone for $1000 or waiting for the "Next iMac" which is gonna be over $5000... Apple has jacked up the prices and avoided us noticing by acting like these are one-off luxury items when in reality they're pretty much the replacements. Prove me wrong, show me a new iMac that Apple is actually putting any sort of development into that isn't the $3000 dollar paintjob.

 

[laz232]

The 2017 mini should also be on that list.

Yep - the Mac Mini's are pretty much useless and overpriced now.
Still the Empire sans Clothes keep telling us the opposite of the facts: " Phil Schiller said the Mac mini "is an important product" in the company's lineup [...] Tim Cook likewise said the Mac mini will be an "important part" of Apple's product lineup going forward in a recent email."

I hate these lying politicians running Apple nowadays..

 

[Tunster]

Yep - the Mac Mini's are pretty much useless and overpriced now

Not in the world of entrant people into Apple who don't need a performant machine. Christ, the majority of the public don't need a MacBook Pro or iMac; and these Mac Mini machines get people into the Apple eco-system at a much lower cost.

Yes, the specs aren't amazing and need an update ASAP (2013/2014 processors is a bit lame). I would like to see Apple put some effort back into desktop computing. Laptops are great and all, but there's a chance to take back some control over where content is stored and having more computing power for the general consumers/prosumers (and less reliance on more powerful laptop).

With natural progression of mobiles and tablets doing more (no one has solved the laptop/tablet hybrid problem that could make a lot of money if executed well); We should end up with less devices (either tablet or laptop gone) and maybe a desktop back as a central hub in the home - why not do personal cloud better by offering an opportunity to backup content at home rather than in the "big cloud"?

 

[le_cagou]

Tim Cook likewise said the Mac mini will be an "important part" of Apple's product lineup going forward in a recent email."

I think he literally means that the current mini (late 2014) will always and forever be an important part of apple's product lineup.

 

[ChrisCW11]

It's unfortunately that after this generation, Apple demoted the Mac Mini providing it with mediocre updates and lackluster CPU options afterwards. I bought this generation as a home media server and always intended to upgrade it, but each (infrequent) update since 2011 did not show any significant improvements in performance or capabilities generation to generation so I kept holding off. While I am sure that today's Mini model would run circles around my 2011 model, the reality is I stopped hosting home media locally and just fell into using streaming services, so it now sits dormant and unloved today.

Apple could have stimulated more sales had they prevented this product from getting stale (something a lot of Apple products are suffering from today), I mean had there been a decent followup with CPU and capabilities in the years between 2011 and now I might have picked up another one, maybe even two since then, but because of the companies near obsession with iPhone they are allowing a lot of product lines to just evaporate prematurely.

Apple has to realize that while they require Macs to develop iOS Apps, they can't just let their computers get stale on innovation. Even today I would be hard pressed to want to buy a Mac Mini or iMac just because they are either anemic on specs, or wildly overpriced, and while the MacBooks are the only line that allows enough flexibility and pricing options to find something useful, sometimes I just want a good value desktop and Apple isn't providing one anymore worth buying.

 

[itguy06]

There wouldn't be an Apple today if Jobs hadn't returned in '97, so you can label it whatever you want.

And the parallels to then are striking....