I have a 2012 mini that continues to hum along and is a miniature powerhouse after a few upgrades. Most significant was upgrading to Samsung EVO 1TB SSD drive. The responsiveness is night and day compared to previous hybrid drive. Boots speedily, Apps open quickly, drives dual monitors and overall feels like a new machine. Also maxed out RAM to 16GB and have an OWC "data doubler" for a dual internal drive setup.
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Apple Classifies 2011 Mac Mini as Obsolete
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I love when people on tech sites try to play this tech panic thing because OMG!!!!!11q!!!1 DVDs are not cutting edge tech. I don't want to look like a Luddite!!!!!11!!1!!!
Translation: I have no rebuttal to your post
Yeah totally. I'm not saying a 2011 Mini is gonna keep working for current uses forever, but it was/is surprising how much useful life one can get out of a Mac that old with some strategic upgrades.
Please apple, build us a better and new mini!!! All you they would have to do is offer the same processor / memory available in the iMac 21" but in the mini platform. That way we can use our existing KVM and any external accessories we have. I would buy a new mini every 3 years if Apple would make them!
Its no good dissing older Macs. I have a late 2009 21.5" iMac, 3.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU, NVIDIA GeForce 9400 256MB Graphics, 16 GB 1067 MHz DDR3 RAM, 1TB Seagate Hybrid SSHD Drive running macOS Sierra through an external LG IPS Full HD Monitor. Its an outstanding machine. Oh and yeah I forgot mention its user upgradeable.
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If you are using it as a file server, etc., that's adequate. Or it was when it came out in 2014.
If you are using it as a regular desktop system, yes, more RAM would be helpful.
It all depends on the individual usage case.
Indeed, and look what Apple charges to upgrade to 16GB.
Like I said before, evil scheme.
if it weren't for software restrictions (for example: no more up to date os x > no more up to date itunes > no more backup of idevices) older macs could easily double their useful lifespan.
You cannot and neither can you install 32 GB of RAM in a 2012 Mac Mini.
I should have said 16 GB.
POSTED: 11/01/2013
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The Mac Mini Mid 2011 supports up to 8GB DDR3-1333 MHz of RAM officially. However, one can install 16GB DDR3-1333 MHz of RAM or DDR3-1600 MHz RAM in both amounts. The SODIMM Modules fit but simply down-clock. I have 16GB DDR3-1600 in my 2.3GHz Mid 2011 Mac Mini and it runs perfectly and passes all of the standard Apple ASD testing. If you are installing 16GB modules make sure to do memory testing because there is a higher defect rate in 8GB chips when compared to their 2GB and 4GB cousins.
Opinions vary. The PC space is still a big wasteland. High end specs matter to a relatively small segment of consumers and prosumers. I am still with Mac because I prefer macOS. Desktops and laptops are not really much different than they were 10 years ago. I have absolutely no need nor desire for a touchscreen laptop.
I also prefer OSX but Windows is quite serviceable and not as bad as it used to be. The high end specs may not matter by name but when consumers see they can do much more at the same time or things become easier they will matter. I've got an 8core/16 thread machine and it's great to run VMs, do video transcoding AND game at the same time.
The touchscreen laptop is great - it's got all of the advantages of, say an iPad with none of the downsides (limited app, performance, etc). I edit pictures on my Ultrabook with pen + touch. Fold it like an A and you can draw right on the screen, edit masks with the pen, scroll with your finger, and basically have the iPad + pencil experience, all on a 15" 4k screen. Just like a Cintiq. I'll probably never go back to a regular laptop again.
Although I might generally prefer the Mac operating system; Apple's practice of using this to force obsolete desktop hardware In a similar way that they do iOS devices is rather starting to grate.
I'm not saying this wasn't the case pre- OS X, but at least back then it was usually the case that the hardware became incapable (through speed, memory, or graphics) first.
I'm probably considering that I'll likely get a Mini and a Pro when Apple pull their fingers out, but slowly migrate to Linux. My main computers are already Windows machines now, simply because I couldn't wait any longer.
Just updated mid 2011 Mac mini to 10.13.2 and iTunes to 12.7.2. You scared the bejesus out of me.
using linux on an old mac is a great way to prolong it's lifespan. at least for browsing and office work. but of course it's not for everyone. with linux, a mac isn't a mac anymore.
the day will come. unfortunately ...
Last time I checked, it's impossible to develop on iPhone.
Mac will be around for the next 50 years.
They will just release Xcode for Windows. Or partner with some Open Source or even Microsoft to get the developer tools ported to Windows or Linux.
well it looks like that at least the mac mini (late 2014) will be still on sale in 50 years.
What do you mean with the 2017 mini?
Swift and its standard library already can compile on Linux. From the commandline of course, and it doesn't include UIKit. But they could start with providing UIKit stubs, and enable cross-compilation. Then in small steps, add more features. I don't see this as an insurmountible problem.
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There could be a second life breathed into Macs if they decide to switch from X86 to ARM architecture. Since Apple now designs best ARM-based CPUs itself, switching to the in-house CPU would allow for a hybrid device similar to Microsoft Surface. When this happens, MacOS in its new incarnation will become much more prevalent than it is now.
Having been extremely excited about iPad back in 2011, I tried to replace my Macs with iPads but gradually realized that the iPad is no replacement for the Mac. Even with the latest iPads Pro, they are extremely limited by iOS limitations. I see no reason to upgrade my iPad Air, and in fact, the iPad is no longer being used in my household. If Apple were to release a hybrid device similar to Microsoft Surface, I would rush to buy it on the release day, and I’m sure there will be millions of people doing the same as long as the device can be used with external monitors and a pointing device and run current macOS applications (even if in an emulation mode).
I would pay $1500 for such a device without much hesitation. I do a have a lot of hesitation paying current prices for Apple laptops that have only one port type and prefer older design, such as mid-2015 MacBook Pros. The concept of just a few USB-C only ports would only make sense to me in a hybrid-tablet form factor.
Having been extremely excited about iPad back in 2011, I tried to replace my Macs with iPads but gradually realized that the iPad is no replacement for the Mac. Even with the latest iPads Pro, they are extremely limited by iOS limitations. I see no reason to upgrade my iPad Air, and in fact, the iPad is no longer being used in my household. If Apple were to release a hybrid device similar to Microsoft Surface, I would rush to buy it on the release day, and I’m sure there will be millions of people doing the same as long as the device can be used with external monitors and a pointing device and run current macOS applications (even if in an emulation mode).
I would pay $1500 for such a device without much hesitation. I do a have a lot of hesitation paying current prices for Apple laptops that have only one port type and prefer older design, such as mid-2015 MacBook Pros. The concept of just a few USB-C only ports would only make sense to me in a hybrid-tablet form factor.
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