Apple Classifies 2011 Mac Mini as Obsolete

[yegon]

My maxed out 2012 still running like a champ!

 

[benji888]

So confused ... we have one of these and it got High Sierra - it works just fine - does this mean it won't get the next version of Mac OS next year?

Yes, that's what it means.

This is not true. "Obsolete" means that the product was last sold >5 years ago, and they don't provide repair service of this model anymore. There's a lot of products marked as obsolete but still get new versions of macOS:

macOS High Sierra system requirements:

• iMac: late 2009 or newer.
• MacBook/MacBook (Retina): late 2009 or newer.
• MacBook Pro: mid-2010 or newer.
• MacBook Air: late 2010 or newer.
• Mac Mini: mid-2010 or newer.
• Mac Pro: mid-2010 or newer.
• iMac Pro: 2017.

Actually, all of the models before 2011 are obsolete right now, but the 2009 Macs are still getting system update.

This is hardware support - Apple won't service it if something fails. OS / software support is different and can continue after hardware support is dropped.

It most likely won't.

Does this mean that High Sierra is the last OS to come out with support for it? E.g. you’ll only get patches till 2018?

Frankly, that’s what I think Apple stinks at being clear about.

...

BTW, all computer hardware manufacturers that I know of do this, Apple did not invent this. Clock starts ticking after a model is discontinued. Why? Because keeping spare parts on hand to perform repairs is expensive and there needs to be some guidance to the purchaser. I remember seeing a server discontinued before we received delivery which meant by the time we received it there was less than 5 years left on the clock. And it was not an Apple server.

This only seems odd because Apple makes both the hardware and the software, unlike PCs. However, The latest Windows will work on some PCs older than 5 years, some of which were made by companies that no longer exist.

*macOS core is written for Intel Core2duo and later machines, all of which are 64 bit. I think it’s possible for Apple to continue making installers for all of these machines until they move to another chipset or go 128 bit at some point. They don’t have to, and it is free...they make enough profits from the Mac App Store so, that will continue.

Keep in mind, Metal doesn’t work on many older machines, but, High Sierra does. macOS will likely still be installable on older machines, but, just won’t have all the new features.

The only stipulation is that, while the latest macOS can be installed on “obsolete” Macs, support is limited at best, but, that happens after warranty or AppleCare runs out on the hardware anyway.

 

[MrUNIMOG]

Now all my Mac Minis are obsolete.

I’m waiting for Apple to release a new model for me to upgrade to. I may even get two of them.

Hopefully they bring back quad-core to the Mini.

A quad core Mac mini is very likely, if a new one is actually coming. Just not a 45 Watt one.
The next 13" MacBook Pro will probably feature 4 cores – be it Kaby Lake Refresh, Coffee Lake, Cannonlake or Ice Lake. The Mac mini will likely continue to use the same 15/28 Watt CPUs as the 13" MacBook Pro (and earlier, the MacBook Air).

 

[Duane Martin]

The only stipulation is that, while the latest macOS can be installed on “obsolete” Macs, support is limited at best, but, that happens after warranty or AppleCare runs out on the hardware anyway.

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.

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.

 

[compuguy1088]

This was the last best mini Apple made. User-swappable RAM, dedicated non-Intel GPU, FW800. I LOOOOVE my 2011 mini.

Hopefully, if Apple does the modular Mac correctly, there will be no need for a new mini.

The 2012 Mini was great as well (though it didn't have a dedicated graphics card; it did have USB 3 though).

 

[jerryk]

2011/2012 are the best minis with their easy user upgradability. But the obsolete designation is the kiss of death for repairs. A real shame since there no upgradable replacement.

 

[Jerry Fritschle]

Just to put things in perspective, I have a 2014 HP machine, which operates alongside my 5,1 Mac Pro, that has been officially EOL for awhile now.

 

[EdwardC]

OK, 2D CAD I could see that being the case. 3D CAD is just so resource intensive I'd think the GPU would double as a space heater. ;-)

Ha, I'm pretty sure you sir are correct. Take care!!

 

[inkswamp]

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.
[doublepost=1512424574][/doublepost]

Why are you still using DVD's like it's 1995? Pretty much all of the major companies have gotten rid of drives.

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.

 

[Heat_Fan89]

This is what most here don't understand. It doesn't make financial sense for Apple to invest in updating their desktops because they simply don't sell a lot. Desktop computers as a whole (Dell, HP, etc included) have seen big drops in sales in the past years and continue to drop. It's not smart to invest a lot of money in a market that continues to shrink, when you could instead invest in stuff like iPhones which continue to grow.

In addition, unlike smartphones, people update desktops far far less frequently. Very few people will update their desktop every year, like they will their phone. Again, it makes less and less sense to invest resources in a machine that won't sell in volume the way they can other devices they invest resources in and won't be re-purchased nearly as frequently.
[doublepost=1512407940][/doublepost]

The guy that has lead Apple to their greatest profitability and growth in history? Anyone with any business sense knows Cook has been a spectacular CEO by most every measure. There's almost nothing he could do to be removed at this point, short of something completely catastrophic.

Except going by Schiller's words there are now over 600 million potential customers who might consider a new budget priced Mac mini. I'm still rocking a 2012 mini and I would definitely buy a new one.

The problem Apple has going forward is their "core" business is tied to gadgets and most of them are high priced. If that model changes in the future and in a bad way then it will have a negative effect on Apple. No company EVER stays on top forever. It's happened to all the great tech companies and i've been around tech since the late 70's. Everyone of them from IBM, Digital Equipment, Wang Laboratories, NCR, Burroughs, Telex, Microsoft etc, they've all been knocked off the top pedestal. It would be better for Apple to offer a broad range of products to their customers instead of catering to high priced gadgets and computers.

Right now Apple's wearing rose colored blinders and all they are seeing is $ signs and one day that will change.

 

[kazmac]

I was on the same boat and recently realized 2013 Mac Pro is the best alternative. BH have them on sale for 1899

Thanks, but I will wait it out. Enjoy your new Mac Pro.

 

[nt5672]

It’s very hard to take Tim Cook seriously again after those comments. He takes speaking empty rhetoric to levels not seen or heard before. I don’t think he realises how unattractive that kind of language is.

The Mac Mini should’ve been one of the easiest to upgrade. Apple and especially Tim Cook’s Apple simply don’t want a value budget headless Mac.

Yep we started switching to linux. That is the direction of the development tools, so you can expect the future Apple to only care about iPads and iPhones. There is a reason they dropped Computer from the name. Get used to it.

 

[inkswamp]

This is what most here don't understand. It doesn't make financial sense for Apple to invest in updating their desktops because they simply don't sell a lot. Desktop computers as a whole (Dell, HP, etc included) have seen big drops in sales in the past years and continue to drop.

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.

 

[steve333]

I just brought in my mid 2011 Mini because the logic board failed. It will cost $339 to fix so I went ahead with it since it was working fine up to now and I have 8Gb RAM.
Hope I didn't make a mistake. I do live in California so I have another 2 years covered for repairs if needed and hopefully not.
If I wanted to buy a new Mini I would want an SSD and 16 Gb RAM so I'd be looking at around $1100.
Did I make a mistake?

 

[MrUNIMOG]

I just brought in my mid 2011 Mini because the logic board failed. It will cost $339 to fix so I went ahead with it since it was working fine up to now and I have 8Gb RAM.
Hope I didn't make a mistake. I do live in California so I have another 2 years covered for repairs if needed and hopefully not.
If I wanted to buy a new Mini I would want an SSD and 16 Gb RAM so I'd be looking at around $1100.
Did I make a mistake?

Well, maybe you could have found a logic board online for less and replace it yourself. But then you'd have a used logic board which might fail again. So I'd say you didn't make a mistake.

May your Mac mini live long and prosper.

 

[semslie]

It's shame, quad core, dual drive kit with intel SSD, ram upgrade to 8GB. runs really really good. Apple still have no replacement.

You can upgrade to 16GB with OWC's 8GB memory chips.

 

[ignatius345]

Yea happens when you have a bunch of idiots still buying and supporting these practices, can't blame Tim for exploiting them.

Thanks for coming by and calling everyone here idiots, we really all appreciate your perspective.

Now how about take your troll show on the road?

 

[nvmls]

Thanks for coming by and calling everyone here idiots, we really all appreciate your perspective.

Now how about take your troll show on the road?

Whoa, that was intense.

 

[steve333]

Well, maybe you could have found a logic board online for less and replace it yourself. But then you'd have a used logic board which might fail again. So I'd say you didn't make a mistake.

May your Mac mini live long and prosper.

Thank you. I was planning on handing this Mini down to my mother to replace the dog slow 2009 Mini I previously handed down to her. I was waiting until the updated Mini came out (whenever that was going to be) but I wasn't in a rush since my 2011 Mini was working just fine until last night.
Turned it on, came back to nothing on the screen and the fan loudly spinning, which it never does.
I'm also unemployed right now so I wasn't into spending $1100 on a new computer

 

[Naraxus]

It's also not the beginning, nor end, of 2011. So what does that leave?

You really believe October (with only two months left in the year) is "Mid-2011"?

 

[femike]

I have moved to Windows 10 while waiting for a reasonable mac mini to replace my obsolete mac mini. Apple does not have a good line up of MacOS desktops at all. I don't think they care. MacOS seems a sideshow compared to the effort they put into iOS.

 

[Naraxus]

Name one example Apple excels in these days...

Letting their products languish on the vine for years & become obsolete and then charging extortionate prices for them

 

[jayducharme]

No, it won't be three years. The current Mac mini (late 2014) is still sold by Apple today, which means that even if they discontinued it right now, it would become obsolete in 5 years from now.

Oh. I thought it was five years from date of manufacture.

 

[Cloudkicker]

Steve Jobs died in mid-2011

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

 

[647156]

I know I am not the only one but the lack of security updates or EOL’ing a platform because itunes isn’t updated anymore are just jerk moves.

My first-generation 24-inch iMac (Late 2006) was declared obsolete by Apple many years ago and the newest version of OS X that it can run is 6 versions behind the latest because Apple couldn't be bothered to write a graphics driver.

Despite that it still has an operating system released just a couple of months ago, can still run the very latest version of iTunes, and receives security updates every month to this day and for many years to come - sometimes you just have to look a bit further north than Cupertino...