Apple Releases New Sandy Bridge Mac Minis and Thunderbolt Display

[wizard]

I suspect that which is better is software dependent.

The new Mac Mini's are very cool. It's a shame they couldn't get the AMD card and the Quad-Core into the high end model...too much heat I guess.

Either way it's a great update. I'll likely get the Server with 256SSD/750HDD model because the purpose if for media, FCP-X and such. I think the Quad Core chip, even though it has the HD3000 will serve me better than the Dual-Core i7 + AMD card.

I was actually thinking about this performance issue as it relates to XCode development. Actually development in general. You would think the quad core machine would be a better platform. I'm hoping to see some tests / benchmarks relatively soon.

 

[3N16MA]

An HDMI port on the Mac Mini but no DVD drive so I can play my hired DVD's ... what a crock of ****!

Talk about take away functionality; if Jobs was such the 'master' people preport him to be, they'd be a Blue Ray Drive and TV tuner built in (and who cares if it makes it 5mm thicker!)

Assume they're trying to force people to Apple TV as a media server .... and even thats shiter since they took the HDD out of that LOL (and how about a PVR tuner in that).

Media giant my arse!

Fail!!!!

Just buy the external superdrive if you really want to play your dvd's. It actually works out $20 cheaper than the last model.

 

[RBR2]

I am not sure how I feel about the Internet Recovery feature (even though I am not affected). Nice idea, but now you just increased time to get back working to include time it takes to download Lion. Also not sure why they bothered to include the feature in the new MBA, as I am seeing reports of the SSD being soldered on the board (AKA non-replaceable).

The recovery "partition", I am told, is not actually a separate physical partition on the drive such as is used on many OEM installations of Windows. It is apparently an alias of sorts which accesses the essential elements of the OS (if they are not damaged or the drive is not hosed) and reportedly takes up only about 130 MB or so of drive space. I suppose one could create a separate physical partition to use for reinstallation though it would be lost n the event of disk failure.

In the instance where a completely new installation is required, I do not believe that internet recovery is the only option. There was a discussion at a meeting I attended about making an install disc from an SDHC card or USB flash drive which would allow for reinstallation of the OS without internet access at all (which could be very important in some instances). They could even be made into bootable drives with some utilities installed. Obviously, a DVD could be made for Macs that either have one or if you were using one with the new Mini.

I have not read anything about the SSD installation in the Mini, but I had seen some things prior to release that Apple were believed to be moving away from soldering in SSDs because of the warranty costs. (The article was specifically in reference to the MacBook Air.) If there was a problem with the SSD the entire logic board had to be replaced when the SSD was soldered in place. With a removable SSD, only the drive need be replaced. The reverse would be true in the case of a logic board failure. Either way Apple stands to reduce warranty costs which has been an objective of the design teams for some time now. The MagSafe connector is probably the number one example of this which has benefitted everyone involved. I am pretty sure that Apple counted down the days until the liquid cooled G5 Mac Pros were all out of Apple Care Warranty coverage as they had a nasty habit of dumping coolant and destroying the entire system.

 

[accessoriesguy]

has everyone forgot about air drive?

if you have a pretty current mac, you can use the CD drive to use on other mac computers by wireless.

Yes wireless communication between computers lets you use what you already have.

if it is such an issue you can always buy an external drive, if not do what i just said, its not only awesome cool and futuristic, but it wont cost you a dime. So can you guys really stop freaking out now :/

 

[wizard]

For many server duties that is more than enough.

Anybody noticed the quad-core server? YES! But is this the mobile i7-2730QM that Apple puts into the baseline 15' MacBook Pro?

Sometimes just having enough threads to bull through the work load is all that you need. Honestly though I don't see many of these going to server duty, they will make very nice desktops for people that need more than two hardware threads.

Could the cores be of a faster / better generation, certainly but then you have heat and other nasties to deal with

 

[mdelvecchio]

1)4)No cd/dvd drive?!?!?!?! So how am I supposed to rip my cds I buy every few weeks? I'm sure there is some $250 Apple USB-based accessory.

whats stopping you from using any USB drive on the market?

 

[b-rad g]

has everyone forgot about air drive?

if you have a pretty current mac, you can use the CD drive to use on other mac computers by wireless.

Yes wireless communication between computers lets you use what you already have.

if it is such an issue you can always buy an external drive, if not do what i just said, its not only awesome cool and futuristic, but it wont cost you a dime. So can you guys really stop freaking out now :/

Well you can't use it for DVD's which is what I think most people would use it for, especially as the Mini is so well suited as an HTPC.

 

[Naimfan]

Heavier = Yes, but more robust
Slower = No, mine is quicker than a Pro

The people care, let them have the choice. We have got our own reasons for buying a MacBook, let us decide!

You have a Macbook that is faster than the current base 13" Macbook Pro?

 

[kazmac]

hmmm

I figured the super drive would be kaput. I use mine occasionally to burn movies for my iPad. May need this for textbooks too.

As far as the updated specs for the Mini. I'm not looking at the server model so,

Yeah > discrete graphics in the higher-end standard this is something I will watch for in future minis.

Yeah > The upswing in price on the high end standard makes buying your own RAM even more attractive and worth it. Also true for the entry-level mini.

Nay >
a big BOO for the slip in educational pricing, for any Mini configuration went from $50 down to $20.

I'm also sad to see the white Macbook go. Everyone pretty much called it, but that's disappointing esp. for folks looking for a cheap entry into Mac-land. Guess it's the Mini or a refurb or sales.

 

[johncarync]

No floppy drive? Are you nuts?

To those complaining about the loss of the super drives, I've heard it before. Apple will bring you kicking and screaming into the future. If you want to live in the past, get a PC...I think some of them still come with floppy drives.

1998
--------------------------------------
Hey Apple,

I just want to say that not including a floppy drive on the new bondi blue iMac is an epic fail! Don't you know that we buy our apps like After Dark's Flying Toasters on floppy disks? We have tons of floppies. And how are we supposed to transfer our files between computers? You guys don't know what you're doing. You need to put floppy drives in your computers forever!


2011
--------------------------------------
Hey Apple,

I just want to say that not including a super drive on the new Mac mini is an epic fail! Don't you know that we buy our music and apps on CDs and DVDs? We have tons of CDs. And how are we supposed to burn music and movies? You guys don't know what you're doing. You need to put super drives in your computers forever!

 

[Rocketman]

Your post - fail

An HDMI port on the Mac Mini but no DVD drive so I can play my hired DVD's ... what a crock of ****!

Talk about take away functionality; if Jobs was such the 'master' people preport him to be, they'd be a Blue Ray Drive and TV tuner built in (and who cares if it makes it 5mm thicker!)

Assume they're trying to force people to Apple TV as a media server .... and even thats shiter since they took the HDD out of that LOL (and how about a PVR tuner in that).

Media giant my arse!

Fail!!!!

http://www.pcmall.com/s?rch&q=usb dvd drive&includeImage=true

http://store.apple.com/us/search?find=usb+dvd+drive&mco=Nzc1MjMwNg

http://www.pcmall.com/p/LaCie-Consumer-Electronics/product~dpno~8082537~pdp.gbajgbb?src=search

Spend $60 from the $100 retail savings from the prior slower Mac-Mini.

BTW here's your floppy drive.

http://www.pcmall.com/p/Micropac-Te...s/product~dpno~7119109~pdp.diibcfe?src=search

Rocketman

 

[chirpie]

whats stopping you from using any USB drive on the market?

I wonder the same thing. I can understand the people who are bummed that they'll have more clutter on their desktop if they use optical drives a lot. That's totally understandable.

The complaints that seem a little disingenuous to me are the ones claiming they'll need to fork over 200 bucks to get the functionality back.

Really, you can march over to Amazon right now and order an external Samsung USB burner for $40 bucks. Then pull it out once every 2 months for the next few years while we finish this transition away from physical media.

 

[thedenethor]

You're supposed to AirPlay it to your AppleTV!

So Why do we have HDMI?

After browsing Macrumors for almost 3-4 years ODD removal forced me to register. (Sorry I was just loo lazy and really love the place)

I' m using 2010 MacMini (after owning last 3 generation) as a HTPC with Blu-Ray drive from eBay, 750 GB WD HDD, 8 GB after Market RAM (Kingston I believe)

The point is; yes we' re moving to the clouds. I' ve no problem with that. (Even working on a project to build a datacenter for our Cloud services in my company!)
But contents are not available for every country! This is the problem with iXXXX online services.

With my current Macmini;
I can encode my 1080i Live TV to my iphone/ipad/otherPCs in realtime with DVBLink
I can encode my 1080p content to my other iphone/ipad in realtime with Air Video (basically ffmpeg on macmini)
I can encode my music archive to anywhere in realtime with Audiogalaxy.
I can play my iPad/iPhone content on my big screen via AirPlay (7MC Airplay addon)

So, from performance perspective 2010 Macmini more than enough for HTPC usage. I was just hoping that with Sandy Bridge or new gen. GPU I would have stream HD Audio to my Marantz in Windows7

Without ODD I will stick with my 2010 Macmini as HTPC usage and right now I personally know 10 more people will do the same.

Lets see whats going to happen with Macmini sales...(Especially overseas...)

PS: For the external player recommendations: Yeah I'm smart enough to see the option but lets say I' m a bit perfectionist...

 

[wizard]

I wouldn't be surprised to find out that TB costs the same as an optical drive.

Well I guess it will allow Apple to pad their bottom line as I bet quite a few people will now have to get the external drive.

I suspect that very few will be running out to get an optical. The vast majority of the users out there just don't make use of the drive. Further you can get much of your apps on line even fi you avoid the app store.

Talk about a great way of burying a $80 price bump.

Possibly but don't forget you are getting a much faster processor, Thunderbolt and other new features. Comparatively the machines are a bargain. Don't believe me; then price out a few Windows PC's with equivalent hardware.

So the base model not only lost its optical drive it kept its price? I am to believe that adding Tbolt to it is worth that?

TB probably is in the same price range as the entire optical drive. Obviously that is silicon and the price of TB will drop quickly but you need to realize this is bleeding edge. Beyond that the Sand Bridge chip is more expensive than the previous chip. In many ways these machines are bargains.

 

[iVoid]

Pretty nice specs for a mini.

I'd prefer to see the specs on the next macpro before making a purchase decision though. It might be hard to wait any longer for my much delayed upgrade.

New thunderbolt display is nice, except for the glossy glare screen.

 

[RBR2]

Just been playing around on the configurator.

The high-end Mac Mini (2.5GHz i5 with 6630M) upgraded to 2.7GHz i7 comes out at £700.80 on the HE store. I think that'll be what I'll get. A quad-core would be nice, but as it's a choice between graphics and processor I'm gonna go for graphics.
<snip>

I had been looking for an iCore 7 quad core upgrade and missed the upgrade to a 2.7 GHz Core i7 dual core. A quad core certainly would have been very nice option. Am I reading your post correctly that the discreet graphics card is not available with the Core i7 upgrade? If that is the case I would also be inclined to keep the graphics capability.

 

[atopos]

Why there are no SSD 64/128 - cheaper options ?!
I would like to have even 64 GB SSD, for the System
and a few applications (FCPX, Motion5, Aperture)
(no moving parts !, and the rest - on external TB disc.

Anybody knows how better is Radeon over Intel 3000 option ?
(regarding afformented aplications)

 

[Apollo33]

To those complaining about the loss of the super drives, I've heard it before. Apple will bring you kicking and screaming into the future. If you want to live in the past, get a PC...I think some of them still come with floppy drives.

1998
--------------------------------------
Hey Apple,

I just want to say that not including a floppy drive on the new bondi blue iMac is an epic fail! Don't you know that we buy our apps like After Dark's Flying Toasters on floppy disks? We have tons of floppies. And how are we supposed to transfer our files between computers? You guys don't know what you're doing. You need to put floppy drives in your computers forever!


2011
--------------------------------------
Hey Apple,

I just want to say that not including a super drive on the new Mac mini is an epic fail! Don't you know that we buy our music and apps on CDs and DVDs? We have tons of CDs. And how are we supposed to burn music and movies? You guys don't know what you're doing. You need to put super drives in your computers forever!

The difference is they're not replacing it with another form of cheap removable media. SD cards aren't cheap enough to justify distribution of content on them.

Why do we need removable media? Because of bandwidth limits. To fully replicate the capacity of a dual-layer DVD, you need 8.5 GB (or 7.95 GiB). Most broadband companies in the US are starting to institute monthly bandwidth caps of 250 GB. So assuming you do nothing else, you could fully stream/download 31 DL DVDs worth of content, which isn't bad.

On the other hand... DL Blu-ray discs hold 50GB. So, assuming you don't use any other data, you could stream/download FIVE Blu-ray discs worth of content... In one month. That sounds GREAT, but I'll keep my physical Blu-ray discs, which I can watch at any time without worrying about it eating up my bandwidth.

The people clamoring for a completely-digital-distributed future apparently don't have the foresight to acknowledge bandwidth limits.

 

[theSeb]

Just buy the external superdrive if you really want to play your dvd's. It actually works out $20 cheaper than the last model.

You could also get a $100 dedicated BR/DVD player.

 

[IlluminatedSage]

You could also get a $100 dedicated BR/DVD player.

Which would do nothing for those of us who want an integrated machine. more importantly for those of us who would like to backup Photography, movies and more to Blu-Ray for distribution.

Apple is trying to stop BD here as well. millions of people use it.

m

 

[KnightWRX]

Just buy the external superdrive if you really want to play your dvd's. It actually works out $20 cheaper than the last model.

Or save even more money and get a 30$ external DVD writer.

 

[whooda4]

Common man, tell me this honestly, how often do you use your optical drive?
I use mine maybe a handful of times in a year, and that's just to burn cd's for my car (which doesn't have aux out). Most applications can be done using usb drives. I'm happy no more optical drives.

With that being said, I'm sticking to my mbp for now, and hopefully we get a new design in 2012, so I can sell mine to get the new one

Come on man, how often do you use your antilock brakes? Its nice to have whats need in a convient package.

Im not very pleased with the options. There should be a quad core with discrete graphics. It would sell. Im certain of it.

 

[wizard]

Applecare is not mandatory, in some cases it is down right stupid.

The high en model price is a little steep though...

Lets see on one side :
The high end mac mini (i7) with a thunderbolt display, a SSD drive, a superdrive (for the luddites) and applecare (mandatory people !) -> 2726$

I'm really hoping you are joking here. For the cost of all of that AppleCare you would be farther ahead stuffing the money into a bank account someplace.

Then a entry level 27 inch iMac (i5 but quad core) with 256 GB SSD, better graphics and applecare -> 2368$

Sure the TB display will last longer that any computer, but still it doesn't feel right to have the mini being this overpriced because Apple charges an arm and a leg for SSD.

Then buy your SSD from someplace else.

If only they would have taken a risk putting 128GB SSD and no hard drives, maybe they even could have seen enough thermal gain to put better discreet graphics, while leaving those looking for greater mass storage capacities for a TB peripheral.

External storage does not in any way shape or form make up for internal storage. TB strength isn't in being a port dedicated to storage.

 

[deannnnn]

I don't like the new FCP.
I don't like that Apple is getting rid of optical drives.
I don't like that Lion makes my Mac more like my iPad instead of the other way around.
I don't like that Lion is app-store only (unless I was to pay more than double for usb).

...but my stock is up

 

[oldwatery]

Sorry..but no optical drive...no sale.
I don't want no stupid extra box cluttering up my hifi rack just because Steve says OD's are dead.
Yeh I know history will repeat itself as far as HIS vision goes. But this time I'm over being bullied.
I'm sure this is more than cool for most users.
But I'm just not one of them.
Bummer