Apple Says Mac Mini is 'Important' But Remains Tight-Lipped About Future Updates

[navaira]

I can't edit my post because I don't know why, but here's the quote:

Even among pro users, notebooks are by far the most popular Macs. In second place are iMacs. The Mac Pro is third. Apple declined to describe the Mac Pro’s share of all Macs sales any more specifically than “a single-digit percent”, but my gut feeling is that the single digit is a lot closer to 1 than it is to 9.

 

[The Igloo]

Mac Mini should be same specs as Imac

 

[dragje]

I love the macmini concept, it's great to function as a small server because it's super silent and (could be) powerfull enough to run server related program's like Plex.

 

[blacktape242]

tight lipped or tightly glued in, which is what the new one will be.

 

[icanhazapple]

$700 billion dollar company can't be bothered to make an aluminum chassis for an Intel NUC. That's all you need to know right there folks.

Let me do the product planning for Apple - you take the Intel U (15W dual core) series chips for a $600 mac mini . Take the 'H' series chips for a $1200 (35W quad core Kaby Lake). Make two separate chassis, as they are two different thermal envelopes. Mac mini and Mac mini Pro.

You can make the U series based mac mini stupid thin for your own industrial designer ego, but no actual consumer will buy it. Give me the H series mac mini that has the 15' Macbook Pro internals in a NUC sized chassis.

 

[JosephAW]

Apple needs to stop using the word "later". It's already way past "later". That was like 2015.

It's obvious they are waiting for the A10 chip or newer to equal desktop performance of the base model Mac Mini. Forget about the i7 models. And then drop Intel x86 chipsets. Just like when the intel chipset caught up to the PowerPC chip, then they switched.

 

[ArcaneDevice]

The Mac Mini was one of the cleanest and best small-form factor PCs you could buy. It could fit anywhere without making a noise or looking ugly and you could tweak it for different purposes.

Like my 2012 MBP (with all the connectors) upgrading the RAM and swapping to an SSD (of my choice) has kept my Mini performing beautifully for a 2.6 Duo.

But when you can improve things yourself where is the profit for Apple? They have to keep the money coming in every year when they don't make any significant improvements to anything to justify replacing tech that worked just fine the year before.

 

[Keane16]

I wouldn't be surprised to see Apple "upgrade" the Mac mini to a smaller form factor with just USB-C

The one thing that stands out in a world with Intel NUCs is how big the Mini is.

 

[blairh]

I love my Mini. Specifically that I can use a matte screen with it.

I really hope they keep updating the Mini.

 

[TechZeke]

2012-like Mac Mini with Quad cores, upgradeable RAM, SSDs, and TB3(with the ability to use an external GPU) would be a beast.

 

[762999]

I think they should change the form factor of the mini. They will probably make it modular too.

 

[DJC631]

Despite my main machine being a 2012 Pro, I still have my 2011 set up and running. She's still plenty strong except for her graphics

 

[toke lahti]

OH s**t,
pro's are now covered,
headless mac for consumer price is unknown.

Remember the times when PMg4 was $1299?

 

[Crzyrio]

Yes! I need to update my Mac Mini. It runs as a headless Plex Server and the new H.265 files are burdening it super hard.

 

[ignatius345]

While Mac mini isn't on the top of their priorities for the Mac, I don't think we will see it be dropped from the lineup as many people have been suggesting. I'm sure pricing, along with other reasons, makes it a very hard product to update.

I don't know -- isn't the Mac Mini ultimately just a small enclosure with laptop components inside? Take the guts of a MacBook Pro, minus the battery, keyboard and display, and put them into an aluminum box with a power supply, ports and some airflow.

I'm no engineer, but that has be a lot cheaper and easier than making that all work in thin laptop form factor where battery life is a huge concern...

 

[toke lahti]

I think they should change the form factor of the mini. They will probably make it modular too.

Let me correct: "They should probably make it modular too."
But they never will. Only pro will be modular. It s too complicated for stupid consumers. And only pro's won't buy soldered glue boxes.

 

[JMacHack]

Calling it now, it's a gimped Trashcan Pro.

Screencap this.

 

[Gasu E.]

Phil you're so full of it.

If the mac mini is important then the apple iphone is life?

Yes, for Apple Corp, the iPhone is "life". Obviously.

 

[44267547]

then the apple iphone is life?

Considering it's 69% of Apple's net revenue, clearly it is.

 

[Virtua4]

Ilthe new Mac mini will use an iPad 3 shell with the screen removed and a tweaked a9x #appleusingupoldparts-toremakegreatnewproductsandkeepupdatesshipping

 

[macduke]

Maybe when they release the new modular Mac Pro they'll keep the old trash can design around and make it the new Mac Mini, lol. I'd buy one for $599! /s

 

[Spock]

I think with USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 the Mac mini could easily be the central hub of a modular computer. The Mac mini could operate on its own with no problem for an entry level Mac while third party companies could make larger docking stations that could add higher end video, extra drive bays and ports like ethernet.

 

[lem150]

I love the macmini concept, it's great to function as a small server because it's super silent and (could be) powerfull enough to run server related program's like Plex.

Lol it is powerful enough to run Plex. I have the latest one (2014 I guess), bought it last year and it does everything I need it too and runs Plex server fine.

 

[nuckinfutz]

This is what happened when most people started getting maxed out Mac Minis for half the price of the iMacs with the same specs/performance. Remember those Quad core I7 processor and that RAM replacement? This is why they decided to kill this line. Basically the Mac Mini is just a "toy" for people who never used a Mac and want to try it (these people get MacBooks anyway).

No in fact the mini sold more in business environments where small departmental servers were needed. Apple Consultants sell Mac mini like they bought them at Costco....in bulk

 

[fhall1]

My prediction is the "new" Mini will appear about the time the A10 or A11 CPUs come out and are able to run MacOS (which will have converged a lot more with iOS) "decently". Then, the Mini will be released in the form factor of the current Apple TV case. I hope I'm wrong, but I think the days of the "power-user" Mini are over - ended with the Quad-core 2012 model (glad I have mine).