Yes, we get it. You (And others) want an updated Mini. But you waiting for an updated Mac Mini has nothing to do with the context of an article about the iPhone X. Two things are not mutually exclusive.
Actually they do seem to be mutually exclusive: Apple can't (with the thousands of staff they have) work on two separate projects? How many people work in their hardware dev team? None by the woefully slow updates. We aren't talking a few months late. Four freaking years late. Someone seriously is not committed. Apple used to be the consumer-oriented nimble-footed computer company who thought outside the box and pushed the boundaries (and the industry).
They seem to have followed Microsoft and play it safe, drag their heels and have lost their mojo.
Perhaps they can get it back. Microsoft after shedding staff and re-focussing on core business seem to have come out from their boring Balmer years. I'm not even blaming this on Cook. Apple had years and years of success amassing a fortune. Most companies that grow like that face scaling issues. They might have the fabulous Space Station to work in but success may have made them afraid of failure. So play it safe became the mantra.
Microsoft became their own worst enemy te more they grew. The cash cows, Office and Windows, only ever really competed against their previous version. Phones are now getting such small increments in features that most people not caught up in the marketing blitz could probably live with their last phone for another year. If Apple never made another phone we could all get along fine with the current product line. We are nearing Peak Phone where even $50 Android phones work well enough for many people.
HomePod muscled in under-powered software wise on a crowded market. What value add do they give the consumer? They look nice but still lack the software to pair two together. Months after release.
When Apple gets the "it works" philosophy right, they do great stuff. AirPods just work. Watch 3 also exceeds my expectations in how is easily does some previously difficult jobs. Tapping the alarm icon and selecting/adding an alarm beats how I used to do it on my phone. This is the simplicity Apple used to do. Advanced simplicity. They need to start looking at their software and hardware and ask the hard question "is this simple to use?"
Sorry for the long-winded rant but I too want to see that updated Mac Mini. It seems Apple have the personnel and the cash but lack the commitment to deliver. Maybe they need bigger "secret dev teams" to work on more than one product at a time. Or clone Jony so he's not so over-worked.