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Apple really needs to get it together with these names...just wipe the slate clean and start from scratch. The tiny one should be the MacBook Air, the "MacBook Escape" should be the MacBook, and the Touch Bar ones should be MacBook Pro. This one isn't even necessary...
 
I still don’t understand how a retina MacBook Air with more ports than the rMB is gonna be Apple’s “cheap” laptop. Besides, the whole “Air” moniker still makes NO sense anymore. It’s bigger, thicker and heavier than the 12” MacBook. So weird.

Why not just make the 12” retina MacBook the cheap laptop....and this new 13” retina MacBook “air” the mid priced one between the 12” MacBook and the 13” MacBook Pro. Just please...don’t call it the AIR anymore!
We’re assuming this rumor is true, it could be someone gave Gurman misinformation or he interpreted what he got wrong.
 
I love the idea but until Apple releases Apple Cinema Displays to go with it then its a no buy from me. Currently its better to get the iMac because the screen is just very good and for the price tag its awesome.
Really miss the days when 30" Apple Cinema Display was the king of the hill. That display was by far the most beautiful thing on the market and I regret selling mine in 2012 (due to lot of traveling)

Anyway, when Apple releases their new lineup of displays then I will get this mac mini pro in a heartbeat.
:)

Agreed, it was the best looking display ever released, still my favourite design, also think those all aluminium looking MBP and Powerbooks were better looking than the ones with a black bezel.
 
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Apple really needs to get it together with these names...just wipe the slate clean and start from scratch. The tiny one should be the MacBook Air, the "MacBook Escape" should be the MacBook, and the Touch Bar ones should be MacBook Pro. This one isn't even necessary...
How is the 13” MBA tiny? The 12” rMB has a smaller footprint.
 
My Bet is this is based on LGA1151, with Coffee Lake 9000 and 8000 parts.

Cooling up to 95W CPU and 50W GPU. Maybe a Vega M, or The Intel i7-8800G with built in Vega.

Would give them to option to make it a 4-8 core for the Mac. Then the Mac Pro can be 8-28 core.
 
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Come to terms with it now, the MBA will do away with everything but USB-C. Apple isn't changing direction on that move.

It's also doubtful that the Mac mini will be user upgradeable. The reality is that only a very small minority of buyers ever upgrade their machines (including the pro market). It's simply not as big of a deal as some make it out to be.
 
Yeah I added a bit to my post after you quoted it. I also wonder if Thunderbolt 4 would be fast enough for the highest end GPUs in a professional workflow. Perhaps the reason they've been waiting all this time is for Thunderbolt 4 to materialize.

Unfortunately, Thunderbolt 4 is not a thing. It is not even a whisper of a thing at this point. Thunderbolt 3 is emerging quickly, but I do not think it will truly blossom until (and if) Intel gives up on licensing fees and the controller is integrated onto the CPU die, which at this rate will be closer to 2020 or 2021. If one assumes that Thunderbolt 4 is double Thunderbolt 3, then the PCH is going to have to cough up x8 PCIe 3.0 lanes for just two TB4 connectors. That's a third of the PCIe lanes available to the Z390 PCH, which means you would still need to be very careful what you use, assuming the Mac mini comes with a discrete GPU, which will use all x16 PCIe 3 lanes on the CPU (or Apple will hear it from Pro users).

If the Mac mini is the first step in Apple's plan towards the 2019 Mac Pro, then it will be modular using something proprietary to Apple. Perhaps a separate PCIe 4.0-based proprietary connector that can encapsulate and shuttle PCIe 3.0 signals along the PCIe 4.0 bus between the modules to provide enough bandwidth for the interconnects. PCIe 4.0 is a real thing, and could be used for this, because I do not think PCIe 4.0 slots will ever be a thing on a motherboard if PCIe 5.0 is finalized and ratified in 2019 as planned - https://www.tomshardware.com/news/pcie-5.0-release-0.3,34720.html

Most PCIe 3.0 GPUs still do not exceed the throughput and bandwidth of an x16 slot - https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Titan-X-Performance-PCI-E-3-0-x8-vs-x16-851/

Your base module contains enough power for a certain amount of modules, but it won't get you more than one x16 PCIe 3.0 slot, if that. I am almost positive that Apple will sell the GPU modules separately in the 2019 Mac Pro as it can then control what GPUs are supported and know just how much power the base MacPro module will need to power a certain GPU. I do not even believe Apple is going to sell a PCIe module that has more than an a few x8 and/or x4 slots in it, because you will already have Thunderbolt 3, USB 3.1 and 10Gb Ethernet in the base module. Outside of GPUs, what other AICs need a PCIe x16 slot? Answer, hardly any...PCIe storage=x4, UHD equipment=X4, maybe x8, SAS controllers=x8, RED ROCKET-X card? Sure, it uses x16 PCIe 3.0, but it only needs 75w of power, not 275w-400w, which are realistic projections at this point.

Other modules might allow for 2.5" SSDs/HDDs, more than one GPU module (yeah, the irony) for DaVinci Resolve or FCP X once it is updated (remember Mojave per app eGPU allocations). I think the Mac mini module will end up crippled from using some of these modules.

You have a valid idea, but Thunderbolt 4 will not be the medium used, and the Mac mini will be tantalizing, but still leave most wanting more because as per Apple's modus operandi there will be at least one or two things that keep it from being great. Buckle up!
 
Mac-oriented rumors

I wasn't around here but I would imagine this site was created when Apple did make probably nothing else but Macs.
And it would probably exist after the Mac would have been long forgotten! Things evolve with times and whats important today may not be so much tomorrow.
 
I am looking forward to a MacMini Pro for video/photo production:

FinalCut with fast processor, photo editing with Top-Monitor.
The ManMini Pro's powerful GPU architecture loves Apple's upcoming 24-inch "4K Cinema Pro"-Display...

Depending on the features, I pay without hesitation 1000... $2200.
 
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"Our customers have been telling us that they want more repairable, more upgradeable computers. We're proud to say that we've listened to you. The new Mac Mini Pro has a replaceable CPU, GPU, SSD and RAM. And to do that, all you need is a standard screwdriver, that we've included in the box. We've built this computer to last a long time, and to be compatible with the things you already own. Along with USB C ports, it also has standard USB ports and an SD card slot so that you don't need to buy adapters. Oh, and of course, a headphone jack."
 
Too late Apple! I have a Linux Mint Intel NUC and I'm not coming back.

Not Mint, but I too have moved to linux hardware. Have not retired my Apples (2006 and 2012 minis) yet, but its getting close. The only way Apple can get me back is to release a machine that has some reason for me to buy. macOS gives Apple some premium in price or at least used to (not many useful updates recently). At this point, I just don't see Apple's attraction (fashion statements are not my thing). BTW, I've never personally owned a non-Apple computer until the last few months.
 
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t this point i wish that you could just install macos on an Intel nuc pc without the ballache of hackintosh. MUCH faster hardware and way smaller than the Mac mini.

Well, power-wise, the Mini used to have more powerful (for the time) quad-core options.

...and if you're talking about size, bear in mind that AFAIK all the NUCs require hefty external power bricks where as the Mini has an internal power supply. Hope they don't change that for a deceptive size advantage.

Also, the current Mini was originally designed around an optical drive, so they could re-design it.
 
"Our customers have been telling us that they want more repairable, more upgradeable computers. We're proud to say that we've listened to you. The new Mac Mini Pro has a replaceable CPU, GPU, SSD and RAM. And to do that, all you need is a standard screwdriver, that we've included in the box."
It must be fantastic to have such an outrageous sense of humour:D
 



Apple is working on several new products for its Mac lineup, including a new low-cost MacBook Air and a Pro-focused Mac mini, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

The upcoming low-cost MacBook Air will be similar in design to the current MacBook Air, but with slimmer bezels around the display. It will continue to be sized around 13 inches, and it will feature a Retina display.

macbook-air.jpg

We've heard multiple rumors about the upcoming low-cost notebook, but it has been unclear whether it is part of the MacBook family or if it will be branded as a MacBook Air. Today's report makes it clear that the new machine is going to be positioned as a MacBook Air upgrade, aimed at students and schools with a lower price tag than MacBooks in the MacBook family.

Apple is continuing to make new MacBook models as well, and it's not yet clear how the company will differentiate the new MacBook Air from the MacBook. Right now, the MacBook's higher price tag, slimmer body, and Retina display set it apart from the MacBook Air.

Apple is also said to be working on an upgrade to the Mac mini, which has not seen an update since October 2014. Little detail is available about the upcoming machine, but it is said to be focused on pro users with new storage and processor options that are likely to make it more expensive than previous Mac mini products.

mac-mini-2014-gallery-1.jpeg

2017 rumors suggested Apple was working on a Mac mini that "won't be so mini anymore," which would be in line with a machine that has more powerful, less compact components.

Bloomberg suggests Apple could potentially be planning to introduce the new Macs in October, following a September event that will see the launch of new iPhones and new Apple Watch models.

New iPad Pro models with Face ID are also in the works, but it is not clear if these will debut in September or October.

Article Link: Apple to Debut Low-Cost MacBook Air With Retina Display, Revamped Pro-Focused Mac Mini in 2018
 
Hate to break it to you lads (& ladies) but the timing of this rumor is wrong. There's no way a new Mac(Midi) will drop before the eagerly anticipated next modular MacPro. Phil would quit Apple before he'd let any new Mac take the thunder away from the mMP debut. No marketing manager would let it happen either.
The MacMini is gunna have to wait for the mMP. Yes- that means late 2019 folks.
Who says that there won't be "One more thing..." in October?
 
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