Apple to Launch New Mac Mini at Next Week's Media Event?

[APlotdevice]

That's not Thunderbolt, that's DisplayPort. Thunderbolt ports are just dual purpose in that they also have a channel for DisplayPort.

And last I checked, my keyboard, my mouse, my Wacom tablet, all my external drives (optical, disks, etc..), my flash memory, all of it is USB...

And by your own logic that's not USB 3.0, that's USB 2.0. There are two sets of electrical pins in a USB 3.0 port after all. Those that actually handle the USB 3.0 connection, and those kept over from USB 2.0 for legacy support. And chances most most people are only going to plug USB 2.0 devices into them.

And no you cannot hook up your mice or drives, but come on: Monitors are still essential peripherals! So unlike FireWire for instance, there is no reason for these ports to go unused on most systems.

That's what I meant by backwards compatible. Thunderbolt would require a Thunderbolt end point which would then feature a USB adapter. 2 controllers in a single adapter device which would make it costly. USB 3.0 has no such requirement, the host controller can convert between all the various revisions by itself and only use standard USB cabling.

 

[JAT]

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

Chicken.

Unless it's changed DSL lines are dedicated circuits. Cable is the only one running shared that I know of.

Both are grouped, cable is just a smaller, neighborhood group which may affect any particular individual more easily. DSL is more like a larger region of a city. There's always a maximum, even for FIOS and Google's new thing, although not likely to hit theirs easily very soon.

I get a pretty consistent 32-37Mbps on my "40Mb" DSL. And in the same spot had a very solid 16Mb from lower level cable. All depends on where you are, though.

My cable bursts to 120-140 Mbps - had to upgrade my router to GbE to see it, though.

Is that from a "100Mb" plan or a lower one? I just don't know if it is worth the extra $30-40/month to go from 40Mb DSL to 50Mb cable, if theoretical came in higher it probably would be. I don't want to pay for a high-end or business plan at this point. And they claim the 50 is solid, with no burst speed. All the lower plans have a burst speed, they drop it with this one. Or so they told me.

----------

Actually, I said "I would never call "daisy chaining" an advantage" - not "there are no advantages whatsoever".

In my opinion, daisy-chaining is a net liability - especially for storage devices.

Yeah, I've never understood that since TB was announced. Thought we got rid of that crap when SCSI went away.

 

[iSayuSay]

Until Apple says you need minimum specs for something new (like Airplay desktop). Then you're stuck with an iMac that can't do it. The Mac mini can be replaced with another headless Mac. AIOs are never a smart investment that way.

And how many headless Mac can be a reasonable machine so far?

Mac Mini : Yes it's a cramped 13" MBP or maybe sub 15" MBP if you buy the highest end of Mini. For the money I can get a great performer custom built PC, or get an old/refurbished MBP/MBA which at least portable.
Mobility over performance, or the other way around .. an acceptable compromise. Mac Mini doesn't have both. So what's it good at?

MacPro : Need I say how pricey it is with a friggin old hardware? It can be a great machine, it's just Apple does not want it to. Nor tries to make it one.

/end

The rest is sold with built in display. I'm sorry but I don't see any good headless Mac up there.

 

[D.T.]

The Walking Dead is available next-day from iTunes.

[...]

OK, that's good info, I occasionally check out the various catalogs (iTunes, Hulu Plus, Amazon, etc.), but probably need to sit down, kind of "audit" what we watch and hit up the various sources for availability and cost.

Thanks!

I have received several messages asking about my setup, so we should share anything, even the obvious.

[...]

Outstanding post, thanks!

You know, for me, it's more about being proactive with what we watch vs. just "flipping" to find something. We have a huge library of DVD/BD/Digital, Netflix, Amazon so we have plenty of content options.

Also, we get excellent HD OTA for network shows.

We just recently went to Comcast Biz Class too, and we're getting a good solid 36/8Mbps with no bandwidth caps, and the house is mostly connected with GB ethernet, WiFi-N where needed (like iPads), etc.

Seems like we're perfect candidate to go "cord free".

Again, thanks for taking the time to post your setup details!

 

[Joe-Diver]

Chicken.

No...chickens are just an egg's way of reproducing.....

 

[mganai]

That's not Thunderbolt, that's DisplayPort. Thunderbolt ports are just dual purpose in that they also have a channel for DisplayPort.

And last I checked, my keyboard, my mouse, my Wacom tablet, all my external drives (optical, disks, etc..), my flash memory, all of it is USB. That's what I meant by backwards compatible. Thunderbolt would require a Thunderbolt end point which would then feature a USB adapter. 2 controllers in a single adapter device which would make it costly. USB 3.0 has no such requirement, the host controller can convert between all the various revisions by itself and only use standard USB cabling.

Some of you guys really don't get why these technologies "fail" in the market. It's not that they aren't technically superior on paper, it's that they are marketably inferior in that other solutions are much more convenient for the consumer through sheer flexibility, backwards compatibility and low cost, all points more important than what Thunderbolt brings.

It's not about Specs. Didn't Apple teach you that ? Thunderbolt has superior specs to USB 3.0, but it's definately inferior for consumer experience. And the user experience trumps all... again as taught to us by Apple...

It isn't all about specs. USB 3.0 may have more out-of-the-box usability, but Thunderbolt has more potential. Thunderbolt can do native PCIe, making external PCIe enclosures possible, which would be a boon to iMacs and practically any laptop once prices go down.

Currently optical T-Bolt has almost no advantages for almost everone. A much more expensive cable that does the same thing as the cheap cable probably won't become mainstream.

If T-Bolt survives and evolves to have higher bandwidth on optical than on copper, then optical could become mainstream. Of course, this T-Bolt 2.0 probably wouldn't be compatible with any T-Bolt 1.0 devices or systems.

I was referring to the post saying that copper is limited to 10 GB/s, which can run very few standard PCIe lanes.

 

[MagnusVonMagnum]

Another event where everything is expected to be updated...

Someone is going to be disappointed

The problem is Apple is clearly overextended at this point. They have too many products that are becoming ridiculously out-of-date and they can't keep up. The Mac Pro is a total freaking JOKE of a computer. It would be better they just put it out of its misery than have an ANCIENT RELIC (priced like it's state-of-the-art no less!!!) in their lineup. The Mac Mini is over a year overdue and they've been dragging their iMacs through the mud for almost half a year and it's ALL due to the fact that they only have enough resources to keep the iOS products running at a normal industry pace. As someone said, it's getting to the point where where they might as well just keep waiting...and waiting until the next big thing comes out because they're ALWAYS going to be LATE at this rate and they're ALWAYS going to be chasing someone else's tail coats in terms of computer technology (pointless standards like Thunderbolt not-with-standing) and they don't care because PHONES and TABLETS are the ONLY things they care about these days.

There was a time not so long ago (2008) that Apple was at the top of its game in terms of computers. They had everything coming out first or close to it and their computers were FASTER at doing Windows (which they were not even designed for) than their competitors. Now they push questionable standards that are going nowhere (i.e. Thunderbolt) instead of getting on top of the ones that are like USB3 which is still missing from over half their lineup, add goofy iOS-like features to the OS that really add nothing and make the interface confusing because there's more than one way to do things (something Apple never really tolerated in the past since they want simplicity) and go YEARS between hardware updates while the industry pushes out updates at nearly twice the pace, leaving Apple looking long in the tooth, especially since they simply refuse to so much as lower prices when they are running last year's hardware. They can get away with this only because they have zero direct competition for Mac hardware. In short, if someone else were making Macs, they'd either go out of business or would be forced to spend the capital to keep their operations moving.

The truly SAD part is that Apple is the richest corporation on earth, holding onto ungodly amounts of cold hard cash and they won't spend a dime of it to ensure that their computer hardware division keeps up with the iOS one. They are big enough that this simply should not be a problem. But they are so secretive and paranoid (thanks to Jobs and him apparently picking a successor that is JUST as paranoid) that apparently you have to have security clearance higher than would get you into Area 51 just to get a high ranking job there and so one person has to do the jobs of 10 and thus the delays (meanwhile in China, strikes and riots are going to be come more common as the Chinese demand to be more than simple peasants so the West can have dirt cheap products thus causing more delays).

 

[anotherjoey]

How reliable is this? I've been putting off buying a Mac Mini since August waiting for an update, so i'm thrilled if there's any truth behind this!!

 

[Rocketman]

Outstanding post, thanks!
You know, for me, it's more about being proactive with what we watch . . .
We just recently went to Comcast Biz Class too, and we're getting a good solid 36/8Mbps with no bandwidth caps, and the house is mostly connected with GB ethernet, WiFi-N where needed (like iPads), etc.
Seems like we're perfect candidate to go "cord free".
Again, thanks for taking the time to post your setup details!

You're (all) quite welcome. I have tried to see others' setups for a few months now and wanted to post my own cost conscious selection. I am assuming somebody, whether it be Samsung, Apple or Microsoft will release some sort of broadband modem enabled ITV "system" that includes many of the components I integrated from vastly differing and incompatible suppliers. No two boxes stack or use a similar power brick. The only thing they have in common is Ethernet, like my IBM PC AT clone had in 1985 or so.

I think a couple of the devices have wifi that I was not able to access via my iPhone. Roku 2 XS claims to have wifi and the settings didn't seem to offer a disclosure of the device name or a setting to make public, however it has a WEP on the back. Still playing with it on an old fashioned TV till the new HDTV arrives.

Ooma Telo is their one style of main box. I have not seen a tech specs page for it but it seems to not have wifi. It does have two Ethernet plugs, one in and one out which I found helpful before the router arrived. One could get by without a router with an internet connection, an Ooma box, and either a Roku or a PC which itself has only one plug.

Ooma lets you plug into the wall and enable traditional phones in all rooms if you want, which is very cool and simple. I went wireless from a central point.

[heads up from ooma:
Maria: You can check this website to know more about distribution of the dialtone: http://www.ooma.com/app/support/distributing-ooma-all-telephone-jacks
Maria: additionally:
Maria: To distribute the dialtone of Ooma to all the phone jacks of the house, you have to do/verify the following:
Maria: -- Make sure that the Wall jack of the house does not have an active phone or internet service.
Maria: --You must make sure that your landline has been physically disconnected from your in-home wiring. This means you must unplug the connection from your phone company at the junction box on the outside of your home.
Maria: --You can only do this by yourself if you are trained/knowledgeable about the phone wirings. If the landline is still connected (even if the service has been cancelled) and you attempt to distribute dialtone as described above, you may damage your Ooma Telo and void your warranty.
Maria: --Connect the "phone" port of the Ooma to the wall jack. This is after verifying that the wall jack of the house is completely dead.]

Our cable modem is plain vanilla and does not have a router feature or wifi. One on the way.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to more feedback and other setups which have to be less complicated than this maze of wires and odd sized boxes.

However it does as expected. nearly free high quality no habit change phone. View on demand movies and TV shows, for "free". Access to Hulu, Netflix and many others in a relatively easy and cheap way.

On the downside the hardware and software interface is "byzantine".

Rocketman

 

[KnightWRX]

And by your own logic that's not USB 3.0, that's USB 2.0. There are two sets of electrical pins in a USB 3.0 port after all. Those that actually handle the USB 3.0 connection, and those kept over from USB 2.0 for legacy support. And chances most most people are only going to plug USB 2.0 devices into them.

There's not 2 sets at all. USB 3.0 adds pins, but still remains completely compatible with USB 2.0. The devices/hosts are interchangeable. So no, by my own logic, it's very different.

You can't just plug Thunderbolt devices in a Display Port port. You can plug USB 3.0 devices in a USB 2.0 port and it'll work.

But that is all BESIDES the point as you're about to learn :

And no you cannot hook up your mice or drives, but come on: Monitors are still essential peripherals! So unlike FireWire for instance, there is no reason for these ports to go unused on most systems.

You're moving goalposts. The initial argument was why USB 3.0 is winning over Thunderbolt, not the utility of each ports. I offered the poster the insight why : USB 3.0 is superior on points that count.

So please, if you want to discuss the original sub-thread, stick to the topic, I'm not trailing off anymore that I have already on the subject. Thunderbolt is getting its ass kicked in the market not because it's not superior on a specification level, but because it is inferior on a marketability level.

----------

It isn't all about specs. USB 3.0 may have more out-of-the-box usability, but Thunderbolt has more potential. Thunderbolt can do native PCIe, making external PCIe enclosures possible, which would be a boon to iMacs and practically any laptop once prices go down.

People don't drop cash on "potential". Thunderbolt is not taking off because those peripherals are nowhere in sight or when they do show up, the price tag makes them niche endeavours with low unit counts.

Price was the 3rd "pillar" of my argument for USB 3.0. Sure Thunderbolt has better specs, more "potential", but as it stands, it's just not within the reach of consumers nor do consumers want to drop the penny on it.

----------

Actually, I said "I would never call "daisy chaining" an advantage" - not "there are no advantages whatsoever".

In my opinion, daisy-chaining is a net liability - especially for storage devices.

Not to mention Daisy-chaining is not a Thunderbolt feature. My USB mouse is plugged into my USB keyboard which then plugs into the computer.

 

[APlotdevice]

There's not 2 sets at all. USB 3.0 adds pins, but still remains completely compatible with USB 2.0. The devices/hosts are interchangeable. So no, by my own logic, it's very different.

You can't just plug Thunderbolt devices in a Display Port port. You can plug USB 3.0 devices in a USB 2.0 port and it'll work.

But that is all BESIDES the point as you're about to learn :



You're moving goalposts. The initial argument was why USB 3.0 is winning over Thunderbolt, not the utility of each ports. I offered the poster the insight why : USB 3.0 is superior on points that count.

So please, if you want to discuss the original sub-thread, stick to the topic, I'm not trailing off anymore that I have already on the subject. Thunderbolt is getting its ass kicked in the market not because it's not superior on a specification level, but because it is inferior on a marketability level.

But is it really though? It seems like cloud storage is replacing flash drives for transferring files between systems. And streaming is replacing the need to store video purchases locally. Given these two factors the average consumer may ultimately have no need for an external storage device. What other major use does USB 3.0 have? To be honest I think both USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt will ultimately serve niche markets. Though since they are incorporated into essential ports, there is little reason for OEMs not to incorporate both.

 

[Glideslope]

Okay, they'll hire a useless shorty to be a spokesperson.

 

[KnightWRX]

But is it really though?

Yes, it is getting its ass kicked in the market. The OP was questioning why. If you have different insight than what I proposed, then please speak it, but whether or not Thunderbolt is currently getting its ass handed to it in the market was never in question in the original sub-thread.

No, cloud storage does not replace offline storage.

 

[APlotdevice]

Yes, it is getting its ass kicked in the market. The OP was questioning why. If you have different insight than what I proposed, then please speak it, but whether or not Thunderbolt is currently getting its ass handed to it in the market was never in question in the original sub-thread.

No, cloud storage does not replace offline storage.

I meant looking into the future. These are still early days for both technologies.

I never say no offline storage. But I think the demand will decrease for most consumers (emphasis on the word most), to the point that what comes built in is more than enough. Jump drives and external HDDs could become niche products for those who have to transfer and store lots of data.

 

[IGregory]

"Here's our new iPad mini, also we updated all the crap we don't really care about anymore like the Mac mini and iMac..."

Why take it personal? If you are unhappy, go elsewhere. Find a PC that's right for you.

 

[AidenShaw]

Unless it's changed DSL lines are dedicated circuits. Cable is the only one running shared that I know of.

It's dedicated to the central office - if the central office doesn't have the uphaul bandwidth, you'll suffer.

That's why I opted for it there. In practice the last link may be dedicated but the trunk line is shared and Verizon notoriously under provisions neighborhoods.

Also DSL is length limited and I suspect there are conditions when it performs less well but can't say with expertise, just experience.

The "length limitation" argues against a tree structure with trunk lines.

My house has 16 pairs from the central office, and when I had DSL we tested at least half of the pairs to find one with good quality. Again, that questions the "trunk line" idea.

I was referring to the post saying that copper is limited to 10 GB/s, which can run very few standard PCIe lanes.

Optical is also limited to 10 Gbps (small "b", not capital "B"), so your point is?

 

[smellysox8]

So when well Google sue Apple for making a Nexus 7 clone?

 

[Sky Blue]

Why take it personal? If you are unhappy, go elsewhere. Find a PC that's right for you.

Not personal at all. Love my iPad and iPhone 5. Will likely be buying an iPad mini for parents.

 

[AidenShaw]

So when well Google sue Apple for making a Nexus 7 clone?

The Nexus 7 is clearly superior - Google won't be able to sue.

• The 8" Ipad will be too big - if you're going to make it smaller why only a "little bit" smaller?
• The Nexus 7 is wide-screen, which better fits movies
• The Nexus 7 is wide-screen, which means that it's narrower and is better suited for holding in one hand
• The Nexus 7 easily fits in cargo pants pockets, even when in a case
• the Nexus 7 is 1280x800, the Ipad Mini will probably be lower resolution 1024x768
  • bigger screen, fewer pixels - is that progress?
  • even if the Apple Ipad Mini uses Apple's primitive "pixel-doubling" approach to HiDPI - will it be perceptively better than the Nexus 1280x800 on a smaller screen? (not except for rare edge conditions...)

 

[steve2112]

How reliable is this? I've been putting off buying a Mac Mini since August waiting for an update, so i'm thrilled if there's any truth behind this!!

Feel lucky. I got tired of waiting, and bought a Mini a little over a month ago.

 

[GorgonPhone]

Those display resolutions apparently require all text to be Bold in order to be readable!

yup

 

[SilianRail]

What kind of Geekbench score will the new Mac Minis get?

 

[nutjob]

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

Nobody buys them because the only update they've seen in 4 years is a very minor speed bump. All the components are ancient yet it's priced like it sported exclusive technology that's been acquired by time traveling to 2018. The GPU is from 2009. Not a top model from 2009, a midrange one. The cheese grater enclosure is from 2003. I guess the Mexican standoff between the Mac Pro customers and Apple will continue until Apple pulls the plug on it.

Apple sells much more of everything else, in dollar terms as well, so the Mac Pro has just become irrelevant. Really, why would it not update the machine if it was important to them and making them (serious) money?

----------

No, cloud storage does not replace offline storage.

Speak for yourself, cloud storage has replaced all offline storage for me, it's arguably more secure if you take a couple of simple precautions.

 

[KnightWRX]

Speak for yourself, cloud storage has replaced all offline storage for me, it's arguably more secure if you take a couple of simple precautions.

I like having access to my data during power outages (laptops have a battery for a reason, my personal "cloud" is on UPS) and Internet outages, personally.

Offline storage is never going away, unless you don't value your data or privacy.

 

[Anuba]

Apple sells much more of everything else, in dollar terms as well, so the Mac Pro has just become irrelevant. Really, why would it not update the machine if it was important to them and making them (serious) money?

I'll tell you what's live-or-die important to Apple: Content. Software, video, music etc. Without content, Apple's hardware is an assortment of useless inanimate objects on par with the Pet Rock. I've worked in content creation for 20 years, doing music, sound design, graphic design and animation for software, games, e-learning and online marketing. And you know what people who work in content creation want? They want powerful, expandable, upgradeable, repairable and reliable workhorses, not dinky consumer **** that's been glued and soldered and welded together to impress a bunch of monkeys who clap and throw feces in excitement over wafer-thin tech. They don't want computers that need aeons to perform heavy duty tasks like rendering and compiling and nearly melt in the process.
You can't put a price tag on keeping those professionals happy or let some pie charts and greedy clueless stockholders dictate how much effort you put into those products.

Professional soccer shoes probably make up a microscopic slice of Adidas' profit pie chart, but they don't say to Beckham "Hey **** you buddy, if you want our shoes you can go to the kiddie sports section at Tesco and get some pink sweat shop-produced ones for $19.95."