Apple's Mac Mini is Now Three Years Old, No Refresh Date in Sight

[Samuel Clemens]

This is it. I've waited enough. I needed an economic option to get back to the Mac side. I can't wait until 2018 just to see if something is gonna be announced (perhaps, if we're lucky, for October 2018 or even later. And that's an "IF".

And AFAIK there are many who are looking for the economic option to walk the Cupertino road, but seeing there's not an upgrade for so long, they are being discouraged.

Waddapity.

 

[tech3475]

I considered buying a Mac Mini a couple of years ago, but the lack of an upgrade put me off as I needed something with a newer CPU/iGPU.

I already had monitors and this was a second system for which a Mac Mini with a newer CPU would have been perfect for my needs but Apple dropped the ball in this case.

 

[campyguy]

Adding to my first post here in this thread, there's another reason that is set in silicon that could turn us whiners into winners by waiting until after January 1 for a new Mac Mini. A revision of two of Apple's Tech Specs from:

• Two Thunderbolt 2 ports (up to 20 Gbps)
• Four USB 3 ports (up to 5 Gbps)

to:

• Two Thunderbolt 3 ports (up to 40 Gbps)
• Four Thunderbolt 3 ports (up to 20 Gbps)

That would be six TB3 ports, as in six royalty-free TB3 ports. Now, there's a chill pill for us? :very evil grin:

 

[Seoras]

I sold my 2012 A1347 Mac Mini yesterday. I'd upgrade the memory to 16G & replace the HD with a 512G SSD.
It's been my work horse for 5 years on which I've developed many Apps and other software.
Replaced it with a new iMac (see my signature).

I got $490 for it.
That's for a 5 year old computer. That's why I buy Mac's.

They hold their value for years due to Apple's quality build and continued software support.
I just don't get this mentality of "apple tax" and "too expensive". That Mac Mini has been a bargain.
This wasn't the first, and won't be the last time, I buy a Mac use it for a few years and sell it on at a good price.

 

[DeepIn2U]

What a difference one man can make.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_uDaaKMEaI&feature=youtu.be&t=32s

Thank you ... I just tweeted this video to Tim, Phil and also Walt Mossberg stating is THIS the best mini PC Apple can make with 4yr old technology at current market price.

This is such an unbelievable joke that I have no words.

Oh I have words my friend ... seriously attrocious words that I cannot speak of ... some yet not even invented yet! lol. But it's more than a joke it's become insulting. Any Apple rep or stores that sells or even recommends the Mac Mini for a sale should be legally charged for FRAUD! and reported to the Better Business Bureau (Canadian stores at least, unsure the US counterpart)!

 

[49JC]

Intel NUC anyone? That's where the market has headed. Apple could have released an ultra-small form factor Mac mini about 5 years ago and defined the market. Instead Apple now has to play catch-up.

Exactly....they'll be playing catch up and calling it "innovation". Lol.

I really wish Apple would just sell us the OS instead. That way we can just put it on whatever machine we choose. I look at the product line and everything is the same really. I really only fall in the Mac Mini category. Ive done the All-in-One iMac and hate having the screen being tied down to old hardware. The MP is just ridiculous in price point. But i love the OS. I choose not to be stuck though as I opted to go the Win10 route and build my own machine at a fraction of the cost of the maxed out mini.

 

[haydn!]

As if the fact its three years old wasn't bad enough, but Apple are still charging the same price for it today (in some regions even more than when it was launched!).

The way Apple have handled the Mac the last few years is seriously embarrassing.

 

[Phil in ocala]

It's dead. I hope not, but it's probably dead.

If something is not broken...what is the justification for fixing it....I have one and it works just fine...

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

I'm starting to see huge price drops on Mac pros on resellers sites, might just pick up one of those as an upgrade for my Mini. The base system for $1995. It's more power than I will ever need and you can upgrade it so thinking about that pretty hard now.

I had a 2010 Mini for a while, which is barely passable any more thanks to very outdated components. I almost grabbed a 2012 model, but I instead went with a base 4,1 Mac Pro for $320, flashed it to 5,1, moved my SSD into it, dropped in a 6-core Xeon X5670 for $35 and a third-party Radeon 7870 for $75. I have more than enough power, and I can still have options. It's no Mini when it comes to size or power consumption, and it doesn't solve the current Apple desktop hardware dilemma, but there isn't much that I feel like I'm missing. I can even add a USB 3.0 card if I really need it.

 

[D.T.]

I have a 2012 Quad Core Mac Mini. I've been considering selling it, as I use it basically as a NAS and that's it. On the flip side, it's a pretty dam good NAS.

We have one too, still a great machine, server with the two drives/interfaces (bottom 1TB drive swapped for a 512GB SSD, 2nd HDD left for "slow storage"), 16GB RAM (user upgraded).

It's our media server, upstairs game room computer (where it gets a lot of Minecraft use). I got it as a refurb, so even though it's a 2012, I added AC (for only $50) and ours is covered through Jan 2018

 

[obiwan]

Does Apple really have that much power over your life? Why do you willingly give a tech company that much power?

If Chevrolet does not offer an automobile that meets my needs, I would look at other automobile manufacturers and find one that does.

As far as I'm aware there is not another computer manufacture that runs MacOS, unless you build a Hackintosh.

I'm also far too invested in their eco-system to simply walk away. Your analogy doesn't really work. It's more like having to replace a whole fleet of cars, change fuel types, and learn how to drive on the other side of the road, whilst simultaneously discovering the stockpile of tyres I had for my vehicles are not the right size and will all have to be replaced.

 

[Count Blah]

What a difference one man can make.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_uDaaKMEaI&feature=youtu.be&t=32s

THANK YOU!!!

Tim Cook is doing the EXACT opposite of what Steve believed in, and demanded from Apple. Cite the 'Cube' all you like, but it was something new, and wasn't meant to be the most affordable item at that time.
[doublepost=1508276428][/doublepost]

I sold my 2012 A1347 Mac Mini yesterday. I'd upgrade the memory to 16G & replace the HD with a 512G SSD.
It's been my work horse for 5 years on which I've developed many Apps and other software.
Replaced it with a new iMac (see my signature).

I got $490 for it.
That's for a 5 year old computer. That's why I buy Mac's.

They hold their value for years due to Apple's quality build and continued software support.
I just don't get this mentality of "apple tax" and "too expensive". That Mac Mini has been a bargain.
This wasn't the first, and won't be the last time, I buy a Mac use it for a few years and sell it on at a good price.

I would have given you $500

 

[Mayo86]

If something is not broken...what is the justification for fixing it....I have one and it works just fine...

That is not how any business that sells computers works. There are always updates to products that are deemed worthy of updates. What a lazy excuse to give Apple.

 

[halluxsinister]

I wish they'd find someone else to lead Apple. The current group are turning it into a glorified cellphone maker.

Personally, I'd LOVE to see a new MacMini that more closely resembles the MacCube. THAT was a work of art, and I KNOW they could overcome the tech problems that caused them to go away from the cube in the first place.

This "YOU WILL BUY A MONITOR FROM US" schtick is getting old. In fact, I think I'm about done buying stuff from Apple, especially if they D/C the Mini and don't replace it with another, a BETTER mini. I've tired of Apple obliging me to use THEIR displays, given that all that really does is jacks up the price.

If enough other people do this too, we can maybe convince Apple that squeezing us for all we're worth is NOT the best strategy to go with.

 

[harriska2]

You and me both! The iPhone SE completes the four horsemen of compact and reliable!

Do they sell enough SE iphones? I hope it doesn’t go the way of the mac mini. I tried to find a used SE and there are almost none for sale in my area. 6 and 7s? Lots.

 

[49JC]

As far as I'm aware there is not another computer manufacture that runs MacOS, unless you build a Hackintosh.

I'm also far too invested in their eco-system to simply walk away. Your analogy doesn't really work. It's more like having to replace a whole fleet of cars, change fuel types, and learn how to drive on the other side of the road, whilst simultaneously discovering the stockpile of tyres I had for my vehicles are not the right size and will all have to be replaced.

You're right but as far as Im aware. Majority of the apps and other things work fine on Windows including iTunes just as they do on MacOS. So I dont think the change over is as dramatic as you seem to paint it. Lets just say you have stronger preference towards Mac than you do towards anything else which is preventing you from making a change ....which is alright. So I dont think your analogy works that much either.

But I will say this is a perfect example of how much power Apple has over their users.

 

[halluxsinister]

Apple is really ******** the bed when it comes to the Mac line.

Agreed. I'd love to see something SEXY from Apple again, along the lines of a hybrid between the Mini and the Cube.

Maybe... Maybe something where you can expand it and when you do, added modules attach to the outside. I don't know. All I can say is that just making skinnier and skinnier cell phones isn't going to do anything for Apple besides turn them into a cellphone company that also makes a few other things. Diversification is a good thing but not when you anger the people who helped you get where you are. LOYALTY might be a good investment for Apple. Loyalty to the people who buy and have bought Apple COMPUTERS back when it was still a computer company.

But I digress. Sorry. I do that.

 

[harriska2]

I wish they'd find someone else to lead Apple. The current group are turning it into a glorified cellphone maker.

Personally, I'd LOVE to see a new MacMini that more closely resembles the MacCube. THAT was a work of art, and I KNOW they could overcome the tech problems that caused them to go away from the cube in the first place.

This "YOU WILL BUY A MONITOR FROM US" schtick is getting old. In fact, I think I'm about done buying stuff from Apple, especially if they D/C the Mini and don't replace it with another, a BETTER mini. I've tired of Apple obliging me to use THEIR displays, given that all that really does is jacks up the price.

If enough other people do this too, we can maybe convince Apple that squeezing us for all we're worth is NOT the best strategy to go with.

Yeah, after 30 years with computers and monitors (about 11 monitors), only 1 failed within 3 years - the imac with LG screen. No more for us. That imac now has a second working monitor in front of it. Not spending another $500 on a crappy lcd.
[doublepost=1508279904][/doublepost]

What I don't get is; How difficult is it to update the Mac mini? This is not cutting edge technology. It is an entry level base headless desktop computer.

• Update the processor.
• Increase standard RAM to 8GB.
• Update the HD and allow an option for SSD (which Apple already does)
• Perhaps, replace one of the standard USB ports with an USB-C port.

If a price adjustment is necessary, so be it....but seriously, once in production, how much could these changes cost? This is all off-the-shelf technology and components.

Don't spend millions of product development dollars to create a sleeker and lighter form factor! It's a desktop for goodness sake! It almost never moves!

• Update the processor.
• Increase standard RAM to 8GB, user upgradable to 16
• Update to SSD and allow user replaceable
• Perhaps, replace one of the standard USB ports with an USB-C port.
• Allow more common 4k monitors to be attached

There, I fixed it for you.

 

[stevekr]

Waiting to update my 2009 mac mini not that it's no longer supported. Just want a reasonably priced headless mac.
Now reluctantly enduring a Windows 10 laptop that took days to configure and to get rid of the amount of crap from Microsoft and the OEM. Still waiting Apple.

Just go into settings and select 'refresh pc'. That will get rid of the crap and give you a clean install.

 

[Bollockser]

Up to 32GB RAM, user upgradeable
PCIe 3.0 SSD, user upgradeable
Quad-Core i7

Deliver that, Apple, and you've got my money.

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

Up to 32GB RAM, user upgradeable
PCIe 3.0 SSD, user upgradeable
Quad-Core i7

Deliver that, Apple, and you've got my money.

Heck, with 8th gen Intel, your i7 might even be a 6-core.

 

[Joe red rog]

I have an aged 2012 mini with 16gb and it still runs great, I will be getting a new one whenever they arrive and I'm hoping they go coffee lake with user upgradable ram. I use my for programming websites and general duties and there's no way I can affoard an iMac.

 

[fairuz]

Sad. I've found computers in the trash that are faster than it. It was a good product until the 2014 screwup that somehow made it SLOWER than the 2012 models.
[doublepost=1508293962][/doublepost]

This is it. I've waited enough. I needed an economic option to get back to the Mac side. I can't wait until 2018 just to see if something is gonna be announced (perhaps, if we're lucky, for October 2018 or even later. And that's an "IF".

And AFAIK there are many who are looking for the economic option to walk the Cupertino road, but seeing there's not an upgrade for so long, they are being discouraged.

Waddapity.

I gave up. Mac Pro is the only desktop option now, and you've gotta buy an old one unless you want to pay a lot extra and not be able to upgrade it. As a bonus, you can buy Jobs-era ones in case you're doubting the build quality of Apple nowadays.

Gotta replace my Mac I bought in 2012. I'll soon have a used 2009 Mac Pro for $100 (unusually good deal) and upgrade it to 12 cores of 5670 processors for another ~$70 (typical deal). It'll be the fifth fastest* Mac on Geekbench, behind the latest top-of-the-line iMac (i7-7700K) and three high-end 2012-2013 Mac Pros. I'll move in my old parts, maybe add an extra SSD. This should hold me over until I get my rMBP dock stuff sorted out in a few years.

* in terms of multi-core CPU performance

 

[groove-agent]

People love MacOS - me being one of them. As a result they are held hostage by Apple's overpriced, or outdated hardware in order to run it. Hackintoshes are a viable solution, but not easy or ideal. Thus, people have no choice but to buy Apple computers.

The Mac Mini had been dead and buried a long time ago, just like the Mac Pro.

What's criminal is that Apple have the cheek to continue charging those ridiculous prices for 3 year-old hardware.

Who in their right mind is buying the Mac Mini at those prices?

[doublepost=1508301065][/doublepost]I agree 200%. I have one foot out the door also.

Apple is really leaving us computer enthusiasts (who don't use iOS) no choice but to Hackintosh or leave the platform altogether.

This is getting ridiculous.

I'm serious, why stay? What can I do with a Mac that I can't with something else?

For me the answer is multitouch...so far I have not seen a better multitouch or multiple desktop implementation.

Other than that, third-party apps is where it's at; I hate Apple's services and I don't use iOS so the integration bit is moot.

Still, now that Win 10 has multiple desktops and have copied the Mac in how to use it, the impact is minimized.

That said, I HATE that I'm even considering leaving the Mac. And I HATE that it's because of Apple itself.

[doublepost=1508301791][/doublepost]That's what I was thinking also. The only reason they could neglect their Macs is because they were trying to switch to ARM processors. That was two years ago, so no ARM processors and the mini and Mac Pros are still stale.

I see a couple of scenarios:

2) However sometimes they do have a long gap when they're trying something new. Perhaps the first ARM based Mac, with a more locked-down system (e.g. Mac App Store only, no downloaded applications) so that the money they don't make from the tight margin is replaced with app store revenue.

 

[The Unseen]

The worst thing is not that Apple don’t want to update a product. I would like to see the new Mini, but Apple does anything she wants about it.
The unacceptable thing is that a company like Apple sells a totally outdated product. You are not selling chairs, you must stay up to date with your products. If you do not want to do so, remove it from the line.