Apple's Next Mac Mini Refresh: Everything We Know

[Maximara]

Since there apparently will be no more 27" iMacs - my plan is Mac Mini and use my late 2012 iMac 27" as a display, if the new Mac Mini is reasonably specked and priced in 2022.
Still miffed that Apple chose to eliminate the 27" iMac . . .

The one issue with that idea is you can't use an old iMac as a monitor for the Mx Macs out of the box. "Apple support says that Target Display Mode (on older iMacs) is only supported through High Sierra." All the methods I know of getting around this require you to have a monitor to set the thing up — which kind of defeats what you trying to do in the first place.

 

[MajorFubar]

Luke Miani on YouTube recently uploaded a video showing how to use a 5K iMac as monitor, but warning in advance it does require dismantling the device and a bit of hackery.

 

[Bug-Creator]

Luke Miani on YouTube recently uploaded a video showing how to use a 5K iMac as monitor,

Correction: He showed how to use the display-panel and case of a 5k iMac as a monitor.

bit of hackery.

Really just a tiny bit of hackery ?

 

[MajorFubar]

Correction: He showed how to use the display-panel and case of a 5k iMac as a monitor.



Really just a tiny bit of hackery ?

I thought it was a good idea tbh if you have the skills, except the financial economics don't add up quite as well on this side of the pond, as you will probably know. It sometimes seems to me that five year old Macs are given away in cereal packets in the US, whereas here in the UK (probably Germany too), you can still spend a grand on a decent-condition working iMac with a 5K display, because they are much less common. Here in the UK, the $400-$500 prices Luke Miani was finding in his native US will mostly buy you a non-working parts machine or something that looks like it's been used as a defensive weapon.

 

[Bug-Creator]

My comment was more aimed at the way you worded yours which might suggest that the iMac would remain useable as an Intel iMac which it clearly does not.

 

[JerryDon]

The one issue with that idea is you can't use an old iMac as a monitor for the Mx Macs out of the box. "Apple support says that Target Display Mode (on older iMacs) is only supported through High Sierra." All the methods I know of getting around this require you to have a monitor to set the thing up — which kind of defeats what you trying to not planning to use target display. Luna can b

The one issue with that idea is you can't use an old iMac as a monitor for the Mx Macs out of the box. "Apple support says that Target Display Mode (on older iMacs) is only supported through High Sierra." All the methods I know of getting around this require you to have a monitor to set the thing up — which kind of defeats what you trying to do in the first place.

I’m not planning to use Target Display Mode. Luna can use Wireless, Ethernet or HDMI. I’m going to use HDMI connected to a TV to set up a the Mac Mini as the Luna Primary device and my iMac running Catalina or any OS as the secondary Luna device. Then, you can set up the Luna secondary as the Main Display. It’s pretty cool..

 

[Maximara]

I’m not planning to use Target Display Mode. Luna can use Wireless, Ethernet or HDMI. I’m going to use HDMI connected to a TV to set up a the Mac Mini as the Luna Primary device and my iMac running Catalina or any OS as the secondary Luna device. Then, you can set up the Luna secondary as the Main Display. It’s pretty cool..

The tagline for Luna is "Use any Mac as a second display for your Mac or PC". In fact the very video I linked to has (description: Have you ever wanted to use your old Intel iMac as a second display or main monitor for your M1 Mac Mini? Well, Today is your lucky day Thanks to Luna Display from Astropad, you can turn your intel iMac into an M1 Mac Mini. This very cool device allows you to use your iMac as the Main Monitor for your M1 Mac Mini or even as a second display for your Mac Mini M1 desk setup.)this in the comments:

Q: How would this work if all you had was the old iMac and the M1 MacMini? Also are drives connected to the iMac accessible to the M1 or do they have to be through the M1?

A: For the initial setup you need to connect the M1 Mac Mini to a monitor or TV and install the app and enable the settings. Drives need to be connected to the M1 Mac Mini.

As I said "the one issue with that idea is you can't use an old iMac as a monitor for the Mx Macs out of the box."

Never mind you need $120 piece of hardware to do this.

 

[JerryDon]

The tagline for Luna is "Use any Mac as a second display for your Mac or PC". In fact the very video I linked to has (description: Have you ever wanted to use your old Intel iMac as a second display or main monitor for your M1 Mac Mini? Well, Today is your lucky day Thanks to Luna Display from Astropad, you can turn your intel iMac into an M1 Mac Mini. This very cool device allows you to use your iMac as the Main Monitor for your M1 Mac Mini or even as a second display for your Mac Mini M1 desk setup.)this in the comments:

Q: How would this work if all you had was the old iMac and the M1 MacMini? Also are drives connected to the iMac accessible to the M1 or do they have to be through the M1?

A: For the initial setup you need to connect the M1 Mac Mini to a monitor or TV and install the app and enable the settings. Drives need to be connected to the M1 Mac Mini.

As I said "the one issue with that idea is you can't use an old iMac as a monitor for the Mx Macs out of the box."

Never mind you need $120 piece of hardware to do this.

??

 

[AppleInLVX]

The tagline for Luna is "Use any Mac as a second display for your Mac or PC". In fact the very video I linked to has (description: Have you ever wanted to use your old Intel iMac as a second display or main monitor for your M1 Mac Mini? Well, Today is your lucky day Thanks to Luna Display from Astropad, you can turn your intel iMac into an M1 Mac Mini. This very cool device allows you to use your iMac as the Main Monitor for your M1 Mac Mini or even as a second display for your Mac Mini M1 desk setup.)this in the comments:

Q: How would this work if all you had was the old iMac and the M1 MacMini? Also are drives connected to the iMac accessible to the M1 or do they have to be through the M1?

A: For the initial setup you need to connect the M1 Mac Mini to a monitor or TV and install the app and enable the settings. Drives need to be connected to the M1 Mac Mini.

As I said "the one issue with that idea is you can't use an old iMac as a monitor for the Mx Macs out of the box."

Never mind you need $120 piece of hardware to do this.

I’m in this same boat, and leaning in this same direction. At the end of the day, 120 bones for a perfectly functional 5K retina screen from Apple is a steal.

 

[Maximara]

I’m in this same boat, and leaning in this same direction. At the end of the day, 120 bones for a perfectly functional 5K retina screen from Apple is a steal.

I think you missed the point I was making — you have to have a monitor (or TV) in addition to the old iMac, the M1 MacMini, and the Luna Display. Sure if you have a late 2014 or more recent iMac than you get a 5K Retina display at the end of it. But if you are like JerryDon (late 2012 iMac 27") or myself (late 2013 iMac 21.5-inch) it is a lot of hand waving for something that should be available out of the box

 

[AppleInLVX]

I think you missed the point I was making — you have to have a monitor (or TV) in addition to the old iMac, the M1 MacMini, and the Luna Display. Sure if you have a late 2014 or more recent iMac than you get a 5K Retina display at the end of it. But if you are like JerryDon (late 2012 iMac 27") or myself (late 2013 iMac 21.5-inch) it is a lot of hand waving for something that should be available out of the box

Ah, I see.. yes, you're right that it's a hassle if you have no additional screen for the initial setup. I was mistakenly assuming that most folks were in the same boat as I am, which is in possession of something that'll work to set this all up. Heck, hit up my neighbourhood on any given trash day and you'll likely find an old monitor that someone's discarded.

But yes, agreed this could probably be easier, and should be. Apple should re-enable target display mode, or make something that more elegantly sherlocks Luna. But, they won't.

 

[porte9]

I concur. The Mac mini form factor will change, and it will likely go smaller too.

It likely won't. Mac mini is a low volume product. A lot of the companies that buy Mac minis are server farms. The rack mounts rely on the mac mini being the size of a 2010 mac mini. Either it's going to stay the same or get a LOT smaller to justify buying new rack mounts. Probably if they make it much smaller they will externalize the power supply (usb c or proprietary connector, apple doesn't seem to do barrel jacks).

 

[Maximara]

I suspect that Apple may keep with the old design as so much stuff out there is designed around it.

 

[TallManNY]

Ah, I see.. yes, you're right that it's a hassle if you have no additional screen for the initial setup. I was mistakenly assuming that most folks were in the same boat as I am, which is in possession of something that'll work to set this all up. Heck, hit up my neighbourhood on any given trash day and you'll likely find an old monitor that someone's discarded.

But yes, agreed this could probably be easier, and should be. Apple should re-enable target display mode, or make something that more elegantly sherlocks Luna. But, they won't.

I think your assumption is pretty safe one. I mean the set of folks who would even consider this and yet don't have something like a TV with an HDMI input seems vanishingly small. And a good group of folks would be like me and have a monitor or two in the house.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

Why not do a toroidal shape? Make it look like the center of the universe, 'the loop'. They can do it.

But seriously, they could do a small chassis that would allow for different video cards to be installed, and maybe port concentrator cards that would allow people to add a card with multiple ports they need. I think that would be amazing, and allow people some level of customization. I think such a box would sell too. Probably very well. And it would be very un-Apple, which would mean it would sell even better. But what do I know.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

I suspect that Apple may keep with the old design as so much stuff out there is designed around it.

Yeah, they have a rich history of keeping things the same from one version to another. Like iPhones. When someone told me the iPhone cases were the exact same form the, what 12 and 13 'were exactly the same', I laughed. They are really really close.

 

[ACD30"]

Why not do a toroidal shape? Make it look like the center of the universe, 'the loop'. They can do it.

But seriously, they could do a small chassis that would allow for different video cards to be installed, and maybe port concentrator cards that would allow people to add a card with multiple ports they need. I think that would be amazing, and allow people some level of customization. I think such a box would sell too. Probably very well. And it would be very un-Apple, which would mean it would sell even better. But what do I know.

It would be very unlike the Mac mini, though. The Mac mini's form factor has been the same since 2010, and roughly the same since 2005. Maybe needs have changed since then - what with the Apple TV taking the mini's place as a media center computer - but I am not so sure it will have come to the point where Apple decided that the mini could compete with the [eventual] Apple Silicon Mac Pro (that's alleged will have PCI expansion capabilities).

They might have actually ditched it altogether, for all we know, had it not served as an excellent vessel for the M1 chip. Even with the same basic enclosure as those of Intel-based Mac minis dating back to 2010, the M1 Mac mini is much more useful in retrospect than an Intel-based Mac mini was. I suppose one of the other points of the Mac mini was to draw in users of traditional, Windows-based desktop PCs and give them a product that would make the transition to Macs as painless as possible. That model appeared to fade, until the splash that M1 had made drove many Windows users to buy an M1 Mac mini as their first Mac! I suppose it's also a newfound bonus for Apple, that their new customer's first experience with a Mac be with one which cannot be upgraded: they might as well familiarize the new customer with the state of the rest of the Apple ecosystem. 🙃

 

[Maximara]

It would be very unlike the Mac mini, though. The Mac mini's form factor has been the same since 2010, and roughly the same since 2005. Maybe needs have changed since then - what with the Apple TV taking the mini's place as a media center computer - but I am not so sure it will have come to the point where Apple decided that the mini could compete with the [eventual] Apple Silicon Mac Pro (that's alleged will have PCI expansion capabilities).

They might have actually ditched it altogether, for all we know, had it not served as an excellent vessel for the M1 chip. Even with the same basic enclosure as those of Intel-based Mac minis dating back to 2010, the M1 Mac mini is much more useful in retrospect than an Intel-based Mac mini was. I suppose one of the other points of the Mac mini was to draw in users of traditional, Windows-based desktop PCs and give them a product that would make the transition to Macs as painless as possible. That model appeared to fade, until the splash that M1 had made drove many Windows users to buy an M1 Mac mini as their first Mac! I suppose it's also a newfound bonus for Apple, that their new customer's first experience with a Mac be with one which cannot be upgraded: they might as well familiarize the new customer with the state of the rest of the Apple ecosystem. 🙃

I doubt Apple would have ditched the mini because it was such an excellent transfer machine. 'Want to replace that PC but not the keyboard, mouse, and monitor? Well here is the mini.' Remember the last update was back in November 7, 2018 which is around the time Apple likely decided to go with the M1 because Skylake had been such a disaster for them.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

I doubt Apple would have ditched the mini because it was such an excellent transfer machine. 'Want to replace that PC but not the keyboard, mouse, and monitor? Well here is the mini.' Remember the last update was back in November 7, 2018 which is around the time Apple likely decided to go with the M1 because Skylake had been such a disaster for them.

It is a 'go to machine', but of the people that I was able to convert to the Apple Family, they all chose the iMac. The all-in-one design has quite a few benefits that the Mini lacks. I wonder how much 'cable frenzy' plays into it. Any Windows user likely has a desk covered in cables, and something that has way less cables is a great thing. Not saying people are basing their swap to Mac on esthetics, but they do enjoy the lack of cables as a bonus. I think people get the monitor and that is a benefit. The Mini is a niche device. I look at how I use it, and it's as a headless server. It's PERFECT for a headless server. If Apple put out a supercharged Mini, someone would come up with a rack solution to make super clusters of them that could really kick the butts of other cluster systems. Apple, closing the Mini as they are want, probably makes its use for that a predetermined outcome if it is to survive, IMO. *shrug*

 

[Maximara]

It is a 'go to machine', but of the people that I was able to convert to the Apple Family, they all chose the iMac. The all-in-one design has quite a few benefits that the Mini lacks. I wonder how much 'cable frenzy' plays into it. Any Windows user likely has a desk covered in cables, and something that has way less cables is a great thing. Not saying people are basing their swap to Mac on esthetics, but they do enjoy the lack of cables as a bonus. I think people get the monitor and that is a benefit. The Mini is a niche device. I look at how I use it, and it's as a headless server. It's PERFECT for a headless server. If Apple put out a supercharged Mini, someone would come up with a rack solution to make super clusters of them that could really kick the butts of other cluster systems. Apple, closing the Mini as they are want, probably makes its use for that a predetermined outcome if it is to survive, IMO. *shrug*

It is still going to be a "desk covered in cables" even with a iMac as most of what Windows user has is external drives and a lot of devices that are likely connected a hub.

 

[abhibeckert]

Apple should re-enable target display mode, or make something that more elegantly sherlocks Luna. But, they won't.

I don't think you understand the bandwidth challenges. Luna display can't run 5K at 60Hz for example, which is a deal breaker for most people.

Also, Apple has "sherlocked" Luna in the only way that is technically feasible — with Universal Control.

 

[jlc1978]

I don't think you understand the bandwidth challenges. Luna display can't run 5K at 60Hz for example, which is a deal breaker for most people

I’m not sure that is the case. I’ve been using Luna since Kickstarter and it works great as a second display when i travel. Apple’s solution may be as good for that use case as well but Luna is stable and fast enough for me.

Will people still pay for it if Apple’s implementation is acceptable it may be Sherlocked unless it works better for specific use cases.

Duet is more likely to be Sherlocked as a subscription product, IMHO.

 

[abhibeckert]

I’m not sure that is the case. I’ve been using Luna since Kickstarter and it works great as a second display when i travel. Apple’s solution may be as good for that use case as well but Luna is stable and fast enough for me.

Will people still pay for it if Apple’s implementation is acceptable it may be Sherlocked unless it works better for specific use cases.

Duet is more likely to be Sherlocked as a subscription product, IMHO.

Luna Display's documentation says it can only do 60Hz at 4K. Any higher resolution than that and the refresh rate is reduced significantly. Which, in my experience, means even just basic tasks like moving the mouse on the screen becomes a horrible experience. The only thing it really works OK for is video. But if you're watching video you don't need 5K anyway.

4K at 60Hz needs 15Gbps.

5K at 60Hz needs 26Gbps.

In theory, thunderbolt can do 26Gbps. But in practice the cable isn't necessarily the problem... you also need to encode and decode the video with near zero latency. That's likely where Luna Display falls down.

 

[jlc1978]

Luna Display's documentation says it can only do 60Hz at 4K. Any higher resolution than that and the refresh rate is reduced significantly. Which, in my experience, means even just basic tasks like moving the mouse on the screen becomes a horrible experience. The only thing it really works OK for is video. But if you're watching video you don't need 5K anyway.

In my experience using Luna for a number of years is the performance is fine for my needs, i.e. mail, Office, browsing, etc. YMMV.

 

[Boil]

We don't want no 60Hz, we want 120Hz XDR ProMotion for less than a kidney...! ;^p

I wanna 32" 6K main display in landscape with two 24" 4.5K secondary displays (in portrait) flanking the main display; and if those could all be had for less than $3K that would be great...

No wait, how about a 57" 12,032 x 3384 @ 120Hz XDR nanoLED ProMotion SuperUltraWide display, US$4999, with a mount on the stand for a Mac mini...!