Does Mac mini get cheaper overtime?

[stark4]

Hi

I just bought a Mac mini because I thought my 2013 MacBook Pro is dying. I upgraded the OSX and did the clean install again. Now my MacBook Pro 2013 is useable again and I don't really need the MacMini anymore.

My Mac mini is still under 14 days return window. I got it at apple ref page. Its 2018 3.2ghz i7 with 8GB Ram 256GB SSD for 1200 shipped. Should I return the Mac mini and stay with MacBook Pro? Do they get cheaper if I buy it next year or is it going to be the same price? If it will get cheaper then I'll return it and buy the same mac for cheaper or better one for the same price.

Thanks

 

[F-Train]

Hi

I just bought a Mac mini because I thought my 2013 MacBook Pro is dying. I upgraded the OSX and did the clean install again. Now my MacBook Pro 2013 is useable again and I don't really need the MacMini anymore.

My Mac mini is still under 14 days return window. I got it at apple ref page. Its 2018 3.2ghz i7 with 8GB Ram 256GB SSD for 1200 shipped. Should I return the Mac mini and stay with MacBook Pro? Do they get cheaper if I buy it next year or is it going to be the same price? If it will get cheaper then I'll return it and buy the same mac for cheaper or better one for the same price.

Thanks

I don't think that there's any serious prospect that the Mac mini new is going to get cheaper, except on occasional sales from third party resellers and maybe on RAM upgrades. However, it is available refurbished from Apple at a discount from new.

 

[Stephen.R]

I wouldn't expect it to get any cheaper (as @F-Train said, maybe cheaper BTO options or perhaps a higher base memory).

Having said that, it depends what you use it for. Your MBP is 6 years old. If you use it for work/business and can afford to, I'd suggest it's worth keeping the Mini.

I won't go into the details again, but suffice to say I learnt the hard way (multiple times) how disruptive losing access (due to faults) to my sole computer can be for my business, and it gets a lot worse (trying to source parts to DIY fix it) once Apple considers it "obsolete", so now I'm keeping a laptop and desktop available.

 

[F-Train]

I wouldn't expect it to get any cheaper (as @F-Train said, maybe cheaper BTO options or perhaps a higher base memory).

I meant that Apple's price for 32GB and 64GB of RAM may come down if the price of RAM continues to come down generally, as is widely expected, but I agree with your sentiments.

 

[Stephen.R]

I meant that Apple's price for 32GB and 64GB of RAM may come down if the price of RAM continues to come down generally, as is widely expected

Agreed, cheaper BTO options are the more likely event, if either happens.

 

[Partron22]

It never has, until the next model is about to appear.
Massive under sales in China reduced the cost of an iPhone there.
I doubt We will see anything similar for Macs. They're only a few percent of profit share anyway.
Apple would probably be just as happy to sell a total of 300 of the things as to lower the price.
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my 2013 MacBook Pro is dying. I upgraded the OSX

Try downgrading the OS. That may be the cause of your trouble.

 

[Stephen.R]

Try downgrading the OS. That may be the cause of your trouble.

Did you read the rest of the post? A clean install resolved the issue.

 

[boomspot]

Hi

I just bought a Mac mini because I thought my 2013 MacBook Pro is dying. I upgraded the OSX and did the clean install again. Now my MacBook Pro 2013 is useable again and I don't really need the MacMini anymore.

My Mac mini is still under 14 days return window. I got it at apple ref page. Its 2018 3.2ghz i7 with 8GB Ram 256GB SSD for 1200 shipped. Should I return the Mac mini and stay with MacBook Pro? Do they get cheaper if I buy it next year or is it going to be the same price? If it will get cheaper then I'll return it and buy the same mac for cheaper or better one for the same price.

Thanks

The refurb model of your spec machine is selling for $1099 when in stock.

 

[dborod]

The number of currency units needed to purchase a particular model is unlikely to change over time, but due to inflation the effort required to procure that number of currency units will decrease over time.

 

[Heat_Fan89]

The refurb model of your spec machine is selling for $1099 when in stock.

I wouldn't touch a refurbed 2018 Mini with a 10 ft pole. Not with soldered SSD storage on the motherboard unless if all refurbed Mini's get them replaced as part of the refurbed process.

 

[dborod]

I wouldn't touch a refurbed 2018 Mini with a 10 ft pole. Not with soldered SSD storage on the motherboard unless if all refurbed Mini's get them replaced as part of the refurbed process.

How come?

 

[redheeler]

I meant that Apple's price for 32GB and 64GB of RAM may come down if the price of RAM continues to come down generally

Apple is still charging $1,200 for that same 16 GB to 64 GB on the 2013 Mac Pro, RAM that today retails for $300 new. Meaning they'll happily keep charging the same static price, but take a 3x increased markup instead.

So it's not likely Apple's upgrade prices will come down until a new model of Mac mini is released, and that will also reduce the prices of the 2018 models in general. Could happen this fall or wait until 2022, we really don't know if or when the next refresh will hit.

Prices for DIY or third-party RAM upgrades will come down regardless of Apple's static pricing, though.

 

[harriska2]

How come?

I wouldn't touch a refurbed 2018 Mini with a 10 ft pole. Not with soldered SSD storage on the motherboard unless if all refurbed Mini's get them replaced as part of the refurbed process.

Yeah, I don’t get it either.

I also don’t think prices will come down any time soon.

 

[Heat_Fan89]

How come?

Soldered SSD has a finite amount of writes. When the SSD fails or the T2 Chip gives up the ghost, that's a new motherboard, an expensive repair. Just imagine buying a refurbed Mini that has had it's SSD life shortened.