I am having a problem with a 2012 Mac Mini. I used to have Apple care but obviously that has long since expired. If I just go to the Apple store, is there a good chance that Apple rep will help me?
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Resolved Go to Genius Bar for help with very old system?
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Ben J.
macrumors 65816
From what I've read, a lot of people report getting less than good advice from supposedly 'certified mac support' people, sometimes pure misinformation. Seems to me like this is due to mac shops saving on salaries by hiring very young people with a few hours of night courses.
I expect this will mean that the older the mac and issues you have, the less help you're likely to get. There was an example on this forum recently; a guy with an old intel mac mini that everytime he shut down and restarted it, reset its clock to 01.01.1971 IIRC. People here replied that his clock battery should be replaced. The clerks at the "genius bar" told him "no, the mac mini doesn't have a battery", and offered to replace his motherboard. He finally had the clock battery replaced and saved a lot of money.
Might not be feasable for everybody, but I would be looking around for a good computer repair shop with experienced engineers.
Would you care to share what is the issue you're having?
I expect this will mean that the older the mac and issues you have, the less help you're likely to get. There was an example on this forum recently; a guy with an old intel mac mini that everytime he shut down and restarted it, reset its clock to 01.01.1971 IIRC. People here replied that his clock battery should be replaced. The clerks at the "genius bar" told him "no, the mac mini doesn't have a battery", and offered to replace his motherboard. He finally had the clock battery replaced and saved a lot of money.
Might not be feasable for everybody, but I would be looking around for a good computer repair shop with experienced engineers.
Would you care to share what is the issue you're having?
Bigwaff
Contributor
FreakinEurekan
macrumors G3
Depends on the nature of the problem.
If it’s hardware-related, almost certainly not.
If it’s a software or service issue - “maybe.”
If it’s hardware-related, almost certainly not.
If it’s a software or service issue - “maybe.”
Fishrrman
macrumors Nehalem
2012 is probably too old for the genius bar guys to bother with it any more.
Tell the folks here in this forum what's wrong with it.
To be honest, at 14 years old it's probably not worth spending any money on.
That money would be better spent on a replacement.
If not new, then perhaps Apple-refurbished.
If even that's too much, perhaps a used 2018 Mini (they were very nice and are still useful)...
Tell the folks here in this forum what's wrong with it.
To be honest, at 14 years old it's probably not worth spending any money on.
That money would be better spent on a replacement.
If not new, then perhaps Apple-refurbished.
If even that's too much, perhaps a used 2018 Mini (they were very nice and are still useful)...
So what? My 2012 mini still trucking fine. Good as new. What means "no longer supported"? Don't tick all Apple's boxes and buy their gear?
I only have old kit. My go-to is the 800 number for AppleCare. They will help you, no matter how old your Mac is. Avoid Apple stores, they only know new gear.
Not much to go wrong with a mini unless it's one of those useless hybrid models.
eyoungren
macrumors Nehalem
I agree with you here. However, in the context of the question that OP posed "If I just go to the Apple store, is there a good chance that Apple rep will help me?" a 2012 Mac being obsolete and no longer supported is applicable.
Because it is obsolete (per Apple's designation), the Apple store Geniuses will not support it.
Ben J.
macrumors 65816
I used both the i3, i5, and i7 late intel minis. My advice would be to avoid the i7 version because its Turboboost would sometimes make the fan scream, and the only fix was to install stuff to disable turboboost, hence crippling the processor somewhat.
A used mac mini i5 2018 shouldn't be more than a couple of hundred USD, but 3-400 would get you a 2021 M1, and be a big jump in processor performance.
Thank you all. this was very helpful.
I am pursuing another support avenue as it doesn't sound like the Genius Bar will be very helpful.
I might start a new thread for some related help.
I am pursuing another support avenue as it doesn't sound like the Genius Bar will be very helpful.
I might start a new thread for some related help.
Means when it finally gives up the ghost they will no longer fix it. I have a late 2009 mini. It's obsolete. No modern websites work on it. No apps downloadable from the app store. Completely useless.
Ben J.
macrumors 65816
Well, I have a 2008 Mac Pro 3,1. 24GB ram, ~6TB HDD storage. It runs both Snow Leopard and Lion, older versions of Pro Tools DAW and many virtual instruments/plugins, Lightroom/Photoshop, printing, CD/DVD Superdrive, I could go on…
and with both boot disks on a couple of 2.5" SSDs on a PCIe card, it's pretty snappy for an 18yrs old machine. And everything works, including browsing the web.
You just don't push it beyond the last compatible OS version, keep using compatible software, and computers can last very long indeed.
That sounds like a lot of hand-holding to me, and you expect free service?
For early Intel Macs, see here:
Web browsers for early Intel Macs
Finding web browsers that are still usable on today’s web can be a chore for older versions of OS X. The following is a list of known, up-to-date (or relatively up-to-date) and maintained web browsers, e-mail clients, and FTP clients, for Intel Macs with at least Snow Leopard support, then Lion...
forums.macrumors.com
Ben J.
macrumors 65816
Firefox. An older version, of course. It's not often that I use the mac pro anymore, but it worked fine last time, a few years ago.
Mr_Brightside_@
macrumors 601
Hajj.david
macrumors 6502a
Why dont you tell us here I run a few 2014 mac minis as servers and regularly maintain them and upgraded them
Snowlover
macrumors 65816
Momiji
GitHub - aobaharuki2005/momiji-web-browser: Backported Firefox for Legacy macOS 10.7-10.14 (64-bit, Conroe/Merom processor and later)
Backported Firefox for Legacy macOS 10.7-10.14 (64-bit, Conroe/Merom processor and later) - aobaharuki2005/momiji-web-browser
github.com
Firefox Dynasty - Firefox for OS X 10.8+ (Now Momiji!)
Update 03/29: This browser is now being maintained by @aobaharuki2005 under the name "Momiji". Thank you so much for your work keeping it alive! https://github.com/aobaharuki2005/momiji-web-browser My PrefPane is updated to download Momiji...
forums.macrumors.com
True as that may be I still use mine 6 to 8 hours a day 16Gb with Fusion drive running Catalina without any issue.
Momiji
GitHub - aobaharuki2005/momiji-web-browser: Backported Firefox for Legacy macOS 10.7-10.14 (64-bit, Conroe/Merom processor and later)
Backported Firefox for Legacy macOS 10.7-10.14 (64-bit, Conroe/Merom processor and later) - aobaharuki2005/momiji-web-browser
Firefox Dynasty - Firefox for OS X 10.8+ (Now Momiji!)
Update 03/29: This browser is now being maintained by @aobaharuki2005 under the name "Momiji". Thank you so much for your work keeping it alive! https://github.com/aobaharuki2005/momiji-web-browser My PrefPane is updated to download Momiji...
Mac mini 2012 running the latest Firefox browser 151.0 just updated yesterday.Momiji
GitHub - aobaharuki2005/momiji-web-browser: Backported Firefox for Legacy macOS 10.7-10.14 (64-bit, Conroe/Merom processor and later)
Backported Firefox for Legacy macOS 10.7-10.14 (64-bit, Conroe/Merom processor and later) - aobaharuki2005/momiji-web-browser
Firefox Dynasty - Firefox for OS X 10.8+ (Now Momiji!)
Update 03/29: This browser is now being maintained by @aobaharuki2005 under the name "Momiji". Thank you so much for your work keeping it alive! https://github.com/aobaharuki2005/momiji-web-browser My PrefPane is updated to download Momiji...
I have a 2012 Mini and it's still running fabulously. Granted I upgraded memory and SSD. But if I had a problem with it, I wouldn't hesitate to consult with my local Apple Store. The worst that could happen is they do nothing. But many Mac functions are similar across generations and they might provide some insight.
Last edited:
88HaroDude
macrumors newbie
The old macs would set the date to 08.11.1950 - Steve Wozniak's birthday.