Within the next 30 days? Is there normally some sort of Mini announcement in the fall event(s)?
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Is it safe to buy a Mac Mini?
- Thread starter danpass
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The Mac Mini was updated in 2014 then in 2018. It could be that there won't be another Mini until 2021 or 2022. There's no way to know. I can't imagine Apple is going to do another Intel CPU refresh.
It may be one of the first Macs to get an ARM CPU late this year or early next year. Only Apple knows their rollout plans.
It may be one of the first Macs to get an ARM CPU late this year or early next year. Only Apple knows their rollout plans.
If you want to be “safe” wait until the ARM Macs are announced in October (ish). It has a higher chance of being updated first than some other Macs because it has older 8th gen processors.
No one on MR knows for sure. If there is someone that does, they are going to keep it to themselves.
We make educated guesses based off of rumors, historical info, and sometimes just a gut call, but in the end, no one knows.
You can use this as a general guide, but again, the MR Buyer's Guide can be wrong, and has been for the Mac Mini in the past:
buyersguide.macrumors.com
You can buy one today, and a few weeks later a new Mac Mini could launch, or you could wait, and there not be a Mac Mini for another few years.
The best advice I can give, if you need a new Mac now, get one now. If you don't need one now, then wait.
If you purchased one today, and in October the ARM Mac Mini came out, it isn't like your 2018 Mac Mini is obsolete.
Actually, the first Intel Mac Minis were horrible and had issues like Wifi and BT problems. I bought it when it first was released and it was the only Mac that I returned.
So, it might be a good idea to not get the first gen after the switch.
We make educated guesses based off of rumors, historical info, and sometimes just a gut call, but in the end, no one knows.
No, there isn't a regular yearly release schedule of the Mac Mini, nor any other Mac.
You can use this as a general guide, but again, the MR Buyer's Guide can be wrong, and has been for the Mac Mini in the past:
MacRumors Buyer's Guide: Know When to Buy iPhone, Mac, iPad
This page provides a product summary for each Apple model. The intent is to provide our best recommendations regarding current product cycles, and to provide a summary of currently available rumors for each model. This page is based on rumors and speculation and we provide no guarantee to its...
buyersguide.macrumors.com
You can buy one today, and a few weeks later a new Mac Mini could launch, or you could wait, and there not be a Mac Mini for another few years.
The best advice I can give, if you need a new Mac now, get one now. If you don't need one now, then wait.
If you purchased one today, and in October the ARM Mac Mini came out, it isn't like your 2018 Mac Mini is obsolete.
Actually, the first Intel Mac Minis were horrible and had issues like Wifi and BT problems. I bought it when it first was released and it was the only Mac that I returned.
So, it might be a good idea to not get the first gen after the switch.
The Mini was just "updated" in like May so doubt there's a new one coming.. But, you never know. I bought my 800Mhz Quicksilver 2002 when they came out Fall 2002, and like 3 months later, here came the MDD G4s all with faster and dual processors, double the memory speed, way better graphics, etc, for the same price.
That would be my luck they do it again this year. Just bought my Mini in June, but Im not about to be an ARM guinea pig so...
That would be my luck they do it again this year. Just bought my Mini in June, but Im not about to be an ARM guinea pig so...
I bought a new Mini two months ago and I am still safe. 
I agree we are not likely to see any new Intel Mini's. Personally, I don't think an Apple Silicon Mini will come for awhile. There have been no rumors about one, just laptops and iMacs. Even when one does come, do you really want to be the first to get a completely new computer with a different processor? It would not be able to run any of your old 32-bit apps, and would only run 64-bit Intel apps in emulation mode (which might be slower than the current Mini).
The May "update" was not really an update at all. Apple just changed the price on the 8gb i3 Mini with the 256gb SSD. You could buy that exact same computer in 2018.
I agree we are not likely to see any new Intel Mini's. Personally, I don't think an Apple Silicon Mini will come for awhile. There have been no rumors about one, just laptops and iMacs. Even when one does come, do you really want to be the first to get a completely new computer with a different processor? It would not be able to run any of your old 32-bit apps, and would only run 64-bit Intel apps in emulation mode (which might be slower than the current Mini).
The May "update" was not really an update at all. Apple just changed the price on the 8gb i3 Mini with the 256gb SSD. You could buy that exact same computer in 2018.
I don't see a problem with buying a Mini now. There is no clue about the cost of the upcoming ARM based Macs including the Mini. Though the word is that software that runs on today's Intel Macs will be able for at least a while to run on the new ARM Macs you'll have to consider whether to upgrade to your software natively running on ARM processor or not. In short there may be some hidden expenses to make the change over and no measure of challenges that may come along. If Apple is as good as it was when they first went to Intel, then very little challenges should exist but who knows...Apple isn't nearly the same company as it was back then.
I bought that very spec for the very same reason about 5 weeks ago!
That is not completely true, based on what I've heard. 64-bit Intels apps are supposed to run in an emulator called Rosetta. We don't know how well they will run, they may be slower than the current Mini. 32-bit apps will not be supported. Now, 32-bit apps also aren't supported in Catalina on the current Mini, however you can also run Mojave and apparently a lot of people are doing that (there's a long thread here).
Personally, I have some very expensive 32-bit apps that still do everything I want - an upgrade to the 65-bit version of FileMaker Pro would cost me around $550, VectorWorks upgrade about $1500, Strata 3d around $1200. I am running Catalina on my 2018 Mini but have Sierra and Mountain Lion virtual machines under Parallels which run these apps perfectly (faster than they ran natively on my old Macs). Am also running Windows 10 under Parallels with another expensive legacy app. None of this will be possible on the new ARM Macs. There might be third party solutions at some point, but they will be emulators, which will not run as fast or smoothly as Parallels on the current Intel Macs.
So... depends on what you need. An Office 365 subscription will work on the ARM Macs, so will Adobe Creative Cloud and of course Apple will provide native versions of their own apps. But if you have invested a lot of money in 32-bit Intel apps, then you might want to get a 2018 Mini while you still can.
If you are not in a rush, then just wait. IMO, 2018 aren't properly designed. They use desktop class CPUs in the same old tiny case for which the CPUs just weren't intended.
No, it wasn't updated. It's still exactly same 2018 mac mini, they just discarded the 128GB model.
And 2018 Mac Minis have them again )
No, it wasn't updated. It's still exactly same 2018 mac mini, they just discarded the 128GB model.
And 2018 Mac Minis have them again )
If you buy a Mac mini today it will be supported for 3-5 years.
If apple announce a new mini next week that won't change really. In fact the current mini will have better software support for a while yet.
What do you need it for?
Then start checking the Apple refurb store regularly. It can take awhile, but sooner or later you will find just about every imaginable configuration. Took me over a month, but I got the one I wanted. Prices are typically 15% less than new and they have the same warranty. When you find one, buy immediately because they don't last long.
Updated 8/29: Lots of Mac Minis available in US refurb store
Grab 'em while you can! https://www.apple.com/shop/refurbished/mac/mac-mini
forums.macrumors.com
I bought this very spec myself for same reason - i7 and 1tb I can't upgrade, so went big. 16gb is perfect for foreseeable future, if something changes I could upgrade.
Are you sure you want to buy the first gen of a brand new architecture? I would wait for the third iteration...
After getting the Mac Mini 2020 I7 and adding 32GB for a grand total of 1100$ I would not buy it. Don't get me wrong, macOS is awesome, but not on the Mac mini. The HDMI problem where it won't turn on when on multi-monitors and the Bluetooth sluggish connection on the magic mouse is a deal-breaker. Do not have any problems with MBP 2016.
Yes, I want the latest thing. I don't want to be stuck on obsolete hardware, which is what Intel Macs are going to be very soon. I also think the "don't buy the first generation" fearmongering is overblown. It can be a valid argument in some cases and with some companies but I just don't see it as being an issue here. I had the 2016 touchbar MacBook Pro and had zero issues besides a blown speaker that was my fault. Coincidentally I took it to the Apple store and said it had a keyboard issue (it did not) because they had to replace the speakers alongside the keyboard, buying that first generation worked out pretty well for me. We have to wait and see but the expected performance increase of ARM Macs is huge, they will likely blow the current line-up out of the water. That's what I want.
Regardless, we're a little over a month out from the expected announcement date. If you don't want an ARM Mac it's probably wise to wait because the Intel Macs they are replacing will see big price drops when they're discontinued. I wouldn't buy an Intel Mac Mini right now no matter what because even if I did get one in October instead of ARM I'd probably save myself a good chunk of money from picking up a discontinued model. If they don't announce ARM Mac Minis in October then I wouldn't have lost anything anyway.
As I mentioned in that post, October. That's when the first ARM Macs are likely to release and ergo that's when the Intel Macs that they replace will become obsolete. If the Intel Mac Mini is completely replaced by the ARM Mac Mini in October the Intel Mac Minis are obsolete and the same for any other category that gets completely replaced.
Let's be clear.... that is your personal opinion. Apple has a very specific definition of "obsolete". If they stop selling the 2018 Mini in October (which is very doubtful) then it wouldn't be "obsolete" until 2027.
"Obsolete products are those whose sales were discontinued more than 7 years ago."
Obtaining service for your Apple product after an expired warranty - Apple Support
Learn about your options for getting service and parts for Apple devices that are past their warranty period.
I personally wouldn't consider that situation as the Intel Mac Minis becoming "obsolete". The Intel Mac Mini will most likely continue to be supported for at least five years.
According to Apple, the intel Macs will not be considered obsolete for a long while:
Obtaining service for your Apple product after an expired warranty - Apple Support
Learn about your options for getting service and parts for Apple devices that are past their warranty period.
You beat me to it.Let's be clear.... that is your personal opinion. Apple has a very specific definition of "obsolete". If they stop selling the 2018 Mini in October (which is very doubtful) then it wouldn't be "obsolete" until 2027.
"Obsolete products are those whose sales were discontinued more than 7 years ago."
Obtaining service for your Apple product after an expired warranty - Apple Support
Learn about your options for getting service and parts for Apple devices that are past their warranty period.support.apple.com
Let's be clear.... that is your personal opinion. Apple has a very specific definition of "obsolete". If they stop selling the 2018 Mini in October (which is very doubtful) then it wouldn't be "obsolete" until 2027.
"Obsolete products are those whose sales were discontinued more than 7 years ago."
Obtaining service for your Apple product after an expired warranty - Apple Support
Learn about your options for getting service and parts for Apple devices that are past their warranty period.
I personally wouldn't consider that situation as the Intel Mac Minis becoming "obsolete". The Intel Mac Mini will most likely continue to be supported for at least five years.
According to Apple, the intel Macs will not be considered obsolete for a long while:
[automerge]1598538070[/automerge]Obtaining service for your Apple product after an expired warranty - Apple Support
Learn about your options for getting service and parts for Apple devices that are past their warranty period.
You beat me to it.
Apologies, it slipped my mind that Apple has their own definition of "obsolete", I was using the actual definition, not the Apple definition and I didn't mean to conflate the two. Of course, whatever products are replaced this year will still receive support from Apple for years to come.
However, the actual definition of "obsolete", as in referring to when a product is no longer produced or when a product is no longer useful, is what I meant. Specifically, once a product is no longer sold it is obsolete in the traditional sense.
What is consider obsolete can be somewhat subjective and dependent on one's particular use, although I think you are describing discontinued.
When it comes to tech, I think that your definition would be closer to the word discontinued, not obsolete:
Definition of DISCONTINUED
no longer produced or provided… See the full definition
www.merriam-webster.com
Do you consider every Mac that is no longer produced and/or sold as obsolete? How about the 2019 iMac?
This is what I think of when I think of obsolete.
When it comes to tech, obsolescence isn't just when something is no longer produced or no longer sold, but when something is no longer useful and is replaced with something else.
So getting back to the 2018 Mini, whenever the next Mini comes out and Apple stops producing and selling the 2018, it doesn't mean that the tech is no longer useful, and I am sure people will not instantly start replacing it with something else just because a new Mini came out.
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