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M4 Mac Mini to Become Apple's Smallest Ever Computer With Complete Redesign
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But not if you want MacOS, and more than one port, and don’t need the big retina touchscreen, which would add to price the larger it is. A small iPod size low res touchscreen wouldn’t cost much and might be useful to control basic functions without needing a screen and keyboard connected.
Kinda missing the point. I'm a kid of the 80s, where computer in a keyboard was a standard thing: Spectrum, C64, Amiga, Atari ST, etc. ... that you could plug into whatever screen you liked.
And the simple fact that you therefore had no choice of keyboard was an issue. I do not want to return to a situation in which you have no choice. And if you want it on your lap, you need to accept the weight (and warmth) of the complete device.
We know that laptops are very much a compromise. But we do have the options of iMac and mini.
I'm a kid of much, much earlier. And the keyboards of green screen terminals were heavy lumps. Which by their thickness made typing unpleasant. Please let us not move away from keyboards being light and allowing your choices of feature - lit, programmable, able to be connected to multiple machines, with free choice of keyboard language, and all the other positives of separating physical keyboard and computer.
You mean TV, monitors back then were mostly monographic, color monitors in the 80s where prohibitive expensive.
For me, they could leave the case exactly the same and just add a hatch for a slotted NVME stick
If there’s one thing Tim Cook does not do, it is “pass on the savings.”
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...and now its the 21st Century and you can plug in whatever keyboard you like, too - whether it's a $10 cheapo job from Walmart or a $300 mechanical monster! I guess the CPU-and-keyboard design made sense in the 70s/80s when the alternative was to hunt down a surplus VDU terminal or teletype at an electronics fair & maybe lash up a bit of TTL to make it work... One of the USPs of the Apple II and later was that you didn't need to own a soldering iron. Plus, as others have mentioned, the target audience for the C64 and its ilk included many who'd have to carry the computer to the living room and plug it into the family telly to use.
As I've said in other posts - if you want to indulge your 80s nostalgia, the Pi400 (there's probably a Pi500 in the works) is laser-focussed on that role and far more affordable than anything Apple are likely to produce.
Anyway, even in the 80s, the more "pro" computers had separate keyboards. I even ended up moving my BBC Micro into a case that put the keyboard in a small, separate enclosure and turned the main unit into a monitor stand with built-in floppy drives.
Ironically, some of those old built-in keyboards were used the sort of individual, "mechanical" switches that people are now paying $$$ for today. Darn, now I'm wondering if I can hook up that old BBC keyboard to a Pi via the GPIO pins...
That is mostly true. I really like the C64 keyboard, it was a bit fat & clunky but for my hands, I found it extremely comfortable. Unfortunately not all of those early built in keyboards were nearly as nice-Atari
Good nostalgia for the computer in the keyboard crowd but let's not forget that a Mac mini could be safely out of sight and wireless keyboard and mouse could be driving the show for the new Mini - no matter how small it becomes.
No way are they adding an NVMe slot when the Mac Studio doesn't have one.
Just remember Apple only cares for your $$$$.
They have engineers to think for you.
Your opinion does not matter.
Stop re-designing things.
M4 is better than M1 thats all you need to know.
They have engineers to think for you.
Your opinion does not matter.
Stop re-designing things.
M4 is better than M1 thats all you need to know.
Well, yes, there were exceptions with horrible membrane keyboards - the Sinclair systems had legendarily awful keyboards, but they were also legendarily cheap computers. I don't know what Atari's excuse was - the 400 wasn't that cheap. I had a OSI Superboard and then a Video Genie (TRS 80 knockoff) - both relatively cheap (but not Sinclair cheap) which both had half-decent mechanical keyboards.
If it keeps all the ports it currently has then fine. If not useless.
My mini now has the two C ports. I have a c hub out of that. Plus two daisy-chained type A POWERED out of one of the Mini’s. We need those ports Apple. AT LEAST one usb A3 and two C’s minimum. And I still have to swap HDs and for backing up two phones and two pads. Ugh.
Why not integrate a Magic Trackpad surface on the top and then it can just sit on your desktop. Boom - done.
I have a Mac mini and I'm going to start trialing taking it to libraries and coffeeshops to do some creative work. The caveat is I need access to power. As for everything else, I bought a cheap mouse and keyboard from goodwill, and a cool portable monitor for $70. Part of why I do this instead of a mac laptop is I got the mac mini used with great specs for $300. And actually the form factor it's in now works pretty well. Fits in my backpack fine. If they make it overall smaller but a lot thicker, I wouldn't like that.
So you’re saying that a current Mac mini fits your backpack well, but a slightly taller AppleTV wouldn’t?
Life can be so easy if everything is only black or white …
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As someone who owns several Mini's and ATV's, I can assure you, it's much easier to carry around the ATV. ATV's are much lighter and a lot smaller than a Mini. So a Mini inside the body of an ATV will be a lot easier to carry around.
So next, Apple release a Apple Mini Display - preferable foldable too.
Would obviously fit some, but I like my MBA for that. But I can absolutely see a user category for it.
I wouldn't mind a smaller version of the todays 13'6 MBA though - bring back the 11"-12".
Please Apple, we need you to please us all. Next CEO might care more for users thren stockholders, or at least as much. 😀
Would obviously fit some, but I like my MBA for that. But I can absolutely see a user category for it.
I wouldn't mind a smaller version of the todays 13'6 MBA though - bring back the 11"-12".
Please Apple, we need you to please us all. Next CEO might care more for users thren stockholders, or at least as much. 😀
Yeah it is. Keep the keyboard separate - that way its not 2 devices to replace vs 1; or 2 to take in when only 1 component needs the repair or servicing. Allow the keyboard to be that and/or a USB-C /USB-A hub for other peripherals.
Would be nice if TB4/USB-C allowed power and a pass-through for Audio/Video/storage to say a monitor:
GaN power plug + USB-C cable > Mac Micro-Me > External monitor. The Mac Micro has all other powers within it - the size of say a Firestick 4K and all you bring is your KB+Mouse+GaN wall plug to say an event (stationary seating) hotel for a day or weekender family/friends place and you're set. Considering Apple refuses to refine the branded Keyboard+Mouse/Trackpad experience and still keeps the iPhone ... a Phone vs a Smartphone for what it does in ALL intense and purposes except a desktop mode, then yeah have a mac mini live as itself not a keyboard.
Right now the ONLY Apple product that is a 2 into 1 is the iMac. And anyone recall the nightmares of ATI cards, I'm sure it wasn't a joy halling that back into a store for a Genius checkup.
Yeah it was sad seeing people wheeling them back into the applestore from the car park in spare shopping carts ... "there goes another one" ....
True! I need many ports and don't like to use several usb hubs with cable salad which is bigger than the Mini.