Small always comes with a price tag as well, you can bet there is going to be a prince increase from the current prices and all to be justified because of how much tech they are packing into a small form factor.
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M4 Mac Mini to Become Apple's Smallest Ever Computer With Complete Redesign
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This will be good for Apple.
Sadly, I just don't foresee anything good for me, a mini buyer. (The mini is the only Apple product I own.)
I'm not lugging this thing around and a few square inches off my desk doesn't do anything for me. Except now it's more liable to slide around or get yanked off the desk
If there's a RAM bump or more USB C ports (in exchange for losing USB A, no free lunch here), those are things that could've been done with the current form factor. So it's a wash
OTOH, it's too easy to imagine how Apple can screw me over. External power brick with proprietary cable and connection? Can't innovate my ass. Removal of HDMI and headphone out? Courage! Worse thermal and CPU throttling? Get the Studio if you need performance. Higher base price? Well, all that new tooling doesn't pay for itself
Sadly, I just don't foresee anything good for me, a mini buyer. (The mini is the only Apple product I own.)
I'm not lugging this thing around and a few square inches off my desk doesn't do anything for me. Except now it's more liable to slide around or get yanked off the desk
If there's a RAM bump or more USB C ports (in exchange for losing USB A, no free lunch here), those are things that could've been done with the current form factor. So it's a wash
OTOH, it's too easy to imagine how Apple can screw me over. External power brick with proprietary cable and connection? Can't innovate my ass. Removal of HDMI and headphone out? Courage! Worse thermal and CPU throttling? Get the Studio if you need performance. Higher base price? Well, all that new tooling doesn't pay for itself
Don't care about size. I just want lotsa ports...
We're all going to end up with hubs bigger than the computer.
I'm considering a move from a 2019 27" iMac to the new mini and monitor. I use it for daily routine stuff, emails, spreadsheets, etc., but I also use it for image post-processing in Lightroom Classic which taxes the system (3.6 GHz 8-Core Intel Core i9, Radeon Pro Vega 48 8 GB, 64 GB 2667 MHz DDR4).
Anyone want to guess how much the new minis will cost? Cheaper because it smaller or more expensive than the current because smaller cost more to make? And improved specs also increase the price.
My guess is $699 for the base model if they get a RAM spec bump. Make it an even $799 if they increase both RAM and storage in the base model.
A chassis change tends to temporarily increase the price. So starting at $799 wouldn’t surprise me. Then back to $599 in two or three years.
That's pretty much my concern as well with a downsized Mini, with the exception of HDMI, all the ports on M1 are being used along with one of the USB-A ports on my ThunderBolt display. Giving up ports for a smaller size is a non-starter for me. I've had enough experience with a 2017 MacBook Pro limited to 2 USB-C ports and dealing with all the dongles needed to make it useful.
An Ethernet port is mandatory, would be nice if the base port was at least a 2.5Gb. WiFi is not a substitute as Ethernet is more secure (though not completely), bandwidth with even 1Gb is at least potentially higher as the packets are routed through a switched and not a shared medium.
I'm also not interested in using a MacBook Pro for a desktop after doing that for 9 years. I don't need a battery or the screen, prefer a separate keyboard (i.e. no processor in the keyboard), want a built-in Ethernet port and have been very happy with the M1 Mini's size and form factor.
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I can see Apple being extra miserly with the ports for the lowest cost version (kinda of like the iMac), no Ethernet port, just 2 regular usb-c ports (without TB4) and HDMI. 256 SSD. But still $599.
Maybe… but then they aren't gonna give it 16 Gigs of RAM. Could be a "we're not even gonna announce it, but it's configurable, and some education/enterprise customers want it" model.
Then for ~ $250 more, you get more RAM and more ports.
The original CoCo was my first computer!I run my Tandy Color Computer 3 as a VM on my Mac mini.
Remember computers such as the Commodore 64? Basically your idea, but happened 40 years ago.
But I guess what you're really saying is... a MacBook without the screen?
The real advantages are:
- The cheapest desktop option, and you can choose any damn peripherals you like, Apple or otherwise.
- You can have two sets of peripherals, say, at home, and in the office, and carry the Mini between them. Sure, you can do that with a laptop too, but the Mini is cheaper, smaller, and lighter.
I am bewildered why Apple don't make a range of basic, dumb, monitors of various sizes. Apple quality, but without speakers, cameras, ports, etc, and without the insane price tag of their current monitors. They'd sell like hot cakes.
Yep. And you can use the same monitor for years, and swap out the Mini to newer models if you like. It's a no brainer. I don't quite understand the draw of the iMac.
I suspect it is the [likely fictitious] belief the larger iMac will be priced similar to old 27” iMac and a comparable ASD and Mac mini/studio is more expensive. So it comes down to money, but that doesn’t sound noble so they makeup other excuses.
Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should.
Please share photos of you doing this. I'm surely not the only one who would like to see your full "portable" set up at your coffee shop.
