Nearly everyone here complaining about this new Mac Mini (and same with Apple's other new stuff) keeps forgetting the most important thing: One of the biggest differences between Apple and most, if not all the other companies, is:
Those companies build computers with specifications that meet the drooling needs of nerds. Apple builds tools to solve business and personal problems.
Apple engineers solutions to problems, and people buy them because they are the best, (or if nothing else they're the least sucky) solutions to the problems. That's why we're all here arguing about this Apple stuff in the first place. To the people whining about how expensive and/or wrong Apple's products are, and how greedy Apple is for asking the prices they ask: Why are you even here? Why do you even want Apple stuff in the first place? I've said a few times now, why don't you just go buy those PCs for half the price, be happy and leave us Apple "fanboys" alone?
The reason you're here arguing about it is either because you're a troll and just like picking a fight, or because you genuinely appreciate the difference that Apple brings to the table. That difference has value because it
does solve a problem you want solved. So if that's the case, let's at least argue about how well it does or doesn't solve the problem, not about the specs and the dollars.
When it comes to the dollars, Apple is a company, owned by shareholders, in a capitalist country. Apple exists primarily to make money for its shareholders. Sure, Steve always used to go on about how he didn't care about the money and it was all about making the best products, but that was partly BS. I say "partly" because, yes, I believe he did want to make the best products (and so does Tim), but he didn't give them away did he? Apple has always charged a premium. Nothing has changed there. Apple is no more "greedy" now than it has ever been. Either way, Apple still makes the best products - that's why we're here arguing about them.
All this crap about Apple is
greedy because they charge too much for their SSDs or whatever else... Two things.
1. Apple can charge whatever the hell they want. That's the way it's always been and nothing has changed. If people buy it, then it's priced right for the market. That's capitalism. And let's face it, people are buying this stuff. If you can't see that you're blind. Apple, and capitalism both have plenty of issues, but the biggest thing that's good about capitalism, is it fosters competition which pushes the world forward. If you don't like the price, don't buy it. If enough people agree with you then Apple will be forced to reduce their prices. If that doesn't happen, it's because not enough people agree with you, and therefore your opinion (that it's priced too high) isn't sufficiently valid. It's not greed. It's the market. And at this point, people are buying this stuff, and so it seems to me this stuff is priced right for the market.
And to the question of why is everyone else buying it despite you thinking it's too expensive of whatever else? No. People aren't buying Apple stuff because they're sheep. Sure, some people are, but no, the vast majority of people are buying Apple stuff because it solves their problems better than the alternatives. Which by the way is the same reason you're here investing energy in arguing about it (unless you're a troll).
2. As I've said elsewhere, Apple charges more for the parts because they're not charging just for the parts. They're charging for all the R&D that went into figuring out how those parts go together to create the package and the experience that solve the business problem better than anyone else's collection of parts do. And that's not new. Apple has always charged more for RAM, storage, whatever else, and the reason is still the same. Nothing has changed.
Those complaining about Apple soldering everything in instead of cobbling together other people's parts? It's not some conspiracy to make you pay the Apple tax. There are very good engineering reasons for all that.
1. They solder and glue
everything into the
laptops partly because it results in the smallest, lightest and most reliable package in the space available. Contrary to all you whiners saying you wouldn't mind it a bit bigger with upgradeable parts, some us
love how much smaller and lighter everything is with all that power jammed into it. So it's a valid decision on Apple's part, that provides value to customers. And there are a lot more people out there who don't care about being able to do their own ram and SSD replacements, than who do. The market wins.
2. In the desktops, they don't solder and glue
everything in but the stuff they do solder and glue in, they do so because it creates less points of failure. I really think this point doesn't need explanation. If you can't see how a chip soldered on a board is more reliable than one screwed in, then I don't know what I can say to explain it. Go do an electrical engineering degree and come back and we'll talk.
3. Notice how RAM is
not soldered in on the desktops like it is on the laptops? That's because these don't have the same space or heat constraints. Also desktops aren't moved around anywhere near as much as laptops so there is much less chance of something getting jolted out of its seat. So no need to solder RAM in, and so they don't. And in desktops, they're not soldering the SSDs in either, although you still can't swap them out for a third party alternative. Why? Because Apple's SSDs are entirely proprietary now - and that's not greed forcing you to pay the Apple tax. It's engineering put in place to solve real problems. The SSDs are now all controlled by the T2 chip, and all of that is for improved data security and privacy among other things. It has nothing to do with trying to force you not to be able to upgrade it.
Apple gives you upgradeability options when it doesn't interfere with the other features and functionality they want to provide. When it does interfere, they choose the other features and functionality over upgradeability. That's what they've always done. Nothing has changed, other than the fact that more and more features and functionality (eg. the security etc behind the T2) are incompatible with upgradeability, so more upgradeability is sacrificed now than ever before for those features and functionality. That's it. Take your conspiracy theories back to your UFO landing spots.
Call me an Apple fanboy if you want, I don't care. I'm not writing all this to defend Apple. I'm writing it in what is sadly, likely to be a vain attempt (but still trying) to improve these forums. That is, to try to address at least some of the points so many here whine about, when they have no idea what they're talking about, and in doing so, maybe have some hope of reducing some of the incessant whining. I'll probably fail, but hey it's worth a try.
I see a few possibilities here:
- If you're just a troll and you're whining and arguing for the sake of picking a fight, just get lost.
- If you're here whining and arguing because you genuinely think Apple's solutions solve the problems correctly - you want it, but you're whining that it costs too much and think it's all about Apple's greed? Sorry but tough. Your case is moot. You want it for a reason: presumably because it's better. It solves some personal or business problem better than the alternatives. Therefore it's worth a price. And if it does that, then contrary to what you think about Apple's greed, the price, ultimately, is not set by Apple, and it's certainly not set by how many people whine about it. The price is set by the market. It's worth whatever the market says it's worth. You're wasting yours and everyone's time and energy. Either accept it's worth that price to you, and buy it, or acknowledge it isn't and instead buy the alternative, quit ****-ing whining about it, and leave the rest of us the hell alone.
- If you're here arguing because you don't think Apple's solutions solve the problem correctly? Fine. Again don't buy it, buy the alternative, quit ****-ing whining and leave the rest of us the hell alone.
- If you're here arguing about features and functionality because you see that Apple's solution is better than everyone else's, and you want it, but you just want it a bit better or different somehow, then ok. That's about the only reasonable position anyone can take here in my opinion. But in that case, let's argue about how it solves real problems - or could do so better - not about specific specs or the price. Don't sit here saying statements like "Well for that extra $300 they could have at least put a decent GPU in it." No. I mean seriously? That $300 covers all the other stuff they already put in it (and is a price set by the market). If you want a decent GPU in it then it costs more again. And some of us don't want to pay for a GPU when we don't need it. So really, what problem does said GPU solve (that isn't solved some other way now)? Let's discuss solutions to problems, not specs and features. There's a difference.
Either way, whatever you're here for, for god's sake, stop ****-ing whining!
[doublepost=1541620123][/doublepost]
Oh please stop it, that's just a bunch of BS. I have a full understanding of the situation, it's you who doesn't understand and is just making excuses for Apple. Here's the full understanding of the gibberish you wrote. It's called get ready for this: "designed for maximum profit".
No.
Designed for maximum
functionality.
Priced for maximum
profit? Sure. What the hell is wrong with that? That's capitalism. If the market says it's worth it, then it's worth it. Get over it.
Still why aren't you complaining about how Samsung's X5 is $1400 for 2TB when the most expensive 2TB SSD (component) they sell that could possibly be in it (970 EVO) is $600? Is that
empty Thunderbolt enclosure alone really worth $800??
Or even if they've put some unique 2TB version of the 970 Pro in it (except they haven't because the EVO more than maxes out the Thunderbolt bus, but still for arguments sake...), the 1TB version of that is $400 so 2TB should be $800. That makes that
empty enclosure $600. Really?
I'm not making excuses for anyone. You really don't have a full understanding of the situation. You certainly don't have any understanding of business. Companies provide business solutions to personal and business problems, and they should be compensated for that according to what the
market says those solutions are worth. Get over it and stop ****-ing whining.
[doublepost=1541620964][/doublepost]
Does Apple own its own manufacturing facilities and manufacture SSDs or do they buy them from a third party supplier?
What do you think?
What's in the MBP's now? What's in this new Mac Mini? What's in the iMac Pro? Surely you don't believe they're standard Samsung 970 Pros or something? So what are they?
What's an SSD anyway? It's a bunch of memory chips, a controller, and perhaps a couple of other things, right? So how are those items arranged in those machines?
Answer that for me and I'll answer your question. No, actually, answer that for me and you've already answered your question.
). What I do see is a depressing number of "arguments" that amount to "stop whining", "if you don't like it don't buy it" or (if not in so many words) "it works for me so I don't care if it doesn't work for you". 
