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Mac Mini and Mac Pro are Apple's Last Two Remaining Intel Macs With Launch of Mac Studio

orderoftheditch said:
I would like to know who is actually buying the Intel (8th gen) Mac mini in 2022?
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I bought an i3 8/256 mini at the end of last year. I needed it because I scan negatives and slides, and the scanner software that I use (Epson Scan v1) will never be a 64-bit app. Epson's Scan v2 software is 64-bit, but it removes functionality. So I have no software upgrade path from Epson. (I have tried and don't like VueScan or SilverFast.) Now I can Screen Share to the headless mini and scan from any other Mac on the network. The i3 has (more than) enough processing power to scan film. And it will be fine running Mojave for 'the rest of time.' :)

FYI for those who intend on using a Mac mini without a display, I highly recommend buying an HDMI dummy plug. This allows the mini to set and keep a non-square or small virtual display size even after reboot. They are less than $10 online.

Cheers!
 
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bankshot said:
Probably not too many, but a few things I can think of:
  • Still use a 32-bit app that has been abandoned by the developer. Only Intel Macs can do this, and only by virtualizing Mojave or earlier.
  • Some other dependency on software that doesn't work on Apple Silicon for some reason. Virtualizing x64 Windows or dual booting.
  • $300 cheaper than comparable Mac Studio if you need more than 16 GB memory and memory is your only bottleneck. $1699 vs $1999 for 32 GB, $2099 vs $2399 for 64 GB.
  • You really need that shorter form factor and more than 16 GB???
Yeah, not many at all.
Click to expand...

The missing reason there is "Support for 4 displays (without resorting to DisplayLink).

I truly hope later this year Apple does release an Apple Silicone based mini that supports more than 2 displays and 32GB of RAM. The Studio ( M1 Max / 32GB ) at around $2,500 is tempting, but I think an M1Max or M2 Mini version could be $1k cheaper.
 
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InuNacho said:
Yea too bad for Intel, those Data Centers and Labs around the world, they must run on magic unicorn fart powered Apple CPUs.
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For now... but there is an interesting path here in that Apple Silicone isn't locked to the macOS kernel. Folks have Linux running on M1s https://asahilinux.org/.

And if there is one thing data centers love, it's to save electricity per clock cycle. I'm not saying this is a year away or even ever... just that if Apple were to make DC-friendly form factor for Apple Silicone, the power savings would be very interesting to DCs. If not, maybe someone starts tearing down minis and rack mounting them. Already have rack mounting minis in the case.
 
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orderoftheditch said:
I would like to know who is actually buying the Intel (8th gen) Mac mini in 2022?
Click to expand...
People who's businesses run on software that is only available for x86 systems, maybe running Windows or Linux x86 VMs for that software.

For the Mac Pro, this could even include Apple itself for very expensive CAD/CAE chip design tool suites used to architect, design, and validate Apple Silicon. Thus one reason for the continued existence of top-end x86 Mac Pros is for the desktops of their own chip design wizards.
 
wiredup72 said:
so, I still can’t buy a Mini that has both an apple cpu and 32gb RAM minimum? ffs, I held off for three months for this?
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Yeah you can, it’s called the Mac Studio ?. Or wait for the inevitable M2 update later in the year or early next year.
 
Are they really going to release a mini Pro now with the Studio out? I feel like they will just speed bump the mini instead and make people spend the extra for a Studio.
 
Darkroom Demon said:
I bought an i3 8/256 mini at the end of last year. I needed it because I scan negatives and slides, and the scanner software that I use (Epson Scan v1) will never be a 64-bit app. Epson's Scan v2 software is 64-bit, but it removes functionality. So I have no software upgrade path from Epson. (I have tried and don't like VueScan or SilverFast.) Now I can Screen Share to the headless mini and scan from any other Mac on the network. The i3 has (more than) enough processing power to scan film. And it will be fine running Mojave for 'the rest of time.' :)

FYI for those who intend on using a Mac mini without a display, I highly recommend buying an HDMI dummy plug. This allows the mini to set and keep a non-square or small virtual display size even after reboot. They are less than $10 online.

Cheers!
Click to expand...
Likewise, I got a cheap NIB i3 which I upgraded the ram myself (32GB) and running some legacy apps on Mojave 10.14 (which I downgraded from Catalina 10.15).
 
Mizouse said:
Man I was hoping to upgrade my 2018 mini to a M1 Pro based Mini.

The base Mac Studio w/ 1TB storage is a bit out of my budget at $2200.
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Yeah, I was hoping the Mac Studio would be cheaper and smaller too. Guess we have to wait for the Mini. I want it to be a MacBook Pro without the screen and keyboard, and with the battery.
 
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This set up replaces the iMac Pro in both price point and function, but hopefully they still make a larger iMac. I'd like a 27-30 inch iMac. Even pairing that new display with a regular mini is well beyond the 27 inch price point.
 
WhiteHawk said:
Are they really going to release a mini Pro now with the Studio out? I feel like they will just speed bump the mini instead and make people spend the extra for a Studio.
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That’s what I’m thinking, just release a mini that has the port config of the current Intel mini and drop one of the current M1 ones.
 
Marshall73 said:
High end Mac mini? Surely that’s the studio? It starts at 1999 doesn’t leave much room in between. Probably just a refreshed mini with M2 next year. Apple will keep the Pro for WWDC and then it’s the iPhone Event in the fall along with the watch. Probably no more macs till 2023.
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More over if you compare the remaining Intel Mini to the M1 the only thing the Intel one gives you is the option of getting 32 and 64 GB of RAM. Look at the base configurations:

$899.00: Apple M1 chip with 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine; 8GB unified memory; 512GB SSD storage; Gigabit Ethernet
$1,099.00: 3.0GHz 6-core 8th-generation Intel Core i5 processor with Intel UHD Graphics 630; Turbo Boost up to 4.1GHz; 8GB memory; 512GB PCIe-based SSD storage
$1,999.00: M1 Ultra; 32GB unified memory; 512GB SSD storage

Yes, there is a gap between the i5 and the M1 Ultra but when you sit down and think about it if you are going for 32GB minimum wouldn't you go with the Mac Studio while getting a whole host of ports in the bargain?
 
I was hoping they'd announce an upgraded mac mini that would replace the Intel variant, with support for 32GB of RAM. The mac studio, even the one with M1 Max is just too expensive for my needs.
 
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I have a feeling, that there wont be an M2 CPU this year.

It can happen, that in Fall the Mac Pro gets a combination of 2x M1 Ultra SoC or such with additional options for different PCI Express cards and maybe optional dedicated (Radeon) GPUs. But we'll have to wait and see.
 
bankshot said:
Probably not too many, but a few things I can think of:
  • Still use a 32-bit app that has been abandoned by the developer. Only Intel Macs can do this, and only by virtualizing Mojave or earlier.
  • Some other dependency on software that doesn't work on Apple Silicon for some reason. Virtualizing x64 Windows or dual booting.
  • $300 cheaper than comparable Mac Studio if you need more than 16 GB memory and memory is your only bottleneck. $1699 vs $1999 for 32 GB, $2099 vs $2399 for 64 GB.
  • You really need that shorter form factor and more than 16 GB???
Yeah, not many at all.
Click to expand...
I use a bunch of them at work as rack-mounted media servers in the production world. The M1's are powerful enough but don't have the 3rd display supported I need. The New studio would work but is more expensive than needed and the size goes from fitting in a 1U space to needing a 3U space. Really wish it was just a 1/4" shorter to fin a 2U enclosure.
 
I assume that there is still a Mac Mini with an M1 Pro coming, prob at WWDC that will take this slot.
 
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