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Mac Mini End Of Life?
- Thread starter Dont Hurt Me
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So they'll go back to only offering an AIO system (a glossy one at that) and the Mac Pro, which is overkill and too expensive for most people. Apple should just get out of the desktop computer business all together. They don't have a clue.
Mac Mini Configurations
Spec1
2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
1GB memory
160GB hard drive
24x Combo Drive
Intel GMA950
Cost: 60% of base iMac
Spec2
2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
1GB memory
250GB hard drive
8x double-layer SuperDrive
ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT with 128MB memory
Cost: 80% of base iMac
In a shapely and small apple case
buying anything before MacWorld is really, really unwise
Spec1
2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
1GB memory
160GB hard drive
24x Combo Drive
Intel GMA950
Cost: 60% of base iMac
Spec2
2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
1GB memory
250GB hard drive
8x double-layer SuperDrive
ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT with 128MB memory
Cost: 80% of base iMac
In a shapely and small apple case
pscoble said:
buying anything before MacWorld is really, really unwise
So is anything you buy the day AFTER MacWorld, in other words, 364 days BEFORE Macworld. If you are waiting for MacWorld to buy it doesn't matter. You will only have the latest and greatest model for a while before they upgrade it. In this case, buying an EOL product like the Mini may be wise to do BEFORE it is discontinued if it has all of the functionality you are looking for NOW. Newer isn't always necessarily better.
lol...newer isn't necessarily better...but the mac mini is overpriced
and i'm sorry, but i could never buy something apple in the weeks preceding MacWorld...as far as I know, nothing has been discontinued at MacWorld, only made better.
And yes you will only have the latest and greatest model for a short time anyway, but buying that product right after it's release will maximise that time
But this is a subjective thing...different people have different quirks about spending money...some buy only 2nd hand, but a year old, some buy all that's new and shiny and others don't care...it's all a matter of opinion
and i'm sorry, but i could never buy something apple in the weeks preceding MacWorld...as far as I know, nothing has been discontinued at MacWorld, only made better.
And yes you will only have the latest and greatest model for a short time anyway, but buying that product right after it's release will maximise that time
But this is a subjective thing...different people have different quirks about spending money...some buy only 2nd hand, but a year old, some buy all that's new and shiny and others don't care...it's all a matter of opinion
I used to wait around for MacWorld but I think the last few years have been disappointing. It's never a good time to buy a piece of technology. There are benefits to some models and introducing a new product to replace an older one has its advantages and disadvantages. Something like a Nano or whatever it will be called may be faster, more elegant looking, but for those who want the benefits of having a full-fledged desktop computer under one roof may prefer the Mini to what is offered in its place. I myself am very skeptical but until I see the specs I'll reserve judgment but I'm not going to keep myself from buying based on when MacWorld rolls around annually. I used to play that game until I realized that it didn't make too much of a difference. I'll let the early adopters buy in and then wait and see what the feedback is like and what the bugs are before I make my purchase. I don't "have to have" the newest thing as soon as it is offered anymore. I'm over that.
I have installed many Mac Mini systems with client looking for a simple office computer,( word processing, FileMaker, web browsing). With the hope that when they need to refresh their systems or in the event of a Mac failing (not happened yet) the replacement would be cheap and simple. If the Mini is not available and as they have already a monitor and keyboard I see the answer will be a little pc. Once you start down the road of offering a cheap but better pc replacement as your marketing strategy, you have to keep at it, or lose out with your gains into the small business arena. People remember if they have been misled, and find it hard to trust Apple when making future purchasing decisions.
Perhaps its time for Apple to split in two. Consumer and Commercial/ Education
Perhaps its time for Apple to split in two. Consumer and Commercial/ Education
I agree it would be a shame if the mini left us. I've no idea of sales figures but it seems to have been a popular machine, certainly with people I know. I'm sure it has lured the odd "mac curious" potential switcher with it's (relatively) low cost.
I'd be suprised if nothing came along to replace it - leaves rather a gaping hole in the product line.
I'd be suprised if nothing came along to replace it - leaves rather a gaping hole in the product line.
but waiting, you get to see if they do update the mini, or replace it with something else. so then you have a choice of getting the old mini or the new one
Bad idea: needed for business
The minis are essential if Apple wants to make inroads into business. They're small and can fit just about anywhere (especially with the racks that 3rd parties make), have the muscle to run everyday tasks (filemaker, email, Word/NeoOffice/Pages, scanning, filing, faxing, etc), don't waste money on unnecessary high-end graphics cards, don't waste electricity, inexpensive and easy to swap out. I've got 2 in my small office and am on the cusp of buying a third. If they would upgrade the processor more then once in a blue moon (I think it was actually 2 blue moons before the last upgrade), I would have upgraded earlier.
I know our local scdhools use them in the office for the front office (I remember one sat the monitor right on top of the mini).
Hell, I'd bet some places buy them to run windows exclusively because the form factor is so good. A local nationally-known deli uses iMacs as Windows machines (with BootCamp) because they're less expensive and more attractive than the PC equivalent and can be booted into OS X for easy troubleshooting. Places with less money (like my office) would get minis to do the same thing.
Do I see myself getting laptops or minitowers if there aren't minis? No. I've already got 2 laptops in the office (I started with one iBook as the only computer in the offfice once I had enough money to stop borrowing my wife's) and they aren't suited to permanent placement in the office. Minitowers take up way too much desk (or floor) space and get in the way. I have no need to upgrade the computer with PCI cards or additional drives or disks, so no need for a tower.
I also use an old G3 Blue tower as a server, but am considering switching to a mini for that too: less energy, less heat, more reliable. I'd be more eager to do it if apple would let S.M.A.R.T. monotoring work over firewire (I've got 3 drives backing each other up in the G3 and would like some chance of knowing when the data's in jeopardy).
If they stopped making Minis, I'd probably buy enough for my forseeable future and hunker down with them until they made something else just as suitable (which would mean they're lose out on upgrade sales and new OS sales once these became obsolete or too slow since they're working just fine now).
The minis are essential if Apple wants to make inroads into business. They're small and can fit just about anywhere (especially with the racks that 3rd parties make), have the muscle to run everyday tasks (filemaker, email, Word/NeoOffice/Pages, scanning, filing, faxing, etc), don't waste money on unnecessary high-end graphics cards, don't waste electricity, inexpensive and easy to swap out. I've got 2 in my small office and am on the cusp of buying a third. If they would upgrade the processor more then once in a blue moon (I think it was actually 2 blue moons before the last upgrade), I would have upgraded earlier.
I know our local scdhools use them in the office for the front office (I remember one sat the monitor right on top of the mini).
Hell, I'd bet some places buy them to run windows exclusively because the form factor is so good. A local nationally-known deli uses iMacs as Windows machines (with BootCamp) because they're less expensive and more attractive than the PC equivalent and can be booted into OS X for easy troubleshooting. Places with less money (like my office) would get minis to do the same thing.
Do I see myself getting laptops or minitowers if there aren't minis? No. I've already got 2 laptops in the office (I started with one iBook as the only computer in the offfice once I had enough money to stop borrowing my wife's) and they aren't suited to permanent placement in the office. Minitowers take up way too much desk (or floor) space and get in the way. I have no need to upgrade the computer with PCI cards or additional drives or disks, so no need for a tower.
I also use an old G3 Blue tower as a server, but am considering switching to a mini for that too: less energy, less heat, more reliable. I'd be more eager to do it if apple would let S.M.A.R.T. monotoring work over firewire (I've got 3 drives backing each other up in the G3 and would like some chance of knowing when the data's in jeopardy).
If they stopped making Minis, I'd probably buy enough for my forseeable future and hunker down with them until they made something else just as suitable (which would mean they're lose out on upgrade sales and new OS sales once these became obsolete or too slow since they're working just fine now).
Funny, I do just this. =/ My Mini is hooked up to my TV, where it serves as file server, print server, iTunes master / iPod syncer, media player, DVD player, and occasional video game system (WoW and old system emulators, which a computer + TV system is amazing at).
Okay, I'm not the average consumer. But I'm not nobody either, I swear!
Incidentally, the new tiny Bluetooth keyboard is the element that makes this all work well. Super-light and smart, and fits neatly and unobtrusively on my coffee table.
Spec2
2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
1GB memory
250GB hard drive
8x double-layer SuperDrive
ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT with 128MB memory
Cost: 80% of base iMac
In a shapely and small apple case
Is this anything more than wishful thinking on your part?
Which model of keyboard did you decide on?
As do I. I don't know what the new machine would be called, but it'd continued to be a low cost computer that also doubles as a small digital media server for your house.
Yes it can. If the Mini were relaunched with just an optical drive and a flash drive built in, plus a FW800 or eSATA port, it would see a lot of use as a low-power microserver in rugged environments. Plug in a large external HD, and it becomes a media server; plug in a fast HD, and it turns into a Web server. Attach a WiMax adapter, and you have a low-cost mesh networking router to connect OLPC users in developing countries.
Lol, shut it farmboy!
I love the mini. If the AppleTV gains DVD/RW, DD5.1 output, can play DivX etc AND I can plug in a EyeTV the I'll be happy.
Seriously, what's the big deal over DivX? Rip your movies to H.264 if you want good quality and small sizes.
Or is that certain types of videos on the Internet featuring consenting adults in life-affirming positions are typically in DivX format?
Short Memories?
For all the back and forth in this discussion, I would offer that I recall seeing this same discussion back in May and June, when supposedly the Mac Mini was to be a done deal -- another Apple Insider rumor -- but instead there was a processor upgrade and minor enhancements to other specs. I don't know if I would be so quick to write off the Mini yet. It seems folks have a short memory. We've all heard this rumor before.
I have three, dating back to the G4 from 2005, and two of the Intel machines purchased this year. Across the board, they've been solid, trouble-free, and versatile machines.
With that much said, I do agree that some sort of significant mini upgrade is in order, or perhaps, we can all wish for a retro-new age Cube. I also suspect a graphics upgrade or dedicated graphics may be necessary to effectively deal with the new Leopard OS.
For all the back and forth in this discussion, I would offer that I recall seeing this same discussion back in May and June, when supposedly the Mac Mini was to be a done deal -- another Apple Insider rumor -- but instead there was a processor upgrade and minor enhancements to other specs. I don't know if I would be so quick to write off the Mini yet. It seems folks have a short memory. We've all heard this rumor before.
I have three, dating back to the G4 from 2005, and two of the Intel machines purchased this year. Across the board, they've been solid, trouble-free, and versatile machines.
With that much said, I do agree that some sort of significant mini upgrade is in order, or perhaps, we can all wish for a retro-new age Cube. I also suspect a graphics upgrade or dedicated graphics may be necessary to effectively deal with the new Leopard OS.
My Mac Mini
I believe that Apple needs something on the lower end, whether it be Mac Mini or something similiar.
I just came into a new church four months ago. I inherited a computer that was on its last legs (766 MHz Pentium 3). It also had a monitor that was doing weird things.
The first thing to be replaced was the monitor (it was the part that was most obvious in need of repair. The P3 was able to (sort of) do what I needed it to do (word processing, email). However, when the church wanted a website, the P3 was simply not up to the task of running Dreamweaver, and thus I had a chance to get a new computer.
I wanted a Mac, the Chairman of the Finance Committee felt that I needed something that would run Windows (for "file compatibility" issues). Nothing would change his mind, so I "compromised" with a Mac Mini bundle from MacMall that included XP and boot camp. Everyone was happy with that decision. I had my Mac, I could show them, "See, it runs Windows XP just fine!" and no one has to worry about me not being able to read the documents sent by the Secretary.
My point is this: if the cheapest Mac had been more expensive, I would not have been able to convince the Finance Chairman to let me get one. Because it was as cheap as it was, another office is using a Mac, and another "Switch" has taken place.
If Apple wants more and more people to keep switching, they need to continue to offer a cost effective way to do so, which is what the Mac Mini provides.
I believe that Apple needs something on the lower end, whether it be Mac Mini or something similiar.
I just came into a new church four months ago. I inherited a computer that was on its last legs (766 MHz Pentium 3). It also had a monitor that was doing weird things.
The first thing to be replaced was the monitor (it was the part that was most obvious in need of repair. The P3 was able to (sort of) do what I needed it to do (word processing, email). However, when the church wanted a website, the P3 was simply not up to the task of running Dreamweaver, and thus I had a chance to get a new computer.
I wanted a Mac, the Chairman of the Finance Committee felt that I needed something that would run Windows (for "file compatibility" issues). Nothing would change his mind, so I "compromised" with a Mac Mini bundle from MacMall that included XP and boot camp. Everyone was happy with that decision. I had my Mac, I could show them, "See, it runs Windows XP just fine!" and no one has to worry about me not being able to read the documents sent by the Secretary.
My point is this: if the cheapest Mac had been more expensive, I would not have been able to convince the Finance Chairman to let me get one. Because it was as cheap as it was, another office is using a Mac, and another "Switch" has taken place.
If Apple wants more and more people to keep switching, they need to continue to offer a cost effective way to do so, which is what the Mac Mini provides.
surely investors will be pissed if they completely discontinue the mac mini with no replacement product? Apple would be cutting off a huge sector of the market, having a £700 laptop as your cheapest machine is a bit of a joke...
I read that AI article & remember it well. AI actually said that we'd see new iMacs, discontinuation of 17" iMac & that the Mini would probably receive one more minor update (C2D), before it too was discontinued. Also, that specific article wasn't based on mere rumour, but on inside sources that had proved very reliable for AI in the past. AFAIC, the Mini in its current form is definitely going.
Too bad then that for some of us the glossy iMacs aren't an option. Unless a nice surprise occurs in the coming weeks, ie. new headless Mac with discrete graphics, for me it'll be Mac laptops & PC desktops in future... despite Vista's problems.
Cube 2.0 FTW!!! (like that other poster said)
I waited for MONTHS for them to upgrade the mini, and the day that they did, I ran down to (well.. drove) the nearest Apple store and bought one. I currently have it hooked up to my 42 inch Vizio plasma, running the audio through a receiver with Bose 301's. I control it either by the keyboard and mouse with a long usb extension, or via my MacBook running Chicken Of VNC (with Vine Server running on the Mini).
I LOVE this set up and everyone who comes to the house is amazed by it. At first they think its running off of the MB, but then when I point out the Mini, they cannot believe that the Mini is actually the computer. Then they usually gasp or say "Oh my god" or something when I launch front row with the remote. Its kinda funny... everyone really loves (REALLY) watching movie trailers through front row. I now have several friends and family members who want the same set up, but alas, do not have HDTV's to get the full benefit ( I know about the s-video adapter, but that's kinda lame).
If they do kill the Mini, they absolutely need to replace it with something in the same price range. They really do need to come out with another "cube" or something along those lines but with a full size HDD bay, and possibly a heftier GPU.
Please
.... dont shoot yourself in the foot. I have faith.
I waited for MONTHS for them to upgrade the mini, and the day that they did, I ran down to (well.. drove) the nearest Apple store and bought one. I currently have it hooked up to my 42 inch Vizio plasma, running the audio through a receiver with Bose 301's. I control it either by the keyboard and mouse with a long usb extension, or via my MacBook running Chicken Of VNC (with Vine Server running on the Mini).
I LOVE this set up and everyone who comes to the house is amazed by it. At first they think its running off of the MB, but then when I point out the Mini, they cannot believe that the Mini is actually the computer. Then they usually gasp or say "Oh my god" or something when I launch front row with the remote. Its kinda funny... everyone really loves (REALLY) watching movie trailers through front row. I now have several friends and family members who want the same set up, but alas, do not have HDTV's to get the full benefit ( I know about the s-video adapter, but that's kinda lame).
If they do kill the Mini, they absolutely need to replace it with something in the same price range. They really do need to come out with another "cube" or something along those lines but with a full size HDD bay, and possibly a heftier GPU.
Please
.... dont shoot yourself in the foot. I have faith. 
IIRC the mini was introduced as a switchers-Mac. BYODKM was intended for those who already had a decent display and USB keyboard & mouse but were running Windoze.
But, the Mac mini seemed an excellent computer for other purposes:
- Mac media centre: Since the introduction of the Apple remote, the Core Duo's speed combined with the optical audio and DVI this Mac became the ideal media player to hook up to your LCD TV and Dolby Digital speakers.
- Small server: Because no D,K,M (as these are not needed for running a server) were shipped with this Mac, buying the 10-user version of Mac OS X Server could be a good, cheap alternative for the high-end Xserve. It is small, QUIET, and tnx to it's USB 2 and FireWire ports "expandable" enough for serving a very small business.
- Extra Mac: I know many people who already owned a Mac, but wanted another one for a family member who hardly ever uses a computer but occasionally likes to check email, surf the web and import photos. The Mac mini is cheap, and powerful enough for low-end use.
In other words, the Mac mini is a small versatile cute little Mac that has found many more purposes than being the switchers Mac.
Apple knows this, and must acknowledge the market the Mac mini has created for itself. I'm sure that if Apple EOL'd the mini they will introduce something similar.
But, the Mac mini seemed an excellent computer for other purposes:
- Mac media centre: Since the introduction of the Apple remote, the Core Duo's speed combined with the optical audio and DVI this Mac became the ideal media player to hook up to your LCD TV and Dolby Digital speakers.
- Small server: Because no D,K,M (as these are not needed for running a server) were shipped with this Mac, buying the 10-user version of Mac OS X Server could be a good, cheap alternative for the high-end Xserve. It is small, QUIET, and tnx to it's USB 2 and FireWire ports "expandable" enough for serving a very small business.
- Extra Mac: I know many people who already owned a Mac, but wanted another one for a family member who hardly ever uses a computer but occasionally likes to check email, surf the web and import photos. The Mac mini is cheap, and powerful enough for low-end use.
In other words, the Mac mini is a small versatile cute little Mac that has found many more purposes than being the switchers Mac.
Apple knows this, and must acknowledge the market the Mac mini has created for itself. I'm sure that if Apple EOL'd the mini they will introduce something similar.
I can see the Mac Mini being EOL, for an an updated model (not discontinued as AI has been wrong before...has Digitimes reported the Mac Mini being discontinued, no? Then it's safe to say AI is wrong again, lol). Both the MB and Mini using the same old components, would be logical for both to be upgraded to SR and integrated GPU, all to keep costs low & profit margins higher.
I don't really like the Mini, other than you can upgrade to the screen of your choice/size/resolution...it being separate from the screen is more of a liability to me. I think I'd rather have a AIO or really a redesigned smaller iMac.
An under $1k (say, same price as current 2Ghz Mini) lowest price Merom Santa Rosa w/Integrated GPU- iMac with only the entire screen up front, with all electronics on the backside of the screen (the Hi-def 17in from the MBP?), that maximizes space efficiency. I don't really care for the 'excess' bulk underneath the screen on the iMac (design decision by Apple, but I'd rather they make a slighting thicker screen housing, and move all completely behind the screen). The Apple logo, now on that fuggly excess real estate below the screen, could go on the pedestal stand. That would make for a much sleeker/cleaner lines looking 'statement' smaller/sexier machine.
Could keep the lower-priced Merom Integrated GPU solution on such a machine, when the high-performance SR/Penryn's & faster discrete GPU's eventually make it into the pricier iMac's next year.
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