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Mac Mini End Of Life?

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I did it! I actually lurked around in this thread long enough to see the 1000th post! This ridiculous 'mini is dead' thread just won't die.
Just installed Leopard on the G4 mini to have it ready for my dad to drive it up to Maine soon. It's working beautifully with Leopard, and
Safari seems snappier!:rolleyes:
 
gazfocus said:
The funny thing is that people actually believe the mini is at the end of it's life.
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Why wouldn't they? The news comes from one of the most reliable sources for Apple rumors, and there has been a recurring pattern over the last year wherein AppleInsider breaks a rumor but it fails to materialize until several months after the rumors indicates. That rumor was only 5 months old and it's not hard to believe, especially given Apple's almost criminal neglect of the Mac Mini.

Just speculating: maybe Apple was set to discontinue the Mini and unveil a mid-range tower (oh you know, the one that countless people, including some high-profile Mac commentators, have been banging their heads against the wall waiting for) last October but something delayed its release. So they leave the Mini in the stores as a stopgap while they fix whatever is going on with the tower.

Who knows, but I can't think of any other scenario that can explain Apple's almost complete lack of interest in the Mini lately. Can you?
 
inkswamp said:
Why wouldn't they? The news comes from one of the most reliable sources for Apple rumors, and there has been a recurring pattern over the last year wherein AppleInsider breaks a rumor but it fails to materialize until several months after the rumors indicates. That rumor was only 5 months old and it's not hard to believe, especially given Apple's almost criminal neglect of the Mac Mini.

Just speculating: maybe Apple was set to discontinue the Mini and unveil a mid-range tower (oh you know, the one that countless people, including some high-profile Mac commentators, have been banging their heads against the wall waiting for) last October but something delayed its release. So they leave the Mini in the stores as a stopgap while they fix whatever is going on with the tower.

Who knows, but I can't think of any other scenario that can explain Apple's almost complete lack of interest in the Mini lately. Can you?
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Now that is about the best explanation I have heard regarding the Mini. Perhaps an even better situation is to release a mid-tower, keep the Mini but reduce it's price.
 
the mini is only going to get better and better.... im going to buy one to dedicate it to downloading torrents / dvd ripping.....
 
Yvan256 said:
Wanna bet the next "Mac mini" will be the same form-factor as :apple:TV/Time Capsule? Probably even without an optical drive?
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Why not merge the Apple TV and Mac mini product lines? Mac TV? iTV :cool:?

They're not so different: Both run MacOS X, both have a harddisk, both have Ethernet and Airport, both have S/PDIF output. They do have different ports (Apple TV: HDMI, component video; Mac mini: DVI-I, USB/FW), which is a minor design issue. And of course, the Mac mini has the faster CPU and more RAM, which is also a small issue given the usual price drops.

The biggest difference is the optical drive.

A BluRay drive would make sense; they could price the Apple TV/Mac mini "Blu" at ¤ 399 and still compete with other standalone players.

Edit: And it could go with the overdue new Cinema Displays.
 
3247 said:
Why not merge the Apple TV and Mac mini product lines? Mac TV? iTV :cool:?

They're not so different: Both run MacOS X, both have a harddisk, both have Ethernet and Airport, both have S/PDIF output. They do have different ports (Apple TV: HDMI, component video; Mac mini: DVI-I, USB/FW), which is a minor design issue. And of course, the Mac mini has the faster CPU and more RAM, which is also a small issue given the usual price drops.

The biggest difference is the optical drive.

A BluRay drive would make sense; they could price the Apple TV/Mac mini "Blu" at ¤ 399 and still compete with other standalone players.

Edit: And it could go with the overdue new Cinema Displays.
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What's wrong with two separate products? It makes for messy marketing to say buy this for your home theater. Oh, buy it as a starter Mac too.

A specific entry level Mac complements the product line. I don't know if people would still buy it as the entry product if it's perceived and marketed as an AppleTV.

And as far as Blu-Ray goes, I'd say leave it out until the real specification is finalized, and for the time being, you can buy an external USB drive. Leave the Mini to its silent and tiny beauty. If BR drives fall far enough in cost to compete as an internal component, cool. Until then, I don't think they need to rush it since there are still further BR specs to be released.
 
Maybe the Pyramid?
lol.
joking.

But, I am strongly opposed to the AppleTV-Mini merger. I see two very different product lines, and do not need to be merged. Instead, they should develop the AppleTV further, and carry it out in it's own direction. The Mini really needs a breath of new life. It's an amazing machine - I love it, but have no place for it. Apple really needs to redesign it, redefine it, and market it like crazy.

Maybe the Mac Nano? That could flow seamlessly with an ACD (redesigned perhaps?), where the two have some sort of physical connection, under the stand, attaches to the back, idk. That would be really cool and target more of the switchers, taking on some of the iMac's audience.

The mac Mini is a great idea, just an old one - let's give it something new.
 
3247 said:
Why not merge the Apple TV and Mac mini product lines? Mac TV? iTV :cool:?
Click to expand...

Because they are two different target audiences.

They're not so different: Both run MacOS X,
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ATV, 10.4; Mini 10.5.

both have a harddisk,
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PATA vs. SATA.

both have Ethernet and Airport, both have S/PDIF output. They do have different ports (Apple TV: HDMI, component video; Mac mini: DVI-I, USB/FW), which is a minor design issue.
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Mini also has optical audio input; ATV has USB.

And of course, the Mac mini has the faster CPU and more RAM, which is also a small issue given the usual price drops.
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ATV has a dedicated gpu that can do H.264 decoding, the Mini does not.

The biggest difference is the optical drive.
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Not really.

A BluRay drive would make sense; they could price the Apple TV/Mac mini "Blu" at ¤ 399 and still compete with other standalone players.
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Doubt this happens anytime soon. Apple wants your money and the best way to accomplish that is to NOT let you rent/buy BluRay discs. They want you to buy from the iTMS.
 
I think if not the new mini, they will leverage what they learned making the airbook and make a very thin (Thini?) mac that you could mount on the wall under or beside your HDTV, or stand on it's edge right next to it or flat below it, with no optical drive, and all connections except power and HDMI to that HDTV being wireless. Even better if they can make it run off the power available from the HDMI line of the TV. 802.11n for networking, bluetooth for keyboard and mouse. If they are on their game, they should redesign the two inputs into one device you can easily hold and use while watching TV. iPod Touch as an input for your Thini? Yea, you would think they should put a few USB ports on it, but instead they can add bluetooth or wifi syncing to all their iPods and iPhone. I've just gone bluetooth with my Canon printer and won't go back. Add AppleTV functions to the OS, and I know about 1/2 a million people who will buy one. And to be sure, they should bundle free wireless networking (like the Amazon Kindle has) so we can buy songs and apps without worrying about being otherwise connected.

Or they could do something else altogether! ;)
 
4DThinker said:
I think if not the new mini, they will leverage what they learned making the airbook and make a very thin (Thini?) mac that you could mount on the wall under or beside your HDTV, or stand on it's edge right next to it or flat below it, with no optical drive, and all connections except power and HDMI to that HDTV being wireless.
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The only attractive part of this is the wireless connections, which are also the most unfeasible at this point for that data transfer.

Why would you make a device as thin as possible if it's going to sit under your TV? A portable is different than a media player.
 
hobo said:
The only attractive part of this is the wireless connections, which are also the most unfeasible at this point for that data transfer.

Why would you make a device as thin as possible if it's going to sit under your TV? A portable is different than a media player.
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Uhm, because at Apple, THIN is IN. HDTVs themselves are getting thinner. Using 802.11n I can stream HD-DVD movies I've stored on my network server to my iMac. Seems fast enough. Thin take up less space, is less noticeable, and might be mistaken for, say, a mirror or photo, or something else you might fine on the wall. The Airbook is stunning to look at, no matter how practical it is or isn't. The new mini or Thini could be thin just to be similarly stunning.

As for it being portable, simply unplug it from your HDTV and take it with you. Might as well be impressive on the big HDTV when you're not lugging it around.
 
3247 said:
Why not merge the Apple TV and Mac mini product lines? Mac TV? iTV :cool:?

They're not so different: Both run MacOS X, both have a harddisk, both have Ethernet and Airport, both have S/PDIF output. They do have different ports (Apple TV: HDMI, component video; Mac mini: DVI-I, USB/FW), which is a minor design issue. And of course, the Mac mini has the faster CPU and more RAM, which is also a small issue given the usual price drops.

The biggest difference is the optical drive.

A BluRay drive would make sense; they could price the Apple TV/Mac mini "Blu" at ¤ 399 and still compete with other standalone players.

Edit: And it could go with the overdue new Cinema Displays.
Click to expand...

$399: are you kidding? Do you know how much a Blue Ray device costs?
 
You've missed my point.

The wholesale price for a million bluray drives may be marginally more than the normal DVD drive. If not now, at some point soon.
 
emotion said:
You've missed my point.

The wholesale price for a million bluray drives may be marginally more than the normal DVD drive. If not now, at some point soon.
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No, I did not miss your point. Blue Ray is expensive right now, much more expensive than regular, even at a million units, and we poor laymen have no idea of that cost.

In two years I suspect Blue Ray will start to become a large enough market to drive the cost down.
 
from what i've seen here i think people are missing the point entirely. apple does not see the mini as a media centre and nor will they treat it as one when they are in the process of trying to establish the :apple:tv. for them it is a low price point transitional device for switchers and to encourage upselling. which is all a shame really coz mine works great as a media centre.
 
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