Mac Mini End Of Life?

[snberk103]

Originally Posted by snberk103
"...and the Mini - while flexible - isn't quite up to a pure media centre for the really hardcore enthusiasts."

Why do you think this?

Actually, I don't know for sure - I should clarify that this is based only on what I have read here and elsewhere of people who either wish the Mini did "something or another" (or complained that it didn't do it).... or people who have only been able to get the Mini to do "Another or something" after some fiddling.

I have our Mini working as a media centre, no problems. But its a very simple setup. I think the people who believe it isn't up to the job have really complex home theatres. I know the plug-outs on the back of the ATV and the Mini are different. I assume (with all that that risks) that the plug-outs on the ATV are specific for connecting to the extra features on stereos, TVs, etc etc.

 

[donga]

random note: this thread is almost a year old and has over 2300 posts

i really hope there's a mini update/redesign october 14th

 

[Cave Man]

I think the people who believe it isn't up to the job have really complex home theatres.

Well, my setup is a 2 gHz Mini with DVI to HDMI cable to a 1080p Sanyo projector and Dolby Digital/DTS 5.1 surround sound system, and it plays native Blu-Ray rips without dropping any frames. Not sure how much more complex you can get. The problem isn't the hardware, the problem is Quicktime (and its surrogate, Front Row). It's pretty weak.

 

[marbles]

random note: this thread is almost a year old and has over 2300 posts

i really hope there's a mini update/redesign october 14th

I was thinking it might be before then

 

[bankshot]

So, I am almost out of patience and could buy with in the next weeks... expect a refresh shortly after that

Well, if there is a refresh soon (perhaps the Oct 14 event), you can thank me. Mac minis popped up on the refurb store again today, so I finally caved and ordered a 1.83 mini for $499 (minus 5% cash back from Discover, whoohoo). It'll replace two old machines - a 733 MHz Power Mac G4 and a PC running FreeBSD. Despite being a bit outdated today, this mini will handle both of their functions and do a far better/faster job while using much less electricity.

If the update comes soon and is significantly better, I should be able to eBay this one for close to what I paid. Win-win!

 

[t0mat0]

Anyone up to actually want to add a predicted date of when the Mac mini will get EOL'd/refreshed or updated?

I've put a question up on predictify.com Here sign up here

You can add your prediciton, and possibly see where the consensus lies.

October event is ~28 days away, MWSF is ~126 days away, with WWDC 09 ~300 days away.#
give us a shout when a LOT of mac minis hit the refurbished section!

 

[Joe The Dragon]

Despite what you might think, there are a lot of people who don't play 3d video games. Thus a mini with x4500hd gpu and Blu-ray rom would be perfect.

and the $50 video chips are not gamer cards.

also the OS uses 3D for the DESKTOP and apps like CS4 are planing to make use of the GPU.

And the x4500hd can't do dual head and it sucks up system ram.

If the mini is priced at $700+ it should have a video card at that price.

 

[Cave Man]

and the $50 video chips are not gamer cards. also the OS uses 3D for the DESKTOP and apps like CS4 are planing to make use of the GPU.

Your assertion was that integrated gpus were POS, when they're perfectly fine for the majority of uses. The exception I noted was intense 3D video games (where high frame rates and vertex shaders are needed). However, it's fine for other 3D tasks.

The Mini isn't targeted as a hard-core gamer's machine; never has been and never will be. While some of the CS4 apps will leverage the gpu, it won't make the Mini unusable for those apps - just a bit slower. I used Aperture (which makes extensive use of gpu cores) on a 1.66 gHz Mini and while it was slower than my hackintosh (256 mb 8600GT), it wasn't awful. It rendered 8 mp RAW images in about 2 sec, compared to about 1 sec on my hackintosh. The x4500 is far superior to the gma950 on the current Minis.

And the x4500hd can't do dual head and it sucks up system ram.

If by "dual head" you mean drive two displays at once, it certainly can. The use of system RAM as vRAM is really meaningless in that it takes away from available RAM (which is dirt cheap anyway). The principal issue is competition with the system bus - and why it's not for intense 3D games.

If the mini is priced at $700+ it should have a video card at that price.

Not if it's going to continue using notebook components, which inherently cost more than desktop. There is some value to small footprint, low power consumption and no noise. Despite being more than a year old in its current version, you'd be hard pressed to find any other computer with its features for less cost.

 

[Demodex]

Might be far fetched but

http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/18534/


Is there hope? A possibility? I hope so

 

[Cave Man]

http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/18534/

Is there hope? A possibility? I hope so

When I heard the word "brick" last week, I immediately thought of the Mini. But I really doubt it comes to fruition. I rarely hope to be wrong, but in this case I'd be happy to.

 

[TSE]

If a new mini comes out, they better not stick with that intel gma crap. They should atleast give you an option upgrade of a better mid-range card.

 

[PowerPC User]

Apple iMacs are really actually Great enough!

Apple had/have Mac minis.
They have iMacs/Mac Pros and MacBooks.

iMacs are not bad.
You can use them just about anywhere.
And they're freakin good enough, for any type of "computer user".

They have an optical reading/writing drive with screens.
(Alright, so maybe Apple needs more variety in screen-types-modes)
The keyboard is very good, however, I think its time all Apple
computers include sometype of trackball instead.
A trackball that is really, totally awesome (with a over a few "buttons").

That's what we really want, right?!

A revolutionary Apple trackball that is included with every new iMac/Mac (that will be released)!

 

[Drag'nGT]

I want the power of the iMac in the new Mini if they are indeed updating it. I want to run this into my 40" 1080p TV and have the uber display I've always wanted.

Since I have not seen this setup before can anyone comment on how it looks compared to a 20" iMac? I have looked at a PC with a very good graphics card on a 1080p and while the contrast was better the image seemed to be forced to fit a little... am I wrong? Anyone care to share?

 

[PowerPC User]

I want the power of the iMac in the new Mini if they are indeed updating it. I want to run this into my 40" 1080p TV and have the uber display I've always wanted.

Since I have not seen this setup before can anyone comment on how it looks compared to a 20" iMac? I have looked at a PC with a very good graphics card on a 1080p and while the contrast was better the image seemed to be forced to fit a little... am I wrong? Anyone care to share?

Alright, alright, so it would be an awesome hold-able and placeable Apple Wireless Trackball-device, because it would be wireless (like the nice new Apple Wireless Keyboard), and you can use it, and have to use it at one fixed position, in front of the nice t.v.'s available on our "couches". Or on a table, floor... you get it.

And also because, using a trackball for the first time, and all the time is an actual fun and really easy (going from one part of the screen to another, as what you use with a cursor and current Mac OS X) and pretty much safer and more ergonomic to use, it just great on all levels. Imagine that on a nice large tv-like screen.

If we're going to use an Apple machine where there's a screen,
we need to be able to control and use, easily from different comfortable sitting arrangements.

Thus, I reiterate, Apple is missing that Wireless Trackball-type pointing device in their everyday use , that doesn't need a flat surface all the time.

 

[t0mat0]

Alright, alright, so it would be an awesome hold-able and placeable Apple Wireless Trackball-device, because it would be wireless (like the nice new Apple Wireless Keyboard), and you can use it, and have to use it at one fixed position, in front of the nice t.v.'s available on our "couches". Or on a table, floor... you get it.

And also because, using a trackball for the first time, and all the time is an actual fun and really easy (going from one part of the screen to another, as what you use with a cursor and current Mac OS X) and pretty much safer and more ergonomic to use, it just great on all levels. Imagine that on a nice large tv-like screen.

If we're going to use an Apple machine where there's a screen,
we need to be able to control and use, easily from different comfortable sitting arrangements.

Thus, I reiterate, Apple is missing that Wireless Trackball-type pointing device in their everyday use , that doesn't need a flat surface all the time.

Hmm, so why not just allow the slaving of a Touch or iPhone? not exactly a trackball, but would portable as long as within wireless range...

 

[PowerPC User]

Hmm, so why not just allow the slaving of a Touch or iPhone? not exactly a trackball, but would portable as long as within wireless range...

A-hh, good, good. Now, "we're" thinking.
Now what if WAS the device you use to use as a Computer...
...that's a bit more in the future, however, I guess, someway for people to get used to things...Portable devices, that connect to some centralized data storage/organization place as both a smaller version of that, and a way to continue using it in efficient and fun ways...
yeahp, that may be engaging.

 

[iCe Cube]

I have a mac mini and it's awesome! Bought it in may 05 and had it since. No problems at all, well apart from the occasional slowness of the thing, but great otherwise!

 

[snberk103]

Hmm, so why not just allow the slaving of a Touch or iPhone? not exactly a trackball, but would portable as long as within wireless range...

Because if you are buying a Mini because its inexpensive, you probably don't have a Touch or iPhone....

 

[Matrixd]

US Apple Store...Mac Mini

5:00 EST Sunday...Apple Store...System issue?? ...signs of things to come?? ...someone accidentally hit delete??


Update: Nevermind...It's back...now the Macbook Pro page is down.

 

[rpaloalto]

You all have to remember the mac mini is meant to replace the emac. It is not meant to be a cheap alternative to buying a imac. Even at it's current configuration it is more than powerful for students and school use.
It is also a great inexpensive alternative for some who only needs it for general use.

My uncle is a principle of a small privet school K trough 8 grade, of about 300 students. They just purchased 30 mac minis, to replace their aging first generation imac and emac computers. I have seen mac mini's in more than a few schools.
They fit in nicely with most schools budgets. Since schools receive a generous discount when buying in bulk from apple. Pair that with a cheep 12 or 15 inch no name LCD monitor. Which you can find for less than $120. You got your self a nice package that schools can afford.

This is what we want. As a lover of all things Apple. It brings me great joy to see schools use mac's in the class room.
Start them off early as mac users, and some are bound to become life long mac users. Parents sometimes will often buy macs for home use, if they know thats is what is used at their children's school .

 

[t0mat0]

A-hh, good, good. Now, "we're" thinking.
Now what if WAS the device you use to use as a Computer...
...that's a bit more in the future, however, I guess, someway for people to get used to things...Portable devices, that connect to some centralized data storage/organization place as both a smaller version of that, and a way to continue using it in efficient and fun ways...
yeahp, that may be engaging.

Apple remote? VNC? Light and sound remote? Already here... Heck, a glass multitouch pad is only a small, say 3.5 inch display away from being a sunk in interface akin to an iPhone/touch.

Because if you are buying a Mini because its inexpensive, you probably don't have a Touch or iPhone....

I think using a Touch or iPhone in this way could be expanded to beyond the mini

 

[shikimo]

...My uncle is a principle of a small privet school K trough 8 grade, of about 300 students. They just purchased 30 mac minis, to replace their aging first generation imac and emac computers. I have seen mac mini's in more than a few schools.
They fit in nicely with most schools budgets. Since schools receive a generous discount when buying in bulk from apple. Pair that with a cheep 12 or 15 inch no name LCD monitor. Which you can find for less than $120. You got your self a nice package that schools can afford.

This is what we want. As a lover of all things Apple. It brings me great joy to see schools use mac's in the class room.
Start them off early as mac users, and some are bound to become life long mac users. Parents sometimes will often buy macs for home use, if they know thats is what is used at their children's school .

Now that you mention it, I noticed that most of the multimedia classrooms at the university where I taught last year, l'Université Lyon 2, were equipped with shiny new minis. French universities, all public, are woefully underfunded and I'm sure they made a giant bulk deal with Apple...and, no doubt, the massive influx of mac advertising on campus and the brand-new imacs in the office where students go to register were part of this deal.

As you say, macs in school mean macs at home later, at least if they are maintained properly and people like to use them--when I was at Pitt everyone hated macs, but only because they were administered by PC-only morons and thus crashed continually. Hope they've fixed that. In any case it's a tougher sell here, where macs have long been considered luxury items, but it's changing little by little; there are now mac sections in mega-stores (think French versions of Wal-Mart) and not just pricey boutiques, and universities here CERTAINLY aren't considered luxurious.

 

[shikimo]

Because if you are buying a Mini because its inexpensive, you probably don't have a Touch or iPhone....

That may be true sometimes, but not as a pattern. Lots of us buy minis when we could pay more for a 'better' machine, but there are other factors to consider. Footprint, for one: when I bought my mini there wasn't room for anything else in the Apple line-up in my old, ghetto-style apartment. It was mini or Shuttle, and Shuttle wasn't happening. Also, as I've said before on this thread my mini does everything I need it to and it's hundreds less than an iMac, so for me its poor specs/value ratio was annoying but ultimately meaningless. Just 'cuz I could've spent more without defaulting on the mortgage for a machine that is, out of context, undeniably a better value doesn't mean it would have been a good idea...and those 400 extra Euros look pretty good in the world of new, more sanely-priced iPhones. Just haven't got around to buying it yet, as I'm still rather attached to my old motorola...although I'd better spend that money soon or the French government will come take it away from me.

 

[specialbuddy]

As you say, macs in school mean macs at home later, at least if they are maintained properly and people like to use them--when I was at Pitt everyone hated macs, but only because they were administered by PC-only morons and thus crashed continually.

I thought macs just worked and never crashed? I'm thinking about buying one for my girlfriend but if a pc-only moron like myself can't figure it out then I guess I'll have to pass. Seriously though, can we drop this PC bs already on both sides? I'm just going to put this out there that I don't know very many people with macs. The ones that do own them know nothing about computers in general (win or mac). Plus the only reason they bought the mac is because they like how they look and could care less about how it works. I know this is probably not the case for 90% of the folks on this site but that's my general view of the people that I know with macs.
For me, I really want to get a mini to use it as a low power media server as well as get a feel for the OS since I already know linux and win. The OS amazes me and the only reason I haven't bought one yet is because of people like this guy/girl and I need to run Autocad.

 

[mheidt]

If I build another hackintosh it'll be a home theater PC, and this is the board I'd do it with. However, we need x4500hd drivers, which I hope will arrive with the next MB revision. The atom board doesn't have optical audio, which is something I'd need.

YES! There it is...everything you need...even eSata...7.1....huuuuu
This means, that if the new mac mini won't be released until january and the spec isn't coming close to it, I will join you hacking this true mini.