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Mac Mini Not Dead Yet?
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Just my idea pfffttt
ya know what the problem with black is, you cant get any better than black as a color, so any product model after black just looks like crap.
Ya a shame isn't it?
Those who want a mini-tower for non-professional use, we're just not in Apple's customer base...
As great as firewire was, its days are numbered. You have to look very hard to find a camcorder, optical drive, or hard drive that has it anymore.
The traditional Mac semi-pro is too boring for Apple these days. Their peeps these days are students and the starbucks crowd.
Huh? I haven't seen a camcorder without it, and hard drives with FireWire are common enough (though at a bit of a premium often, since it really is better).
jW
Maybe hardcore gamers demanding to run games like "Crysis" maxed-out can seem to be "irrational", but most people bemoaning integrated graphics here aren't talking about supporting or catering to hardcore gamers. We're talking about enough graphical output to allow people to play popular titles like the Sims stuff, AOE3, Civilization, etc.
If Apple offer a redesigned Mini, then a mid-range video card in the more expensive Mini (they could keep integrated in the cheapest Mini for those that don't need the extra power), would probably satisfy 90%-95% of complainers. It's about increasing basic choice rather than "supporting irrational people", as you put it.
Keep It!
I don't have a need for one either, but having a sub-700 dollar machine for Apple is totally necessary
I don't have a need for one either, but having a sub-700 dollar machine for Apple is totally necessary
Ok, so how soon could this new Mini be coming out?
Macrumors guide says " Don't Buy, Updates soon", but now it sounds like we're MONTHS away, rather than just a couple of weeks. I've already been waiting a couple months, and only want it to hook it up to my HDTV for eyeTV, Front Row, and as a wired home server, so the current model is all I really need.
Macrumors guide says " Don't Buy, Updates soon", but now it sounds like we're MONTHS away, rather than just a couple of weeks. I've already been waiting a couple months, and only want it to hook it up to my HDTV for eyeTV, Front Row, and as a wired home server, so the current model is all I really need.
It must cost Apple next to nothing to rearrange some laptop parts and put them into another case.
Besides, what a neat little machine. A monitor, a tiny box and a bluetooth keyboard and mouse makes for a clean modern set-up.
And, maybe they sell some monitors to go with the mini.
Besides, what a neat little machine. A monitor, a tiny box and a bluetooth keyboard and mouse makes for a clean modern set-up.
And, maybe they sell some monitors to go with the mini.
I like my Mac mini-fast,quiet and small.
Hope the new minis will have 802.11n and X3100 graphics (like the MacBook).
Although, I don't want to see the Apple remote dropped as a standard item.
Hope the new minis will have 802.11n and X3100 graphics (like the MacBook).
Although, I don't want to see the Apple remote dropped as a standard item.
New chipset means new logic board. Still, shouldn't take that much effort to engineer, unless they're also changing the form factor (e.g., Apple TV, Time Capsule) and/or adding additional ports (e.g., FW800, eSATA, HDMI).
I predict an aluminum mini
I think the existing case is gone, replaced by the same case they use for either Time Capsule or Apple TV, modified for appearance and I/O ports. It keeps the engineering and component costs down.
I agree. I'm one of those people that want better graphics. I also know what the Crysis crowd wants, and the Mini can't ever meet their needs due to the upgrades that the high FPS gamers want. But mid range graphics that are good enough to play AOE3 would make me very happy. I have a graphics workstation for the high end games. But it's over 1kW in power draw when running full speed. So a Mini that's only drawing 45-90W would be very nice for the normal games.
As it is, the Mini is at least 100 too expensive. You can get a full el-cheapo laptop including keyboard and a screen for less than the mini. So I think that the least they can do is drop 100.
Some of you want a PRO version and Blue Ray and who knows what else. Fine is fine to dream. But Blue Ray would add at least 200 to the price.
By the time you add some of these features, you could have purchased an iMac or even a Mac Pro. Don't believe it? Start adding components and compare with others.
Have you looked at the price of the most expensive iMac to the price of the default Mac Pro? Do you know that the Mac Pro is the best value Apple has when you look at what you get for the price?
Take a mini, add a screen, keyboard, mouse, same memory as an iMac and as much disk as a similar iMAc and see the price difference.
It is nice to dream, but some of the features you like to have in the mini would kill it because it would place it out of the range of the intended audience. IMHO that would be more realistic and bettter marketing, but again I know nothing.
I love to have all those other features you guys mention, but is it practical for Apple to do so?
You guys want to create a Mac Pro mini. While that sounds good to me, Apple still needs to have an entry level desktop.
Maybe they should just add a little more memory, go with the new line of CPUs, add 11n, go gigabit ethernet and drop it 100 to bring in more customers during this bad economy. I would love a model with 2 Gigabit ethernet ports to use it as a firewall box and create more flexible networks.
The mini needs to remain the entry level system, it needs to bring grandma, young kids, and students. The only 2 places where the mini can not play is in the PRO circle and the gamer circle, outside of that it is a beaut of a system if a little overpriced.
You can grow it also. Add a bunch of external disk drives create some raids, lots of space for TM for your other systems, lots of space for media, lots of space of sharing space, you can connect it to your tv, you can use it to run server OSX, set up web sites, iChat server, iCal server, you name it. It is a very versitile little machine and the speed is not bad at all.
Make a nice Xgrid with 5 to 20 of these babies and you can edit a full length motion picture or the next Animation movie hit.
Don't kill it.
Some of you want a PRO version and Blue Ray and who knows what else. Fine is fine to dream. But Blue Ray would add at least 200 to the price.
By the time you add some of these features, you could have purchased an iMac or even a Mac Pro. Don't believe it? Start adding components and compare with others.
Have you looked at the price of the most expensive iMac to the price of the default Mac Pro? Do you know that the Mac Pro is the best value Apple has when you look at what you get for the price?
Take a mini, add a screen, keyboard, mouse, same memory as an iMac and as much disk as a similar iMAc and see the price difference.
It is nice to dream, but some of the features you like to have in the mini would kill it because it would place it out of the range of the intended audience. IMHO that would be more realistic and bettter marketing, but again I know nothing.
I love to have all those other features you guys mention, but is it practical for Apple to do so?
You guys want to create a Mac Pro mini. While that sounds good to me, Apple still needs to have an entry level desktop.
Maybe they should just add a little more memory, go with the new line of CPUs, add 11n, go gigabit ethernet and drop it 100 to bring in more customers during this bad economy. I would love a model with 2 Gigabit ethernet ports to use it as a firewall box and create more flexible networks.
The mini needs to remain the entry level system, it needs to bring grandma, young kids, and students. The only 2 places where the mini can not play is in the PRO circle and the gamer circle, outside of that it is a beaut of a system if a little overpriced.
You can grow it also. Add a bunch of external disk drives create some raids, lots of space for TM for your other systems, lots of space for media, lots of space of sharing space, you can connect it to your tv, you can use it to run server OSX, set up web sites, iChat server, iCal server, you name it. It is a very versitile little machine and the speed is not bad at all.
Make a nice Xgrid with 5 to 20 of these babies and you can edit a full length motion picture or the next Animation movie hit.
Don't kill it.
Definitely check it. After a year, mine looked like the inside of a used vacuum cleaner bag!
Opening a mini is not something I would want to do so much. Do you think that the commercial vacuums at the car wash can suck all the dust bunnies out through the mini's fan slits?
How about updating MacRumors itself?
In the "Rumors By Product", the Mac mini still hasn't been added but yet the eMac, iBook and PowerBook are still listed...
As for those who keep saying "the Mac mini is useless since once you add a display, keyboard and mouse, you might as well buy an iMac":
- First and foremost the Mac mini was made for switchers (like me).
- Second, I really don't like the idea of a built-in monitor for a desktop computer.
- Third, the iMac is twice as expensive as the Mac mini (if you already have a DKM), so upgrading also means a higher cost. I've switched with a Mac mini G4/1.42, and I have upgraded to a Mac mini Core 2 Duo/1.83 a few months ago. The iMac is not even in my list of options, I'd rather buy a MacBook for that price.
I hope Apple keeps the Mac mini or a similar system in their lineup.
In regards to the GPU: all I'm wishing for is a decent GPU that should have its own memory and could run Starcraft 2 at decent settings in 1280x1024.
In the "Rumors By Product", the Mac mini still hasn't been added but yet the eMac, iBook and PowerBook are still listed...
As for those who keep saying "the Mac mini is useless since once you add a display, keyboard and mouse, you might as well buy an iMac":
- First and foremost the Mac mini was made for switchers (like me).
- Second, I really don't like the idea of a built-in monitor for a desktop computer.
- Third, the iMac is twice as expensive as the Mac mini (if you already have a DKM), so upgrading also means a higher cost. I've switched with a Mac mini G4/1.42, and I have upgraded to a Mac mini Core 2 Duo/1.83 a few months ago. The iMac is not even in my list of options, I'd rather buy a MacBook for that price.
I hope Apple keeps the Mac mini or a similar system in their lineup.
In regards to the GPU: all I'm wishing for is a decent GPU that should have its own memory and could run Starcraft 2 at decent settings in 1280x1024.
I do not seem to understand the logic behind overlaps that people talk about. All-in-one desktops are always a different category that want to buy a computer without any hassle of knowing what camera, monitor, keyboard, etc they should buy and who want some elegance.
For the desktop/workstation category, there is clearly a gap and where many people would like to see a product that fits their needs.
Mini (499 to 799) --> iTower or whatever (899 to 1699) ---> Mac Pro (1799 to infinity)
1799 (is when one quad core is selected).
For iTower/Classic, they dont need to put Xeon, start with desktop dual core configuration, a decent card like 8600GT and a 320GB hard disk. And start the price somewher 899/999. This is a headless mac. Anyone wants to buy a full package, go buy iMac.
In my opinion, that ought to be hugely popular, but then again Apple can (or must have) conduct(ed) a survey to see customer demand.
Well, if Apple wont bring out, I will built a homebrew Hack Pro.
It would also mean the possibility of a 3.5" drive (which is bigger, faster, cheaper), since TC has one built-in. We only need a case that's perhaps a bit taller to include everything else, but otherwise I'd be happy with that form-factor too.