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Mac Mini Refresh, New Low-Cost Notebook, Apple Watches With Larger Displays and More Coming This Fall
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[doublepost=1531356305][/doublepost]Low cost notebook upgraded Mac Mini.
Apple is working on updates across its entire product line for the second half of 2018, according to a new investor's note shared this morning by reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, with refreshes expected for iPhone, iPad, Mac mini, MacBook Pro, iMac, and Apple Watch.
Much of what Kuo has to share has been mentioned before, but he provides a nice overview of what we can expect to see this fall along with some interesting new tidbits on Apple's upcoming product lineup.
[*]iPhone - There are three iPhones in the works, two OLED models in 5.8 and 6.5-inch sizes and one lower-cost LED model that will be available in a 6.1-inch size. All three will feature Face ID and upgraded A12 processors. While the two OLED models will have dual-lens cameras, the lower-cost model will feature a single-lens camera.
[*]iPad Pro - Apple is working on two new 11 and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models that are equipped with a full-screen design similar to the iPhone X and no Home button, with Apple to replace Touch ID with Face ID.
[*]Mac mini - Kuo didn't have a lot of information to share on the Mac mini, but he says a processor upgrade is expected. The Mac mini has not been updated for more than 1,300 days, aka over 3 and a half years. It's not clear if additional upgrades will be included, such as a redesigned chassis, but at least some kind of refresh is on the horizon.
[*]MacBook Pro - Processor upgrades expected.
[*]MacBook - Processor upgrades expected.
[*]New Low-Priced Notebook - Kuo believes Apple is designing a new low-priced notebook. He originally said that this would be in the MacBook Air family, but now has changed his mind. Previous rumors have suggested this machine could be a 12-inch MacBook, so Apple may be planning to expand the MacBook lineup with an additional low-cost option to replace the MacBook Air.
[*]iMac - Kuo says to expect a significant display performance upgrade, but he does not go into detail about what this will entail and we haven't heard additional iMac rumors at this time. He says the iMac, like other Macs, will get a processor refresh.
[*]Apple Watch - Apple is working on two new Apple Watch models for 2018 that will have bigger displays and enhanced heart rate detection features. The two Apple Watch models will measure in at 1.57 inches (39.9mm) and 1.78 inches (45.2mm), roughly 15 percent bigger than in the current models. Rumors have not been clear on whether the Apple Watch itself will be larger or if the bigger display will come from a reduction in bezels.
Kuo wraps up his note with a prediction that the highly-anticipated AirPods and the AirPower will go into mass production in the third quarter of 2018, suggesting a late fall launch. Apple first announced the AirPower in the fall of 2017, but has reportedly run into some problems with production. Recent rumors have said Apple is aiming for a September launch for the AirPower.
Kuo doesn't provide details on when we might see refreshes to Apple's other product lines, but the company could be planning to launch all of the new products at its annual September event, which is typically held during the first or second week of September.
In the past, Apple has also held separate October events when there is a heavy fall product lineup to unveil, so Macs and iPads could also come in that month.
Article Link: Mac Mini Refresh, New Low-Cost Notebook, Apple Watches With Larger Displays and More Coming This Fall
Maybe the platforms for Apple to start using their own "A" chips.
The specs on the a11 in ipads show they could power either of these 2 and those specs are an a chip already a year or two old.
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Mac mini - LMAO! That’s just apple’s sick joke.
MacBook - four useless ports? Tim can shove it
MacBook - still one port? Tim can shove it! Maybe add something useful not another port that requieres a dongle
New low cost laptop - i’m honestly scared on this one. With the MacBook being so useless, this probably will be a laptop with massive benzels, with tech from 2001. Hopefully it will have a USB though.
I wonder if Tim would have had any updates this year i
MacBook - four useless ports? Tim can shove it
MacBook - still one port? Tim can shove it! Maybe add something useful not another port that requieres a dongle
New low cost laptop - i’m honestly scared on this one. With the MacBook being so useless, this probably will be a laptop with massive benzels, with tech from 2001. Hopefully it will have a USB though.
I wonder if Tim would have had any updates this year i
I have no clue what Apple is doing anymore at least in terms of their Macs. You have 8th-gen intel chips that have been out for a while now and Apple still has not updated anything to the current gen.
This x1000. I have no clue what Apple is doing anymore. 8th-gen Intel chips have been out for a while now and yet nothing in their Mac lineup uses them. They seemed to be so obsessed with shaving millimeters off their products that they are forgetting to leave room for the internals or battery. Not to mention they announce products now that seem to have indefinite delays like the AirPower mat.
I definitely feel that their OSes have been stagnating for the past few years. Kinda sad that one of the biggest features of the upcoming MacOS is 'dark mode.' Like seriously? I dunno if other people have been having iOS 11 bugs... but Ive never seen so many bugs in an OS. My original 7+ randomly bricked completely out of the blue, luckily it was still under warranty and got it replaced, I cant do an iTunes sync without something messing up, and some playlists of downloaded songs got randomly deleted and it showed the cloud icon to re-download them. Then the phone randomly chugs and runs slow for no reason and I never keep more than 4-5 apps open at once.
A Surface Book and a Galaxy S is looking more and more appealing by the day.
This x1000. I have no clue what Apple is doing anymore. 8th-gen Intel chips have been out for a while now and yet nothing in their Mac lineup uses them. They seemed to be so obsessed with shaving millimeters off their products that they are forgetting to leave room for the internals or battery. Not to mention they announce products now that seem to have indefinite delays like the AirPower mat.
I definitely feel that their OSes have been stagnating for the past few years. Kinda sad that one of the biggest features of the upcoming MacOS is 'dark mode.' Like seriously? I dunno if other people have been having iOS 11 bugs... but Ive never seen so many bugs in an OS. My original 7+ randomly bricked completely out of the blue, luckily it was still under warranty and got it replaced, I cant do an iTunes sync without something messing up, and some playlists of downloaded songs got randomly deleted and it showed the cloud icon to re-download them. Then the phone randomly chugs and runs slow for no reason and I never keep more than 4-5 apps open at once.
A Surface Book and a Galaxy S is looking more and more appealing by the day.
Of course. With soldered RAM and glued everything, a non-user upgradable, non user-repairable mini will always be disappointing. With good reason.
This thing has more ports than the Pearl River Delta and AMD Vega graphics!
Catch up Apple.
Catch up Apple.
The thing is, mini never sold well even when it was updated more often, had quad core CPUs available, and user replaceable RAM (and two drive bays).
Maybe Apple just didn’t market it well, or maybe most people just want a laptop or iMac, and don’t want to deal with buying a monitor and computer separately.
Also, it’s hard to match the quality of the 27” iMac 5K monitor. Really the $1,799 entry level 27” 5K iMac (quad core, 8GB, 1TB Fusion drive) is kind of a steal considering the quality of the monitor; would an equivalent mini + monitor be had any cheaper? But I get that some users just want a $600-$800 box to use with an inexpensive monitor.
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Yep, iMac has always been a better deal. Mac mini sounds cool until you have to buy peripherals. And even if you have old peripherals to use, the iMac is still better assuming you sell it rather than throwing it away when it's old, plus then you don't have to deal with separate stuff.
Mac mini only makes sense if you have kinda niche needs. Like maybe using it with a TV or in some pro setup.
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Macbook and Macbook pro better include a new keyboard that is not killed by a grain of food or sand.
I’m with you on your point. However, I dont see it until 2019.
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OS Developement was shot when Scott was forced out by Timmy.
Buying into the Mac Mini at this point would be foolish. 3.5 yrs between refreshes with no upgrade capability. No thanks
From the old scripture of Superhaicus:
Every fourth year a select few of humanity
comes to the den of Ceasar Timius Cookies,
they call themselves quindecmillenials, and they
eagerly await their fruits of daily prayer
to the great leader turned deity
They called in unison to the Ring-house of Cupertino:
"O lord, hast thou birst forth Macintosh Minimus?"
Silence. Long and eerie silence.
But suddenly an apple fell from the nowhere.
They opened it and inside there was four cores.
They rejoiced over the great news,
and told everyone of the miracle.
In faraway land people raised their eyebrows.
Upon returning home they joyfully told family
who had to join in the next round of prayers.
Four year later...
New machines could be 1000x faster than anything on the market, have 100000x more storage, 100000000x the RAM, and be free and MacRumors members would still find something to complain about. 
Sweet kit looks that Alienware. Yet why on Earth is there an HDMI port on the front when one plus 2 DisplayPorts are on the rear? Is this product advertising it can support 6 monitors [DisplayPort x2, Thunderbolt x2, HDMI x2]?! Doubtful. I want useful ports on my machine that can use the full bandwidth of what EACH and EVERY port promises by being there, nothing less. No shared controllers offering 1 port full of something and another half or a quarter; FUNK THAT!
I had a Mac Mini before and it was VERY useful connecting to my TV in my apartment. Who uses monitors anymore unless you're at 4K/5K?! If TV's support this at a cheaper price from any manufacturer on both sides why use a monitor?! For 2yrs I've had 2 and still bought and sold each of them (2012 Mac Mini Core i5s) at same price. Peripherals I kept and still use (currently on this headless MBA 2011; to be repaired Friday).
Hardware or mobo issues ... easy light carrying on public commute or driving. iMac ... be very very careful not to hit a huge pothole transporting in a car to the nearest Apple store.
There is a LOT of variables users choose what works for them.
The current mini isn’t anywhere near slow enough that you could emulate x86 using ARM and even be in the same ballpark.
Until the lcd panel craps out and a new one costs as much as the whole machine. I’m in that boat. No more imacs for us after years of them.
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Looks like my intel NUC that I use for security system (windows 7/blue iris). The components are completely modular. Big old fan in it, but it’s worked for 2 years now and just hangs on the wall.
I have a horrible feeling that the new MacBook (or whatever it is called) is going to come out with all the improvements we've been waiting for (like an upgraded keyboard), while the MacBook Pros only get a spec bump and we have to wait until next year for these improvements to trickle up to the Pro...
I don't know. I don't feel it's a good idea to have ALL products announced all at once. It will only dilute the highlights (eg. iPhone). Plus, sure Apple will be on the news constantly for the first few months after the event. But after that, without any new products, the news cycle will falter. Apple have quite a big lineup now to space out the announcement (imo it's a good idea as well to drown out the competitors). Don't have to keep doing big events, they can do smaller ones like what Steve Jobs had done in the past.
MacBook Pro has a "low res" Retina display! Very soft in todays world of displays.
Preach on...
If the Mini is even halfway decent, I am so buying it. There are still some of us that want our computer and monitor separate and can’t afford (or don’t want) the Pro.
mac super mini .. solder
That's why some people couldn't afford to wait for rumor.. but just 2 month more. I only scare if apple introduce more new tech /advancement but in mean time i don't worry much because i think their focus on diversity instead of focus on hardware and software. Apple become "Jack Of All Trade"
Cheaper MacBook would be welcome. I really think a sub-1000$ MacBook would be a good addition to the lineup. I'm willing to bet the volume sellers on the PC side are sub-1000$ laptops, Apple having something to offer for around 800-900$ would help them compete in that area. Not everyone wants to or can buy a laptop over 1000$, and if people only have the budget for something less expensive then their only option is PC.
I'm picturing something like the 2010 era plastic MacBook. I know Apple loves their aluminum machines, but I remember using those plastic MacBooks in highschool, and they were still very well built and premium feeling. I'm sure Apple could come up with a less expensive but still well-built laptop.
I'm picturing something like the 2010 era plastic MacBook. I know Apple loves their aluminum machines, but I remember using those plastic MacBooks in highschool, and they were still very well built and premium feeling. I'm sure Apple could come up with a less expensive but still well-built laptop.