Of course it is just my background. Everyone here is spitting into the wind, yourself included.
But look at it objectively - why keep a machine with technology so out of date if it was important to you? Tell me what Apple has gained by keeping the Mac Mini on two-year old hardware with a two-year old price while every other model in their lineup has been upgraded once or twice a year.
When did Apple last actively advertise the Mac Mini? Two years ago? Three years ago? Hell, when did they last talk about it? Sure, it showed up on the slide on the 14th, but notice how they didn't even mention it? Why not? Notice how nobody in the Mac press community even asked about the Mac Mini at the Q&A? Or at MacWorld's Q&A? Or WWDC's Q&A? Or at anytime?
All these sources keep saying "New Mini's Coming!" or "Mini is Dead! Long Live the $999 MacBook!", yet not one of them has bothered to actually try and find out what Apple is thinking. Even a "we can neither confirm nor deny the status of the Mini" from Apple. Not even a "no comment".
Apple's executives doesn't seem to care about it, the professional Apple press community doesn't seem to care about it, and it looks like all but your most niche Apple customer doesn't care about it.
That should tell you something, IMO. And that something is not "New Mini Coming!".
Mind you, I'd like to see a new Mini coming because it fits a niche for people, but if Apple feels the model doesn't make sense in a post-PPC world, well...
I'm going to spit into the wind too.....
I think the reason that Apple is selling 2 year old technology at 2 year old prices is because its selling so well, and making a tidy profit. Can you imagine the close-out prices they got on some of the now/soon to be discontinued parts and chips? The design and launch costs have all been paid for long ago. No expense incurred to promote it, as they not promoting it.
My understanding of economics is that if you have a product that is not selling well, you drop the price to move it out the door. If Apple hasn't dropped the price on a the Mini then that implies that it is properly priced to maximize profit. The Mini must be good profit centre for them, IMO.
As others have predicted in this thread and the Mini thread now closed, I also think we are going to see something new in November. Maybe a new Mini, maybe not (I'd just be speculating, at that point) but the logic adds up.
1) New portables were introduced in October. If the new Mini shares any of the new architecture (and it traditionally has) then it
can't be introduced before the portables, since that would take some of the thunder away from the main event. If Apple has been working on the new portables for a while (a good supposition), then they would not have updated the Mini during that time. Why bother if there is a major update to it coming soon?
2) That new LED display that is being introduced in November. Why put an iSight and speakers on it, if its only supposed to work with portables, that already have the iSight and speakers. I think its also supposed to work with something that doesn't have iSight and speakers.
3) From what I'm reading, Jobs is not happy with the AppleTV. If something isn't working, it gets pulled. Perfect opportunity to introduce something new.
4) Something new, introduced just in time for the American Thanksgiving sales, would get Apple a lot of press right now.
My prediction is that the upgraded Mini will have the same footprint (and remember you heard it here first) as either the Time Capsule, or the SuperDrive. Could someone try stacking a SuperDrive on a Time Capsule? I can't find the size for the Time Capsule on the Apple Store. Do they stack nicely?
I think that in the future there will be many more portables sold without optical drives. I think the current white MB is being sold as a placeholder for a new unibody MB without an optical drive (the $800 MB that didn't materialize). It will be rolled out after the Mini.
Apple's Sales strategy will go something like this. Use the new Mini as the brains for your home media centre, and the storage for all that media that Apple wants to sell you. Use the Mini as your optical drive for your portable that doesn't have one. A lot of people rarely need the optical drive. So why carry it around. If you do need an optical drive on your portable, then Apple will be happy to sell you a more expensive machine (reference what they have done with FireWire).
If you need more storage than what the Mini has, stack it with a TC, and use that as network storage. Use the Mini (which will have FW, IMO) as the file server and connection for all the bits and bobs that you used to plug into your portable. Again, look at the new LED display. Its designed to act as a USB hub so that you can just unplug your portable and go - all the bits and bobs stay attached to the display. I think the Mini will be extending that concept.
Or, they will combine the TC and Mini into a file server for your portable. But I don't think they will do that since you can't then use TC to backup with.
Anyway, I did it hear from a good source, on an elevator.... really.
