dartzorichalcos
macrumors 65816
If the mini is discontinued, Apple perhaps should add Mac OS X to AppleTV and make it the new mini.
Mac Mini To Be Discontinued?
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Digital Skunk
macrumors G3
Hey, let's all play nice and get rid of the insults.
I thought it was bad. But it says, "Getting rid of the Mini", not, "Getting rid of their lineup of cool, low cost computers...."
I can go for an Mac in anTV formfactor and get rid of that powerbrick...
Heck Yeah... I was trying to put my finger on why the Mini was great but didn't set to well with me....
That power brick was almost as big as the computer, and if you put a Cinema Display with the Mini the power brick for that is also as big as the computer...
Just didn't look right when I saw it on my friend's desk.
Yes Apple. Just turn the Mini into the Apple TV Pro. And give us a headless mini tower that is half of everything the MacPro is.
Last I knew, "Obtuse" wasn't calling names .. now if I'd called you a moron, I could see your point .. or a troll for that matter, but I didn't
Digital Skunk
macrumors G3
If the new MacBook Pro has magnetic latch like the MacBooks
, Santa Rosa I guess , LED displays I guess And that new WESTERN DIGITAL 250GB HDD running @ 5400 rpm I will sell my book and get one ASAP.
Digital Skunk
macrumors G3
Last I knew, "Obtuse" wasn't calling names .. now if I'd called you a moron, I could see your point .. or a troll for that matter, but I didn't
If you called me obtuse... I would get upset too... Then I would look it up in the dictionary and calm down probably.
OBTUSE: snnoyingly insensitive or slow to understand
I am so using that more often... especially on these rumor sites.
If you called me obtuse... I would get upset too... Then I would look it up in the dictionary and calm down probably.
I thought it was quite appropo ... So we agree (but half means non-Xeon, and non-FB-DIMM (DDR2)).
kalisphoenix
macrumors 65816
TERRIBLE. You can't turn the screen off all the way and you have to engage in all kinds o' funky tricks to get the Front Row or whatever interface to show up on the TV instead of the built-in display
I remember that article too. I wonder how many they bought or intend to buy?
epochblue
macrumors 68000
Yes, that's the point. The mini is for someone who already has the monitor and the keyboard/mouse and wants to TRY a Mac. The iMac (especially the bottom-of-the-line version) is for people who want a Mac but don't have the gear for the mini.
The low-end iMac has always been the sweet-spot for Apple, IMO. The mini is more for computer-savvy people who've been historically scared of Mac or for people who already own Macs who want to keep a headless one on a shelf somewhere.
in my case, I already had a great 20" widescreen...and just bought the Mini...$800 including 1 gb ram, etc. At the time, a 20" iMac was $1400...and I had never used a Mac before...it was a great way to learn OS X...now I love it, and have no need to replace the monitor...so what option would I have? I now add 5000 plus RAW photos annually...and would like a more powerful machine (currently a G4)...
I can't tell you how many friends who use PC's were awed by my Mini and it's capabilities... this form factor or something similar is VERY desireable!
TERRIBLE. You can't turn the screen off all the way and you have to engage in all kinds o' funky tricks to get the Front Row or whatever interface to show up on the TV instead of the built-in display
Fiddling with mirroring/extended diplay doesn't do it? Making the TV your primary? Or is that the funky tricks you're referring to? (prefaced with I have NO experience in this .. just curious
)
AidenShaw
macrumors P6
Aiden's Modular Mini MacIntel
I've almost never seen a Mac Mini by itself - every one that I've seen is a mess of cables connecting the mini to a couple of external drives and usb hubs and card readers and ...
Elegant - not!
While I still think that the mini-tower is the big missing piece of Apple's product set, a modular mini could be interesting.
Base - similar in capabilities to today's mini, but somewhat larger to allow for a 3.5" hard drive and an LP PCIe graphics card. Add an eSATA port to the back. Front panel USB ports and 12-in-1 memory card reader (or side panel).
Hub - Exactly the same size/style box, connects to Base with eSata and USB. Has space for 2 user replaceable 3.5" SATA drives - comes with 1 or 2 drives. Has extra USB ports, maybe the card reader is here and not in the base. Has 3 additional eSATA output ports on the back.
Storage - Exactly the same size box (but could be thinner). Holds one or two 3.5" SATA drives. Connects to 2 of the eSATA ports on the hub. (Or, perhaps the Hub supplies power, so the storage connects to the nub through a special cable or docking connector.)
I've almost never seen a Mac Mini by itself - every one that I've seen is a mess of cables connecting the mini to a couple of external drives and usb hubs and card readers and ...
Elegant - not!
While I still think that the mini-tower is the big missing piece of Apple's product set, a modular mini could be interesting.
Base - similar in capabilities to today's mini, but somewhat larger to allow for a 3.5" hard drive and an LP PCIe graphics card. Add an eSATA port to the back. Front panel USB ports and 12-in-1 memory card reader (or side panel).
Hub - Exactly the same size/style box, connects to Base with eSata and USB. Has space for 2 user replaceable 3.5" SATA drives - comes with 1 or 2 drives. Has extra USB ports, maybe the card reader is here and not in the base. Has 3 additional eSATA output ports on the back.
Storage - Exactly the same size box (but could be thinner). Holds one or two 3.5" SATA drives. Connects to 2 of the eSATA ports on the hub. (Or, perhaps the Hub supplies power, so the storage connects to the nub through a special cable or docking connector.)
Cheffy Dave
macrumors 68030
Mac mini Dead???
I don't think Apple will kill the most affordable Mac in their line up! Perfect for switchers to get in on the ground floor and check it out at an affordable price. But, what does a PC guy know?
I don't think Apple will kill the most affordable Mac in their line up! Perfect for switchers to get in on the ground floor and check it out at an affordable price. But, what does a PC guy know?
The G4 Mini 1.42 was my first Mac ever, and enticed me to try the water, so to speak. I already had all of the peripherals, but I liked it so much that I bought a 20" ws to go with it. If the iMac had been the cheapest Mac, I would never have bought one, even if it was a better deal. I wanted a cheap way to try the "Mac experience".
justflie
macrumors 6502a
Don't know if someone mentioned this yet, but what about the iPod Mini. That was doing just fine.
gkarris
macrumors G3
I can see Apple getting rid of the display's powerbrick as well as the Mini's - the Dell displays don't have one.
Do that and you'll have a cool setup!
My undersdtanding was the nano replaced it .. so it wasn't a true "kill-off" just a swap .. kinda like the LCD iMacs for the CRT ones ...
FF_productions
macrumors 68030
A 17 inch iMac?
We are all saying if the 20 inch iMac is going to become standard, it will need to be a lot cheaper.
I think the 17 inch iMac could fit into that role within the 600-800 dollar range.
Cheffy Dave
macrumors 68030
5400?????
My Pc's all have Raptors running at 10,000 RPM. Fast Intel processors running out of 5400 RPM HDD's is like a Porsche with slicks, why would you??
If the new MacBook Pro has magnetic latch like the MacBooks
I will sell my book and get one ASAP.
My Pc's all have Raptors running at 10,000 RPM. Fast Intel processors running out of 5400 RPM HDD's is like a Porsche with slicks, why would you??
I agree that the all-in-one design isn't necessarily a limitation for everyone, and I don't think the iMac would have been the success it was if there wasn't a market for an all-in-one computer with a sleek design. That said, you don't see the entire PC market abandoning the tower or mini-tower design for all-in-one computers because there are still a considerable number of consumers who would like to get the display separately. Of course, we could argue either way on this one -- either the PC manufacturers aren't making (good) enough all-in-one machines, or Apple isn't making a good enough low-end desktop.
I think the G4 Cube was limited in ways that the iMac never has been -- maybe not from a technology standpoint, but more from a marketability one. Would you have ever called the iMac underpowered / overpriced? The iMac's specs have rarely, if ever, compared with the Power / Pro tower, but neither has the price tag. The Cube, on the other hand, was fitted with a low-end professional chip and given a low-end professional price. You were paying for the novelty / convenience of the small size, and at the time, I doubt consumers were really convinced that a G4 was needed or worth the extra cost. I think "novelty" is the key word here -- it was never designed to catch on with the masses. If the Cube had a G3 and a lower price tag, it might have taken off more like the iMac did -- but we'll never know.
On the other hand, I'm not surprised by the number of posts by people who were "waiting for the next mini update". For whatever reason, Apple chose not to keep the mini's specs competitive with its initial cousin, the iBook / MacBook. The price was much more reasonable than the Cube, but the technology couldn't stand up to similarly-priced PCs. The Mac experience may be worth the premium, but it seems that in this case, people still don't want to buy dated technology even at a low price point. I would compare the Mac Mini more to the Performa line -- an attempt to pass off yesterday's technology at discount prices. The current-spec mini may work adequately for Tiger, but for Leopard? The next cat?
I know what you're probably thinking... people buying in that price range may not be that tech-savvy to know that the technology is dated. I'm pretty sure that salespeople are going to let them in on it, pushing the more up-to-date specs of the iMac or MacBook. The intention may be to get the customer to buy a higher-priced product, but if in the end the consumer really wants a desktop sans monitor (yes, that's not a given), such a pitch just makes the mini look bad, the Pro look like overkill, and Apple's line look out of touch with that particular flavor of consumer.