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Mac Mini To Be Discontinued?

Man I wish I had bought a ton of Apple stock 5 yrs ago, I'd keep it until maybe 2010 or a few years after that, then cash in...because with Intel and increased world wide compeitition, American computer company's are going to go the way of the multinational American auto companies, I predict. Which is to say, most will not survive the competition from foreign competitors. Chinese and other Asian companies will reign in another decade (not to be racist or anything...personally I love tiny, skinny Cantonese hotties). Double edged sword going to Intel. Plenty of competition from the PC crowd which Apple is now lost in all the chatter.

Ergo, only the strongest survive, not solely based on superior tech.

Stealth, the high-end Mac Mini that will never get built!

http://www.electronista.com/articles/07/05/24/stealth.lpc.450.core.2.duo/
 
Dont Hurt Me said:
Just some sarcasim but make no mistake Integrated is crap. Take a new Intel cpu or AMD mate a 7600Gt to it in the littlest box with OSX and presto. Who aint happy?
Click to expand...

My point is simply that there is always something new and better...the integrated graphics may not be as good as the latest dedicated GPU...BUT, it is a credible performer that is actually better than many of the fairly recent GPUs out there...

and in the end, it is about what you do with your machine. My G4 gets me by, but as I do more RAW photo editing/processing, I know I would be happier with the C2D in a new Mini...
 
Touch screen

<delusion?>
When Apple shows 10.5, and radically redefines what it means to use a Mac, including interface with touch capabilities - the Mac Mini will be the only Machine that can't step up to the new paradigm.

It WILL live on as a high end AppleTV, but it won't be a Mac anymore.
</delusion?>
 
Butthead said:
Man I wish I had bought a ton of Apple stock 5 yrs ago, I'd keep it until maybe 2010 or a few years after that, then cash in...because with Intel and increased world wide compeitition, American computer company's are going to go the way of the multinational American auto companies, I predict. Which is to say, most will not survive the competition from foreign competitors. Chinese and other Asian companies will reign in another decade (not to be racist or anything...personally I love tiny, skinny Cantonese hotties). Double edged sword going to Intel. Plenty of competition from the PC crowd which Apple is now lost in all the chatter.

Ergo, only the strongest survive, not solely based on superior tech.

Stealth, the high-end Mac Mini that will never get built!

http://www.electronista.com/articles/07/05/24/stealth.lpc.450.core.2.duo/
Click to expand...


I question if Apple if this will happen...but even if it does, I don't think Apple will ever die. They offer different stuff, and most people won't bother looking at it, but tons of people will. And they fall in love with it, and want let it go.
 
Sorry, haven't read all 380 posts iup to this point n this thread so apologize if this has been said...

Apple will replace the mini with a similarly priced machine in a redesigned case under a new brand - and there will be a companion to this little puppy, and it will be a bigger brother and fill the 'mid-tower' demand - i.e. something more powerful than the current mini yet not as great as the Mac Pro's - let's call it a headless iMac on steroids if you will.

I think this will complement the Apple range nicely - the Mac Pro’s targeting the high end, the new 'mini' as the entry level and a Prosumer mini tower in the middle.

All with new designs that kind of 'match' - so the new monitors that Apple will also release are designed to go with all the new headless boxes.

I hope this is where they are going - as I think it will drive opportunities abound! And a great way for Apple to reposition it’s brand with a unique integrated range of computers targeting all users along the computer continuum
 
Keep the size the same and improve the features. My biggest problem is the number of wires I have to attach to anything. Invest in making everything wireless, even TVs, only having to run a power cord would make a huge difference.
 
Don´t have time to read through all the post, so if it´s been mentioned earlier, I apologise…

With the 17" iMac rumoured to be phased out, I hope/suspect Apple will introduce a low range 17" display for use with a new mini. The mini will simply be redesigned to suit the display, perhaps all white MacBook plastic. That should shave off a few quid on material cost, perhaps giving the mini + display a retail price less than the current 17" iMac.

Edit: Guess I should´ve read the last page at least… iAlan sums it up nicely.
 
iAlan said:
Sorry, haven't read all 380 posts iup to this point n this thread so apologize if this has been said...

Apple will replace the mini with a similarly priced machine in a redesigned case under a new brand - and there will be a companion to this little puppy, and it will be a bigger brother and fill the 'mid-tower' demand - i.e. something more powerful than the current mini yet not as great as the Mac Pro's - let's call it a headless iMac on steroids if you will.

I think this will complement the Apple range nicely - the Mac Pro’s targeting the high end, the new 'mini' as the entry level and a Prosumer mini tower in the middle.

All with new designs that kind of 'match' - so the new monitors that Apple will also release are designed to go with all the new headless boxes.

I hope this is where they are going - as I think it will drive opportunities abound! And a great way for Apple to reposition it’s brand with a unique integrated range of computers targeting all users along the computer continuum
Click to expand...


Makes sense, really.
Replace the Mini with a more entry level machine, and add (or make upgradeable) something that ends up between that and a Mac Pro.

Something most likely at the high end of the product isn't dual processor, yet isn't a desktop running on a mobile platform. Not that the iMac isn't good, it is for what it's intended use. However, as keeps being said in thread after thread, there's a gap. One that I can see where an iMac is a little light but a MacPro is overkill.
 
mklos said:
I'm sorry that it was a good computer for you and some others here, but sometimes you just gotta let things go. Some things don't last forever.
Click to expand...

Gotta disagree here. Computers are supposed to get smaller and cheaper. This is the closest that anybody has come to that methodology. To kill it would set things in reverse motion.

I can cite 3 examples of people getting the mac mini who would have gotten a dell if it didn't exist. The mac mini is great for my kids who go through freakin monitors like crazy by scratching or breaking them. With the mac mini I can just replace them monitors. With the imac I am screwed.

A few reasons to have a mini:

- The mac mini is expandable via cpu, ram, hd and superdrive upgrades.
- It makes a great anywhere computer.
- Great for people who don't want the laptop screen in the way.
- They are indistructable.
- Kind of cheap.
- Nobody makes a computer that small for that price. I challenge you to find one.
- stackable
- tons of imac accessories like drives and stuff.
- looks cool
- less power to operate
- fits in a car
- cool upgrade for challenged upgrade macs.


Anyways, its a damn shame apple would think of getting rid of these babies. I am picking one up the minute this rumor is confirmed. I have been planning on picking one up for my son but have been wating for a refresh. We shall see.
 
plinden said:
What's with newbies and this obsession with being gay today?
Click to expand...

Exactly, it's totally inappropriate behavior. "Hi, I'm new to your board, and by the way, your computer's gay." I made a joke about it in the last thread, but it fell flat.

Back on topic, I do agree that the Mac Mini will be likely combined with the Apple TV eventually and released as a new product. But this is one of those predictions that may be accurate but not timely - in other words, happens years from now. I think it serves a useful place in the product lineup.
 
GanleyBurger said:
Ditto.
But, it is INSANE to spend up to $3,700 on a 24" imac.
Price Sounds Crazy???:eek: :eek: :eek:
click on 24" imac
Max it out... $2,917.00 with 2.33 processor AppleCare and 2 gigs ram, before tax
Make it 3 gigs of ram, $3492 before tax

Add tax, that's like up to $3,700 for an imac. That's wrong. Are people doing this?

:eek: Don't be haters!!! :eek: I think that Apple would be better off killing the imac and making a mini tower with top, imac specs... as opposed to killing the Mac Mini. Offer them as packages (i.e. mini tower with 20" monitor, mini tower with 30" monitor, etc.). I never liked the all-in one concept.

I'll wait for the lashings (I'm covering my head)...:D
Click to expand...

I had the choice of a Top-end Mini and a low-end iMac. I chose the Mini. Sure, I LOVE the all in one design, don't get me wrong. In fact, I've often had second thoughts about it. But I decided to save my parents some money, and get the mini. Maybe my next computer (getting a MB for collage, so don't know how long that will last) will be an iMac.
 
Soulivar said:
Look, not to sound homophobic or anything (i mean this in jest), but mini-macs are kinda gay. The only exceptions are for girls or maybe students living in a dormitory type of situation where size is of the utmost importance. A real man needs a tower. Having a mini-mac as a computer as opposed to a tower is the equivalent to riding a scooter instead of a real motorcycle in North America…meaning: unless you're in Barcelona or the south of France, riding a moped is just plain gay (not that there's anything wrong with being gay). If you want portability, go with a laptop.
Click to expand...

Source?
 
Cassie said:


I had the choice of a Top-end Mini and a low-end iMac. I chose the Mini. Sure, I LOVE the all in one design, don't get me wrong. In fact, I've often had second thoughts about it. But I decided to save my parents some money, and get the mini. Maybe my next computer (getting a MB for collage, so don't know how long that will last) will be an iMac.
Click to expand...

I thought you were the type that wanted to keep your computers for about 15-20 years...
 
I love the mini. Owned a couple of them.

But they do have a fatal flaw: no user upgradable memory.

This one little lack of feature makes them too expensive and undesirable.
 
hopefully we can get a headless mac thats cheaper than the pro. I'm hoping for an 8800 card. I can dream haha.
 
I am going to agree with those that have commented on the :apple: tv becoming the next mini or next evolution of the mini
 
Soulivar said:
Look, not to sound homophobic or anything (i mean this in jest), but mini-macs are kinda gay. The only exceptions are for girls or maybe students living in a dormitory type of situation where size is of the utmost importance. A real man needs a tower. Having a mini-mac as a computer as opposed to a tower is the equivalent to riding a scooter instead of a real motorcycle in North America…meaning: unless you're in Barcelona or the south of France, riding a moped is just plain gay (not that there's anything wrong with being gay). If you want portability, go with a laptop.
Click to expand...

Go drive your Ford 150 through a construction site. No offense but this post is just plain wrong. No flame intended. In your Analogy we should be making things BIGGER and LOUDER, with big flames on them..Why not make a MacEXTREME thats the size of your room, and has a V12 engine strapped to it for no particular reason other than for manly-ness.

When you want to hide a computer in your Home theatre system, or already have 1-2 Towers, you dont really have space nor want more space for another computer. The Mac Mini is portable, small, can fit behind a screen. Technology is shrinking not getting larger (minus your American SUV's). A Mac mini should be getting smaller not bigger.
 
Konradx said:
Go drive your Ford 150 through a construction site. No offense but this post is just plain wrong. No flame intended. In your Analogy we should be making things BIGGER and LOUDER, with big flames on them..Why not make a MacEXTREME thats the size of your room, and has a V12 engine strapped to it for no particular reason other than for manly-ness.

When you want to hide a computer in your Home theatre system, or already have 1-2 Towers, you dont really have space nor want more space for another computer. The Mac Mini is portable, small, can fit behind a screen. Technology is shrinking not getting larger (minus your American SUV's). A Mac mini should be getting smaller not bigger.
Click to expand...

<offtopic>
I'm assuming that you are referring directly to how you feel about Soulivar's comment and not all Americans, right ?
Example: My wife and I share 1 car, a small 1998 toyota corolla, we carpool to work with 3 other people, we've decided our next car (when this one finally gives up) will most likely be a hybrid, we always turn out lights, we recycle etc. etc. I'm not saying all this to say praise me, just that not all of us Americans think big trucks and SUV's are an American household necessity.
</offtopic>

The MacEXTREME does sound like an interesting idea though !.. lol
Actually I want a mac mini, I just want it to do more, and for one of the vary reasons you listed "to hide a computer in your Home theatre system"
I want to attach a 1TB external hard drive to it, and have it be a small media server for our little family.
 
The Desktop Computer is (more or less dead)

I don't have a hard time believing the mac mini is dead. The pressure to introduce a sub $999 laptop gets stronger every day. I mean, take a look at DELL (yeah I dont want a DELL too), just to see how cheap notebook technology really has become.

I think sooner or later we're gonna see a stripped down 20" iMac for $999. And thats it with cheap desktops. The mac mini is already fully made of notebook technology. But without it isn't a mobile Computer. And thats its problem, people want mobile computers, macbook sales have been skyrocking. Even I trade my iMac G5 20" for a black Macbook and a 23" Cinema Display. And be host, if there was some $699 or $799 full featured notebook computer (with keyboard, trackpad and display) from apple - would you still buy a mac mini for $599?
 
nbs2 said:
GA! One of my first purchases after we buy a house was to be a Mac mini...

Here's to hoping that it will be around for a little while longer...
Click to expand...


I'm only on page 2 of the thread and half the people are going to use it for the same thing.

I've bought my first house and I too am going to use a Mac Mini as a media PC under the TV. Even have the cash waiting.....just trying to wait for any updates. But I will get a mini whatever happens. I hope Apple upgrade it (even if it's only a C2D and 1gb) but if they end of line it, Ill get one cheaper!
 
The need to bring out "Macbook Mini" does not mean that Apple should drop "Mac Mini" from production. They are not the same thing! If anything, they would complement each others. Now imagine this:

Desktop line:
- Mac Mini (less than 1000 dollars, no BTO options)
- Mac (between 1000 and 2000 dollars, somewhat configurable)
- Mac Pro (more than 2000 dollars, fully configurable)

Portable line:
- Macbook Mini (absolutely ultralight, relatively cheap)
- Macbook (relatively light and cheap)
- Macbook Pro (absolutely powerful and expensive)

Consumer display line:
- 13" widescreen 1280x800
- 15" widescreen 1440x900
- 17" widescreen 1680x1050

Pro display line:
- 20" widescreen 1920x1200
- 30" widescreen 2560x1600
- 40" widescreen 3840x2400

How cool would that be ;)
 
The form factor and general looks of the Mini are great, It's small enough to fit on my desk without being a horrid PC tower thingy (which I have no room for) or a Mac Pro (too expensive) while not including the built in display of the iMac (I already have a display).

I would love for a dual DVI output for display spanning. I think Apple need to make a lower spec paneled ACD at say 20" for the Mac Mini users who want to have the classy looking display.

(on another note: with the it works right out of the box - video iChat with three people, Apple really need to introduce a new external iSight for Mac Mini / Mac Pro customers).

Not to pick fault with julietjaxx above (each to your own view), but I'd rather have a less powerful laptop as the portable device it's meant to be, and a desktop with a little more power.

I don't want to just believe the rumour and buy a Mac Mini now and be disappointed, if at WWDC they get a upgrade, and for a full 64 bit Leopard, the line has to go 64 bit chip sometime.

Apple need to take the Mini into their hands, give it a few simple upgrades, keep the looks and boom, you still have a switcher machine.

(sorry for long post)
 
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