Mac Mini To Be Discontinued?

[MrCrowbar]

Hmm... why would they make the Apple TV and Airpot Extreme in the same format when they're planning on discontinuing the Mini.

It's true that the mini is kinda underpowered, I mean you get a Macbook with loads of power and a screen and keyboard and touchpad... you could just buy the base model macbook and use in with the lid closed.

I don't really think they want to discontinue the mini already. It's pretty popular, I want one for the TV and home server.

 

[nbs2]

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...

 

[Eidorian]

yes. and i hope this makes way for a mid-range tower. but thats just wishful thinking isn't it?

Very wishful.

Not surprising.

They aren't/haven't ever sold well and by the time you get one that has decent specs, you may as well get the $999 iMac.

Cheapest Mac ever and my department buys a boat load?

 

[BoRegardless]

MacMini = Perfect Typical Desktop Mac

Unobtrusive, runs all normal applications just fine (similar to my early MacBook Pro), connects to every other device fine, & puts up great images on my Apple 23" LCD.

Mine sits almost unnoticed on top of a LaCie 500 GB HD the same size of the MacMini and does partitioned duty as alternate boot drive and backup for multiple machines. When it does just backup duty, an old 15" LCD does screen duty.

The world gets smaller. Why on earth would I want to go to an all-in-one iMac? That locks the processor with the LCD in a way I don't see as good.

I have an attorney friend who is preparing to buy 4 more.

I truly wonder whether the MacMini is REALLY going to be discontinued or it just represents an affordable COMMODITY that will likely not change much but will stay in the parts bin forever.

 

[gregarious119]

The Mac nano, of course!

Edit: Oops... methinks tyr2's post was merged into this thread before mine posted. Darn.

Dude that's not half bad an idea. Change the form factor - include some of the new Santa Rosa stuff, change the HD out for 32gb of Flash..

I'd be ALL over that.

 

[Turkish]

What are you smoking man ?

The mac mini has helped tons of people make the switch to OS X... saying it wasn't a success is just wrong. I think dropping the mini would be a terrible decision, you are however right regarding the price, it does need a lower price-point...

No, it's a fact. It never has been a big seller.

Ever.

Companies don't drop products that are making money.

 

[Foxglove9]

If that happens I'd like to see:

-The AppleTV become the next 'mini'
-A lower priced (but more expensive and expandable than the mini) desktop machine

 

[Darkroom]

i hope they're replacing it with something soon (if indeed it is dead)... i have my own wall-mounted LCD screen, so i'm not getting an iMac, and Mac Pro is a little too much (and too expensive) for what i require...

 

[princealfie]

I want a mac mini... guess that I better get one now?

 

[Corrosive vinyl]

It would be absurd to get rid of the mini, and the 17" imac... that would mean that the lowest price desktop from would be almost $1,000 over the base price of the mini. And that is the base model! why would someone who knows nothing about macs plop down $1,500+ to "try it out". Hopefully this information is wrong or they are going to compensate us with a better computer. The later being very doubtful in my mind

 

[mackensteff]

No, it's a fact. It never has been a big seller.

Ever.

Companies don't drop products that are making money.

iPod mini anyone?

 

[commander.data]

The Mac nano, of course!

Edit: Oops... methinks tyr2's post was merged into this thread before mine posted. Darn.

This might be the perfect time for Apple to release their occasionally speculated about console to replace the Mac Mini. They could make it more full featured than the AppleTV at the price of the Mac Mini, basically bringing desktop gaming to the couch. And they could call it the iMacBox720.

 

[yg17]

yes. and i hope this makes way for a mid-range tower. but thats just wishful thinking isn't it?

But Apple would never put a midrange tower at the same price as the mini, and the low price of the mini is what got people to switch. I know my parents would have never bought a Mac if the mini wasn't as cheap as it was. Killing off the mini (and then the low end iMac too) would be a huge mistake IMO

 

[Squonk]

Maybe the current mini enclosure is being dropped. What if the new mini (mini 2) would have the same footprint as TV & Airport Express, perhaps twice the height with Core 2 processors. And maybe a bump up to 3.25" hard drives and perhaps a PCI slot?

With the rumors of the mini being dead and the 17 iMac going away, what is left for education markets? C'mon, they need something....

 

[MrCrowbar]

Almost exactly the plans I had Except minus the eye-TV. I just want to convert all of my DVDs to H264. Which so far is working great. The only problem is that making the Quicktime containers for all of my homebrew TV shows (so that they'll show up in iTunes) is kinda annoying.

Oene of those will save you lots of time.
http://elgato.com/index.php?file=products_eyetvturbo&newlang=en

 

[kwong2006]

iPod mini anyone?

They did replace it with iPod nano, so they replaced it with something similar. I think he meant dropping a product that sells and replace it with nothing.

 

[richard4339]

The first thing that comes to mind when I hear "No more Mini" is "AppleTV". They've hacked that box so much that it basically is a MacMini. More than likely, the Mini isn't really going away, but will simply become a higher-end AppleTV and be branded as such.

 

[MacNut]

How much money does Apple make on the mini or do they take a loss for every unit sold.

 

[kainjow]

I believe it.

Who is the target Mac mini audience? It seems like it's geeks that are most interested in it.

I would never recommend a Mac mini to a non-geek. Who actually has a nice monitor, a nice keyboard, and a nice mouse, all ready to go, to be connected to a Mac mini? Geeks! Everyone else just wants a full new computer - thus, the iMac.

They just need a lower-end iMac that has a price closer to the Mac mini.

 

[kalisphoenix]

No, it's a fact. It never has been a big seller.

Link?

 

[J-Sun]

Mac Mini To Be Discontinued?

If so, I too hope it is being discontinued ONLY to allow for an even more excellent miniature Mac.

 

[Squonk]

iPod mini anyone?

Which was replaced by the nano. They didn't abandon a market segment.

 

[MacNut]

I believe it.

Who is the target Mac mini audience? It seems like it's geeks that are most interested in it.

I would never recommend a Mac mini to a non-geek. Who actually has a nice monitor, a nice keyboard, and a nice mouse, all ready to go, to be connected to a Mac mini? Geeks! Everyone else just wants a full new computer - thus, the iMac.

They just need a lower-end iMac that has a price closer to the Mac mini.

I would think the geeks would rather have a Mac Pro, they can add stuff and tinker with it more.

 

[MagicWok]

I just hope that this another mindless rumour. I'm eagerly awaiting updated to my first, and only mac purchase - my trusty G4 powerbook.

I'm waiting for a good Mac Mini update to serve as my media centre. Screw the TV as that product makes no sense for me, don't think I'll ever purchase one as what it offers just isn't enough. I want 1080p. A DVD drive and full OSX without having to mod a single thing - as do many others. Grrr lol

I already have a monitor that is hooked up to either a PC or my PB. I don't want another monitor in the form of an iMac. I want a small form factor box that will finally bin my PC and sit quietly, integrated into my set up. I'm no geek/nerd - but MacNut is right, any geeky feelings that I may have would be served by the Mac Pro, not the Mini.

I'll be very sad if the Mini is discontinued, there's a definate market out there for that amazing little box regardless of what that article presumes.

I'm eagerly awaiting an update to the MBP's too. My hopes that the long wait for both product refreshes means we'll get something good at WWDC.

 

[kainjow]

I would think the geeks would rather have a Mac Pro, they can add stuff and tinker with it more.

Way too expensive to tinker with a Mac Pro. Have you seen people put a Mac Pro in their car or attach it their TV?