Mac Mini to Launch at Macworld San Francisco?

VoR said:
I think the mini should be a desktop/storage device/atv all rolled into one, it's just a a few software apps.
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Maybe they will surprise everyone and make the mini a truly all-in-one desktop/storage device/apple TV/Time Capsule/Home Theatre Server/Alarm Clock/Stereo/Garage Band Door Opener/Portable CD Player/and large screen iPod/iPhone.

:)
 
motulist said:
I agree that no firewire is almost guaranteed (and is an absolute deal breaker for me) but I think it's slightly more possible that a non-displayport video out will be offered. My reasoning is that the Mini is marketed as a simple and economical Mac that you have to "BYODKM: Bring your own display, keyboard and mouse."

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So having only a display port video output destroys the majority of the market that the Mini is supposed to be aimed at. Obviously people in this market don't already have a monitor that accepts display port video input, and requiring a relatively expensive video port converter means the Mini is no longer at all simple and easy to just set up and go, and it's now even more expensive when the price is already right on the edge of being too expensive for the economical buyer.

But all of that is not to say that Apple won't do it. It's to point out that it would be another huge misstep in Apple's recent product decisions. For me personally it doesn't make a difference though, because since it almost definitely won't have firewire then there's no way I would buy it anyway.
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I personally would like to see a bluetooth keyboard with a built-in touchpad for all of us that received an LCD TV with PC input for X-mas :D
 
ventro said:
Without blu-ray, the mac mini is irrelevant in terms of being a home theater device.
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i'm in the same boat. we are looking really hoping the mini will work for us for being a home theater hub. however, without blue ray support, what is the point. it is clearly the future of digital movies (yeah yeah, except online downloads, but isn't practical enough yet for HD and sound quality many people want). our new HD camcorder can only be played in a blue ray device when recorded to physical media, so we are waiting for a mac/blue ray option.

one question - can blue ray be a software upgrade? as in, if the right drive were included but they hadn't "ironed out the details" or whatever the major hangup is for blue ray software support, could it be added later via a software update?
 
MagSafe!!

Hmm...I am not sure if anyone called it yet. If not, then I will be the first on this thread.

-The next Mac Mini will use MagSafe like the macbooks!!!
Reasons:
-I support keeping firewire and the possible move to Mini DP but if they are cutting out stuff for space then power is one of them too. (Yes I know the current mini have a small power port...but refer to reason two)

-They already make plenty of them for the books. Plus they lose one additional type of power cord to keep on inventory.

-Lastly, apple wants to move their own products and if it transition the mini to Mini DP. I wonder what kind of spike in sales would they see in their display products... ;-)

My two cents.
 
Imagination??

Soooo if its got black plastic or aluminum would it look like one of the two images attached??? Obviously he photos aren't real, but just an idea?
 

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zombitronic said:
Since Apple seems to be canceling their appearance at Macworld in favor of setting their own dates for events, does anyone think that if a Mini is announced, that its actual shipping date will be postponed?
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No, I think if and when this new mini is announced it will start selling by the latest on the 12th.
 
rhett7660 said:
Ha.... although I am interested in the black and aluminum look of the product if this is true.
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I don't understand where the aluminum would be and where the black plastic would be.... Black apple logo? That would look weird. Any ideas?
 
No firewire = No sale.

SJ decrees Firewire is dead and it is so. :rolleyes: Hogwash. While USB may be on the rise with newer camcorders, there are still countless thousands of perfectly good consumer camcorders that only have Firewire I/O. These are NOT pro devices. So when my 71 year old mother wants to upgrade her beloved Mac Mini, I'll let SJ tell her she also has to "upgrade" a perfectly good Canon HV20 HD camcorder.
 
PhireWare said:
Soooo if its got black plastic or aluminum would it look like one of the two images attached??? Obviously he photos aren't real, but just an idea?
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I'd bet it would be something completely different looking then what we have now. It has to go with the current line of computers.
 
Yay! Finally. I'm very glad that Apple isn't letting this computer die. My mini did great service as a main computer before I retired it to be a HTPC box. I'd buy another one in an instant.
 
PhireWare said:
Soooo if its got black plastic or aluminum would it look like one of the two images attached??? Obviously he photos aren't real, but just an idea?
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I'm thinking a mix of a time machine and a macbook air external optical drive. Try mixing those together. Also, remember theres a time machine like gap in it for the optical drive.
 
Marx55 said:
Please, at least two ports of Firewire 800. Booting and working from external Firewire drives is a much faster experience for Mac mini.
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You're dreaming if you're thinking theres gonna be Firewire 800 in it. They wouldn't put it in the new unibody macbooks, but put it in the mini. How does that make any sense?
 
VoR said:
Lot's of people (including me) were waiting to see if the mini would be a suitable price and spec for a high res home theatre device.

I'm not fussed about blu-ray or any optical drive, but I can't see any way of getting hd sound out of these new macs, which is a massive (no sale) issue for me.
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Digital optical audio. It's available on the current Mac mini, actually. Isn't that more than capable? (Obviously you need a source that provides the audio quality you want, but that shouldn't be an issue.)

jW
 
I'll buy a pair IF:

1) They have Blu-Ray
2) They have firewire
3) They have a 3.5" internal HD
4) They have a video card capable of outputting a decent 1080p signal.
5) An inexpensive and easy means of outputting to HDMI and Component exists.

Any one of those missing, and no dice.
 
happydude said:
i'm in the same boat. we are looking really hoping the mini will work for us for being a home theater hub. however, without blue ray support, what is the point. it is clearly the future of digital movies (yeah yeah, except online downloads, but isn't practical enough yet for HD and sound quality many people want). our new HD camcorder can only be played in a blue ray device when recorded to physical media, so we are waiting for a mac/blue ray option.

one question - can blue ray be a software upgrade? as in, if the right drive were included but they hadn't "ironed out the details" or whatever the major hangup is for blue ray software support, could it be added later via a software update?
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The Nvidia 9400M that is expected to be in the mac mini will have the ability to decode HD in various different formats, inclucing AVC-HD. Once Apple announces Blu-Ray support in the OS, it's a done deal. Just need to slap a 12.5mm Blu-Ray drive into the available SATA slot. OWC (Other World Computing) and another company in CA which does upgrades (can't remember the name) will probably have drives ready to go.

I'm in the same boat as far as AVC-HD (panansonic SD-5 and SD-100). Once Apple is on board with iMovie, FCE and FCS support of AVC-HD output to disc, I'll be a happy boy. I'm holding out for a Mac Pro...

Later this Spring I suspect on the Blu-Ray
 
I'm just wondering if switching to the nVidia chipsets will make these viable options for graphic designers. There's no way I would have got a previous mini with Intel-integrated graphics.
 
Luke1robb said:
You're dreaming if you're thinking theres gonna be Firewire 800 in it. They wouldn't put it in the new unibody macbooks, but put it in the mini. How does that make any sense?
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I can't imagine firewire 800 being in it, but I think there's an extremely tiny sliver of possibility that firewire 400 might be on it. Here's my thinking; on the macbook space is an issue, but not so much an issue on the mini. And maybe there was just enough time since the introduction of the alu macbook and the subsequent backlash of no firewire that Apple may have had JUST enough time to immediately slap a firewire chip into the new mac mini design before it went into manufacturing. Or maybe Apple had two concurrent Mac Mini designs in pre-production, one with firewire and one without, and was waiting to decide which model to produce based on how the public reacted to no-firewire on the macbook.

I'm not saying it's probable that it'll have firewire, and I'm not even saying there's a small chance, I'm saying that it's not completely out of the realm of possibility. I'm saying it's remotely plausible.

Mal said:
Digital optical audio. It's available on the current Mac mini, actually. Isn't that more than capable?
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I could be wrong, but I was under the impression that the optical audio output is only stereo, and not 5.1 surround or whatever that movies have.
 
Mal said:
Digital optical audio. It's available on the current Mac mini, actually. Isn't that more than capable? (Obviously you need a source that provides the audio quality you want, but that shouldn't be an issue.
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It doesn't have enough bandwidth for dolby truehd, dts-hd etc, that you get on blu-ray/hd-dvds and decent scene/self rips.
I'd like to think they'll play catchup and kill off the atv (or just offer it's features as a software download) and we'll get a more 'standard' and futureproof hdmi connector that does provide the a/v bandwidth for all the media that's been out for years.

edit for the above post: Bog standard lossy dd/dts 5.1 sound is fine over an optical cable, but sound is 50% of the movie experience right?!
 
Marx55 said:
Please, at least two ports of Firewire 800. Booting and working from external Firewire drives is a much faster experience for Mac mini.
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This isn't true. The new Mini (if it materializes) will have 3 gbps SATA, which smokes 800 mbps FW800. Even now, an internal 5400/8 at 1.5 gbps SATA on the current Mini is faster than FW400/7200/32 for most tasks (yes, I've benchmarked it). The only time the FW drive wins is when its cache is the advantage.
 
notjustjay said:
3.5" drives would be even better, especially for any kind of servers.

Here's hoping!

Maybe the new Mini will take cues from Time Capsule.
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I think it's going to look a lot like Time Capsule, but maybe just a little bit thicker.

Technically, I agree with you on the 3.5" drives, but I keep thinking that the Mini is going to be based on laptop technology, and 2.5" SATA drives will be used.

Boy, if they put in a RAID, or those drives can be configured with RAID using OS/X....

Then, they'll spoil my fun by removing FireWire and I'll get bummed again.
 
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