Much Smaller Mac Mini Coming?
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k2spitfire88
macrumors 6502
Question is, when will this happen? I am about to pull the triger on a refurb for Mom!
JM
Hopefully soon, but you can't tell with Apple. I would wait, because it is woefully underpowered for its price. But then again, if you need it, then buy it. But I don't think it is worth it...
JesterJJZ
macrumors 68030
I've got a bad feeling about this.
Please Apple, do not make a desktop version of the MacBook Air
The what? Oh yeah...I've already forgotten about that thing...
I think a Thin Client like device would be good for the business market. I wouldnt say its a replacement for the Mac mini but similar. Im thinking along the lines of a low cost mini device with a Core2, 2GB of ram, network and graphics, no need for a hard drive or optical drive, remote boot and maintain them from XServes. I remember apple making a big deal of OS X server and remote booting iMacs G3s, if youve seen that keynote. I think business will take interest, personally I dont see the need for having a copy of the OS and software running on every machine in the office as its just more to go wrong but people would still have the feeling of using a proper computer, where thin clients are normally just a box with a web browser
I guess I really need some fresh "redesigned Mini to be released" rumours to keep me on track & I need them soon. Links anyone?
I couldn't find a link, but didn't we hear a couple of weeks ago that Apple had just ordered some engineering samples for the redesigned mini? If that rumor was correct, then new minis are coming, but aren't immanent.
marbles
macrumors 68000
Question is, when will this happen? I am about to pull the triger on a refurb for Mom!
JM
that's the million dollar question !
I too am waiting on a freshen up and my finger has been strapped on the trigger for a while , almost pulled it and bought a couple of times, but at the last second a blast of (not so) common sense saved the day
So wait I must ...actually ,I've banned my network from connecting to the Apple store till theres a mini refresh .
trust me ... I'm desperate here ,I'm running a G3 450mhz
yadmonkey
macrumors 65816
Actually I thought you said it best when you said that the iMac doesn't really fit into the progression of desktops, thus this tremendous hole in the desktop lineup. Pricing would really be dependent on what they offer, but I don't see why not offer a very versatile minitower to cover that large gap.
Unfortunately refurbs are not customizable (during purchase) and tend to come with last-gen video cards. Plus they're still really expensive - you can't get a last-gen quad for less than $2000.
If Apple doesn't come up with some sort of mid-range option, then I'll probably save some extra beans and get a new Pro or a current-gen refurb. I'm going to wait regardless and see when Apple starts offering the newer ATI cards in the pro line (rumored for May).
But there's always that faint hope that they'll listen to the market, especially considering the Psystar towers, and finally release a prosumer desktop. Again, breath not being held over here.
Anybody else remember the Sun 3/50? What killed that product is hard disks became cheap enough that diskless clients no longer made sense. I don't see that changing.
flopticalcube
macrumors G4
gregorsamsa
macrumors 6502a
Yes I read about the rumoured "redesigned mini" a few weeks back. I don't mind waiting longer if it's something more than just a refresh; though as you imply, we could be waiting for weeks yet. But if the new Mini offers greater BTO options for users who don't like glossy, it'll be worth the wait - though I'm hoping for a release before June & I'm also currently keeping a careful eye on white iMacs going on eBay, just in case.
However, if it turns out to be a cosmetic "style over substance" design (for eg. smaller Mini without optical drive), even though I imagine many Apple fans will lap it up, I sure as hell won't.
yadmonkey
macrumors 65816
Thought I'd mention that this is exactly the reason I'm not getting an iMac. I have a strong preference for matte.
gregorsamsa
macrumors 6502a
Yes, there seems to be a growing clamour for a matt option. I looked carefully at the 20" glossy iMacs a few weeks ago & decided they weren't for me. IMO, far too washed-out & enough reflectivity to put me off. Admittedly my local PCW (not to buy from, just to look) was well-lit, glaring lights everywhere, so hardly an ideal environment.
However, whilst rubbing my rather stubbly chin at the time, I felt my reflection in the iMac was just keen enough for me to have whipped out a razor & have a quick shave, had a razor been handy. - I guess glossy screens have their uses, beyond the obvious ones.
yadmonkey
macrumors 65816
Yes, there seems to be a growing clamour for a matt option. I looked carefully at the 20" glossy iMacs a few weeks ago & decided they weren't for me. IMO, far too washed-out & enough reflectivity to put me off. Admittedly my local PCW (not to buy from, just to look) was well-lit, glaring lights everywhere, so hardly an ideal environment.
However, whilst rubbing my rather stubbly chin at the time, I felt my reflection in the iMac was just keen enough for me to have whipped out a razor & have a quick shave, had a razor been handy. - I guess glossy screens have their uses, beyond the obvious ones.
That's hilarious!I've worked on quite a few glossy iMacs in homes and businesses on my clientele list and truth be told, reflection is a non-issue in most cases. In fact, I think they look fantastic in many respects, but not for long term use.
There's just something about a good matte display which seems less like you're looking at a TV and more like you're looking at a beautiful document. Very easy on the eyes for those of us who spend an unnatural amount of time in front of our screens.
Thin clients can be lower TCO
Diskless clients weren't a great option with cheap hard drives showing up and networks being shared 10Mbps. Now with GigE being fairly common, the network is less of an obstacle and the landscape has started changing.
With less investment in IT staff and more investment in things like virtualization, using thin clients is a more interesting option... in some spaces. For instance, the ability to give a user a choice of several desktop OS's from the same physical desktop device with the click of a button on an VMware ESX server can offer a lot of flexibility/agility. When you can remove a lot of the complexity of that device you also remove a lot of the hardware/software admin costs too.
For the Mac Mini, I don't see much point in simplifying the device (removing the Optical drive) unless they ditch the Apple TV at the same time... possible but seems unlikely.
Diskless clients weren't a great option with cheap hard drives showing up and networks being shared 10Mbps. Now with GigE being fairly common, the network is less of an obstacle and the landscape has started changing.
With less investment in IT staff and more investment in things like virtualization, using thin clients is a more interesting option... in some spaces. For instance, the ability to give a user a choice of several desktop OS's from the same physical desktop device with the click of a button on an VMware ESX server can offer a lot of flexibility/agility. When you can remove a lot of the complexity of that device you also remove a lot of the hardware/software admin costs too.
For the Mac Mini, I don't see much point in simplifying the device (removing the Optical drive) unless they ditch the Apple TV at the same time... possible but seems unlikely.
overanalyzer
macrumors 6502a
Yes, and of course I still mean that. I was just thinking in terms of the comparison to the iPods lineup, with prices ranging from $49 to $499 with little price overlap between models (only the 160GB Classic and the 8GB Touch are transposed, otherwise it's Shuffle, Nano, Classic, Touch in price order). Someone who walks into the Apple store thinking, "I want to carry most or all of my media library with me at all times, and I want to be able to fit several movies on my iPod for my multi-day, multi-city business trips" is clearly going to buy a Classic. But I think a lot of people are more like "I want an iPod, and I want to spend around $x dollars - oh, that gets me a...". So my thought is that for average consumers who aren't as aware of computer specs and don't really have specific needs would be more confused comparing an iMac and a prosumer tower in the same price range. I think people would better understand something like "the Mini is the cheap entry-level, the new tower is the expandable higher-end desktop, the iMac is the space-saving all-in-one and the Mac Pro is the super duper model." Obviously anyone who understands computer specs and has specific needs would leave the iMac out of the progression (unless they want an all-in-one), since an all-in-one is completely different than buying a standalone desktop. I was just thinking in terms of Apple wanting to keep things simple for the average person. Which I failed at in this explanation, but I hope that makes sense.
yadmonkey
macrumors 65816
Firstly, overanalyzer, love your name... it's funny and suggests a certain humility about something most of us tend to do, especially on this forum!
Secondly, I very much agree with your, er, analysis about how Apple seems to think about their product lines. I truly wonder if they'll ever recognize the considerable niche for a mid-range prosumer tower - I get a little hope from the fact that there's such a strong presence of users asking for it, to the point where the Psystar thing happened, but based on recent years I'm not all that hopeful. It just seems like Apple has an aversion to the idea.
So I got a little impulsive and ended up ordering a Mac Pro from macconnection.com, since they have a temporary deal (thru today) for $200 off with no tax, no shipping, and no rebates to deal with. My wife was surprisingly understanding! I'm still cringing about how much money I spent, but surely it will cover my needs for a long time and at least I can use two matte displays.
If that minitower is released in the next couple of months, I'll laugh and cry at the same time!
Secondly, I very much agree with your, er, analysis about how Apple seems to think about their product lines. I truly wonder if they'll ever recognize the considerable niche for a mid-range prosumer tower - I get a little hope from the fact that there's such a strong presence of users asking for it, to the point where the Psystar thing happened, but based on recent years I'm not all that hopeful. It just seems like Apple has an aversion to the idea.
So I got a little impulsive and ended up ordering a Mac Pro from macconnection.com, since they have a temporary deal (thru today) for $200 off with no tax, no shipping, and no rebates to deal with. My wife was surprisingly understanding! I'm still cringing about how much money I spent, but surely it will cover my needs for a long time and at least I can use two matte displays.
If that minitower is released in the next couple of months, I'll laugh and cry at the same time!
rapidrobert
macrumors newbie
Smaller?? What's the problem are anorexic women complaining the mini is too fat?
xxjuicymintxx
macrumors regular
I would appreciate a Mini refresh.
I'm disappointed in the iMacs, thanks to the bleeding screens/gradient issues. The Mac-Mini is a simple machine that I absolutely love, I just wish it wasn't as behind as it is.
The simplicity of being able to have a computer in a box and hook up your choice in monitor is a great idea, and a nice way to have an amazing setup.
C'mon apple!
I'm disappointed in the iMacs, thanks to the bleeding screens/gradient issues. The Mac-Mini is a simple machine that I absolutely love, I just wish it wasn't as behind as it is.
The simplicity of being able to have a computer in a box and hook up your choice in monitor is a great idea, and a nice way to have an amazing setup.
C'mon apple!
Kurfer
macrumors regular
i'd much rather see them kill the mini and offer a pc between the current imac and mac pro. The problem with the imac is the video card and the mac pro is just too much. I'd love to see a pc with specs of an imac but with the ability to add a pci express video card and external monitor instead of the all-in-one.
overanalyzer
macrumors 6502a
Well, thanks
As you suspected, the name is in full acknowledgment of my overanalyzing tendencies, and a small apology with each post for regularly going overboard. (But yes, I'm definitely not the only guilty one in the forums.)I think they will as their market share expands and they have room for a more diverse product range. Like I said before, I thought the Air was an exciting addition to their lineup. Whatever you may think of the pros and cons of the MBA, they've widened the variety of product offerings, and I think that's a great sign for the long run. They've done it with iPods and laptops, so I think a widening of the desktop options isn't hard to imagine.
Well, on the plus side, thanks to Apple's rare price drops and refusal to offer super-cheap models or overly steep discounts on refurbs, Macs tend to hold their value exceedingly well. So worse case you could probably sell it at a loss that might be worth it if you can then downgrade to a new and substantially cheaper minitower.
k2spitfire88
macrumors 6502
marketshare
That is a very good point-as their market-share increases they have also increased the diversity of their product offerings. Maybe they will add in the prosumer tower....
That is a very good point-as their market-share increases they have also increased the diversity of their product offerings. Maybe they will add in the prosumer tower....
yadmonkey
macrumors 65816
I feel like I have the benefit of some insight into PC consumers from years of servicing PCs (thankfully mostly behind me). Many Mac users don't seem to understand this, but I firmly believe that a Mac Minitower would have a strong appeal to a certain savvy minitower-loving demographic within the PC market. Even if it's a small percentage of the PC market, it could mean a couple of percentage points in Apple's favor, considering the size of the PC market. Like I've said before, I think these same users aren't going to be all that impressed with the current Apple desktop offerings.
Add to that the current Mac addicts who are pining for it and I see a huge opportunity for Apple. It's almost bizarre that it hasn't happened yet, but with Vista's multiple fiascos, the timing couldn't be better to nab some potential switchers.
Maybe they think that their current users are so hooked on the OS that they'll just shell for a Mac Pro when push comes to shove - I did. But that's not going to work for the PC crowd.
overanalyzer
macrumors 6502a
I don't think it's outlandish to imagine a minitower could be one of the product releases at WWDC. Everyone knows the SDK and iPhone 2.0 software is being finalized, and the only question about the 3G/version 2 iPhone is what it'll look like, but we all know it's coming. So iPhone-related news doesn't seem like it'll be enough for a keynote. So I figure complete revamps of the MacBook and MacBook Pros and/or the launch of a new desktop are probably the most likely major product announcements...here's hoping for both.