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Much Smaller Mac Mini Coming?
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Right, but what gets me is Apple's failure to recognize that people might use more than one device on their monitor (PC, second Mac, Xbox 360, PS3, etc). This is also reflected in their failure to provide video input in the iMac's design. How is the Mac ever going to be your digital hub if it doesn't allow for another device? Using the PS3 as an example - lots of people are buying them solely for HD blu ray playback, but they won't be getting 1080p on an Apple display.
And I'm thinking forward. The iMac is HDCP capable. The Mac Pro is as well. Older pros will be by upgrading video cards. It won't be long before Macs support blu ray playback, so it seems like it would be an awful disappointment to spend $900-1800 on an Apple HD display, yet lack the ability to view 1080p on it. They need an update or a price drop.
Regardless, I think it's a joke and always has been a joke that they don't support at least a second device.
Is HDCP enabled right now? iMacs and Mac Pros don't support hardware decoding of HD video even though their GPUs support it, which surely can't be hard to do. Is HDCP and hardware decode tied together? My bet is that Apple won't turn on the hardware and really support HD video until Apple starts selling Macs with Blu-Ray. When that will be I have no idea.
The NEW Mini
To albusseverus: Apparently this thread is not dead. You responed to it.
I would like to rejuvenate the thread a little though. I would like to propose an analysis as to WHY we are yet to see our new Minis. WHY, I cant help ponder, since technologically it would be so mindlessly simple for Apple to bring out a revised Mini, but they wont. WHY?
Firstly, a quick review of HOW mindlessly easy it would be for Apple, Inc. to give us a relevant Mini might be constructive. Here are a couple of easy ones, just to get things started: 1. The Mini is basically a Macbook without the keyboard and screen. It uses mostly laptop components which Apple already has perfected and has in stock. 2. It makes Apple mucho money. Considering that the screen is the most expensive part of most laptops, at nearly $1000 for a decked out Mini, Apple should make a tidy profit from every one they sell. 3. If they kept the case the same, there is virtually no re-engineering investment involved. 4. They already even have the space on their Apple Store site. All they need is a new sticker. How much can it cost for a new sticker?
Now this is only a start. Im sure there are a dozen or more reasons that we Miniphiles can expound on this subject. I will be anxious to start hearing some of them.
But, perhaps much more interesting is the WHY Apple refuses to even do a mundane, routine hardware update as they have done for every other member of their product line. There is one reason that always comes to my mind first, and so I will start it off with that.
1. It is the Js fear of loosing the title for any of his products; the title Uniquitis Absolutis.
Its been bandied about by others more insightful than I why Apple will NEVER come out with a medium sized stand-alone computer (a.k.a., Minitower). Its because since every other PC maker has several mid-tower and mini-tower models, it would be very difficult for Apple to distinguish themselves, and claim for the product ownership of Uniquitis Absolutis.
Its a shame, because this sector of the market is probably the one that could attract more Switchers to the worlds greatest OS. And even though a Mac in this category of healthy power, flexibility, and expandability would be gobbled up, it will never be able to claim the moniker of the Worlds First .... or Uniquitis Absolutis. Its just too bad if the Mac Pro is way more computer than most can ever use, or that the Mini as currently configured just isnt competent for the demands of 2008 and beyond. And so what if the all-in-one iMac does not fit your sensibilities or your ergonomics (my complaint). Tough.
2. Apple never even talks about the Mini any more - I suspect this is because several other hardware manufacturers have, since the Minis introduction, come out with PCs as compact, and equally capable. I suspect Apple is a little ashamed of the Mini right now. If they are going to rebirth this baby, it is going to have to fulfill the Js requirement of Uniquitis Absolutis. So, I suspect that if we are ever to see a new Mini, there is, right now as you read, a NEW Mini in utero. It cant be any other way.
I suspect that the reborn NEW Mini will come sans a CD drive as did the recent MBA. This alone would allow it to qualify for the title of Uniquitis Absolutis. And at the same time it will help propel Apples forge into the uncharted territory of computer evolution. The iTunes store intimated it; the MBA said it; the NEW Mini will confirm it: the CD is redundant.
The new Mini will have to be small enough, say seven inches wide by 4 inches deep by 3/4 inch thick that nobody ever again will have to think twice about bring it with them to - anywhere. For once recharged in its iPhone-like pod, it will run for twelve hours, since, with its 128 GB SSD, it will have been totally liberated from the drag and drain of Newtonian mechanics.
Indeed as more and more monitors gain the ability to connect to a computer via wireless USB (indeed, already 0.00001% of the worlds monitors and LCD tv displays can) all you will have to do to instantly create a full-blown desktop equivalent, is whip your NEW Mini out of your backpack (or cargo pocket) set it down on the desk and start being productive. No more 13.3 displays to constrict your thinking, (the absurdity of those WEWE PCs popping up everywhere). And with the ubiquity of wireless routers in all places Cool, your cyber space is complete.
But what about the keyboard you say. No problem. The top of the Mini is a touch sensitive surface åla the iPhone; it will provide a typing and pointing analog all in one. The New Mini will even be comfortably sloped like the new Apple wireless keyboard, to minimize the risk of Repetitive Task Syndrome.
So, I suspect we may have a few more months to wait. But I still cant help asking myself, while they are finishing up on the NEW Mini, couldnt they just very quietly stick some new hardware in the existing one, just to keep us going. We wont tell.
To albusseverus: Apparently this thread is not dead. You responed to it.
I would like to rejuvenate the thread a little though. I would like to propose an analysis as to WHY we are yet to see our new Minis. WHY, I cant help ponder, since technologically it would be so mindlessly simple for Apple to bring out a revised Mini, but they wont. WHY?
Firstly, a quick review of HOW mindlessly easy it would be for Apple, Inc. to give us a relevant Mini might be constructive. Here are a couple of easy ones, just to get things started: 1. The Mini is basically a Macbook without the keyboard and screen. It uses mostly laptop components which Apple already has perfected and has in stock. 2. It makes Apple mucho money. Considering that the screen is the most expensive part of most laptops, at nearly $1000 for a decked out Mini, Apple should make a tidy profit from every one they sell. 3. If they kept the case the same, there is virtually no re-engineering investment involved. 4. They already even have the space on their Apple Store site. All they need is a new sticker. How much can it cost for a new sticker?
Now this is only a start. Im sure there are a dozen or more reasons that we Miniphiles can expound on this subject. I will be anxious to start hearing some of them.
But, perhaps much more interesting is the WHY Apple refuses to even do a mundane, routine hardware update as they have done for every other member of their product line. There is one reason that always comes to my mind first, and so I will start it off with that.
1. It is the Js fear of loosing the title for any of his products; the title Uniquitis Absolutis.
Its been bandied about by others more insightful than I why Apple will NEVER come out with a medium sized stand-alone computer (a.k.a., Minitower). Its because since every other PC maker has several mid-tower and mini-tower models, it would be very difficult for Apple to distinguish themselves, and claim for the product ownership of Uniquitis Absolutis.
Its a shame, because this sector of the market is probably the one that could attract more Switchers to the worlds greatest OS. And even though a Mac in this category of healthy power, flexibility, and expandability would be gobbled up, it will never be able to claim the moniker of the Worlds First .... or Uniquitis Absolutis. Its just too bad if the Mac Pro is way more computer than most can ever use, or that the Mini as currently configured just isnt competent for the demands of 2008 and beyond. And so what if the all-in-one iMac does not fit your sensibilities or your ergonomics (my complaint). Tough.
2. Apple never even talks about the Mini any more - I suspect this is because several other hardware manufacturers have, since the Minis introduction, come out with PCs as compact, and equally capable. I suspect Apple is a little ashamed of the Mini right now. If they are going to rebirth this baby, it is going to have to fulfill the Js requirement of Uniquitis Absolutis. So, I suspect that if we are ever to see a new Mini, there is, right now as you read, a NEW Mini in utero. It cant be any other way.
I suspect that the reborn NEW Mini will come sans a CD drive as did the recent MBA. This alone would allow it to qualify for the title of Uniquitis Absolutis. And at the same time it will help propel Apples forge into the uncharted territory of computer evolution. The iTunes store intimated it; the MBA said it; the NEW Mini will confirm it: the CD is redundant.
The new Mini will have to be small enough, say seven inches wide by 4 inches deep by 3/4 inch thick that nobody ever again will have to think twice about bring it with them to - anywhere. For once recharged in its iPhone-like pod, it will run for twelve hours, since, with its 128 GB SSD, it will have been totally liberated from the drag and drain of Newtonian mechanics.
Indeed as more and more monitors gain the ability to connect to a computer via wireless USB (indeed, already 0.00001% of the worlds monitors and LCD tv displays can) all you will have to do to instantly create a full-blown desktop equivalent, is whip your NEW Mini out of your backpack (or cargo pocket) set it down on the desk and start being productive. No more 13.3 displays to constrict your thinking, (the absurdity of those WEWE PCs popping up everywhere). And with the ubiquity of wireless routers in all places Cool, your cyber space is complete.
But what about the keyboard you say. No problem. The top of the Mini is a touch sensitive surface åla the iPhone; it will provide a typing and pointing analog all in one. The New Mini will even be comfortably sloped like the new Apple wireless keyboard, to minimize the risk of Repetitive Task Syndrome.
So, I suspect we may have a few more months to wait. But I still cant help asking myself, while they are finishing up on the NEW Mini, couldnt they just very quietly stick some new hardware in the existing one, just to keep us going. We wont tell.
Wow, you really are describing my dream model. If we could only get rid of that pesky CPU and other internals, it would be ALL sexy form over utilitarian substance. Configuration then boils down to color choice and Jobs triumphantly renames the whole line supermodels on the keynote runway. Seriously, how long before being an Apple user is synonymous with being a shallow idiot taken to the cleaners over some base desire for pretty boxes? Will they, I wonder, ever make them anatomically correct?
after reading your post, i was amazed.
i quite like your ideas, however i must stress that apple does not want something that will rival any of its current computers.yes, having a "micro mac mini" with a wireless USB screen and all would be amazing, and yes it would be awsome to have a touch pad on the top of the micro thing, with 12+ hours because of SSD, but IMHO i dont think that apple will introduce it to that degree.
there is already a "micro mac mini" in place, it is the macbook. what is the use of having the same specs - the screen? the MB is highly portable already, and would most likely have a lot more power than this computer, if it were to be implemented.
apple will most likely introduce something amazing, probably with SSD, and without a CD drive. however, i dont think that the technology will allow us to do the wireless thing. its just not that feasible yet.
Greed, on Apple's part?
The longer Apple leaves a computer without updating it the more money they are likely to be making off it.
Consider the specs of the Mini: Combo Drive, GMA 950, Wireless b/g (NO N) and still NO Penryn chips. God knows how much a Combo Drive must cost these days and Intel must be giving away those GMA 950 chips. It really is outrageous that Apple charge £400/£700 respectively for a desktop/laptop that can't even burn a DVD.
The cost of these components must have fallen considerably since they were first introduced and used by Apple in the Mini, but the cost of the Mini to the consumer remains the same.
if it gets smaller - how will they fit a cd drive in there? will it be another optional extra like the MBA?
A Mini bar optical drive really wouldn't be such a good idea. Already savvy potential switchers I speak to (& that's those who actually like OS X) won't even buy the current Mini because of its crippled specs. The Mini you describe may go down well with fanboys, but it would be almost totally ignored by the very market it's supposedly aimed at.
You try explaining to the average consumer the appeal of a small shiny box packaged with software like iDVD, that doesn't even have an optical drive to make direct use of that software.
Most sensible consumers, bar fanboys, would quite rightly totally ignore such a product.No, what many people would like to see from Apple is either a consumer mid-tower or at least offer decent video card BTO options on the Mini. Sadly, neither is likely to happen to protect sales of the bottom-end iMac (in itself, not even an option for some people because of that glossy screen, which many people either love or hate).
A Mini bar optical drive really wouldn't be such a good idea. Already savvy potential switchers I speak to (& that's those who actually like OS X) won't even buy the current Mini because of its crippled specs. The Mini you describe may go down well with fanboys, but it would be almost totally ignored by the very market it's supposedly aimed at.
You try explaining to the average consumer the appeal of a small shiny box packaged with software like iDVD, that doesn't even have an optical drive to make direct use of that software.
No, what many people would like to see from Apple is either a consumer mid-tower or at least offer decent video card BTO options on the Mini. Sadly, neither is likely to happen to protect sales of the bottom-end iMac (in itself, not even an option for some people because of that glossy screen, which many people either love or hate).
hey george,
i wasnt really implying that the mini wont come without a CD drive, i was simply agreeing with the poster that i quoted that there COULD be a possibility of there being no internal CD drive (well thats what i was implying).
if apple were to de-include an optical drive in the next "mini", it could probably be as a BTO external drive, which would kind of wreck the purpose, but make it that much more portable, sleek and whatnot. optical is slowly being phased out anyway, i am waiting for the day when a BluRay movie can be bought on a 32gb flash stick the size of current M2 memory sticks.
believe me, i am all for a mac to be implemented that is actually competitive spec-wise among the PC market, something with an actual GPU, up to date RAM, and a decent processor- all at decent prices. i would love that, but unfortunately that just isnt how apple works.
It's always "a possibility", but I think it would be a major mistake. Whereas no optical drive may have an obvious advantage to some laptop users, I don't see any advantages doing the same to an already small-enough desktop. BTO options on an external drive certainly won't go down well with those already complaining that the Mini is over-priced.
I'm undecided about the merits of BluRay movies on 32gb flash sticks, etc. as something having mass appeal. I still feel that most people are far too materialistic & easily seduced by the idea of owning stuff, particularly when it's prettily packaged & full of relevant info. Those favourite 12 DVD series or certain movies you keep watching over-&-over again, just seem better being owned in physical disk form & BluRay disks will eventually come down in price to the level of ordinary DVDs.
Yes, Apple were the first to drop floppy drives, but the demise of old technology like floppy disks, video cassettes, etc. really wouldn't be a good analogy for the same happening to optical disks. Those older technologies were very problematic for many users in many respects, whereas optical disks seem to be just good enough for far too many users to be abandoned so readily. - IMO, nano Mini bar optical drive = commercial disaster.
It's always "a possibility", but I think it would be a major mistake. Whereas no optical drive may have an obvious advantage to some laptop users, I don't see any advantages doing the same to an already small-enough desktop. BTO options on an external drive certainly won't go down well with those already complaining that the Mini is over-priced.
I'm undecided about the merits of having BluRay movies on 32gb flash sticks, etc. as something with mass appeal. I still feel that most people are far too materialistic & easily seduced by the idea of owning stuff, particularly when it's prettily packaged & full of relevant info. Those favourite 12 DVD series or certain movies you keep watching over-&-over again, just seem better being owned in physical disk form & BluRay disks will eventually come down in price to the level of ordinary DVDs.
Yes, Apple were the first to drop floppy drives, but the demise of old technology like floppy disks, video cassettes, etc. really wouldn't be a good analogy for the same happening to optical discs. Those older technologies were very problematic for many users in many respects, whereas optical disks seem to be just good enough for far too many users to be abandoned so readily. - IMO, nano Mini bar optical drive = commercial disaster.
i can see your point, if the optical drive was dropped it would severely limit the capabilities of the mini, especially for those who use them as media servers (ripping DVD's to external hard drives to play them over the network etc). if apple is redesigning the mini, i am really really hoping that it will have some sort of BluRay drive, simply because of its future-proofed capabilities at the moment. as you have said, CD's and DVD's currently "work" for a lot of users, and the implementation of BluRay disks into the market will allow for much larger storage capacities, allowing for a bigger target market, higher movie qualities, more data to be transferred in one sitting etc (albeit, with higher costs at this current point in time).
i believe, however, that optical media is fighting a loosing battle because of
A: the capacities are physically limited
B: consumer burnt copies are limited in life span + users dont want to be re-burning copies to another disk every 20-50years, its a pain in the butt.
C: HD's can hold 10-20x more data than disks ever will
D: disks are more cheaper, and can go as small as you can imagine. a DVD rip can literally be put onto your ipod, or flash sticks similarly on your phone.
having a flash stick with BluRay movies technically still counts as a materialistic thing. maybe businesses will put the flash sticks in a little case, with a front cover and blurb on the back etcetc, just to keep consumers happy. i suppose that if someone with a room full of DVD's goes to a room full (draw full??) of BluRay flash drive movies in the future and just starts laughing it might make him feel a bit less manly haha.
but anyway, seriously, i think the mini at the moment isn't capable of these things, but is most certainly a thing to think about in future versions, and with further development it could be a design that helps the mini come back up the ladder.
In my opinion, physical discs don't just seem better, they are better. You don't need a lot of infrastructure to play them. As backup media, unlike hard disks or flash drives DVDs are robust under a wide range of magnetic, temperature, and humidity conditions. Owing to the different manufacturing process, commercial read-only DVDs aren't subject to deteriorating rapidly over time like write-once and rewritable DVDs are.
thats very true, (something to do with ink in the consumer read-only disks i think??).
as backup media though, they are not the best thing to choose. the capacities of physical disks are too small, expecially for businesses. even me, i cannot justify the cost, time and effort to backup everything onto disks. and the fact that i am constantly changing that data means that i will have to burn a new disk every month/week/day, meaning extra money. a simple flash drive/HD every year will eliminate that problem, and it can be done "automatically-er" than DVD's.
The new ACD. It so thin you can't see it. The new Mac Mini. It's the size of pancake. It's so thin it doesn't have a video card so it sings to you.
I didn't mean to imply that one should backup business data to a DVD or Blu-Ray disc. I meant to compare downloadable diskless media with buying physical DVDs. Look at the cost (not to mention time) of backing up a couple TB of data to something like Amazon S3. Physical DVDs are still safer and faster.
ok i see now. ok fair point, for things such as software etc it is an easier way. probably cheaper/ less dependant on the internet/ less time waiting to download/ etcetc. ah well for the time being i dont see the market changing that much.
How to fit CD/DVD/BD drive on a smaller Mac Mini
The answer to your question: (where it says omni drive)
The answer to your question: (where it says omni drive)
Some interesting points. I think Apple will probably introduce BluRay into their Pro models first & then the iMacs, but they may be more guarded about doing so with the Mini, not least because it's already heavily-favoured by many people as their media hub & Apple won't want to further undermine their ailing Apple TV in this respect.
I think bigwig's distinction between commercial & business use of optical disks is spot on. It may well be, as you say, that optical media will have a very finite life-span for storing data in businesses, but I agree with him for said reasons about the viability of some form of optical disk holding sway for general consumers for many years to come. That doesn't mean there won't be a market for other formats (for eg. just look at music: MP3s for all their raging popularity aren't significantly affecting the market for CDs, & even old vinyl records, which never completely died off despite the popularity of CDs, are making something of a come-back in some limited degree).
But all this & more still begs the question: why are Apple continuing to delay updating the Mini if, as generally expected, we'll probably see only the X3100 & small spec bumps? One previous poster thinks perhaps "greed". For now at least, I'm inclined to agree with him.
Some valid points &, factor into the equation the general accessibility of the technology & consumer-friendly price (with BluRay in time inevitably following DVD price-trends), hence why I think optical media isn't going to lose its appeal to the general consumer, not in our generation's time at least.
Well the one thing which I find most annoying is that Apple continues to put combo drives in any of their machines. With DVD burners being dirt cheap these days, this seems completely senseless to me, except as a marketing angle to create the additional price points.
As for blu ray, I'm surprised that Apple has yet to offer it, particularly in their most recent iMac update. With displays (ACDs) which are not HDCP ready, no HD capability in their DVD player software, and no blu ray options whatsoever, Apple is quickly falling further behind the curve on this one. At least their recent video cards are HDCP ready, so perhaps expansion is an option on the horizon.
But sometimes staying ahead of the curve makes for a less wonderful bottom line. Apple's backbone has been their fanatical user base, yet it seems they're much more concerned with making their shareholders happy than those who are buying their products.
As for blu ray, I'm surprised that Apple has yet to offer it, particularly in their most recent iMac update. With displays (ACDs) which are not HDCP ready, no HD capability in their DVD player software, and no blu ray options whatsoever, Apple is quickly falling further behind the curve on this one. At least their recent video cards are HDCP ready, so perhaps expansion is an option on the horizon.
But sometimes staying ahead of the curve makes for a less wonderful bottom line. Apple's backbone has been their fanatical user base, yet it seems they're much more concerned with making their shareholders happy than those who are buying their products.