Playing Devil's Advocate for a second, considering the parts, this could just be an interim release. A half step between old and new, so Apple will have something to tide everyone over until the "real" Mini update with Broadwell comes out next year.
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New 2014 Mac Mini Has Soldered RAM, Not User Replaceable
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Playing Devil's Advocate for a second, considering the parts, this could just be an interim release. A half step between old and new, so Apple will have something to tide everyone over until the "real" Mini update with Broadwell comes out next year.
Be aware that the new Continuity features in Yosemite won't work with third-party Bluetooth adapters.
I think you meant to say:
But I'm not bitter or anything...
As long as it helps Apple make bigger profits, why worry about the consumer? All I care about is how much money Apple makes.
Hell, if I were that worried about the health of the company, I'd just give Apple money. That way, I'd feel like I'm donating to a good cause, rather than having my wallet raided.
It vexes me. I'm terribly vexed.
I was expecting that the RAM would not be upgradable but I was also expecting the minis to go the way of the MBP Retinas-- all solid state, not user upgradable and the size of an Apple TV.
This update is baffling. Mac minis were always the goto mac for my customers that were new to Apple. It was a great way to get a flexible mac for well under a thousand dollars. Especially the i7 model. I don't know who it is at Apple that has such a boner for that frakking 1.4 GHz i5 that it has to now appear as an option in almost every computer but holy hell give it a rest before it shows up as an $999 entry level Mac Pro.
Between this and the crazy multiplication of skus for the iPads, I suddenly don't feel like I understand which direction they're going and usually it's not too difficult to suss out.
I was expecting that the RAM would not be upgradable but I was also expecting the minis to go the way of the MBP Retinas-- all solid state, not user upgradable and the size of an Apple TV.
This update is baffling. Mac minis were always the goto mac for my customers that were new to Apple. It was a great way to get a flexible mac for well under a thousand dollars. Especially the i7 model. I don't know who it is at Apple that has such a boner for that frakking 1.4 GHz i5 that it has to now appear as an option in almost every computer but holy hell give it a rest before it shows up as an $999 entry level Mac Pro.
Between this and the crazy multiplication of skus for the iPads, I suddenly don't feel like I understand which direction they're going and usually it's not too difficult to suss out.
It sort of has that feeling to it, doesn't it? They just rearranged the innards a little bit without really doing anything new to it.
l'm sure that it is indeed an interim that Apple felt forced into releasing once Broadwell delivery dates disappeared over the horizon once again.
l'm equally sure that the all new Broadwell mini will be as locked down as an iMac, with zero user upgradability or serviceability.
lt's the (rumoured; still not convinced) reduced/nonexistent upgradability of this refresh (defresh?) that's so bloody annoying, because it seems as if Apple have gone out of their way to screw the user.
I would again refer you to my comment regarding surface area vs vertical space
. I've seen the soldered ram, and it does take up more surface area in the notebooks, but what are you really going to do? I think Apple could have done better on the $1000 model. They kind of cheaped out there.You are correct. There aren't any obvious increases to design constraints imposed this round. Their design decisions are extremely annoying at times. For example laptop batteries are no longer user serviceable, yet they never fully solved the problem of batteries that swell toward the end of their lifespan.
Just did some research into this. The only processors that match the Mac Mini's specs are the Core i5-4308U (base configuration) and Core i7-4578U (upgraded configuration). Both are capable of supporting a maximum of 16gb RAM and no more. However, they could have easily chosen better processors which support 32gb.
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Well he's not just some "random guy", he's some "random guy that happens to have my current Mac mini server on his premises" (and does a damned fine job at it). In the past, they've done a ton of custom Mac mini upgrades for their customers.
That said, yes, I'm waiting for an actual iFixit, etc. teardown. Everything I'm reading about LPDDR3 RAM says it's all socketed.
No More HDMI DVI Adapter
I noticed while in the oder page of the mac mini, that the HDMI to DVI adapter is now an accessory that you order, when I ordered my 2011 mac mini, this adapter was included...... way to screw us Apple
I noticed while in the oder page of the mac mini, that the HDMI to DVI adapter is now an accessory that you order, when I ordered my 2011 mac mini, this adapter was included...... way to screw us Apple
No kidding. 2012s are STILL a better buy in my opinion.
People who recently bought the old mini, especially those who got the quad core options, should be jumping for joy. The Quad core i7 and Server 2012 Minis are going to skyrocket in price on eBay.
Why Apple would essentially rape the mac mini down to nothing has me baffled. The 2012 build with user replaceable RAM, a 4850HQ Quad i7, and an Iris Pro, would have done wonders here. I love Apple products, but Apple can stick the new Mac mini where the sun doesn't shine.
I'm not really surprised about the RAM -- I'm actually more surprised they didn't go the laptop route and do soldered storage too.
Apple treats most of their machines like appliances for the most part now, where you buy them with one specific specification loadout, and it's basically the same until it's re-sold or retired.
Make no mistake, they did it for profit margin purposes. Selling someone a 4GB machine just so they can toss 16GB in and save a couple hundred dollars is a detriment to the revenue stream.
I also figure this report is legitimate, I mean, he does work for a Mac Mini Colocation service. It's in their direct interest to know how ASAP new generations of Mac Minis are configured so they can install/support/etc.
Apple treats most of their machines like appliances for the most part now, where you buy them with one specific specification loadout, and it's basically the same until it's re-sold or retired.
Make no mistake, they did it for profit margin purposes. Selling someone a 4GB machine just so they can toss 16GB in and save a couple hundred dollars is a detriment to the revenue stream.
I also figure this report is legitimate, I mean, he does work for a Mac Mini Colocation service. It's in their direct interest to know how ASAP new generations of Mac Minis are configured so they can install/support/etc.
If they didn't change the form factor then why the absolute flying **** did they decide to solder it this time.
Probably. But if it's in a thin, sleek case just a slight bit thicker than the keyboard half of an MBA, that'd at least be justification. Yeah, it's true the Mini doesn't need to be that thin, but that's Apple's thing these days. You lose
But soldering the ram into the exact same body as the old model, which was well known for being easy to get into and upgrade? It just seems...I dunno. Kinda mean.
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Base price
749
Topped out memory
+480
topped out HDD
+400
ya see where this is heading
it's not about making apple more money, it's about what the majority of customers care about or don't care about.
just like you optimize on how you spend your money, apple optimizes on how little they can offer for your money.
just like you optimize on how you spend your money, apple optimizes on how little they can offer for your money.
Either that or they're looking at doing something even more interesting with the ATV by combining it with some of the Mac Mini functionality, such as how it's used as an HTPC and perhaps something to allow it to connect to a NAS (or external storage) much easier, perhaps even something like an iTunes server type device but all connecting to the living room monitor.
And now I'll stop dreaming.
Intel Iris HD 5100 Graphics.
Here's a little info for you. :
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Iris-Graphics-5100.91977.0.html
"The performance of the Iris Graphics 5100 is about 20 percent above the HD Graphics 5000, which can be found in ULV CPUs of the 15W class. In a best case scenario, the IGP machtes a dedicated GeForce GT 640M LE. In other cases, however, the performance is only at the level of the GeForce GT 620M due to the limited memory bandwidth. Current games (as of 2013) can be played fluently in low or medium detail settings and a resolution of 1.024 x 768 or 1.366 x 768 pixels.
Due to the 22nm 3D Tri-Gate production process, power consumption should be relatively low. The Iris Graphics 5100 can be found on certain ULV dual-core Haswell models in the 28 Watt TDP range."
It's the same as the Late 2013 Macbook Pro Core i5 integrated graphics.
http://www.everymac.com/systems/app...i5-2.4-13-late-2013-retina-display-specs.html
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It's impossible to defend the new Mac Mini and the iPad Mini 3.
Guess Mini is the monicker to label the "avoid and get last gen instead" products now.
Glassed Silver:mac
Very odd indeed... that they would make this a front page story. Configuration options in the store don't say it's not upgradable. So there's that!
Yes and the next mini, the real one, will be some kind of skinny sealed box that Tim or one of his underlings will slobber over at an event. Those guys know that most Mac owners just go into the store and buy something without really knowing what is (or is not) inside.
As for the serious computer users like the MacRumors forums participants here, Apple doesn't really need us any more. There are plenty of rich people out there willing to pay up for high-end products. And there are plenty of wish-they-were-rich people who will pay up for cheap junk like the new mini and the bottom tier iMac. Hey, they look like the other Macs!
Straight from apple's store for any one still questioning this article.
Memory
1.4GHz Mac mini
4GB of 1600MHz LPDDR3 memory
Configurable to 8GB or 16GB, only at the Apple Online Store.
2.6GHz Mac mini and 2.8GHz Mac mini
8GB of 1600MHz LPDDR3 memory
Configurable to 16GB, only at the Apple Online Store.
What a joke btw. If they made it super small I could see the logic board ram. But same size and not upgradable? WHY!?!?!?!?
Memory
1.4GHz Mac mini
4GB of 1600MHz LPDDR3 memory
Configurable to 8GB or 16GB, only at the Apple Online Store.
2.6GHz Mac mini and 2.8GHz Mac mini
8GB of 1600MHz LPDDR3 memory
Configurable to 16GB, only at the Apple Online Store.
What a joke btw. If they made it super small I could see the logic board ram. But same size and not upgradable? WHY!?!?!?!?