Actually I'm thinking massive change to the form factor. That is one way to explain the delay in an update. Of course TB2 and other chip supply problem could explain the delay too.
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New Mac Mini Coming by End of February According to Belgian Retailer
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Actually I'm thinking massive change to the form factor. That is one way to explain the delay in an update. Of course TB2 and other chip supply problem could explain the delay too.
Argggghh - Mac Pro on order and scheduled for despatch "January" and now this news comes along.... I need to replace my 2008 Mac Pro which is dying - the new Pro is admittedly overkill for what I need but the existing Mini isn't up to what I want (No iMac for me as I need to share the monitor with other devices).
If this is true and there's a discreet graphics or Iris Pro option then that could be the Mac for me, but I'm not going to cancel my Pro order on the basis of a rumour and then have to wait months when I have to re-order it
If this is true and there's a discreet graphics or Iris Pro option then that could be the Mac for me, but I'm not going to cancel my Pro order on the basis of a rumour and then have to wait months when I have to re-order it
As sad as I would be to not have a FW port, I'm overall hoping for this prediction to be accurate. This configuration would actually be adequate to replace my main machine, and it would be much smaller, and much more energy efficient. Now if only there were cheap thunderbolt enclosures...
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Argggghh - Mac Pro on order and scheduled for despatch "January" and now this news comes along.... I need to replace my 2008 Mac Pro which is dying - the new Pro is admittedly overkill for what I need but the existing Mini isn't up to what I want (No iMac for me as I need to share the monitor with other devices).
If this is true and there's a discreet graphics or Iris Pro option then that could be the Mac for me, but I'm not going to cancel my Pro order on the basis of a rumour and then have to wait months when I have to re-order it
My feelings exactly. I love my 2008 Mac Pro, but the new one is just more than I need, but the current mini isn't enough! Lets hope for better graphics and thunderbolt 2 on the new Mini!
Argggghh - Mac Pro on order and scheduled for despatch "January" and now this news comes along.... I need to replace my 2008 Mac Pro which is dying - the new Pro is admittedly overkill for what I need but the existing Mini isn't up to what I want (No iMac for me as I need to share the monitor with other devices).
If this is true and there's a discreet graphics or Iris Pro option then that could be the Mac for me, but I'm not going to cancel my Pro order on the basis of a rumour and then have to wait months when I have to re-order it
I wouldn't cancel my order over it.
Agreed. It's a shame Apple has to hold back certain models for marketing reasons instead of letting each model be as good as the technology will allow.
A Mini is still on my buy list - I work at home some days with a windows PC, and also have a windows PC for other work, plus my MBA so using two Dell monitors - sadly not the room for an iMac on the desk as well!
Some of this listed looks like nonsense picked from the internet but I hope they release a spec bump soon.
Some of this listed looks like nonsense picked from the internet but I hope they release a spec bump soon.
I thought Iris Pro was only avail on the higher end i7's... Question is: will the price of mac mini go up since the component costs prob more expensive?
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I know it's just a rumor
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but it would be awesome if this were true (this would be an April or May purchase for me, if they are released in February. And if they do NOT look like the new Airport Extreme/Time Capsule.)
It would be nice to see the Minis get some kind of update along with the usual February MBP minor refresh.
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but it would be awesome if this were true (this would be an April or May purchase for me, if they are released in February. And if they do NOT look like the new Airport Extreme/Time Capsule.)
It would be nice to see the Minis get some kind of update along with the usual February MBP minor refresh.
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Just did this with that exact drive, to my 2010 mini. So impressed with the space + speed, I'm adding functions and software right and left. Tripled its usefulness / value almost overnight. Even having fun with mavericks server!
Would love a 2014 mini to replace my aging imac. Probably get a second hand FW display to hold me over until 4k is mature.
I'm going to deny this fluff rumor as much as possible, because that almost insures it will come true.
It is an odd and arbitrary time for an upgrade. Perhaps done to have SOMETHING put out in the Q1. The i7 they have now is very powerful. I'm using one now, and it's a brilliant entry-level Mac. Sure, it isn't a MacPro, but the old Minis and iMacs from 5 years ago were annoyingly sluggish compared to this thing. The next Minis should be true bargain when next to last decade's computers.
It is an odd and arbitrary time for an upgrade. Perhaps done to have SOMETHING put out in the Q1. The i7 they have now is very powerful. I'm using one now, and it's a brilliant entry-level Mac. Sure, it isn't a MacPro, but the old Minis and iMacs from 5 years ago were annoyingly sluggish compared to this thing. The next Minis should be true bargain when next to last decade's computers.
Good bye Mac mini
Mac nano
They got rid of the optical drive but kept the same form factor because it made sense at the time. There was no need to design a new case while the Mac mini was in mid-life cycle.
But now, if they get rid of the 2.5" drive and go with a PCIe flash drive as they already did in new Macs, they can probably squeeze everything into a much smaller case. They need to re-use their custom components in as many computers as possible to lower the overall price. I see the Mac nano with 128GB flash storage for the entry model to keep costs down.
For the RAM, either they keep two slots for a maximum of 16GB which is still plenty for the entry-level Mac, or they go with on-board RAM like the MacBook Air in order to cut costs and size requirements. If that happens, then the options are probably going to be 8GB or 16GB.
Don't forget that the current generation only has Intel HD Graphics 4000. Since it's going to be Haswell CPUs, it means Iris/Iris Pro graphics so it's an upgrade from HD4000. No dedicated GPU means a smaller motherboard, a lower cost and a lower TDP too.
A smaller aluminium case would require less time to manufacturem and would be more compact for shipping and inventory. Don't forget we are in the Tim Era now.
All that for the same price as before.
Mac Pro mini
On the other hand, Apple could also go with the exact the same design as the Mac Pro, but smaller. Maybe the same size as the new Airport Extreme but circular and made of anodized aluminium. If they do that, I hope they hire Yao Ming and Verne Troyer again for the TV ad. There's also the psychological "If the Mac Pro is too expensive for you, you can get a mini version for much less!" factor.
Mac nano
They got rid of the optical drive but kept the same form factor because it made sense at the time. There was no need to design a new case while the Mac mini was in mid-life cycle.
But now, if they get rid of the 2.5" drive and go with a PCIe flash drive as they already did in new Macs, they can probably squeeze everything into a much smaller case. They need to re-use their custom components in as many computers as possible to lower the overall price. I see the Mac nano with 128GB flash storage for the entry model to keep costs down.
For the RAM, either they keep two slots for a maximum of 16GB which is still plenty for the entry-level Mac, or they go with on-board RAM like the MacBook Air in order to cut costs and size requirements. If that happens, then the options are probably going to be 8GB or 16GB.
Don't forget that the current generation only has Intel HD Graphics 4000. Since it's going to be Haswell CPUs, it means Iris/Iris Pro graphics so it's an upgrade from HD4000. No dedicated GPU means a smaller motherboard, a lower cost and a lower TDP too.
A smaller aluminium case would require less time to manufacturem and would be more compact for shipping and inventory. Don't forget we are in the Tim Era now.
All that for the same price as before.
Mac Pro mini
On the other hand, Apple could also go with the exact the same design as the Mac Pro, but smaller. Maybe the same size as the new Airport Extreme but circular and made of anodized aluminium. If they do that, I hope they hire Yao Ming and Verne Troyer again for the TV ad. There's also the psychological "If the Mac Pro is too expensive for you, you can get a mini version for much less!" factor.
There are suddenly a metric s*** ton of Mac minis (all of the "Late 2012" variety) in the refurb store that weren't there yesterday.
Intel recently announced new mobile Haswell CPUs and one of them is the i7-4860HQ, with HD 5200 graphics, with a steep $434 MSRP. Apple would get quite the volume discount, I'm sure.
If there's a mid-level mini with Iris Pro, I'm in.
http://www.cpu-world.com/news_2014/...eshes_Core_i5_and_Core_i7_mobile_lineups.html
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It could be as something simple as Apple is finally running out stock of Ivy Bridge processors. Tim Cook is nothing if not a logician.
Good catch! I wonder if Apple would see the 5200/Iris Pro as being powerful enough to appease the masses looking for a mini with discrete graphics...
Give me 4K or give me death.
I don't need gaming; I don't need to encode high resolution video (although that would be nice). All I need is a four-core i7, 16GB or RAM, an SSD (or fusion drive), Thunderbolt 2, and version of Aperture that'll take advantage of a 4K monitor.
. . . um, yeah, just all that.
And then, in the fall, they can take as much of my money as they want for a 17-inch 4K Macbook Pro.
I don't need gaming; I don't need to encode high resolution video (although that would be nice). All I need is a four-core i7, 16GB or RAM, an SSD (or fusion drive), Thunderbolt 2, and version of Aperture that'll take advantage of a 4K monitor.
. . . um, yeah, just all that.
And then, in the fall, they can take as much of my money as they want for a 17-inch 4K Macbook Pro.
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That's nothing new. Went into my local Apple Store yesterday and the new Mac Pro was tucked away in a corner at the back of the computers section with absolutely no signage about it.
I wouldn't be surprised if they canned the Mac Mini and replaced it with a smaller, cheaper iMac option. They could also make a budget version of the Mac Pro for non-Pro users who don't like the all-in-one design.
That design is based on the idea of 3 big, hot chips (Xeon CPU and 2 powerful GPUs) on 3 main boards arranged in a triangle around a central heatsink column.
Why would that make sense for a Mac Mini, with a mobile-class CPU, probably with an integrated GPU?
unless you're thinking of a Mac Pro with i5/i7 instead of Xeon and a pair of non-workstation-class discrete GPUs - in which case, dream on.