Newbie speculation...

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Hi I'm new to the forum and I have been eying my first apple pc purchase to be a Mac mini but the current 2010 being limited to FireWire and cramped and slow internal storage options have prevented me from purchasing one. 

The mini would be perfect solely for minor hd editing and mainly as a media center. I could just buy a 2011 MacBook pro 15 but  I'm gettig really tired having my iTunes and media sprawled about several laptops and devices and not having one central hub for everything, especially when syncing iPhones and iPads. Besides im spoiled with my iPad and netbook for traveling light so id rather transfer more difficult tasks to a home unit.

So here is my speculation/question:

Since it looks like the mini's trend is to get smaller and usually follow the same specs as a macbook pro 13 platform do you think they will continue to follow the smaller trend and use the MacBook air platform?

Doing this would certainly shrink the footprint to something like some tiny windows net-tops (ie. Lenovo ideacentre or acer revo). The MacBook air can be a decent media center since it has a 320m graphics and a bare minimum CPU for media. It would certainly fuel rumors about the move away from optical drives and the new thunderbolt port could consolidate a few ports like display, hdmi, USB, digital audio, etc with an external hub/converter.

But im not in support of this and think it would be a major step backwards. I already complain that the hard drive in the mini is scary to get to, and the Air's memory is soldered in. Going this route would leave us with almost zero user upgradeability options.

Sorry this has been long winded I guess you can tell I've been thinking about this for a long time. It's just so difficult with apple because of their cost. For 300 bucks you can get a windows  pc to get by but at 1000+ it stings a little when there's a better refresh just a month away. I don't even want to buy apple until lion is preinstalled 64bit is going to be awesome and I'm totally psyched about thunderbolt.

 

[G4er?]

As a Mac user for almost 20 years I completely understand what you are saying. The only product that Apple makes that allows ease of use is the Mac Pro. Kind of overkill to have to spend $2499 just to get a computer that is easy to open without having to resort to suction cups or putty knives. Funny how Apple feels a "pro" user has the ability to safely and easily replaced a hard drive but regular people are somehow supposed to be both dumber and smarter at the same time and use suction cups and putty knives to do the same thing.

My G4 PowerMac is getting pretty long in the tooth and I really need something newer and faster. But I'll never buy an all in one and get stuck having to use the screen Apple thinks is right for me. Plus you have to buy the largest screen to get the fastest processor.

Mini is lacking and the Pro is overkill for me. Sorry Apple I'm not made of that much money.

Apple is successful but they are also chasing people away. People love OSX but some dislike the machines it comes in. So they are hacking PC's and buying OSX to run on them.

A decent mid range desktop with a monitor for $1200 would have kept some of those hackers buying Apple computers.

I don't want to build a hackintosh but I need something more than the mini.
I'd love to keep using OSX but I'm really on the fence.

 

[alust2013]

As a Mac user for almost 20 years I completely understand what you are saying. The only product that Apple makes that allows ease of use is the Mac Pro. Kind of overkill to have to spend $2499 just to get a computer that is easy to open without having to resort to suction cups or putty knives. Funny how Apple feels a "pro" user has the ability to safely and easily replaced a hard drive but regular people are somehow supposed to be both dumber and smarter at the same time and use suction cups and putty knives to do the same thing.

My G4 PowerMac is getting pretty long in the tooth and I really need something newer and faster. But I'll never buy an all in one and get stuck having to use the screen Apple thinks is right for me. Plus you have to buy the largest screen to get the fastest processor.

Mini is lacking and the Pro is overkill for me. Sorry Apple I'm not made of that much money.

Apple is successful but they are also chasing people away. People love OSX but some dislike the machines it comes in. So they are hacking PC's and buying OSX to run on them.

A decent mid range desktop with a monitor for $1200 would have kept some of those hackers buying Apple computers.

I don't want to build a hackintosh but I need something more than the mini.
I'd love to keep using OSX but I'm really on the fence.

I'd suggest waiting until the upcoming refresh of the iMac. I'm willing to bet it will include a quad core in the smaller model, given that even the laptops have them now. It may not have the fastest processor offered, due to heat and power issues, but something definitely respectable.

 

[mdgm]

The Mac Mini was only just redesigned for the 2010 refresh. I expect it will stick to being similar to the 13" MBP. In my view the Mac Mini is already too small. The MacBook Air is as light weight and underpowered as it is for optimum portability. The Mac Mini doesn't need to be that portable so they shouldn't make it lighter and thinner just for the sake of it.

 

[skye12]

The new case will not be changed imo, as noted by the previous poster.
And I hope you are right about a quad core, but probably just a dual core i5 in the new version. The mini hasn't ever exceeded the processor in the base MBP
to my knowledge.

I sure hope it comes out SOON.

 

[philipma1957]

the oct 2009 mac mini was better then the macbook pro 13 at the time for a short time. weeks if i remember correctly.. I will look for a link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_mini mini look for oct 20 ,2009 top end was a 2.66ghz



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macbook_pro look at june 8, 2009 the 13 inch mbp had a top end 2.53.

if you wanted a 2.66 you had to buy the 15 inch

look at apr 2010 at this time the macbook pro 13 inch got the 2.66 cpu.

at the time when you look back the oct 2009 mac mini with the 2.66 cpu was a nice machine.



Of course when you only look at the base models both were 2.26



In fact I rate it equal to the 2010 mini. the 2010 has a better gpu but is very hard to drop in an ssd. 2009 is pretty easy to put in a ssd but the gpu is slower.


the 2011 mac mini would be fine with the 2.7 processor that is in the 2011 13 inch macbook pro. if the t-bolt connection allows a boot drive the interior drive is not that important. A mac mini with lacie raid0 as a t-bolt boot drive would be killer.



http://www.tomshardware.com/news/In...yPort-External-SSD-Little-Big-Disk,12275.html


the inside drive could store a backup osx.

A nas like this could store lots of recordings.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...065&cm_re=synology_211-_-22-108-065-_-Product

this mini with a 2009 mini as a second computer and maybe an ipad or a small laptop for portable use would be a nice home network pretty easy to setup not crazy price.

 

[PowerGamerX]

I think they'll keep the current form factor for a while, they just changed it.

I too find it fustrating that Apple has no consumer desktop like the Mac Pro. The closest thing we ever had was the G4 Cube. That being said, its really not that hard to upgrade the hard drive and ram in the 2009 etc. style model. Just upgraded mine this weekend. The new one is a pain in the ass when it comes to getting at the hard drive but the ram is nice and easy at least.

If I didn't have an AppleTV i'd buy a new Mini for a TV light gaming/media hub. It really is a great computer for that. The AppleTV and PlayStation 3 serve me well though.

I could definitely see Apple trying to make things smaller and even more simple, as they always have I guess. I don't think they'd remove too much from the Mini. Seeing as they just added an HDMI port, I think they want to market it as a home theater PC now.

 

[mdgm]

Seeing as they just added an HDMI port, I think they want to market it as a home theater PC now.

If they really wanted to go properly after the HTPC market they'd include a Blu-Ray player, but that's a bag of hurt.

Though the 2011 Mac Mini will still be missing some things I want, it should be a lot better than the 2010 Mini.

 

[G4er?]

I'd suggest waiting until the upcoming refresh of the iMac. I'm willing to bet it will include a quad core in the smaller model, given that even the laptops have them now. It may not have the fastest processor offered, due to heat and power issues, but something definitely respectable.

Except that your reply completely ignores the first half of what I wrote.

The only product that Apple makes that allows ease of use is the Mac Pro. Kind of overkill to have to spend $2499 just to get a computer that is easy to open without having to resort to suction cups or putty knives.

But I'll never buy an all in one and get stuck having to use the screen Apple thinks is right for me. Plus you have to buy the largest screen to get the fastest processor.

 

[PhantomPumpkin]

Except that your reply completely ignores the first half of what I wrote.

"The only product that Apple makes that allows ease of use is the Mac Pro. Kind of overkill to have to spend $2499 just to get a computer that is easy to open without having to resort to suction cups or putty knives.

But I'll never buy an all in one and get stuck having to use the screen Apple thinks is right for me. Plus you have to buy the largest screen to get the fastest processor. "

I'll never understand this type of argument. It's like you're shooting it down strictly because "someone else is telling you what to use".

Apple's displays are very high quality. If you don't like the stock display the iMac comes with, then buy a second display. I currently run a slightly larger display alongside my iMac's display, and I don't know why anyone wouldn't want 2 anyways. It's quite the convenience.

 

[MacHamster68]

apple just does not think any consumer would want a bigger or faster hdd or would like to change the GPU for a better one if he is on the lookout for a htpc or small desktop unit , apple even thinks that consumers who want a fast processor are unable to source their own display

apple hat the chance to make something great and not just small when they brought the new mini , all they had to do was take a tiny look in their past , the cube , a smallish desktop still small enough to fit near the tv
but flexible a 3.5 inch hdd for storage needs in terabyte regions +ssd for speed , a PCIe slot for a decent GPU of choice , and easy access to all parts , design matching the MacPro , just like the cube one click and you got all internals on one handle to easy replace or upgrade

here i found a pic that would have been a great design ,apple just would have to make all ports modern or so as that example picture is a couple years old so just instead of the adc port a hdmi for example, price around £900 and i would order one immediately

and for all who cant remember how easy it was to get to the internals of the cube

i mean originally the design of the mini was great in the days of PPC, back then the top model did not even cost £400 today as hardware got cheaper apple is asking £612 , way to much considering you need to buy a monitor and keyboard and mouse , and even if you got those , you still had to buy them at one point ,
as i doubt anybody would buy abrandnew mini and use a old crt monitor he got for free with some old generic keyboard and mouse, so you need to add at least the cost of a bluetooth apple keyboard and magic mouse both cost £ 114 , makes £725 plus a decent monitor cost another £150+ if you choose a 21.5 inch display only , so we get a total of at least £875 very close to the price of the base iMac which comes with faster processor and better gpu and a good display for just £1020and includes keyboard and mouse

 

[G4er?]

apple just does not think any consumer would want a bigger or faster hdd or would like to change the GPU for a better one if he is on the lookout for a htpc or small desktop unit , apple even thinks that consumers who want a fast processor are unable to source their own display

apple had the chance to make something great and not just small when they brought the new mini , all they had to do was take a tiny look in their past , the cube , a smallish desktop still small enough to fit near the tv
but flexible a 3.5 inch hdd for storage needs in terabyte regions +ssd for speed , a PCIe slot for a decent GPU of choice , and easy access to all parts , design matching the MacPro , just like the cube one click and you got all internals on one handle to easy replace or upgrade

I'll leave out the argument of changing the GPU but a case that is easy to open to swap or replace a drive is a no brainer. I don't know why Apple won't do it. I'd settle for a headless iMac in an easy open case if that is the best we could expect. I really don't want to settle for the mini.

 

[Kebabselector]

I'd settle for a headless iMac in an easy open case if that is the best we could expect. I really don't want to settle for the mini.

With regards to the headless iMac it looks as if it's never going to happen. I've kept buying MacMini's as I don't want to be forced down the glossy screen route and the MacPro is vastly over specified/priced for my use.

If the iMac came with a matte option then chances are i'd go for it. But that option is as likely as the headless iMac.

 

[Baby Mac]

So here is my speculation/question:

Since it looks like the mini's trend is to get smaller and usually follow the same specs as a macbook pro 13 platform do you think they will continue to follow the smaller trend and use the MacBook air platform?

Doing this would certainly shrink the footprint to something like some tiny windows net-tops (ie. Lenovo ideacentre or acer revo). The MacBook air can be a decent media center since it has a 320m graphics and a bare minimum CPU for media. It would certainly fuel rumors about the move away from optical drives and the new thunderbolt port could consolidate a few ports like display, hdmi, USB, digital audio, etc with an external hub/converter.

The mini is pretty much restricted to its current footprint in order to have an optical drive. Things look pretty cramped as they are, so it would be hard to get smaller, and they did keep the area about the same as before while internalizing the power brick.

That Cube would be way bigger on my desk than the mini -- no thanks!

And if you are interested in a small footprint, why lose all the ports and go with a thunderbolt, an external hub, and lots of adapters? We just got rid of the darn power brick!

 

[dolphin842]

Echoing other posters, I would wait to see what's in the next Mini before making any decisions. I just tested the MacBook Pro's quad-core chips.... for video encoding the 2.2GHz i7 beats the 2.8GHz Xeon on the entry-level Mac Pro .

 

[philipma1957]

....
And if you are interested in a small footprint, why lose all the ports and go with a thunderbolt, an external hub, and lots of adapters? We just got rid of the darn power brick!

THE mini as it is is almost as bad as an iMac when it comes to an internal hdd.

Hard to get to and the new connecter for the internal hdd is really delicate. So T-Bolt allows an easy fast way to upgrade the hdd.

I would prefer that minis only have a ssd , but ssds are too small, too costly, too unreliable. If they ever make them correctly say 500 or 600gb for a few hundred dollars and they work they would be nice.