So long Apple

[CUDA_Switch]

It's kind of a sad day. Like many of you, I've been using Macs for a while. My first Mac was a 17" G4 iMac (the flowerpot one) that I bought in 2003. I thought the hardware was cool, and OS X Panther was so much better than Windows XP. I upgraded it a couple of times, but when it was finally too slow I thought a Mac Mini would be great in my entertainment center. I bought the 2011 i7 BTO Mac Mini with the discrete graphics card, and never had a problem with it the four years I owned it. I couldn't resist upgrading to the 2012 Mac Mini i7 quad, which is an absolute beast and without a doubt is the best Mac I've ever owned by far. However...at this point I've listed the Mini for sale and once it's gone, I won't own an Apple computer any more. This is why.

It's no secret that Apple doesn't make computers for pros or for power users anymore. I've owned four Macs, and got a lot of use out of all of them because they were upgradeable. Max out the RAM and drop in a bigger drive or an SSD, and it was basically a new machine. Those days have been over for a while now. But even so, if there were an updated Mac Mini I would consider buying it because it's such a well-designed product. However - Apple cut corners on the Mini, and then they abandoned it. They let a great computer die, and there's nothing else in their lineup that can fill that niche. I said it once here https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/2016-mini-landing-date.1984313/page-2#post-23203617, and I feel the same way about the Mini today. Even the Mac Pro is finally getting an update, supposedly.

So you're probably thinking, why not hang onto the 2012 quad I've got and call it a day? Once upon a time, that was my plan. But macOS in general is just not cutting it for me these days. I have a lot of concerns about the quality of the OS and where it's ultimately headed. It's a mature product and it could be solid, like it was in the Snow Leopard days of Steve. But going to the yearly release cycle, and the constant drive to ram in iCloud and iDevice features, have not been good for quality control. I have an iPhone 6s and I like it very much, but I don't even need/want iCloud or all of the other iDevice crossover stuff. I don't feel like more emojis take the place of fixing bugs, and it's definitely not innovation. I never thought I'd feel this way, but in my mind there are two types of Mac users: those who have been deeply disappointed by Apple, and those who will be...

 

[AZhappyjack]

No, actually, I was wondering why you felt compelled to announce to a bunch of total strangers that you were leaving the platform... hasta la vista, man.

 

[Boyd01]

Just upgraded my 2012 quad mini to Sierra and still love it. Making the transition from legacy Final Cut Pro to Final Cut Pro X and really have no complaints.

Have fun with your windows computer, we'll find some way to get along without you. I started with an Apple ][ in 1978, Fat Mac 512k in 1985... I find plenty of things I don't like about Apple these days, but I stick with them because they are well made and do what I need.

 

[johannnn]

Apple cut corners on the Mini, and then they abandoned it. They let a great computer die, and there's nothing else in their lineup that can fill that niche

It's all about retina iMacs nowadays. (I love my iMac. And I love how easy it was to upgrade the RAM myself)

But going to the yearly release cycle, and the constant drive to ram in iCloud and iDevice features

(I assume you're going to Windows 10)
But you're ok with twice-per-year releases and pushing OneDrive so much that they even have ads within the OS?
iCloud Drive and other iCloud related features are totally optional.

have not been good for quality control

Did you watch WWDC? They're just about to release an "under the hood" focused OS, just like Snow Leopard.

I don't feel like more emojis take the place of fixing bugs

I highly doubt emoji designers are the same people that otherwise would fix deep system bugs.

 

[Shark5150]

See ya. You'll be back...

 

[Count Blah]

I can really feel your pain OP. Apple really doesn't care about the enthusiast Mac mini users anymore. You have to pay top dollar for unwanted peripherals and/or glued/soldered in upgrades these days.

If Apple abandons you, don't feel so bad in abandoning them. Hopefully Cook comes to an epiphany soon, as long time Apple users continue to leave.

 

[Micky Do]

It's no secret that Apple doesn't make computers for pros or for power users anymore.

I never thought I'd feel this way, but in my mind there are two types of Mac users: those who have been deeply disappointed by Apple, and those who will be...

Dunno why you are posting here….

The Mac Mini is good for some users, professional and consumer alike. While there have been some reasonably powerful configurations, suited to some users, it has never been the machine for real power users. It has, however attracted a following of geeks who are wannabe power users on the cheap, and are fairly vociferous in expressing their dissatisfaction with current offerings and things Apple in general. I guess it gives ya'll the buzz of feeling somewhat superior.

You may or may not find satisfaction with what you find elsewhere…..

As an Average Joe, with no pretensions of being a power user, I continue to find the Mac Mini cost effective and adequately powered for my humble needs, with apps that are easier to use than Windows based ones.

 

[Count Blah]

Such distain for people who appreciated a powerful, upgradeable computer, at a reasonable price. One would think you were channeling Cook himself.

 

[T-Bob]

What upgrades? Replacing storage and ram is a poor one. Hey the new iMac pro has replaceable dimms!

I mean if you really want an upgradeable PC, you need a PC that you can swap out cpu, mobo, gpu etc. New iMacs have replaceable cpus though, sorta.

 

[Count Blah]

What upgrades? Replacing storage and ram is a poor one.

What are you talking about, upgrading RAM and upgrading spiny HDDs to SSDs have increased the useful lifespan of macs for years.

No wonder Cook and his deciples want to remove this option and produce substandard offerings like the Mac Mini and glued in MB/MBP.

 

[CUDA_Switch]

No, actually, I was wondering why you felt compelled to announce to a bunch of total strangers that you were leaving the platform... hasta la vista, man.

That's a fair question. I guess it mostly just came out of being disappointed for quite a while with Apple's decision to abandon the Mini. At least it seems like it's abandoned to me. Other Mini owners may not agree with what I said, but at the very least they can probably understand the frustration. I still use Macs at work sometimes, but it'll be weird not to have one at home after so long. I still enjoy the forum though!

 

[Chupa Chupa]

but in my mind there are two types of Mac users: those who have been deeply disappointed by Apple, and those who will be...

Well, there's at least two more. 3. People (like myself) that are disappointed a bit, but also still view OS X as the better OS and deal with Apple's shortfalls because "...you don't always get what you want but you get what you need."

And then 4. The people that are mesmerized by shiny Apple's and Apple can do no wrong, up is up, down is up, missed launches are success, odd stock configurations are brilliant, overpriced is a bargain, and no one uses 4K on their TV until Apple says so and that's OK.

I long for the days of the modular Mac too. But that day is gone. If I have to choose between a modular system or OS X I'm sticking with OS X.

That said I find it bizarre you are posting this in the mini forum. The mini was never intended to be a powerhouse.

 

[jzuena]

Well, there's at least two more. 3. People (like myself) that are disappointed a bit, but also still view OS X as the better OS and deal with Apple's shortfalls because "...you don't always get what you want but you get what you need."

And then 4. The people that are mesmerized by shiny Apple's and Apple can do no wrong, up is up, down is up, missed launches are success, odd stock configurations are brilliant, overpriced is a bargain, and no one uses 4K on their TV until Apple says so and that's OK.

I long for the days of the modular Mac too. But that day is gone. If I have to choose between a modular system or OS X I'm sticking with OS X.

That said I find it bizarre you are posting this in the mini forum. The mini was never intended to be a powerhouse.

I guess I'm in group #3 as well. I finally decided to upgrade my Early 2009 mini with a new 27" iMac, since I needed something faster. I kept a couple of my stackable mini-sized drives that were USB 3 for a time machine and iMovie storage disk and will give the USB 2 one to my mom with the mini and monitor to replace a 2006 mini and old school tube monitor she has now.

I am very happy with the result, even if it isn't what I originally wanted to get. You can get a bottom of the line 21" and just treat it as a mini with a second monitor added on. Over time add on Thunderbolt 3 peripherals like you would on a mini.

 

[kohlson]

Perhaps another group, which could be entitled Grass-is-Greener. In many ways Windows and Macs are not so different, especially for general tasks such as browsing and office apps. From my perspective, I don't notice Macs holding me back in most ways. I still have a lot to learn on FCPX and Logic (love the fact that these are really perpetually licensed), free-though-perhaps-too-frequent OS upgrades. I gave up on Windows, with the subscription anti-virus, weekly OS "updates," and so on. I understand that there are perhaps millions more Windows users than Mac users, so there must be something useful for both ecosystems. To each his own.

 

[AZhappyjack]

Well, there's at least two more. 3. People (like myself) that are disappointed a bit, but also still view OS X as the better OS and deal with Apple's shortfalls because "...you don't always get what you want but you get what you need."

And then 4. The people that are mesmerized by shiny Apple's and Apple can do no wrong, up is up, down is up, missed launches are success, odd stock configurations are brilliant, overpriced is a bargain, and no one uses 4K on their TV until Apple says so and that's OK.

I am solidly in group #3... much happier/comfortable with macOS and Apple products than the other options... despite Apple's myopic approach. I am certainly not happy with all of Cook's decisions and the "thin is in at all cost to the consumer" approach... but don't see myself going elsewhere.

Also, on the one hand, I hate not having the ability to upgrade the components in my Mac computers... but regardless, they all can only be upgraded so far (only so much RAM, only so large of a storage device)... so getting it up front is not THAT big of an issue... except the inflated prices Apple charges for some upgrades ... and despite its few flaws and warts, much prefer macOS over Windows ... With all that said, at the end of the day, I'm still a Mac, and most likely will be for life, simply for the reason laid out in option #3, above.

 

[T-Bob]

If it's any solace, there are people who are exactly opposite to this tradition. Never touched Apple during the 'glory days' because of the usual reasons that you've all heard before, and are only coming in to roost now probably for similar reasons to glory day people, nice hardware, nice software ecosystem, and acceptable tradeoffs compared to the competition.

It doesn't help that Windows 10 was the Windows that made me finally stop using it as a day to day system after X years, but people always say that about every version of Windows probably. Of course others think Windows 10 is finally the one they've been waiting for, there really are a billion opinions huh.

 

[krause734]

I felt the same way as you. Tried out the latest Dell Tower and Windows 10 and came running back to my Mac. Pop ups, antivirus, crashes, just an awful OS, noisy hardware.

 

[Trusteft]

I find it hilarious that you use icloud etc as one of the reasons to move away from Mac and I assume towards Windows 10.
First of all, there isn't a worse big brother OS than Windows 10. Leaving aside the aggressive policies to force the OS on people, the amount of spying and reporting, which goes behind the scenes and you CAN NOT disable on Windows 10 is nothing short of legendary lol.
Second, I am moving away from MS Windows after owning MS PC since 1994 and using them since the mid 80s. The main reason being Windows 10. Yes I am using Windows 8.1 mostly (and one with XP for older software) but I can see the writing on the wall, Windows 10 is here to stay and it is only a matter of time before I have to get it when my current Windows computers become too old or stop working. I am not getting Windows 10 Big Brother edition.

Third, yes I wish I could move to an Atari computer, but that ain't happening lol. Apple will have to do. I have a 2012 mini and it will have to do till I can afford something more powerful.

Considering you can disable/turn off any reporting to Apple/icloud bs on macOS....I just find it funny and weird.

BUT, it is up to you what you do. I wish you good luck in your MS PC days (unless of course you are going to Linux)
I am with you on the whole user replaceable (lack of) parts on Macs. I find it annoying to say the least. But, I prefer a bit more privacy and other things, more than that option.

 

[Micky Do]

I felt the same way as you. Tried out the latest Dell Tower and Windows 10 and came running back to my Mac. Pop ups, antivirus, crashes, just an awful OS, noisy hardware.

Echoes my experience of the Windows (10 & 7) based computers at work. Thankfully we do also have a Hackintosh sorted by the office geek, which works quite well. I keep records, create material and do other work on my Mac Mini at home. This term I also take it to class once a week, to use with an LCD projector in class.

 

[EnderBeta]

If you don't mind the tinkering my suggestion is to roll a hackintosh if your machine is for personal use. You can get bang for your buck and still run MacOS. It is the o lay way right now to get a decent mini or tower mac.