Supply Shortages Hint at Possible Mac Mini Refresh

[AppleInLVX]

I love my Mac Mini because it's 'invisible' and quiet.

Why do you love yours?

See, now this is just the sort of post that makes me want to get one. I opted for a MBP (C2D late 2007) model, thinking it'd serve my purposes if I needed both a desktop and a portable computer. The thing's fans NEVER shut off. It's completely annoying. I can have safari open with one window and after 5 mins, away go the fans. The really stupid thing is that I can count the times I've used it as a portable computer in the low two digits.

I'm thinking that if I do it again, I'm going to get a mini and an iPad for the few times I want to go mobile.

In fact, if this refresh is any good at all, that might be *exactly* what I do.

 

[kyleh613]

What the Mini is really missing is an integrated iPad dock

What would be awesome is if you could use the ipad as a monitor for the mac mini.

 

[kyleh613]

See, now this is just the sort of post that makes me want to get one. I opted for a MBP (C2D late 2007) model, thinking it'd serve my purposes if I needed both a desktop and a portable computer. The thing's fans NEVER shut off. It's completely annoying. I can have safari open with one window and after 5 mins, away go the fans. The really stupid thing is that I can count the times I've used it as a portable computer in the low two digits.

I'm thinking that if I do it again, I'm going to get a mini and an iPad for the few times I want to go mobile.

In fact, if this refresh is any good at all, that might be *exactly* what I do.

The Mac Mini is only 2" thick. If you want, you could literally hide the little guy behind your monitor and never see it. It is completely quiet no matter what you do too.

 

[OriginalMacRat]

Bravo! If it has an upgrade to HDMI that's wonderful. Too bad I just got mine.

HDMI is too limited compared to MDP&DVI.

 

[Malsi]

That would happen with the Early 2011 update not now. Right now it's definitely going to follow the other products with C2D and Nvidia 320m. Late 2010, Intel stops making C2D, and Apple will be forced to change direction. At that time, they could go AMD/ATI. I would prefer they did that. The CPU in current computers are plenty capable. We're better off with faster drives and drive controllers and much better graphics like ATI could provide. Intel's GMA HD is garbage and it seems Apple doesn't want it since it's avoiding Core i-series CPUs and continuing to use the Nvidia 320m GPU/chipset model.

It would be a godsend if this happens. But I guess you're right. I'll just stick to using my iPhone and wait a bit longer to purchase a mac.

 

[kyleh613]

HDMI is too limited compared to MDP&DVI.

I'm not completely informed on this topic, but HDMI can do both sound and video through, either through your TV or device with the HDMI port. What does MDP&DVI do that make it better then HDMI? I am not completely aware of all of the features of MDP, but I do know that DVI cannot transfer sound from your PC to TV. Is it different with the Mac Mini? In my experiences with this, I couldn't get it to, it would only play sound through the Mac Mini.

 

[Yvan256]

What I'd like:
- faster Core 2 Duo (i3 or i5 would mean integrated intel GPU - no thanks!)
- nVidia 320M (with Steam already here, Starcraft II and Diablo III coming soon, the GMA950 in my current Mac mini is starting to annoy me)
- keep the FireWire 800 port
- keep the five USB 2.0 ports
- keep DVI/mini Display Port dual display support (if you want HDMI, use an adapter - the Mac mini is a computer first, HTPC second)
- superdrive (my current Mac mini still only has a combo drive)

What I'm hoping for:
- SSD option would be great
- 4 GiB RAM standard (with support for up to 8 GiB)

So in short, more or less the same update as the MacBook, which has nearly 100% chance of happening except maybe the last two items on my list.

I also hope they don't change the form-factor, of course. I'd hate to need different sizes of Mac mini mounts on my website.

 

[AppleInLVX]

The Mac Mini is only 2" thick. If you want, you could literally hide the little guy behind your monitor and never see it. It is completely quiet no matter what you do too.

Gah... I think I will. The most processor heavy thing I do is photos in Aperture. The C2D on the MPB handles that with acceptable speed, and if the mini runs cooler it'd solve all issues.

I wonder if I could sell the MBP for the value of the mini.

 

[kyleh613]

Gah... I think I will. The most processor heavy thing I do is photos in Aperture. The C2D on the MPB handles that with acceptable speed, and if the mini runs cooler it'd solve all issues.

I wonder if I could sell the MBP for the value of the mini.

How old is your MBP? I mean I would think you could sell it for enough to buy two Mac Minis if its one of the recent models.

 

[Aputech]

Time for a MacMini/AppleTV combo...

Exactly! Do that and underprice it, and before long they'll suddenly hold a key position in that market. It would be nice if they for once looked beyond the immediate profits and instead secured the company a market from the beginning.

And yes, He said that was the case with iPad, but still... no, it's expensive.

 

[Yvan256]

The Mac Mini is only 2" thick. If you want, you could literally hide the little guy behind your monitor and never see it. It is completely quiet no matter what you do too.

Or he could buy some kind of aluminium mount to install it under his desk.

 

[kyleh613]

Or he could buy some kind of aluminium mount to install it under his desk.

That would be even more awesome I can't do this myself because i'm always unplugging stuff and I like it sitting nice on my big huge desk. But this is still a great idea.

 

[cvaldes]

I'm not completely informed on this topic, but HDMI can do both sound and video through, either through your TV or device with the HDMI port. What does MDP&DVI do that make it better then HDMI? I am not completely aware of all of the features of MDP, but I do know that DVI cannot transfer sound from your PC to TV. Is it different with the Mac Mini? In my experiences with this, I couldn't get it to, it would only play sound through the Mac Mini.

DisplayPort and mini DisplayPort were designed for more data transfer than DVI and HDMI.

HDMI was intended for HD video + audio signals; the video bandwidth necessary to drive some of today's higher resolution monitors is outside the original HDMI spec.

As you have discovered, DVI only handles video signals. No audio is carried on DVI. This is no different on the Mac mini. Like HDMI, the DVI standard was created before higher-bandwidth displays appeared on the market. That's why the 30-inch Apple display has a dual-DVI input.

Also, DisplayPort and mini DisplayPort do not have license fees.

 

[Yvan256]

That would be even more awesome I can't do this myself because i'm always unplugging stuff and I like it sitting nice on my big huge desk. But this is still a great idea.

Well, I do have a model with a USB port at the front.

 

[kenman884]

I love how people keep complaining about wanting quad core, or a discrete GPU in the 13" MBP with i5/i7... Do these people not understand the huge heat dissipation requirements such hardware would require? Honestly! Macs are very slim form factor, and they pack as much hardware in the computers as they can, but they have their limits!

That said, if they removed the DVD drive, they probably could put in much better hardware, which I would like to see eventually (I can count on one hand the number of times I've used my MBP's superdrive in the year I've had it), but for now what they gave us is pretty damn good, especially considering the crappy hardware the competition is trying to make us buy.

 

[munstedt]

I hope they change the external design of the mac mini. I'm thinking maybe replace the white plastic with black glass... If they made it smaller that would be cool too!

 

[RMo]

HOw about 10.7 have the features of the AppleTV built in, then when you first power up the machine you choose which environment you want to run.

I never reboot my machine except when security updates require me to (or when it crashes and shows the "you must restart your computer now" error...), and I know lots of people don't, either. It takes a while, and sleep (or hibernate) work better for me.

Plus, having to reboot to change OSes instead of virtualizing is soooo 2005.

Then combine the Mac Mini and the AppleTV into one product.

Now that is a good idea. The Apple TV is a sad excuse of a product right now IMHO. A Mac mini isn't that much more but gives you infinite flexibility. If I ever buy a TV (or sufficient quality display...) again, it's probably what I would do.

 

[kyleh613]

DisplayPort and mini DisplayPort were designed for more data transfer than DVI and HDMI.

HDMI was intended for HD video + audio signals; the video bandwidth necessary to drive some of today's higher resolution monitors is outside the original HDMI spec.

As you have discovered, DVI only handles video signals. No audio is carried on DVI. This is no different on the Mac mini.

Also, DisplayPort and mini DisplayPort do not have license fees.

Okay I understand now. I was focused on it being for HD video through your HDTV, took no consideration into higher resolution monitors. TVs are stuck at 1080p. Monitors are obviously higher res.

I think the HDMI port is more to keep things simple when hooked up to a HDTV.

And yeah the license fees are apparently a big issue for a lot of companies too. I imagine Apple wouldn't add HDMI ports because of that too or they might be forced to increase the cost of the Mac Mini if they do.

 

[Speedy2]

Anything is preferable to an i3. As Shakespeare said, a Celeron by any other name would be as crappy.

How about you go and check some facts before you blabb about stuff you obviously "heard" somewhere. The Core i3 is far superior to any Core 2 Duo at the same clock speed and even beats the lower end Core 2 Quads.

 

[kyleh613]

especially considering the crappy hardware the competition is trying to make us buy.

I don't know if crappy hardware is the right word. More like hardware that is overkill for a laptop. Although some laptop manufacturers to put in hardware that is very unreliable, its cheap though and some people do want that, they should just come to expect their $2000 laptops to not last very long though.

That or they will be very heavy, ugly looking, and have poor battery life. The Macbooks are very well balanced in my opinion. From looking around at various sites, i've seen very few well balanced, good looking laptops. The only thing that really comes close is HPs new laptops which mimmick the look of the macbook pro.

How about you go and check some facts before you blabb about stuff you obviously "heard" somewhere. The Core i3 is far superior to any Core 2 Duo at the same clock speed and even beats the lower end Core 2 Quads.

This man is correct. The i-series CPUs are faster.

 

[kyleh613]

Bravo! If it has an upgrade to HDMI that's wonderful. Too bad I just got mine.

If it hasn't been 2 weeks yet, you can still upgrade yours for free. Just goto a Apple store or Best Buy that is authorized to sell Apple computers. Also sometimes the manager of the Apple store will let you upgrade if its been under a month. It just depends on the manager but the policy is 2 weeks.

 

[Justinf79]

My crystal ball says:

New model called Mac Mini Pro
w/ Quad Core
w/ nvidia 320m graphics module
w/ HDMI port
w/ Embedded WiFi and Bluetooth
w/ Blu Ray super drive option
w/ front USB port
w/ terabyte drive option

As long as this comes in a tower form, with easily upgradable components. (Think Mac Pro Mini).

 

[Speedy2]

Not really, considering what the Mac Mini is meant to do and who its target audience is. Its more for casual people who don't need a laptop, but want a small desktop computer and only need to be able to do stuff other then gaming and high end applications. If you need something more powerful as a desktop, you get the imac or mac pro.

By that logic the Mac Mini would do fine even without an upgrade, but that's not how the industry works. If you don't push forward you'll lose. Staying with Core 2 Duo IS a lame upgrade, but not entirely Apple's choice. They are forced into it by Intel's licensing politics, which prevents Nvidia from offering chipsets. I'm sure SJ is well pissed off because of that. The new Core i3/5/7s are clearly superior CPUs and at some point they HAVE to switch or they won't sell any more MB/MBA/MM/low end MBPs. I wonder whether they'll take a big dent in their margins and put in GPUs or try and sell us crappy Intel graphics.

 

[cvaldes]

Okay I understand now. I was focused on it being for HD video through your HDTV, took no consideration into higher resolution monitors. TVs are stuck at 1080p. Monitors are obviously higher res.

I think the HDMI port is more to keep things simple when hooked up to a HDTV.

And yeah the license fees are apparently a big issue for a lot of companies too. I imagine Apple wouldn't add HDMI ports because of that too or they might be forced to increase the cost of the Mac Mini if they do.

While it's just a rumor, the next-generation Mac mini will allegedly drop the current legacy mini-DVI connector in favor of an HDMI port. The mini DisplayPort connector should remain.

 

[kyleh613]

By that logic the Mac Mini would do fine even without an upgrade, but that's not how the industry works. If you don't push forward you'll lose. Staying with Core 2 Duo IS a lame upgrade, but not entirely Apple's choice. They are forced into it by Intel's licensing politics, which prevents Nvidia from offering chipsets. I'm sure SJ is well pissed off because of that. The new Core i3/5/7s are clearly superior CPUs and at some point they HAVE to switch or they won't sell any more MB/MBA/MM/low end MBPs. I wonder whether they'll take a big dent in their margins and put in GPUs or try and sell us crappy Intel graphics.

I've always thought of it as being because there is just no need to upgrade to the i-core processors yet because the software demand for it is not there. If you really want to push your mac mini, get a SSD drive and upgrade to 8gb of ram. Give it another year and it will be in my opinion in need of i-core CPUs.