The Future of the Mac Mini (2015)

I wouldn't be surprised if Apple released it's version of a PC on a stick like the Lenovo IdeaCentre Stick 300 for $149. It would be limited but so cheap that Apple would imply it was appropriate to buy a new one every year. You want the newest version of OS X? Buy a new stick.

 

I think the Mac mini will remain. The machine is designed to be an entry-level computer to get people into the OS X ecosystem at a less "painful" price point. This is exactly the machine that got me in, I would not have been able to own a Mac at the current iMac or Mac Pro prices. I don't think the Mac mini is going anywhere any time soon.

 

i think apple will continue to de-power it in a push to move more 4K imacs and ipads (and potentially ipad pros) when they make the inevitable switch to arm-based machines in desktops. that's why we have 1.1ghz macbooks and 1.4ghz minis... testing the water to see if the "average apple customer" will accept less powerful machines on a large scale. i think we'll still have pro machines based off intel, but i fully expect the lower tiers to go ARM in the next 2-3 years.

 

I'd agree it's not going away, but while some perceive and buy it as "entry-level" I just see it as a different format. I like not having a screen attached and transport it for use on of our two TVs when not in use with it's main monitor.

 

That other thread has diminished traffic because a new mini arrived late last year. A new mini is certainly at least another year away.

They are good small "entry level" systems. I use one at work, primarily for documentation, another as a server computer, and two as entertainment centers. A fifth one is currently a "spare". They seem to run forever (except for the spinning hard drives).

I hope they keep selling them and update occasionally, but I wouldn't look to them for a high performance solution!

Will Apple kill the mini line? People have been predicting that since they first came out. They sell well, don't really steal sales from other Macs (the original intent was to make it easy to switch from a PC since you reuse your old keyboard/mouse/display), and represent a small development investment -- only two physical designs in over 10 years.

 

Heh, and there's the real killer. They didn't change the physical design but stopped it being upgradeable. I understand the 'thinner and lighter' justification for non-upgradeable parts, but doing that to the Mac Mini without even giving the courtesy of a half-hearted redesign (to at least vaguely rationalise soldered components) really did hurt.

 

Ha ha ha ha ha. All you guys must be in Colorado, where I understand the weed is strongest. Back here on earth (under the cloud that looks more than anything like the death star) it is obvious Apple is a music and hand-held all-in-one camera/games/phone company. Some legacy apps require a lot of computing power, but how many people really need to retouch photos to the quality level of a Vogue cover? The natural evolution of the Apple devices will be to thinner and lighter. Word is they are developing something thin as a piece of paper that you can make images on with an energy-efficient stylus; you can doodle or play tic-tac-toe. Can you keep a $600B stock valuation selling notebooks and pencils? Oh, wait ...

 

And we are the ones high on cannabis? Okay, Earthling.

 

After seeing the decimation of the Mac Mini in 2014 I would not expect anything along the lines of the 2012 quad cores again.

That train has left the station so that leaves either a status quo on case design or something along the lines of a smaller redesign and m core fanless Minis.

Hard to speculate on Apple but the present case design seems really outdated as far as Apple aesthetics go.

 

The 2012 quad-core was really an exceptional system. User replaceable RAM came and went -- the white minis were considered "no user serviceable parts inside" even though one could use a putty knife to get in and add RAM it wasn't something for the average user to attempt.

Some thoughts:
The dual drive mini came about to make a server model. At the time (and I bought one) it was a fantastic deal since Snow Leopard Server was $500 you basically got the high end mini with an additional drive for $500, even less as a refurb, I paid $850 total. When Server became an inexpensive upgrade the value of the dual drive mini went down. In fact I replaced that server mini with a 2012 quad-core single drive mini last fall (the old mini still runs, BTW) not considering the dual drive model. The extra drive means more heat in the package and, frankly, with a server you probably will need external drives anyway. I've got 12TB of externals connected to mine.

I'm an electrical engineer and hate mechanical contacts. Not only are they expensive and take space but they also are failure points. If you can put all the electronics on a single board and solder all components in place the system is much more reliable. I'll take reliability over expandability any day -- you just order what you think you'll need, and if you find out you are wrong later just sell the computer and buy a new one.

I was building or modifying my computers from 1979 to 2000. The computer I had in 2000 was the one I bought in 1990 only every part but the case had been replaced over the 11 years. When I went to install Windows 2000 it "broke" so much hardware that I took over a week replacing parts getting things running again, I decided never again to do that and just buy off-the-shelf computers as necessary. When I switched to Macs about 10 years ago I realized that was buying into a single vendor environment that would also increase reliability and eliminate the need (and most of the ability) to tinker. Life has become much easier and the computers much more reliable as a result.

 

You definitely do have a point. The only issue is that when everything's soldered to the MLB, if one thing fails, it's all gone. So if one components fails, you've also got failed RAM, GPU, CPU, DC-in, headphone jack ... you get the picture.

I'm not really too bothered about the lack of upgradeability as much as other posters, I think the think that irked me the most is that they didn't even do a redesign to try and vaguely justify making it soldered. They could just have easily kept it upgradeable, and a lot of people I knew loved the Mini for this very reason. Almost a bare-bones computer that could be a real powerhouse with maxed out RAM and an SSD in there.

In tandem with them releasing worse 'low-cost' hardware in it as well, like that 1.4GHz processor (that they put in the iMac as well, yuck), it just seemed like a good ol' FU to the people who enjoyed the Mini. Furthermore with a 5400rpm drive, that 1.4GHz processor, 4GB RAM and no chance of upgradeability, the people who buy the base Mac Mini are going to get a terrible old experience. It's still a lot of money and they're not going to get an acceptable experience that's synonymous with the "we only think of the consumer" mentality that Apple claim to religiously adhere to.

I'm all in favour of soldered components in something like the rMBP, which is a real powerhouse. Locking down the Mac Mini, with those sort of specs - whilst keeping the same shell as the upgradeable model - really came across as a money-hungry/planned obsolescence move IMHO.

 

One thing that keeps me hopeful the Mini is nowhere near dead is how PC manufacturers all have jumped (albeit a little late) on the cheap micro desktop PC bandwagon (Dell, HP and Asus all have theirs, at least) - the PC-on-a-stick thing is the next stage (although it's seriously limited for now).

What has continuously pissed me off with Apple's desktops is how they refuse to boost the Mini too much so it doesn't hurt iMac sales - but I've personally been longing for a headless iMac for years, I can't stand the idea of the all-in-one design for a desktop machine (for the record, I've owned more iMacs than I care to admit, tossing the screen out with the computer every time irks me to no end).

Even by sticking with notebook-class components, if the Mini would simply gain a low-end discrete graphics card and regain it's upgradability factor (which it lost in the last update), I'd be on board. I wouldn't be surprised if that didn't happen, but I'll keep wishing for it.

 

You probably won't buy the base mini (or that base iMac). But both would be fine for grandparents (I ought to watch what I say here being 66) with the mini being the replacement for the crap HP desktop they bought on QVC a few years ago. It also would work fine as an entertainment center computer -- it's twice as fast as the 2009 base models I use. It would also be fine for office use, writers, or as a file server.

 

I'm on my fourth Mac Mini since 2005 (2012 Mac Mini Server). I really hope they don't change the current design.

However, in thinking on Apple's consideration for the 'bottom line', I can't help but think that Intel's current i7 NUC would fit the bill as an off-the-shelf Mac Mini replacement. It's considerably smaller than the current MM, whose form factor could potentially merge the MM with that of a more powerful AppleTV.

 

IMHO Apple would rather drive desktop users to an iMac by offering a M core processor set up like the Macbook with a couple of USB type c ports as the only Mac Mini option.

The iMac actually is a better buy in hardware as far as performance to price compared to what a BTO Mini costs. I'm one that said I will never buy an all in one and next year when Skylark shows up I will be ready for a new machine. I hope to see a headless iMac at that time but have almost 0.0 faith that will happen. My 2012 Mini at that time will become my media server full time.

I maybe forced in 2016 to go back on my AIO feelings and go iMac to get another quad core processor but I certainly hope not.

 

Fashion comes and goes at Apple. With iPad sales cooling, and cell sales nearing saturation, we may see a re-emphasis on desktop units in a couple years.
They have their place in the ecosystem, but that's been distorted by the extremely rapid growth in other segments.
I doubt we'll see Major revolutions with iPad 7, iPhone 12 or Watch 4. That'll leave more resources available for making a better mini (etc).

 

I disagree. It is pretty easy to see the design evolution; people just do not want to admit it. For example, I predict the mini will be integrated into some typical desktop device: for example, a clock. They could make the mini even smaller with a handy clock face on top and let your iPhone double as an entry device and increase the price. Oh, wait ... they did that already. See how easy it is to read Tim Cook's mind?

 

So are you telling us that the new design/engineering mantra in Cupertino is: "Watch it!"?

 

Its all about what the investors and board wants! If the majority of the investors have investments or business with the factors or product items that fullfill the mac mini then the investors will push the CEO to continue to sell the mac mini.
This was an example

 

Nope. The resources will go toward the Apple TV, Apple Car, and Apple Washer-Drier combo.

 

A good point, that was not recognised in the hue and cry over the loss of user upgradability that came with the 2014 Mac Mini.

Most folks are not geeks with an inclination to tinker. We (as I am among them) want something that just works. Apple are more interested in satisfying most folks than pandering to geeks.