Maybe I should re-thing my plan to use my mini as an HTPC in my Mazda. There's an iPad for that.
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The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming
- Thread starter GabrieleR
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Yes, Jobs advocated that with his cars/trucks analogy. However Apple execs tried to force the market instead of timing the market, which usually doesn't work. (The iPad is a super computer ads were ridiculous...)
About macos, I didn't really see much of anything significant change between Mavericks -> Sierra. High Sierra will add the new file system, but that work was really being done for ios. It really seems like macos work is about how little they can do with it, since it's really a loss-leader at this point
Loss-leader? Through the first three quarters of 2017, the Mac division has brought in almost $19 billion in revenue. Sure, iPhone brings in twice that each quarter, but they also need 10 times the unit sales to do it.
Mac hardware generates more revenue than just about any of the PC OEMs singularly and many of them combined. And it crushes all of the PC OEMs in terms of profit.
What would you like to see them "do"? I'm not looking for much in the way of new features, the ones they have introduced all seem to just dumb it down more, like iOS. I really dislike the whole idea of a new operating system every year, would prefer a mature one every few years.
I've been running Mountain Lion on my Mini and MacBook Air until a month ago when I upgraded to Sierra. I have a lot of very expensive legacy software and each update breaks something else. My Mini is setup to dual boot Mountain Lion or Sierra.
Will say that I do like the "dark mode" in Sierra though, it looks especially good with software that has a dark user interface, like Logic X, FCP X and AutoCAD.
I wasn't meaning the Macs or the Mac market... but MacOS. Apple gives MacOS away for free, for running on Apple hardware. That's a loss-leader, since Apple makes money indirectly off of that work because of Mac sales
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What would you like to see them "do"? I'm not looking for much in the way of new features, the ones they have introduced all seem to just dumb it down more, like iOS. I really dislike the whole idea of a new operating system every year, would prefer a mature one every few years.
I've been running Mountain Lion on my Mini and MacBook Air until a month ago when I upgraded to Sierra. I have a lot of very expensive legacy software and each update breaks something else. My Mini is setup to dual boot Mountain Lion or Sierra.
Will say that I do like the "dark mode" in Sierra though, it looks especially good with software that has a dark user interface, like Logic X, FCP X and AutoCAD.
This ^^^
It seems like the few things that they actually do anymore is for the sake of changing something, not necessarily trying to make things better. Maybe a longer release cycle, 2 years or so, would be better
Fair enough, but macOS is about the only reason to buy a Mac over a PC so Apple cannot afford to either ignore it or give it short-thrift, lest there become no real reason not to buy a much cheaper PC with Windows 10.
For a decade now Apple has generally interleaved their annual macOS updates between adding in major feature updates and just doing performance and stability refinements. So you had Leopard, Lion, Mavericks, Yosemite and Sierra bring new features while Snow Leopard, Mountain Lion, El Capitan and High Sierra bring performance and stability improvements. So over a two year period, we get new features and performance and stability updates.
True. When Mac mini was introduced, the Mac market needed such killer app. These days, however, consumers have moved onto phones, Chromebooks, notebooks, and tablets as the computer of choice.
I think iMac is an anomaly in that it delivers far better value than any other Macs in the lineup. Whether it be performance or features, iMac offers the most bang for the buck.
AIO didn't take off in the PC market because they are priced at a premium compared to standalone desktop. If Mac mini used iMac components (minus the screen), updated just as frequently, and sold for $250 less than 21.5" iMac, I think it would quickly supplement iMac as the best selling Mac desktop.
But it's all in the number. The margin on iMac is probably superior to Mac mini and you get a guaranteed monitor sale to boot.
Apple has 7 Macs in the lineup:
- Mac mini: $499 and up
- MacBook Air (13"): $999 and up
- iMac (21.5", 27"): $1,099 and up
- MacBook: $1,299 and up
- MacBook Pro (13", 15"): $1,299 and up
- Mac Pro: $2,999 and up
- iMac Pro: $4,999 and up
MacBook and 13" MacBook Pro are obvious successors of MacBook Air and once Apple can lower the entry level price, I am sure MacBook Air will be a goner.
But what about Mac mini? Will Apple reinvent Mac mini by redesigning into much smaller form factor? Or should Apple kill two birds in one stone by offering a consumer grade Mac Pro (e.g., $999 and up)?
So new Intel quad core chips will be arriving next year for MacBook Pros .
https://www.macrumors.com/2017/08/21/intel-announces-8th-gen-core-kaby-lake-refresh/
It would be dandy for a new quad Mini but probably won't happen. I will probably invest in a new MaBook Pro 13 with an I5 quad core to go with my desktop Hacktosh/Windows 10/Linux machine.
https://www.macrumors.com/2017/08/21/intel-announces-8th-gen-core-kaby-lake-refresh/
It would be dandy for a new quad Mini but probably won't happen. I will probably invest in a new MaBook Pro 13 with an I5 quad core to go with my desktop Hacktosh/Windows 10/Linux machine.
YEAH BABY NEW HOPE!!!!
This is unlike the original V series where the Visitors "V" was changed the meaning to "Victory"
MBP 13" Base Dual Core
MBP 13" Mid-tier i5-8250U with Quad-Core performance in an i5!
Mac Mini: BOOM server baby!
Now lets get teh new Mac Mini in a VERY metal based tiny Apple TV 3 case with 3 USB-C Ports 2 being ThunderBolt 3
Keyboard and Mouse Wireless of course. Gigabit Ethernet, optical line IN/Out Unified (most likely) and an SD-XC Card Slot.
Bring it Apple I know you can DO IT!!!!
"Now lets get teh new Mac Mini in a VERY metal based tiny Apple TV 3 case with 3 USB-C Ports 2 being ThunderBolt 3
Keyboard and Mouse Wireless of course. Gigabit Ethernet, optical line IN/Out Unified (most likely) and an SD-XC Card Slot.
Bring it Apple I know you can DO IT!!!!"
And if they do:
... they got to make me a believer again - publish a strategic plan, make a statement about the overall commitment and direction they intend to go with regards to the product-line and lifecycle.
I'd probably wait for the second iteration (yeah right) before I'd bite again - of course they won't reveal 5 to 10-year plans for fear of competition.
Keyboard and Mouse Wireless of course. Gigabit Ethernet, optical line IN/Out Unified (most likely) and an SD-XC Card Slot.
Bring it Apple I know you can DO IT!!!!"
And if they do:
... they got to make me a believer again - publish a strategic plan, make a statement about the overall commitment and direction they intend to go with regards to the product-line and lifecycle.
I'd probably wait for the second iteration (yeah right) before I'd bite again - of course they won't reveal 5 to 10-year plans for fear of competition.
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Wouldn't that have thermal issues with fast processors? Also not likely to have any user upgradability crammed into a tiny box. And what sense does that make for a desktop computer anyway? The AppleTV makes sense, you don't want a big box next to your TV set. I will always want to plug a bunch of stuff into a Mini so it's gonna be ugly anyway. Your tiny Mini might only have one wire, but it would be connected to a dock for all my peripherals and that would be a mess of wires.
I would make the mini a bit larger with a big fan to cool it and easy to open/upgrade. Not gonna hold my breath waiting for any kind of new Mini though.
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Wouldn't that would have thermal issues with fast processors? Also not likely to have any user upgradability crammed into a tiny box. And what sense does that make for a desktop computer anyway? The AppleTV makes sense, you don't want a big box next to your TV set. I will always want to plug a bunch of stuff into a Mini so it's gonna be ugly anyway. Your tiny Mini might only have one wire, but it would be connected to a dock for all my peripherals and that would be a mess of wires.
I would make the mini a bit larger with a big fan to cool it and easy to open/upgrade. Not gonna hold my breath waiting for any kind of new Mini though.
Thermal TDP is rated at 15W! That's less than half the current mini. Smaller fan only.
Ok slightly larger than an AppleTV 3 or 4 give us the same port compliment HDMI, 2xUSB3.1, 2xUSB-C ThunderBolt 3. Sound in/out and SDXC card slot. Even with current MacMini cable management is required the size of the system won't make a difference really. If you're using your TV via Remington Steele style then hats off to you I totally get it. Most wouldn't do much with it in that setup. Who knows.
Sorry, you lost me there. The only way I use my TV is with an AppleTV. No cable, no outside antenna, just my iTunes library on a Mini server. For 11 years I couldn't get cable at my remote location, only internet was sub megabit DSL. Just got 150/150 FIOS last month so that may change my use patterns in the future. But I'm delighted to have given up cable TV, I wasted so much time watching it in the past. Will never go back to that.
So much speculation and yet Apple let the top and bottom-tier products languish for years - it's totally impossible to see where Apple wants to go until they reveal what's happening to the MacPro - that being a year out, whatever pops up in between, I don't know that I would trust anything. If anything is going to happen with the Mini I don't see them putting a "stop-gap" out there in the interim.
The mini "died" when they made it non-upgradeable. How long before all Macs are "sealed up"?
If I can use the "car vs house" analogy (on average)... our desktops are like our houses (move maybe once or twice) vs our phones which are like our cars (new model every couple a years). Our houses with foundations are strong, stable and ultimately can consume a lifetime of upgrades and mods - our cars on the other hand come and go more frequently and subject to more frequent upgrades or model changes which we expect.
Desktop users expect stability and a strong foundation (product-line and life-cycle thru upgrades) - Apple is trying to put our house on wheels perhaps...
Desktop users expect stability and a strong foundation (product-line and life-cycle thru upgrades) - Apple is trying to put our house on wheels perhaps...
I would be happy with that if you could hook the tablet up to a 4k monitor and use a mouse.
Until that day comes, the iPad is useless to me. I need a desktop mode.
So you have this
1) Mac mini $ 499 and up Scale way up to $1499
2) MacBook Air $999 and up
3) MacBook Pro $1299 and up
4) Mac Pro $2,999 and up Make a lesser model at $1999 and get rid of the moron tube. A small Silver box with 2 gpus and 3 hdds at high end would be good.
this is an asrock x299 itx will use a intel 7900x cpu just make the mobo custom with 1 more pcie slot and make a heavy thick aluminum case for it retro mac pro
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Probably need to put this in the comments on that thread but those specific CPUs won't be of interest because they have HD620 graphics and not the Iris Graphics variants which are in the current non-touchbar Macbook Pros. Those versions will be coming later I guess.
I would say that suitable Coffee Lake CPUs for a full Macbook Pro refresh won't be out till early 2018 - the release schedule is currently mirroring the Kaby Lake one which saw the lowest power CPUs arrive first by a factor of months.
The 'current' Macbook Air uses a speed bump Broadwell CPU so that's right out.
Interestingly, though, Coffee Lake will bring more cores in due course making third generation early 2018 touch bar Macbook Pros of interest. The 2017 refresh with Kaby Lake earlier this year makes a late 2017 refresh unlikely especially given that I wouldn't expect any of the heavy duty i7 Coffee Lake CPUs to be available in time for October.
Assuming Apple want to do a late 2017 bump for students all they can really do is:
a. price cut (about time too!)
b. spec bump with better graphics or increased baseline RAM/storage - I haven't seen anything about a Radeon Pro 660 and baselines are high enough as it is (256Gb and 8Gb doubled would be a big cost to swallow)
The iMac has already been bumped for USB-C, we're still waiting on iMac Pro (probably December) and Modular Mac Pro isn't expected till next year so why release a Mac Mini which is in any danger of cannibalising sales of the aforementioned Modular Mac Pro if there's any overlap?
I guess the key operator there might be danger of cannibalising sales. Would you be happy with a Kaby Lake powered dual core probably 15w Mac Mini when 2018 Macbook Pros could be going quad core? Some might be, and Apple could then lose money from the Modular Mac Pro if they intend to let the entry level models tempt 'pro' users away from fully loaded Minis.
I've been assuming specs based on a non-touch bar 2017 Macbook Pro for any possible release of a refresh Mac Mini alongside a move to USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 - and there's no guarantee that will happen as the 'current' Macbook Air shows that Apple are happy to let models with out of date CPU/Thunderbolt combinations live on. The poor thing is a Broadwell powered Thunderbolt 2 device! That's only one step ahead of the existing Mini!
I gave up 2 years ago
and built a hackintosh. No problems what so ever since then. I update it like a mac and it does the job perfectly. I am happy that i gave up waiting but I cannot abandon macOS
It depends on pricing vs speed/quality too. If they put mobile processors in Mini and Xeons in Mac Pro, it's not really going to be a problem for them; Mac Pro isn't aimed at budget customers anyway. (Not a lot in Apple's lineup is, really.) I wouldn't expect ANYTHING to be upgradeable in the new Mini, which is almost certainly coming, and possibly one USB-C Macbook style. Maybe with Ethernet if they're feeling extremely generous, but probably not, the dongles won't sell themselves. Then release actually upgradeable Mac Pro – no danger of cannibalising sales.
Was it Jobs who said that they don't mind cannibalising their own sales as long as people stay with Apple and not move elsewhere instead?
I frankly don't see the value of keeping MBA. 13" MBP is nearly the same size as 13" MBA. When and if 13" MBP hits $1099 price point, it will be the end of MBA.
And regarding 12" MB, it's obviously meant to replace 11" MBA, which is no longer in the line up. I think in few years, the entry level model will hit $999 price point.
As for Mac mini and Mac Pro, I would frankly be okay with "lesser" Mac Pro that starts at $999 (essentially 21.5" iMac in future Mac Pro chassis). I would love to replace NAS with a desktop Mac with drive bays.
Thing is, we're completely out of the Jobs era now.
The problem is, the touch bar Macs are so pricey that a Mini based on any of them will only serve to illustrate how pricey the touch bar is - essentially it's an Apple Watch embedded in the keyboard.
The way ahead there is to base all Minis off the 15w Kaby Lake CPUs from the non-touch bar series making a nominal 2017 Mini very quickly out of date when 4 core CPUs for 15w Coffee Lake become available with Iris Graphics in 2018. This assumes Apple even want to use them for non touch bar Macbook Pros because the entire line would have to go quad core to make sense.
Remember though, that the MBA and 2013 Mac Pro is still on Thunderbolt 2 while the Macbook still doesn't have any Thunderbolt port at all (just a USB-C). The point here is that Apple don't have any imperative to update the Mini based on trying to unify the ports unless they have a monitor coming out imminently - and that won't be out until the modular Mac Pro comes along next year.
Oh well, at least with USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 you have a chance of fast external storage at a cost of extra boxes hanging around.
Please point out where Steve ignored the Mac.
There was a move to expand Apple's footprint by moving into additional product lines, but it was never at the expense of stagnant and comically out of date Macs, like Apple has become, under Cook.