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The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming

How Apple Built a Chip Powerhouse to Threaten Qualcomm and Intel | January 29, 2018
The company already makes many of the chips for its iPhones, iPads, Macs and Watches

Apple_A10_chip.jpg
 
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leo-tech said:
And finally, some good news: Mac Mini 2018 is almost here, available in April 2018 (reincarnated as Intel NUC NUC7i7DNHE, based on Intel Core i7-8650U 4c/8t 15W processor).

intel_nuc_2018.jpg
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That's junk....it's not glued together, you can add your own Ram and SSD and has more than one bay. LOL Not to mention TB3 and 4k/60Hz viewing. :D
 
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Sadly, TB3 is missing (unless I am mistaken), but as for the rest of the package/specs, I'd say I personally can live with it :)
 
To clarify, I think of TB3 not as of interface for hi-res monitor (even though I recognize the importance of such), but primarily as of high-speed interface for external TB3 drive, to boot/run the OS from it (in that capacity TB1 works well on my old macmini-2011).
 
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leo-tech said:
To clarify, I think of TB3 not as of interface for hi-res monitor (even though I recognize the importance of such), but primarily as of high-speed interface for external TB3 drive, to boot/run the OS from it (in that capacity TB1 works well on my old macmini-2011).
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Yeah all my macminis use tb1 booters
 
Fanless it might be but I guess if it gets too hot there's going to be some throttling of the CPU so perhaps not one for heavy duty users. Now if only there was a design that let heat escape easily out of a hole in the top of the unit to delay throttling as long as possible... ;)
 
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Also not to forget about those fanless chassis makers like Streacom, and the fact that unlike Apple, Intel is always willing to sell their NUC motherboards separately, so there are considerable opportunities to build a perfectly silent fanless NUC, even if the Intel fanless model NUC7i7DNFE does not live up to its promise.
 
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sublunar said:
Fanless it might be but I guess if it gets too hot there's going to be some throttling of the CPU so perhaps not one for heavy duty users. Now if only there was a design that let heat escape easily out of a hole in the top of the unit to delay throttling as long as possible... ;)
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Don't put the top cover on. ;)

I don't exactly need another one, we've got four Macs at home right now, but I'm super tempted to buy the new NUC simply to check whether it's hackintoshable. Not something I could recommend to a client, of course, because of the software difficulties. Just for my own fun.
 
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Miat said:
In the era of 14nm chipsets (and shrinking), SSDs, high res TV screens, fanless tablets, and cloud computing, a computer in a keyboard is not such an impractical or limiting idea as it might once have been.

Couple it with either an eGPU, or a monitor that contains its own GPU. Plus make sure its internals can be easily transferred to a new keyboard container when the old one wears out. It could work.

(I suspect that the IT world has yet to fully grasp the implications of eGPU capability being integrated into an OS.)
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Commodore did it 26 years ago... not a new idea.

thec64-new-top.png
 
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A GPU in a monitor is something I vaguely recall from an Apple patent years ago...

With Thunderbolt 3/USB-C it's potentially feasible because Apple do know how to put a cooling system into a monitor (iMac). However, the issue then is that Apple would create a monitor with a GPU in it, leave it for 5 years (either by design or by neglect), then wonder why sales are flatlining after 2-3 years before killing it off.

With GPUs costing what they do now thanks to Bitcoin mining you have to wonder if it's the greatest idea right now to be buying in GPUs that change every 6-12 months for an Apple product that might not change for years (looking at ALL the Apple Cinema displays in the past).

Not sure Apple will allow a 'keyboard computer' to be easily transferred to a new shell - something about allowing punters to unscrew any Apple gear doesn't sound like their current philosophy.

They still have to consider the potential issue of coffee spillage on expensive keyboards I guess not to mention how people routinely like to swap their keyboards more often because they wear out (or get filthy). That might be attractive to Apple for replacements.
 
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Partron22 said:
You can do a lot with a drill press, Miat!
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I am insulted. All my holes are handcrafted and unique to each item.

I take my inspiration from these masters of the craft world.


navaira said:
And with a power hammer it can be made thinner, too.
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I have my grandfather's rusty 6 pound sledgehammer for creating that artisan bespoke finish from a long gone era.

dwfaust said:
Commodore did it 26 years ago... not a new idea.
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Not suggesting otherwise. Just saying that an old idea could work a lot better with low power chipsets.

sublunar said:
Not sure Apple will allow a 'keyboard computer' to be easily transferred to a new shell - something about allowing punters to unscrew any Apple gear doesn't sound like their current philosophy.

They still have to consider the potential issue of coffee spillage on expensive keyboards.... That might be attractive to Apple for replacements.
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Fair points.
 
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