we actually never seen an Arm chip really pushed to it's limits now have we? Since that we have no idea of the temperature threshold and how it impacts performance.
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The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming
- Thread starter GabrieleR
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we actually never seen an Arm chip really pushed to it's limits now have we? Since that we have no idea of the temperature threshold and how it impacts performance.
the new mini is here: https://www.pcper.com/news/General-...ni-2-and-Mini-2-Pro-PCs-Running-Linux-Mint-19
at least this one is true
at least this one is true
Apple might believe that but my iPhone gets warm when it is doing some fairy simple things. Scaling up to a desktop compute engine will require some cooling design.
There seems to be a bit of discussion as to just how 'Vega' the Radeon graphics in the i5-8305G are. If these parts are likely to form a low end SKU for Apple - who could also go with 6 core mobile SKUs in time for June for a high end SKU - could Apple strike a good deal for KBL-R+G parts and use them in a Mini?
Apple has just announced the new Mac Mini!
https://www.anandtech.com/show/12628/chuwi-announces-the-higame-minipc-with-kaby-lake-g
https://www.anandtech.com/show/12628/chuwi-announces-the-higame-minipc-with-kaby-lake-g
https://www.anandtech.com/show/12628/chuwi-announces-the-higame-minipc-with-kaby-lake-g
Nice machine. Nice price.
Look out, Apple!
Nice machine. Nice price.
Look out, Apple!
https://www.anandtech.com/show/12628/chuwi-announces-the-higame-minipc-with-kaby-lake-g
Nice machine. Nice price.
Look out, Apple!
Rip off of the cheese grater Mac Pro design silhouette too. Build quality and support question marks in the comments though.
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I'd like to see an update on the Mini. Mine has been going at it since 2011, certainly my longest-lasting computer. Stable as heck. I've only had one problem, and that was the attempted upgrade to High Sierra, which I fixewd this morning and will reattempt to upgrade in the weekend.
"https://www.anandtech.com/show/12628/chuwi-announces-the-higame-minipc-with-kaby-lake-g"
Honey, I shrunk and painted your Mac Pro tower!
Honey, I shrunk and painted your Mac Pro tower!
They’re already working on it, but showing your love for the Mac mini can’t do any harm.
Just pretend you're part of the pro workforce and they will probably listen. They won't care but, probably listen!
It certainly has to survive being tested in the real world, including support. No argument there.
My point is that Apple's competitors are increasingly taking a serious interest this market segment and hence are putting pressure on Apple. Which is good because it forces Apple to either up their game on that class of hardware or get out of that market segment completely.
I'd prefer Apple chose the first path, but the second is okay too as it means us Mini-humpers can finally start making firm decisions about our hardware choices.
My big bitch with Apple over the Mini is not so much that they may discontinue it, but that they are not making it clear what they are doing with it.
I don't think anyone can "force" Apple to do anything. They have all the time and money in the world and will just do whatever they want...
As I’ve said before, a $499 Mac mini is a perfectly valid config for Apple to sell. It’s a headless system, which are favored by a small group of (quite knowledgeable) techies. They know what a $499 Mac is good for.
A $499 mini can easily run Linux. It also works great for a thin client setup, like Citrix or Remote Desktop. Have you ever used Amazon WorkSpaces? Can you really not think of uses for a $499 mini? Think outside your box.
Start with a $499 mini. For $150 you can add an 8TB HDD. That can be an ITunes server, file storage, time machine, etc. None of those uses require an SSD boot drive, or 8GB RAM.
Or for that same $150, you can add an SSD drive like a Samsung 250GB. That $650 mini might be all someone needs. Why make everyone spend $900 for a base mini instead of $500?
Why some want Apple to set the minimum at $899—for the 8GB/SSD config they’ve decided should be everyone’s minimum buy-in—is really strange to me. Usually people complain that Macs are too expensive, not that they’re too cheap.
It seems to be a nanny mentality more than anything else, where some are trying to “save people from themselves”. They seem to be afraid that users aren’t smart enough to know that a $499 mini wouldn’t be suitable for their needs. (If you really want to save people from themselves, better to hang out at Best Buy, warning people away from $399 Windows laptops.)
If you’re the average home user, but don’t want to drop $1299 on an iMac, by all means the 8GB/256GB SSD for $899 would be an excellent starting point. Keep configuring to your heart’s content... spend $2,000 if you choose. When the quad core becomes available again, sure—spend $1,199 on the minimum config, blow it up to $2,399 or whatever with 32GB of RAM!! Woo hoo!
Sure, a $499 is not appropriate for that many—just like the $1,099 iMac (which also serves its purpose but that’s another thread). But not everyone wants—or needs—an $899 mini. Do they?
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I agree that the base model has its uses and described how I use mine as an iTunes server. But I think you may be missing the point just a bit. Apple discontinued the 4gb MacBook Air and gave the base model 8gb. They did not raise the price.
Maybe the $499 mini was worth it in 2014 (I don’t think so , but maybe). It isn’t now.
Worth it for who? The consumer or Apple?
I think desktops, in general, are a diminishing market for consumers. People seem to like the mobility of a laptop even if it's not as "fast" as a desktop.
And for Apple... I'm not sure they're interested in selling any $499 Macintosh anymore. That's in iPad territory now.
That’s great, and it’s proof that (despite the frequent complaints of some) Apple does in fact sometimes lower their prices, or give better specs for the same money. Of course the base MacBook Air is $999, double the price of the base mini, so there’s more space there to absorb a $30 increase in BOM cost.
An 8GB version of the base mini is available, but it’ll cost you $599. Certainly for most that’s a wise use of $100. And it’s typical with Apple: you pay more, you get more; before you know it you’ve added $400 in upgrades that all make sense
But I was specifically addressing the “Apple should be ashamed of themselves” argument which demanded the removal of the 4GB/HDD mini SKU. As I’ve said before, the alternative to a $499 4GB/HDD mini isn’t a $499 8GB/SSD mini, it’s an $899 8GB/SSD mini.
The “Apple charges too much and they should lower their prices” argument is decades and decades old, and is a well worn and tired one. HomePod only has a 5” woofer, it should be no more than $149. AirPods should be $99, you can get better Bluetooth headphones on Amazon for $59. MacBook Air uses old, outdated parts and should be no more than $699. 12” MacBook should be $999. On and on, ad nauseum.
Apple is Apple. They’re going to target gross margins of 40%. Net profit after taxes? They want 20%. They’re never going to participate in a race to the bottom. They’re going to charge what they need to—with a tiered, segmented pricing structure that marketing folks will tell you is nothing short of brilliant—to make their numbers work. And btw, anyone who thinks they’re going to get a cheap quad core mini, or any other mini config besides one that’s a few hundred bucks cheaper than the equivalently specced iMac/MacBook Pro, is in for a rude awakening.
Off topic, but affordable luxury is becoming the hallmark of Tim Cook’s Apple. I think AirPods are a steal at $159, same with the new iPad at $329, also the Series 1 Apple Watch at $249. Even if you pay more, can better products be found in any of these categories—or does Apple just flat out own them? These products aren’t essential, more “nice to haves”. But is there a classic Steve Jobs-era “Apple Tax” there anywhere to be found?
I agree with most of what you said, until that last sentence. Apple has always (or at least since Steve Jobs returned) placed a heavy emphasis on aesthetics. Some people don’t want to admit it, but how Apple tech *looks* is extremely important - on the software and hardware side.
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Why do you keep repeating such nonsense?
I bought a PC with 256 mb of RAM for around $800 in college. By your logic, the average PC today would be selling for tens of thousands of dollars. Yet, they are actually hundreds of times more powerful at 1/4 the price. You can buy a $200 PC that would absolutely blow the doors off my Pentium III Windows XP machine I paid 4 times the price for.
Modest spec bumps don’t cause massive price explosions. It’s been SIX YEARS since the base mini went to 4 GB of RAM. Stop acting like it’s some outlandish expectation for a desktop to ship with 8 GB Of RAM at a minimum in 2018.
Apple can do whatever they want. But they are risking becoming known as a company that sells total crap. Anyone who buys the 2014 base mini is going to feel ripped off. Hell, anyone who owns a calendar should have enough sense to stay far away from that outdated junk.
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I know Macs are dear, but Apple really are taking the p_ss if that's what they charge for a 1990's size HDD
You may not like hearing it, but that is not relevant.
Apple isn’t going to sell you an 8GB RAM/256GB SSD mini for $499. Apple sells their 8GB RAM/256GB SSD mini for $899. Don’t buy it if you don’t think it’s worth it.
I get that you want it cheaper. But as it is said, “if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.”
The MacBook Air is $999, some want it for $599. Sorry, the price is $999. Some want the iPad mini for $199. Nope, not going to happen, the price is $399. Some want a 15” MBP for $1,000 instead of $2,000. Again, no.
Apple doesn’t set their prices based on what you wish you could pay. You can get the 8GB RAM you want, but Apple decides the price. You decide whether or not it’s “worth it”—to you.
[doublepost=1523430922][/doublepost]Sounds more like marketing darwinism than moore's law but I take your point. If you dont want to pay apple prices for ram etc then make sure you pick a mac thats upgradeable... and thats getting very tough. I still use a 5,1 mac pro made in 2011 with a blade ssd and upgraded video etc. But in the long run I am hoping there will be another mac pro that has a few expansion options. Right now 5,1 mac pros are in great demand....