The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming

[alex01010101100101]

Inaction speaks louder than words.

I have an iPad Pro with the pencil, an iPhone X, an Apple watch and a Macbook Pro. I am deep into the Apple ecosystem. I throw my money at Apple and expect quality and ease of use in return. This has not been the case with my last couple of macs... My 2011 iMac was doomed to fail because of bad design and unfortunately it did a couple of months past the GPU replacement program ended. I coughed up an astronomical amount for the 2017 Macbook Pro. Its a decent enough computer, but the keyboard is terrible - stuck and faulty keys. The touchbar is near useless. It seems Apple doesnt care about macs anymore cus the quality is just not there, sadly idiots like me still buy their mediocre computers because we want a seamless experience between our phones, iPads and computers.

Apple is making more money than ever, but I think they are doing it wrong. Right now me, and probably thousands like me, are fed up with severely overpriced laptops and sure, we could buy an iMac which is a decent computer, but I dont need that 5k screen. I want a desktop where I can choose what screen I want. People like me are considering buying old Mac Pros and Minis or building Hackintoshes rather than buying Apple's newest and not so great computers to get the OS experience without selling our kidneys. This is a huge loss of revenue for Apple. If they made a high powered and somewhat expensive Mac mini or a modular Mac pro with a reasonable entry level spec, then less people wouldnt bother building Hackintoshes and spending serious money upgrading old systems. People in this thread say that the mini would canabalize iMac sales and while that is true, its not that simple. The fact that Apple makes most of its money on phones, ipads and wearables just makes it even more important to have decent computers on offer that works well with the real moneymakers. Ecosystem entrapment. Longterm strategy.

Apple still makes some great products. I love my iPhone X. My iPad pro is a beast. Its just a real shame that they dont realize that its in their interest to build good computers anymore. The thing with having a closed ecosystem is that each part of it has to do its job well or the whole thing becomes weaker. That is very much the case with Apple's computers in the current Mac ecosystem. If apple cant start making decent computers again more people will jump ship. Apple is not miles ahead of the competition.

All these "Waiting for *mac computer* 20xx" threads tells us that the current lineup is both outdated and poorly designed. The current normal iMac has heat issues. The MB pro has a flimsy keyboard and a questionable touchbar instead of useful function keys. Th MB has 1 port. The MB air is just ... old. The iMac pro is good, but overkill for most people. Mac mini and pro... well.

Loooong rant from first-time poster and longtime lurker.

 

[The_Interloper]

Loooong rant from first-time poster and longtime lurker.

Brilliant post. Highlights everything wrong with the Mac lineup right now.

The big problem is when you take one or two devices out of the equation, the ecosystem crumbles. Everything revolves around the iPhone but when longterm Mac users start migrating to PC, they look at other aspects of their setup, too. That means Surface and Android devices instead of iPads and iPhones. Before long you have moved away from Apple completely and it's too expensive to jump back in.

Having said all this, I was speaking casually with a manager at the UK's largest electrical retailer recently. He stated that people still buy "tons" of MacBooks - mainly Airs and the base 13" Pro - because "it's the software". By that, he meant OS. Despite the price, he stated most customers still want an Apple device unless they are on a very tight budget. As for iMacs, he said they sell "quite a few" but virtually zero PC AIOs/desktops.

Just anecdotal, of course, but it made me think that Apple can do virtually nothing for years with Mac hardware (and even release shoddy designs) and people still buy them over Windows machines, especially at the high end. On that evidence, no wonder Apple aren't motivated to do more.

 

[Michael Scrip]

Just anecdotal, of course, but it made me think that Apple can do virtually nothing for years with Mac hardware (and even release shoddy designs) and people still buy them over Windows machines, especially at the high end. On that evidence, no wonder Apple aren't motivated to do more.

I'm glad you qualified your statement with "high-end"

Yes... Apple has typically ruled the high-end computer market over $1,000.

But overall... if 1 out of 10 computers sold are Macs... that means 9 out of 10 computers sold are Windows PCs.

There's still a huge market for under $1,000 computers. Like... almost all of the market.

You're right though... Apple can barely update their line and they can still sell 4-5 million Macs a quarter. But that number should be higher.

Has anyone has studied the Mac churn-rate?

There are probably lots of people today buying their first Mac.

But I wonder how many existing Mac users just ended their Mac run and purchased their first Windows machine since Apple has let the product line languish for years?

Is the number of people joining the Mac ecosystem bigger or smaller than the number leaving the Mac ecosystem?

Mac sales have remained fairly steady over the past few years. Is it just the same people buying Macs over and over?

Look at the chart below. It shows big growth in Mac sales for the first 6 years. But Mac sales have stayed roughly the same for the next 6 years. That can't be good!

 

[ziggy29]

Look at the chart below. It shows big growth in Mac sales for the first 6 years. But Mac sales have stayed roughly the same for the next 6 years. That can't be good!

Telling. But how much of this is Apple-specific and how much of this is due to more and more people relying on phones and tablets than traditional desktop/laptop computers?

To some degree I think there is also an overall sluggishness in "traditional" computer sales as more people are doing it all on more mobile devices. PC sales peaked in 2011, so it's not just an Apple thing.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/one-chart-shows-how-mobile-has-crushed-pcs-2016-04-20

 

[George Dawes]

I used to slag off the ipad as being useless for real work , since the ios 11 update I've completely changed my opinion

The split screen function etc on an ipad makes mac os look stone-age

No unix bs , none of the maintenance hassles of a mac + stability and amazing ease of use

Reminds me of what the mac used to be

 

[Michael Scrip]

Telling. But how much of this is Apple-specific and how much of this is due to more and more people relying on phones and tablets than traditional desktop/laptop computers?

To some degree I think there is also an overall sluggishness in "traditional" computer sales as more people are doing it all on more mobile devices. PC sales peaked in 2011, so it's not just an Apple thing.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/one-chart-shows-how-mobile-has-crushed-pcs-2016-04-20

Good point.

There also needs to be a discussion of sales vs use.

While new computer sales have fallen... the use of existing computers is still huge. There's a billion of them being used every day. The world is run on computers.

I use my iPhone every day. I also use my desktop PC and laptop every day too... but for different things.

But none of those devices were purchased recently.

The article states a similar sentiment: most PCs are used for 5-6 years nowadays. That might explain the drop in sales of new computers.

And for me... my iPhone didn't replace my PC... it was simply added to my arsenal! I didn't stop using my computer just because I got a smartphone.

I'm sure there are cases where someone solely uses a phone or tablet instead of a traditional computer. But computers are still everywhere... and will be for a looong time.

Like I said... they might not need to buy a new computer since the one they've got still works.

 

[masterbaron]

Like I said... they might not need to buy a new computer since the one they've got still works.

Precisely ... and for those who find themselves there the next rational realization is "wants vs needs". Apple used to be very good at telling us what we didn't know we needed but in my case they haven't spoken to my wants and my needs are currently being met. It's a good place to be as my funds need to go in other directions at this time.

 

[macsforme]

Like I said... they might not need to buy a new computer since the one they've got still works.

True, and when the new models are more expensive and have less practical value for many users, the sluggish sales problem is compounded. To me, this is one big chicken-and-egg scenario, where we have an overall slowdown in PC sales, but also limited options for upgrading and a lower cost/benefit ratio than in the past. I’m sure both of these issues are factors, but I personally put more blame on the inadequacy of the current products being offered. I am confident that I would have bought another desktop computer by now, and wouldn’t still be on a four-year-old Mac mini, if Apple had any newer traditional desktop machines available for sale.

 

[Count Blah]

Apple is making more money than ever, but I think they are doing it wrong.

Agree 1000%

People in this thread say that the mini would canabalize iMac sales and while that is true, its not that simple.

Unfortunately, for Apple, it really is that simple. They care about sales of the portables & iMac, but nothing else. It's the only way to explain the Mini and Pro. Apple is basically the punchline, when it comes to the technical professional(not Powerpoint, webdesign, coding professional) - So much so, that they begrudgingly swallowed their pride and admitted making a mistake in that area. But when it comes to the Mini, Apple only sees it as a bane to iMac and portable sales, so that is why it's the redheaded step-child of the lineup - Again, because it really is that simple to Apple - a competent mini would cannibalize sales of the iMac and portables, and that must NOT happen.

For Apple, this must NEVER happen again. The 2014 Mini ensured that, and so will any possible future mini...

 

[Glmnet1]

Agree 1000%

Unfortunately, for Apple, it really is that simple. They care about sales of the portables & iMac, but nothing else. It's the only way to explain the Mini and Pro. Apple is basically the punchline, when it comes to the technical professional(not Powerpoint, webdesign, coding professional) - So much so, that they begrudgingly swallowed their pride and admitted making a mistake in that area. But when it comes to the Mini, Apple only sees it as a bane to iMac and portable sales, so that is why it's the redheaded step-child of the lineup - Again, because it really is that simple to Apple - a competent mini would cannibalize sales of the iMac and portables, and that must NOT happen.

For Apple, this must NEVER happen again. The 2014 Mini ensured that, and so will any possible future mini...

I agree with what you said and it's clear to me that Apple doesn't consider headless Macs to be profitable enough. The picture you attached shows that Apple is missing out on a ton of applications for which the iMac or the laptops just can't do the job. These wouldn't just bring some money but most importantly fortify the ecosystem.

 

[sublunar]

Brilliant post. Highlights everything wrong with the Mac lineup right now.

The big problem is when you take one or two devices out of the equation, the ecosystem crumbles. Everything revolves around the iPhone but when longterm Mac users start migrating to PC, they look at other aspects of their setup, too. That means Surface and Android devices instead of iPads and iPhones. Before long you have moved away from Apple completely and it's too expensive to jump back in.

Having said all this, I was speaking casually with a manager at the UK's largest electrical retailer recently. He stated that people still buy "tons" of MacBooks - mainly Airs and the base 13" Pro - because "it's the software". By that, he meant OS. Despite the price, he stated most customers still want an Apple device unless they are on a very tight budget. As for iMacs, he said they sell "quite a few" but virtually zero PC AIOs/desktops.

Just anecdotal, of course, but it made me think that Apple can do virtually nothing for years with Mac hardware (and even release shoddy designs) and people still buy them over Windows machines, especially at the high end. On that evidence, no wonder Apple aren't motivated to do more.

The relative figures figures you mention sound about right between Mac laptops and desktop AIO/iMac. It's the vibe I get from the Apple quarterly results as far as Macs go. And yes, Apple could sit on their laurels because they are the only game in town as far as Macs go - some people say they already are.

It's an anecdotal and small sample (as mentioned) but perfectly believable but let's remember the UK price scheme was bumped by a huge amount in part due to BREXIT crashing the exchange rate - it has still not recovered 2 years later. Perhaps the reason why the MBA is getting mentioned for updates is that there's such a large number of people buying that or the non touch bar MacBook Pro (as described). And it could be down to budgetary reasons more than anything else tangible in terms of feature set.

Prior to the big UK price bump of October 2016 the lower SKU of the 15" MacBook Pro cost £1599. It now costs a staggering £2349.

For that same £1599 budget you can now only buy the upper 13" MacBook Pro without the touch bar (£1449) in a high street retailer. You can't even buy a 13" model with touch bar as you would have to fork out £1749 for even the basic model 13" Pro with the touch bar.

So instantly you have outpriced anyone who could have considered a base model 15" and put them into a 'budget' model instead.

They then see that this 'budget' model has just two USB-C (Thunderbolt 3) ports and balk at having to spend money on dongles - never mind realising that when plugged in and charging they only have ONE spare port, and go to the MacBook Air which costs £949 or £1099 and all the ports they are familiar with. In 2015 it used to cost less if they think back. If they didn't remember that and weren't cheesed off the retailer (and Apple) have just lost out on several hundred quid from the user who could have spend more on a better product.

Perhaps it's reached a point where the most people's experience of the Apple Mac brand is a MacBook Air with a dated screen but the ports you're familiar with or a port limited non touch bar MacBook Pro. These are deliberately hamstrung models that aren't representative of the intended experience of the touch bar Macs and PC manufacturers like Dell or HP are coming up with good models in the £949-£1449 price band.

If sales figures show that too many people are swerving the higher end models for cost reasons (eg average selling price 2015 vs 2016, 2017 then perhaps surely Apple have to do something across the range to combat the sheer number of quad core PCs - mainly powered by the i5-8250u - that are appearing this year.

They can't leave the MacBook Air on a dated Broadwell dual core era CPU and TN screen while Windows PC makers are adding SSD as standard to their IPS screens and are soon going to claim quad core across the board thanks to Coffee Lake - very easy to market that.

Windows 10 isn't that terrible these days, especially as SSD becomes cheaper and trickles into lower priced models with better quality IPS screens etc but as you say, the iPhone halo tempts people to try the Macs but when they arrive at the Apple section of the retailer they see the prices and take a deep breath.

I've mentioned in other posts that the evidence is there for the all 13" touch bar models next time to have the capability to offer 4 full speed Thunderbolt 3 ports based on the probable Coffee Lake CPU. The danger here at the moment is there is no replacement for the 15w Iris Graphics CPU used in the non touch bar MacBook Pro.

That CPU could get launched later this year but it might be a basis for a refresh of the MBA if Apple are about to merge the lines by dropping prices and giving all MacBook Pros 4 full speed Thunderbolt 3 ports.

 

[Wie Gehts]

Not profitable enough.... Isn't Apple a 10 gazillion dollar company? Lol.
In the music biz for example, it would be the big mega stars on a label that allowed all the 'not profitable enough' artists to exist.
Hell, Apples iGadgets alone could probably easily float it's desktop line. So Apple doesn't think the creative base that launched Apple to prominence in the first place is not worth the consideration anymore?

 

[jasnw]

So Apple doesn't think the creative base that launched Apple to prominence in the first place is not worth the consideration anymore?

According to recent (last five years) behavior the answer sure seems to be: "Nope, we don't give a rat's ass for anyone other than content consumers." Apple could easily have the best desktop line, AIO and headless, in the business and keep it up to date if they really cared about this market segment. The very fact that they haven't speaks louder than Tim's vague statements about being an important part of their line. I'm polishing up my Linux skills and sorting out Linux+macOS networking so I have a safe haven if (when) Apple pulls a Kavorkian on their desktop offerings, real or effective (as in no decent Mini or Mini replacement in 2018).

 

[sublunar]

Agree 1000%

Unfortunately, for Apple, it really is that simple. They care about sales of the portables & iMac, but nothing else. It's the only way to explain the Mini and Pro. Apple is basically the punchline, when it comes to the technical professional(not Powerpoint, webdesign, coding professional) - So much so, that they begrudgingly swallowed their pride and admitted making a mistake in that area. But when it comes to the Mini, Apple only sees it as a bane to iMac and portable sales, so that is why it's the redheaded step-child of the lineup - Again, because it really is that simple to Apple - a competent mini would cannibalize sales of the iMac and portables, and that must NOT happen.

For Apple, this must NEVER happen again. The 2014 Mini ensured that, and so will any possible future mini...

Quite a picture there, and I wonder if co-location companies who want to use Mac Minis in a server type configuration have been lobbying Apple and saying there will be orders in the hundreds if Apple can just bring out a good model for their needs. It might be a domestic new Mini, Xeon powered Mini, or it might be a basic Modular Mac Pro next year.

Imagine that case with a Xeon E-2176M CPU and 4 Thunderbolt 3 ports, 16Gb of RAM as standard, and 512Gb SSD in the basic model for somewhere between $1500 and $2000.

I remember a time when people were complaining that the classic 2012 case wasn't good enough to cool the 45w quad core CPU when it was being thrashed in sustained situations.

I'd just be happy with i5-8259U quad core, 8 threads, and Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 because modern PCIe SSDs produce more heat than 2.5" SSDs under high performance situations.

A different CPU to use would be the i3-8109U which is faster dual core with Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 - it depends if Apple are going with that for the next non touch bar MacBook Pro.

There is no direct successor to the i5-7260U from the 2017 MacBook Pro non touch bar announced yet but comparatively speaking the i5-8250u has better benchmarks on paper than every Mini ever made and is the obvious CPU to go into a refreshed MacBook Air without retina screen - if Apple decide to properly refresh it as part of this year's 2018 line-up.

For what it's worth, I'm increasingly thinking the existing Mini is staying put for yet another year while the Modular Mac Pro isn't out...
[doublepost=1526436756][/doublepost]

According to recent (last five years) behavior the answer sure seems to be: "Nope, we don't give a rat's ass for anyone other than content consumers." Apple could easily have the best desktop line, AIO and headless, in the business and keep it up to date if they really cared about this market segment. The very fact that they haven't speaks louder than Tim's vague statements about being an important part of their line. I'm polishing up my Linux skills and sorting out Linux+macOS networking so I have a safe haven if (when) Apple pulls a Kavorkian on their desktop offerings, real or effective (as in no decent Mini or Mini replacement in 2018).

Why not go the whole hog with Windows 10?

We don't currently have an idea of how much the modular Mac Pro will cost on launch. Some of us could very well be disappointed if it starts at $4k or more with a poverty spec and we don't know how the current 2013 Mac Pro (which starts at $3k) sells. Are Apple still making it?

We could get a generation of people upgrading with eGPU with any Thunderbolt 3 Mini - testing the software along with the MacBook Pro users - and moving that kit to a modular Mac Pro if it's priced low enough next year.

 

[Wie Gehts]

According to recent (last five years) behavior the answer sure seems to be: "Nope, we don't give a rat's ass for anyone other than content consumers." Apple could easily have the best desktop line, AIO and headless, in the business and keep it up to date if they really cared about this market segment. The very fact that they haven't speaks louder than Tim's vague statements about being an important part of their line. I'm polishing up my Linux skills and sorting out Linux+macOS networking so I have a safe haven if (when) Apple pulls a Kavorkian on their desktop offerings, real or effective (as in no decent Mini or Mini replacement in 2018).

I use Logic Pro and at this stage in my life... I'm in my early 60's... don't even want to think about having to get all my plugins and stuff moved over to another DAW either on Mac or going to windows.
I use a pc for internet and watching tv and movies but I do hate windows. Every so often its always having some unfathomable process eating up the cpu and hard drive which in turn hangs everything else then I gotta waste time figuring out what voodoo to perform to track down the culprit.
I also hate that its a rats nest of control panels, prefs for those control panels then more control panels for those preferences! lol.
IOW, I don't ever have to do any 'serious' running of applications on it.

So at this point, if Apple is just going to continue selling grossly overpriced hardware with 3 year old cpu's and graphics, then I'll just buy used machines, circa 2012 - 2016-ish models till I croak, lol

 

[jasnw]

I'm just trying to work out a way forward that's viable regardless of what the current Deciderers at Apple end up doing over the next couple of years. I started out using card decks and punched paper tape in the 1960s, so going back to living on the command line inside a terminal window with a browser to access mail is just fine with me. That works on just about any OS out there. My wife does mostly (say 90%) mail and browsing, so I could rig up a nice fast Linux box that she can use as well. We're both getting tired of being jerked around by Apple on the phone side of things, so an abandonment by Apple of its desktop computer line would pretty much push me over the top and into a non-Apple ecology. Apple needs to change its corporate philosophy from "if the minimum wasn't good enough it wouldn't be the minimum" to "go big or go home".

 

[hippyeverafter]

I'm just trying to work out a way forward that's viable regardless of what the current Deciderers at Apple end up doing over the next couple of years. I started out using card decks and punched paper tape in the 1960s, so going back to living on the command line inside a terminal window with a browser to access mail is just fine with me. That works on just about any OS out there. My wife does mostly (say 90%) mail and browsing, so I could rig up a nice fast Linux box that she can use as well. We're both getting tired of being jerked around by Apple on the phone side of things, so an abandonment by Apple of its desktop computer line would pretty much push me over the top and into a non-Apple ecology. Apple needs to change its corporate philosophy from "if the minimum wasn't good enough it wouldn't be the minimum" to "go big or go home".

Have had 3 Mini's in the past and always loved them for the form factor, However for anything else other than web browsing, Emails and using as a music server are sluggish for anything else. have been waiting for nearly 3 years for an update, So when my last one recently failed to boot up had three choices, 1) Get a repair, 2) Buy a new Mini, 3) Buy a windows machine. In the end purchased an Asus ViviMini Win10 with a 250Gb ssd and 1Tb spinner and for what I paid could get nowhere the specs buying a mini for the price. Do not get me wrong still like Apple products as I still have a MacBook, iPhone X and Apple watch and the wife has a MacBook Air. The last time I used a Windows computer was some 15 years ago and must admit although not perfect was surprised how far the OS has come. Who knows if Apple releases an updated Mini in the future might even get one but sadly I fear it will never happen.

 

[alex01010101100101]

The relative figures figures you mention sound about right between Mac laptops and desktop AIO/iMac. It's the vibe I get from the Apple quarterly results as far as Macs go. And yes, Apple could sit on their laurels because they are the only game in town as far as Macs go - some people say they already are.

It's an anecdotal and small sample (as mentioned) but perfectly believable but let's remember the UK price scheme was bumped by a huge amount in part due to BREXIT crashing the exchange rate - it has still not recovered 2 years later. Perhaps the reason why the MBA is getting mentioned for updates is that there's such a large number of people buying that or the non touch bar MacBook Pro (as described). And it could be down to budgetary reasons more than anything else tangible in terms of feature set.

Prior to the big UK price bump of October 2016 the lower SKU of the 15" MacBook Pro cost £1599. It now costs a staggering £2349.

For that same £1599 budget you can now only buy the upper 13" MacBook Pro without the touch bar (£1449) in a high street retailer. You can't even buy a 13" model with touch bar as you would have to fork out £1749 for even the basic model 13" Pro with the touch bar.

So instantly you have outpriced anyone who could have considered a base model 15" and put them into a 'budget' model instead.

They then see that this 'budget' model has just two USB-C (Thunderbolt 3) ports and balk at having to spend money on dongles - never mind realising that when plugged in and charging they only have ONE spare port, and go to the MacBook Air which costs £949 or £1099 and all the ports they are familiar with. In 2015 it used to cost less if they think back. If they didn't remember that and weren't cheesed off the retailer (and Apple) have just lost out on several hundred quid from the user who could have spend more on a better product.

Perhaps it's reached a point where the most people's experience of the Apple Mac brand is a MacBook Air with a dated screen but the ports you're familiar with or a port limited non touch bar MacBook Pro. These are deliberately hamstrung models that aren't representative of the intended experience of the touch bar Macs and PC manufacturers like Dell or HP are coming up with good models in the £949-£1449 price band.

I think the pricing in Europe highlights what is part of problem: Apple is pricing themselves out of the market. A 10% price cut or just reasonable conversion rates from dollars to euro/GBP would make Apple computers more competitive. Apple could easily increase its market share with actually offering a better product range. The figures linked in this thread shows sales are stagnant and its not because people are not using computers anymore. I think in the world of smartphones and tablets a case could be made for laptops being less useful as the performance of phones and tablets are pretty close, but a more powerful desktop is still very much needed for people who do more demanding work than emails and webbrowsing. My iPad pro is giving my laptop a run for its money and I could honestly get by with just the iPad if I had a desktop at home.

I really do believe if Apple only offered a better product range across the board they could easily increase market shares by a substantial amount. We will see if WWDC2018 brings something new to the table. I would like to think that a great company like Apple is not reliant on a visionary leader, but it does seem like Tim Cook has made some changes... and not for the better.

 

[masterbaron]

I really do believe if Apple only offered a better product range across the board they could easily increase market shares by a substantial amount.

And we know they could if they wanted to .... which makes one wonder whether the investment in the spaceship drained their resources or what I'd prefer to think ... they have massive R&D cost so they're taking a break before they unleash the brave "new-new" world again (hardly).
[doublepost=1526483381][/doublepost]

I'm in exactly the same place with an MX860. Works fine, but it's driven by a 32bit app which won't be updated to 64bit by Canon. Yes, I can buy a replacement, a less-well-built replacement, but WHY? Just because Apple decides that 32bit apps put a harsh on their mellow? I haven't seen any explanation that's more substantive than that for why 32bit apps are being dropped, or de-efficientized, or whatever is going to happen to them post-HS.

@jasnw - as follows:



ItWasNotMe macrumors 6502


Dec 1, 2012
I use VueScan for my HP printer, works reasonably well, sidesteps the HP drivers (also not updated)

You could try it for the Canon - see https://www.hamrick.com/vuescan/canon_mx860.html

This bad boy works and many thanks to "ItWasNotMe"!!!

 

[The_Interloper]

Prior to the big UK price bump of October 2016 the lower SKU of the 15" MacBook Pro cost £1599. It now costs a staggering £2349.

I think the pricing in Europe highlights what is part of problem: Apple is pricing themselves out of the market.

The prices in the UK at the moment are just eye-watering. Wages have been stagnant (and dropping in real terms for many) for years while the cost of living keeps rising. MacBook Airs are frequently discounted (in the £750-850 range) which explains the reason those sell well.

Apple may be making more profit due to their exorbitant pricing but it's resulting in stagnant share. Mac sales have been flat for years (and dropped last quarter) and it isn't just down to people using phones and tablets. A friend of my wife, a graphic designer, has only used Macs her whole life since college (20+ years). Last October she was in the market for two new Macs - one for her studio, one for her home - and was looking at both desktops and laptops. She rejected the Mini as it was ancient, didn't want an iMac as she already had decent monitors and passed on the MacBook line as they were simply far too expensive.

In the end she chose 2 new Windows PCs for the first time and absolutely loves them. Can't believe the speed for the price. As she lives either in Chrome or Adobe CC, the OS is virtually irrelevant. I have no doubt she would gone with a Mini if the specs weren't so tragic. Just last month she swapped her iPhone on contract for a Samsung Galaxy...and the transition is complete, possibly never to return. This is what Apple needs to be wary of but it seems they are too short-sighted to care.

 

[Boyd01]

This is what Apple needs to be wary of but it seems they are too short-sighted to care.

Maybe they are looking even farther down the road than you are, and they don't care because the Mac only represents 11% of their revenue with the Mini as a tiny fraction of that amount? https://www.statista.com/chart/8817/mac-sales-as-a-percentage-of-apples-revenue/

 

[masterbaron]

So .... the "true" courage will be to drop OSX and desktops altogether and iOS will be all that Apple represents - that would at least be respectful ... simply "not" make all peripherals with a port for the iPhone and call it a day.

 

[Lesser Evets]

I use Logic Pro and at this stage in my life... I'm in my early 60's... don't even want to think about having to get all my plugins and stuff moved over to another DAW either on Mac or going to windows.

So at this point, if Apple is just going to continue selling grossly overpriced hardware with 3 year old cpu's and graphics, then I'll just buy used machines, circa 2012 - 2016-ish models till I croak, lol

I use Logic Pro and Maschine and all sorts of other software that I refuse to migrate...

If Apple makes an end-of-line Mac in a few years, I'll buy the top-end model and ride it for decades, slowly stuffing it with the best and biggest components as they grow cheap.

 

[masterbaron]

I'll buy the top-end model and ride it for decades, slowly stuffing it with the best and biggest components as they grow cheap

HaHa ... Ha - oh yeah, you sound just like I did when I bought the G5 - rock hard for decades as it sits in the basement and no doubt when I see it I can't believe Apple let it go to the pits ... the case alone makes it worthy - but no ... I really don't think so ... there will some facet of the present that will call you deep into the forest of upgrades.

 

[Michael Scrip]

Maybe they are looking even farther down the road than you are, and they don't care because the Mac only represents 11% of their revenue with the Mini as a tiny fraction of that amount? https://www.statista.com/chart/8817/mac-sales-as-a-percentage-of-apples-revenue/

Very true! Macs aren't a big part of their company like they used to be.

But 11% of $60 billion in revenue is still a HUGE number.

You'd hope Apple wouldn't want $6.6 billion in revenue from Macs to disappear overnight.

Macs alone would be a Fortune 500 company by revenue.

You're right though... the Mac Mini is a tiny percentage of Macs... which is a smaller percentage of the company as a whole. But it doesn't have to be that way.

BTW... do we know how well the Mac Mini sold when it was kept up to date?

Was it actually a big seller? Or are we romanticizing it in hindsight?