The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming

[MBAir2010]

Except the base Mini doesn’t work on modern macOS. The experience is excruciating.

my mac mini is operating fine on 11.11.6 (see photo above)
i can perform many OS X 12.13 tasks in fact all of them.

Seems to me i need to defend these computers because there is a vital use for the mac mini in the professional industry, as well as person usage, even without adding extras.

 

[sublunar]

good points, preacher, but can those imackies or airies do this?
View attachment 767529

Block your screen?

 

[and 4096 others like this]

This comparison will be largely moot if and when the 2018 iMac refresh brings the 21.5" iMac range to Retina 4k screens across the board and quad core desktop CPUs across the range, but even if it didn't the 2017 iMac base model is already stretching the value argument against the current 2014 Mac Mini.

Let's discount the base Mac Mini for the moment - it's comically underpowered and even upgrading the RAM at Apple rates is ridiculously pricey with High Sierra and probably Mojave requiring 8Gb base more than ever.

A US mid-SKU 2014 Mini gets you a 2.6GHz 28w TDP i5-4278U with Iris Graphics 5100.
A US base-SKU 2017 iMac gets you a 2.3GHz 15w TDP i5-7360U with Iris Plus Graphics 640.

For equality, both models come with 1Tb HD and 8Gb of RAM. Both are nominally not upgradable after purchase.

The Mini costs $699. The iMac costs $1099.

For your $400 extra, you also get a 1080p non retina display with front facing webcam and microphone. You get wireless Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse 2 as well (each worth $99) and a Lightning to USB cable (with $19). You also get Thunderbolt 3 on the iMac which you can attach fast storage but also an eGPU if you feel you need more compute power but the costs associated with that will increase massively but you'd at least officially have the option.

OK, so forgetting that some of us prefer to bring our own keyboards, mice or monitor on a head to head basis the iMac has a more powerful iGPU with a CPU that has a higher geek bench due to being more modern despite the lower TDP. Modern heavy duty benchmarks might reveal more nuance there but we are looking at single core geek bench of around 3200 vs 4400 and multicore of 6800 vs 9200 for old vs newer CPU.

For comparison, the i5-8250U has single core of 3642, multi core score of over 11k while the UHD620 graphics falls somewhere between the Iris Plus 640 Graphics and the Iris 5100.

If you are that serious about bringing your pre-existing peripherals you can sell the keyboard and mouse and perhaps invest in a Thunderbolt adaptor for your pre-existing screen to run a 2 screen setup to close the gap up a bit.

If you prefer a headless setup or need the space then we have slight issues that could be mitigated with the purchase of a MacBook Air which starts at $999 but you'd have to buy a customised mini with all SSD making the comparison a bit trickier.

And if you paid $1299 for the mid SKU iMac 2017 your extra $200 buys you an upgrade to a Retina 4k screen at 4096x2304 P3 display, 3GHz desktop class CPU (geek bench 4k single score, 11k multicore) with 4 genuine cores driven by a Radeon Pro 555 GPU.

So in total, your extra $600 over the mid model Mini gets you a 4k screen with webcam and mic, Radeon 555 GPU without needing an eGPU, wireless keyboard and mouse, and lightning to USB cable. Imagine this with 6 desktop cores and upgraded GPU later this year...

We could repeat this comparison with a MacBook Air if we start to spec SSDs up on both units but the sad truth of the matter is that Coffee Lake CPUs will completely exterminate the 2014 Mini on benchmarks if and when they arrive on the 2018 models owing to the extra cores that they bring.

Basically by the time Coffee Lake arrives on the other Macs the Mini (and the MacBook Air for that matter) really needs to be involved in the upgrades or there's a serious danger that they'll be overshadowed by more powerful PCs - never mind Macs.

First - why do I need iMac if I already have better 30" display, better keyboard and mouse? I only need computer with macOS, no need to spend extra money for iMac. Second - Why you comparing 7th gen CPU with 4th gen CPU? Yes Mac mini is very old device with ancient hardware, but there is no reason to buy it anymore until (if) Apple will update it. It's obvious that iMac is better than Mac mini, but with 7th or 8th gen CPU and better HDD (I mean Apple, cmon, drop that 5400 rpm basic HDD model and go for at least FD or 128 GB SSD) I will go for entry level Mac mini.

 

[Gudi]

Except the base Mini doesn’t work on modern macOS. The experience is excruciating.

But not because of the processor. It’s the spinning hard disc which slows everything down. A user-upgradable base Mini from 2012 is still a joy. Only the glue and the solder are ruining the Mac desktop experience.

 

[masterbaron]

It's time for Apple to drop the Mini in favor of a Modular Mac that can be expanded and optimized for Pros - three models would likely make everyone happy, albeit at higher cost, with the ability to enhance performance (accessorize) in steps "within a given tier". There's really nothing new about this other than Apple trying to change the "customer model".

This will be a "telling" time for Apple and they have roughly 10 months before I give up.

 

[Gudi]

There’s no chance that Apple introduces a modular Mac Pro for less than $2000. The Mac mini must be crippled in some way to be sold for just $500.

 

[askunk]

The Mac mini was the first with an Intel processor, it will be the first with an ARM chip. Maybe in 2020-2021. For now, I expect...ahem...dream it to be based on a coffee lake APU Intel with AMD Vega 8/11, 256-1TB SSD (PCI-e), 2 USB-A, 2 USB-C, 2 TB3, audio analogue in/out (sigh... no optical I guess), 1 x 10 GbE, HDMI 2.0 and 8-32 GB RAM, BT 5.0, 802.11ac/ad. Sleeker, the most silent Mac ever, T2 chip for enhanced security. Available in Space Grey from 499$ (8/256/vega8) to the top tier (16/1TB/vega11) for 1.399$.

If you want more power, get a bloody expensive eGPU and shut up... (it's Apple speaking, not me!)

Btw, the Vega11 is capable of 2 Teraflops, nearly as much as the D500 on the tMP...

 

[and 4096 others like this]

It's time for Apple to drop the Mini in favor of a Modular Mac that can be expanded and optimized for Pros - three models would likely make everyone happy, albeit at higher cost, with the ability to enhance performance (accessorize) in steps "within a given tier". There's really nothing new about this other than Apple trying to change the "customer model".

This will be a "telling" time for Apple and they have roughly 10 months before I give up.

I will quote myself from other topic:

Honestly I think there is no way Apple would do something like this.

The Pro always was for more powerful devices or at least with more features.

iPad Pro is better than regular iPad, MacBook Pro I better that regular MacBook or Air, Mac Pro is better than mini, and iMac Pro is better than regular iMac. Pro devices cost (obviously) more than regular (ok, 12" MacBook is the one exception in term of price).

Author of quoted article wrote[we talked about article, where author assumed that modular Mac Pro could be new mini], that new modular Mac Pro may cost even thousands of dollars, but you may be able to upgrade it in the future because of modular conception. And here is what doesn't make sense for me.

If Mac Pro will be one of the most powerful devices Apple delivers, it would also cost a lot of money. Even base configurations of Pro models are expensive. Look at base Mac Pro (current) at the launch day, or iMac Pro - you can triple price of base model easily. So my point is - Mac Pro, modular or not, will be VERY EXPENSIVE machine, even for base model. Base model will be also powerful, because of "PRO" name on in. Can you imagine base model will be like 1.4 GHz i5 ultra low voltage? Well, I thought so.

Look at how much cost base model of Mac mini - $500. It's impossible Apple would sell Mac Pro in range from $500 to $18 000. It makes no sense. Everyone would buy cheap one and upgrade it by themselves. Ok, let's say base model will be not for upgrade, therefor it wouldn't be powerful, but with "PRO" name on it?

I think there are 2 options - Apple will upgrade mini with 7th gen Intel CPU and that's all or they will discontinue it very soon. I really believe they will do silent upgrade or just mention it at October or March Keynote, because of what Tim Cook said. I don't think they want to remove it.

 

[navaira]

Can you imagine base model will be like 1.4 GHz i5 ultra low voltage?

Of course. It's Apple.

 

[Boyd01]

The Mac mini was the first with an Intel processor

According to everymac the 15" MBP and 17" iMac were the first Intel Macs, released on 1/10/2006. The Mini came along slightly later, on 2/28/2006.

https://everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook_pro/specs/macbook_pro_1.83.html
https://everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/specs/imac_cd_1.83_17.html
https://everymac.com/systems/apple/mac_mini/specs/mac_mini_cs_1.5.html

 

[brentsg]

Thought I'd peek to see if there were any rumors. I really wanted a Mini for my mom and a new Mac Pro for myself a couple years ago. By now I've migrated my needs to a new PC, and mom has transitioned to the iPad she already owned.

I've kept my Mac Pro running (via Remote Desktop) for compatibility purposes, just for a few apps I haven't replaced. I'd like to shut that down for good, perhaps replaced with a Mini. Yet here we are still..

At this point I just feel burned, and I regret ever getting invested in the ecosystem. The Tim Cook crew has done a disservice to their customers.

 

[masterbaron]

Look at how much cost base model of Mac mini - $500. It's impossible Apple would sell Mac Pro in range from $500 to $18 000

You're quite right ... Mini users are "bottom-feeders" according to Apple ... we should all slither away to a AIO or iPad thus no updates ... no mention - I think they'll kill it and if you really want a machine that's "all that" move on up to the base MacPro - this would streamline and compress inventory as well as move Mini customers away from the "economy logic" that was the segue to the Mac Kingdom - also eliminating another development stream - which they have obviously become accustomed to.

The Mini was and is the antithesis of Apple branding anyway - we should be more than willing to pay $2000 for a Mac if we spend so much on a phone.

In fact, I'll go so far as to say I'll gladly spend $2000 today for a Mac that Apple fully supports for the next 10 years - a machine that's built with the old Apple quality - from a company with a published plan and lots of money and a long runway ... and of course impressive, rock-solid, meaningful and empowering software!

"Damn Skippy! ... Make an investment feel like an investment not a fad or diminishing returns!"

 

[jasnw]

I agree. If Apple made a desktop box that was DIY upgradable for $2,000 I'd buy one. Sadly, I don't see that happening.

 

[sublunar]

I agree. If Apple made a desktop box that was DIY upgradable for $2,000 I'd buy one. Sadly, I don't see that happening.

To be fair, whatever you think of the current Mac Pro (2013) model, it's a 'bare bones' model with really poor RAM and 2 (especially mediocre - utterly pointless for some people) GPUs. It also costs $3k which was too much for some people who would have had to budget for expanding the RAM and would have found 256Gb internal storage too puny.

It should be easy enough for Apple to create a expandable headless Mac Pro at the $2k price band but we'll just have to see what exotic range of hardware choices they make for possibly the most important Mac release this side of a MacBook Pro without the infamous flawed 2016/17 keyboard.

All they have to do is use standard PCIe M.2 slots alongside the standardised memory but pre-fill them with generously sized amounts of RAM and storage - charging accordingly. Generous numbers of Thunderbolt 3/4 ports would be another justification for high price.

I think it's far better to sell units to people than risk folks assessing an iFixit teardown and deciding that's that for Macs - and switching back to Windows - in 2019 upon laying eyes on another design 'masterpiece' by Jonathan Ive which subsequently ties Apple engineers' hands behind their backs yet again.

 

[jasnw]

The longer it takes for this to resolve the more concerned I am that either (1) nothing is coming, or (2) what is coming will be so far out in left field (thin, one port, ARM-powered, glows-in-the-dark, requires iWatch band to work, etc) that it is useless for what I want to do. Either there's nothing up Apple's Mac sleeve, or Jony is knitting them a sleeve made from virgin albino alpaca wool.

At least this thread is an amusing diversion during the Long Wait (tm).

 

[Miat]

Bring out your dead. Bring out your dead.

But I'm not dead yet.

*thump*

Yes you are.

 

[masterbaron]

the current Mac Pro (2013) model, it's a 'bare bones' model with really poor RAM and 2 (especially mediocre - utterly pointless for some people) GPUs. It also costs $3k which was too much for some people who would have had to budget for expanding the RAM and would have found 256Gb internal storage too puny.

The "trick" that Apple has to pull off is "value vs expandability" enough to make us forget the Mini and the former MacPro - then they need sell a long-term strategy and deliver. Basically, reinforce the desktop as an important place for games, home automation/entertainment, personal cloud, Pro development and intensive work-streams.

 

[and 4096 others like this]

October 2017, Tim Cook:

This is why I still believe, Apple will bring us new Mac mini. They said that Mac mini will be important part of product line. There is only one way of interpretation this statement - there will be new Mac mini. If not, then this is all big lie in face of customers. It's not possible, they said, important part of our product line and do nothing about very old, almost ancient hardware. They must have plans to update it.

 

[AZhappyjack]

October 2017, Tim Cook:

This is why I still believe, Apple will bring us new Mac mini. They said that Mac mini will be important part of product line. There is only one way of interpretation this statement - there will be new Mac mini. If not, then this is all big lie in face of customers. It's not possible, they said, important part of our product line and do nothing about very old, almost ancient hardware. They must have plans to update it.

Nothing in the response says anything about an update... if I could sell 4 year old tech at today's premium, it would be "an important part" of my product line, too.

 

[and 4096 others like this]

Nothing in the response says anything about an update... if I could sell 4 year old tech at today's premium, it would be "an important part" of my product line, too.

"It's not time to share any details" IMO = "We will change something in our Mac mini lineup, but now it's not the right time to talk about it. I think they have plans about Mac mini. It's obvious they will not write you up "hey, yes, we will update Mac mini very soon". What they did is give a hope to people like me. I'm not the only one to feel this statement this way.

"An important part of our product line going forward" - If 3-4 years old machine with almost 4 generations old CPU and HDD from museum of ancient history is important line in their shop, than this is one big BS. Of course I have no source and this is just me thinking about it, but IMO right now Mac mini have almost no customers, so how could it be important product? iPhone is important product and they update it every year. If current Mac mini is important product for Apple, this tell me a lot about this company and what they thinking about their customers.

There are only 2 options - discontinued it or update it. Because of what Tim said, I believe they will update it this fall.

 

[Boyd01]

IMO that quote from Tim Cook means almost nothing. And look closely at it, the way "Mac Mini" is used repeatedly instead of some variation like "the Mini". This doesn't sound like a real quote from Tim Cook... maybe he did some kind of quick cut and paste from a template, or maybe it was written by an assistant.... or a bot?

 

[AZhappyjack]

"It's not time to share any details" IMO = "We will change something in our Mac mini lineup, but now it's not the right time to talk about it. I think they have plans about Mac mini. It's obvious they will not write you up "hey, yes, we will update Mac mini very soon". What they did is give a hope to people like me. I'm not the only one to feel this statement this way.

"An important part of our product line going forward" - If 3-4 years old machine with almost 4 generations old CPU and HDD from museum of ancient history is important line in their shop, than this is one big BS. Of course I have no source and this is just me thinking about it, but IMO right now Mac mini have almost no customers, so how could it be important product? iPhone is important product and they update it every year. If current Mac mini is important product for Apple, this tell me a lot about this company and what they thinking about their customers.

There are only 2 options - discontinued it or update it. Because of what Tim said, I believe they will update it this fall.

Believe anything that you need to believe to get you through the day … but I am extremely skeptical that Apple will ever do anything significant with the Mini. I would love it, but hope does not assuage my skepticism.

 

[navaira]

"It's not time to share any details"

= "I don't have anything to say right now, but why don't you and me wait another few years and see what happens?"

"An important part of our product line going forward"

= "I can't believe people still buy this, our margins are insane. 5400rpm drives! WTFLOL! Jony and I love laughing at the buyers of this thing during meetings, it provides welcome comedy relief. We're never going to discontinue it as long as we can sell at least one per week."

 

[now i see it]

"Important" can mean anything. Perhaps the Mac mini is am important product for Apple (now and in the future) because its dismal performance pushes customers to the iMac or MacBooks. That's very important. I think the Mac mini is important to apple because it plays lip service to the concept of them having an affordable computer, which it is. But whoever buys one pays dearly in a performance hit. Exactly what apple wants.

 

[ActionableMango]

Waiting for the new Mac Mini