The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming

[Neodym]

No real input interface or OS either.

(More than) Sufficient for consumption purposes as indicated by the OP.
[doublepost=1530177518][/doublepost]

I do agree about the text selection thing.

If only we could link a mouse via bluetooth - it would be perfect then

I have the impression that text selection has significantly worsened over the years and iOS revisions. Gut feeling is that it was related to the introduction of Retina displays, but that might be simple coincidence.

 

[and 4096 others like this]

For web surfing , emails , basic photo editing and other normal stuff an iPad Pro is more than capable , I use an Air 2 and apart from the small screen it's am,azing what it can do - the drag and drop between emails and photos in splitview is something I really miss on MacOs for example

And unlike the mac and it's OS when things go nasty , you don't have to geek out and become a unix nerd typing in arcane commands just to get the the thing working again

My recent experience with a mac mini has put me right off the things... unreliable , badly made , terrible cooling and a buggy os ( sierra ) - and I've been a mac user for 20+ years

The macos mac experience for me has never been worse..

As I said before - "I have iPad 2018. It's ok, but it's not even close to what I can do at Windows/macOS."

You talk about your daily usage. Don't compare this to other people Everyone have their own needs and for me iPad (pro or regular) is device good for reading or doing basic things. macOS or Windows is much better for my needs.

 

[BeefCake 15]

Feeling some optimism for my mini!

 

[ActionableMango]

Then I'll get one to replace my 2012 mini, as a design piece, collector's item and a fine reminiscence of the Cube (RIP).

Seeing how even the cheesegraters hold up to this very day, even the entry model nMP should be able to serve me for many years to come.

I've had the same thought if the price gets low enough. But I worry about the GPUs. Over in the MP forum it's apparent that many GPUs seem to keep failing for many, many people. There's a 63-page thread about it.

Apple had that GPU replacement campaign so there seems to be an acknowledged design flaw. Unfortunately people who get the boards replaced just have the new ones fail too--so the new boards aren't a different design. The D300 wasn't included in the campaign, but in that thread people with D300's experience the same problems.

Lots of old cheesegraters have had their GPUs fail too, but that's an easy fix and you can plop in a better one.

Personally I still might still be in for one anyway, but the price would have to be very, very low.
[doublepost=1530206692][/doublepost]

If only we could link a mouse via bluetooth - it would be perfect then

You can, but only for some RDP-like apps. It's a bit surreal using Windows on an iPad with a keyboard and mouse.

I know that's not what you meant. But the point is for that to work, in iOS there must be a bluetooth stack that accepts the mouse and can pass it on to an application. I don't have a good understanding of what the rules and limitations are though.

 

[Neodym]

Lots of old cheesegraters have had their GPUs fail too, but that's an easy fix and you can plop in a better one.

Thanks for the heads-up! While there are no replacement GPU’s for the nMP, it should be able to run an eGPU with little effort, so the risk seems to be acceptable (depending on price).

 

[Yvan256]

Did I mention just how crappy the above situation would be with NO car of your own, no family member living in the same city with a car, nor friends with available car or time to help you out (both TO and FROM Apple retail store)?!

And let's not forget there's thousands of cities and smaller towns that have no Apple store at all.

For me, going to the Apple store is roughly a three hour drive (both ways, so six hours total each time). Assuming I'd leave an iMac for repair and have to go get it back, that's 12 hours of driving to have my computer repaired. That would mean meals, fuel, car wear, etc as an added cost, on top of not having my computer for who knows how many days.

Display problem with a Mac mini? There's at least five places in my small town that sell computer displays. There's even a place that recycles electronics and I could get a used display for cheap that would probably cost less than the trip to the Apple store.

To me, AIO computers only make sense for laptops. Otherwise you're just asking for trouble by having all possible points of failure in the same unit.

And using an external display is better for the environment, too. I'm still using my old ViewSonic VP171s, the first LCD display I ever bought. It have changed computers probably five times since I bought this display and I'll keep using it until it stops working. Recycling old hardware is good, but it's not a magical solution and still has environmental costs compared to just using the old hardware until it fails. And I'm in Canada so the "environmental cost of power requirements" is less important here (hydro power) than recycling the display and buying a new, more power efficient display.

 

[Boyd01]

If you rely on a computer (especially for business) then you need to have a backup that could get you through a week or two. Stuff breaks. I'm in a rural area with a long drive to an Apple store and I would use one of my two other Macs if I had a failure.

Haven't needed to get a Mac fixed for a long time, but back in the day there were no Apple stores but they had a program where you called and they sent you a special packing box and paperwork. Used this a number of times at work and home and it was always quite fast, like a week or two at most. No car or meal allowance was needed. Doesn't Apple still have a program for sending computers in for repair?

 

[tedson]

My Mid 2011 mini is reaching end of life and if Apple doesn't release a Coffee Lake powered mini by then, I will go the Hackintosh route. There is no way I will pay full Apple retail for a 4 year old design Mac mini.

 

[gezora]

It's not, it's still on sale, and the new Mac Mini is almost certainly coming, sooner or later.

the OP is from 2013 dude!!! the thing is dead!

 

[navaira]

the OP is from 2013 dude!!! the thing is dead!

I am guessing you are almost certainly new to this thread? Welcome! We have moldy cookies and curdled milk.

 

[Aldaris]

I am guessing you are almost certainly new to this thread? Welcome! We have moldy cookies and curdled milk.

It’s really a nicely aged Brie at this point.

 

[bent00]

I think I've figured it out. Apple has turned their massive resources over to solving the problem of releasing new products without the public knowing about them beforehand. It's a daunting task, with all of the upstream supplier leaks and new model numbers showing up in Best Buy's, etc databases prior to sale. Apple actually has new machines, across the board, just sitting on shelves waiting for the surprise reveal. The new top end Mac Mini, for example, is now the size of an iPod Nano, has a Xeon E7-8894 24-core CPU, 256GB of memory, 16TB of NVMe SSD storage and will retail for $42,000. But we must wait because the analysts always spoil the party...

 

[Miat]

eGPU support for me signals that Apple will be happy to let people bring their own GPU - as long as it doesn't go inside an Apple product. They can design for known thermal limits within a smaller case - yes smaller than the 2013 Mac Pro - in the knowledge that they don't have to accommodate the volume/heat/noise of internal storage or a PCIe GPU.

Which I think would be a smart move by Apple, and in fact where they seem to be heading, hence all their work to integrate eGPU capability into the system itself.

If they can hive of the GPU grunt work, that brings serious benefits to managing thermal envelopes, keeping GPUs up to date, etc

We've yet to see either a dodecahedron, or a model of the planet Saturn.

I wanna a tesseract.

And let's not forget there's thousands of cities and smaller towns that have no Apple store at all.

For me, going to the Apple store is roughly a three hour drive (both ways, so six hours total each time). Assuming I'd leave an iMac for repair and have to go get it back, that's 12 hours of driving to have my computer repaired. That would mean meals, fuel, car wear, etc as an added cost, on top of not having my computer for who knows how many days.

My nearest Apple store is 4 hours by jet, or 5 days by car. Might be an approved non-Apple repair centre closer, but I don't know of it.

 

[and 4096 others like this]

I'm not from USA or any America country, but have question about official Apple Store service. You said, that your nearest Apple Store is 4 hours by plane or even longer by car, so there is no option that you can create some kind of virtual ticket and just send your device to the store for repair? I come from much smaller country (than any America country) in Europe and here if your device is broken, you simply contact with store and send them phone/computer or whatever you bought there. You can even buy device with door to door warranty...

There is no such thing in America?

 

[Boyd01]

See these:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/ht202696
https://support.apple.com/repair

Learn more about your service options
Apple provides different options when products need service, including carry-in, mail-in, and do-it-yourself parts service. Availability depends on the product and the country or region in which service is requested.

Send your product to an Apple Repair Center
Start online or give us a call and we'll arrange shipment for your product to an Apple Repair Center — all on your schedule and without an appointment. This service is available for most Apple products.

Visit an Apple Authorized Service Provider
We created our network of Apple Authorized Service Providers to give you a great selection of nearby locations for Apple-certified repairs. All repairs are done by technicians we train so that you'll receive the same quality of service you get from Apple.

Meet with a Genius at an Apple Store
You can do more than shop and learn in an Apple RetailStore. Make a reservation with a Genius to get help with a hardware repair. Our team will take great care of your product and make sure you get the help you need.

 

[ChrisChaval]

the OP is from 2013 dude!!! the thing is dead!

the mac mini may be dead but this thread is very much alive

today I lost my patience and couldn't resist an offer for a late 2014 MM base model, just for the basic stuff

once the warranty runs out I'll swap the hdd for a ssd

 

[EightyTwenty]

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.

Don’t forget the 4GB of RAM.
[doublepost=1530312376][/doublepost]

the mac mini may be dead but this thread is very much alive

today I lost my patience and couldn't resist an offer for a late 2014 MM base model, just for the basic stuff

once the warranty runs out I'll swap the hdd for a ssd

What a horrible waste of money.

 

[Count Blah]

Which I think would be a smart move by Apple, and in fact where they seem to be heading, hence all their work to integrate eGPU capability into the system itself.

Barely tolerating it after the initial 2 years, is hardly a lot of work. Begrudgingly not locking it out entirely, is the space where Apple has graduated to. We have yet to see Apple put a lot of work into it. But I suppose any work is better than what they've invested in the Mac Mini.

If they can hive of the GPU grunt work, that brings serious benefits to managing thermal envelopes, keeping GPUs up to date, etc

A fragmented market is not one ripe for developers to target. Between windows, iOS, Android and linux, I suppose Mac is setup as a 5th class citizen. Perhaps a seat at the kiddie table?

 

[EEzycade]

I want a Mac Mini that actually has some serious power but is still cheap.

 

[roundski]

Intels bean canyon i7-8559U Nuc8i7beh looks like it should be out very soon, it would make a great Mac mini but I guess Apple are saving these chips for an 13" MacBook Pro in October :-(

 

[ChrisChaval]

Don’t forget the 4GB of RAM.
[doublepost=1530312376][/doublepost]

What a horrible waste of money.

somewhat true lol

without the 35% discount (new with full warranty) I wouldn't have done it

but you know what, it's a lot better wasting some money than wasting time

just set up the mini and I am posting from it right now, it replaces my MM late 2009 and for now I am really happy with it

It may not be very powerful nor (easily) upgradable but it got lots of ports you won't see any more

And I will be definitely needing those

 

[Count Blah]

I want a Mac Mini that actually has some serious power but is still cheap.

Sadly, the 2012 Quad-core is a "mistake" that Apple is not likely to repeat again.

 

[borgranta]

They can release a fully upgradeable Mac Mini and call it Mac Pro Mini in order to help build anticipation for the next Mac Pro the following year or 2.

 

[navaira]

They would call it...

Mac Pro Mini

...SE Performa 8G Whiskey Lake X i5 512+ Non-ECC 2400 for clarity. Fully upgradeable using a hub (now available starting at $199) connected to its one non-Thunderbolt USB-C slot. Now 50% thinner.

I'm tempted to post the image of Tim Cook laughing at our hopes and dreams again.

 

[geromi912]

If Apple drop price by $200-$250, maybe I would buy 2014 model. I need it only for web surfing and watch streams or movies. Would be ok for 2 years and then I could decide to go for iMac or new (if) Mac mini. Unfortunate, current price is just insult to customers.

might as well get a $200 chromebook for all your tasks.