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The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming

masterbaron said:
The home entertainment / automation segment is also a "big" opportunity - a segment where the Mini fits perfectly.
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So you're going to tell the trillion dollar company about the "big opportunity" they're missing? Come on...

I'm not defending Apple's choices - far from it. But put it into perspective, they're very pleased with themselves and will go in whatever direction suits them. There's a front page story right now about the products that will make Apple a two trillion dollar company. Guess what? The Mini isn't on that list. ;)

OTOH, to look at the "glass half full", the same analyst predicting those new two trillion dollar products has also predicted a new Mini in the fall. :)
 
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Apple would not be bother with Project Marzipan if they were scrapping the Mac or moving from general-purpose PCs to large form-factor iOS devices (ala the Surface Studio / Surface Laptop).
 
Opportunity is relative - yes... but I wasn't speaking from the Apple looking glass - I was referring to all those who aren't on this forum who know perhaps less than us - the home front is a kingdom under MacOS and the synergy of the platform is the glue to that kingdom - it simply empowers people to be more productive at every level - this is the opportunity I'm speaking of. Then there's the gaming debacle showing Apple's courage to ignore the obvious.

Yeah - they may fold on the extensive desktop line-up - and I will cobble together something not quite as elegant.
 
CWallace said:
Apple would not be bother with Project Marzipan if they were scrapping the Mac or moving from general-purpose PCs to large form-factor iOS devices (ala the Surface Studio / Surface Laptop).
Click to expand...

Maybe. But it seems to me that it's a great and low risk way to test mouse support for ios apps. Once they get the kinks worked out, then they can port mouse support to ios devices (along with adding other peripheral support)
 
masterbaron said:
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The home entertainment / automation segment is also a "big" opportunity - a segment where the Mini fits perfectly.m.
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First, Apple already has a product in that category - the Apple TV.

Second, it’s not a big opportunity, at least as far as having full PCs/Macs goes. The era of the HTPC has come and gone, and even at its peak it was niche. Apple killed off Front Row in Mac OS 10.7 in 2011, and Microsoft killed off Windows Media Center in Windows 10 (actually well before that really), both for (I expect) the same reason - there isn’t a market for these products.

Mac mini for an HTPC use is a tiny niche use case of a niche product of a niche segment. Exactly the opposite of a “big opportunity”.
 
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twalk said:
Maybe. But it seems to me that it's a great and low risk way to test mouse support for ios apps. Once they get the kinks worked out, then they can port mouse support to ios devices (along with adding other peripheral support)
Click to expand...

This is 100% how I interpret the move. They won't bring touchscreen to Mac, the will bring touchpad to the iPad and finally create the clamshell iPad (iBook?) that's being clamored for. It's the path forward to make iOS replace even more of the Mac (most Macs are laptops), they desperately need a Chromebook competitor (education!), and to start leveraging their processor lead in more traditional form factors.

iOS apps on the Mac are just the testbed. And really, that's the reason Apple won't ditch the Mac anytime soon. It's a valuable complement to the iOS ecosystem; especially for development.
 
jasnw said:
I really see no downside from their perspective if Apple management has decided to limit the future of the desktop computer line to AIO sealed boxes and maybe a media box of some kind. Get rid of the pesky developer and DIY geeks (like most of us) and focus on the corporate money maker, mobile hardware. Put those eight or nine macOS developers and six MP and Mini hardware engineers on the Apple iJalopy and call it a day. That's why I watch for the porting of Xcode to a non-macOS platform as a hard piece of evidence of Apple's intentions. Bog knows they won't tell us what their intentions are - never have, never will.
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No downside from Apple’s perspective? How about things like:

- Developers that have been forced to buy Macs would no longer be forced to, therefore reduced hardware revenue for Apple.

- The cost of porting and maintaining Xcode to Linux.

- Damage to the Mac brand, and Apple brand more broadly, from the message that it sends about Apple’s lack of confidence in the Mac platform.

That’s just three off the top of my head.

And not really sure what the upside would be of doing it either.
 
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@Lammers - I would have to go so far off-topic to resolve the word "opportunity" and in the end it was in reference to what I consider opportunity in the manner that I meant it - suffice to say it might not align with what Apple or you consider to be opportunity.

HTPC is but one application ... perhaps a quick look at my setup as it may not be obvious to you what opportunity really looks like.:eek:
 
twalk said:
Maybe. But it seems to me that it's a great and low risk way to test mouse support for ios apps. Once they get the kinks worked out, then they can port mouse support to ios devices (along with adding other peripheral support)
Click to expand...

I would very much like iOS to add trackpad support because for the life of me selecting text with my finger is next to impossible (I bought an Apple Pencil solely for this task).

That being said, as I understand it, Marzipan will be adding functionality found on macOS like windowing and pull-down menu selections that are not part of the iOS design language and may very well never be. As such, I do not see Marzipan being needed to test different pointing devices in iOS - Apple can certainly do that in the lab.
 
People speak with such enthusiasm that it's supposed to represent facts ... when in-fact, no one knows what's on Johnie Apple Seeds' mind ... they've done some of the oddest things in the name of courage and opportunity - dongles comes to mind ....
 
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CWallace said:
I would very much like iOS to add trackpad support because for the life of me selecting text with my finger is next to impossible (I bought an Apple Pencil solely for this task).

That being said, as I understand it, Marzipan will be adding functionality found on macOS like windowing and pull-down menu selections that are not part of the iOS design language and may very well never be. As such, I do not see Marzipan being needed to test different pointing devices in iOS - Apple can certainly do that in the lab.
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Testing in a lab isn't the same as public testing. Customers try so many, often wacky, things that issues are found that were never even considered for lab testing. Marzipan can be used find many of these issues before Apple takes the big leap and actually makes ios hardware changes

Between the stagnation and price gouging for Mac equipment, and the merging of the ios and macos software/hardware people, and the "What's a computer?" ads, and a lot of other stuff people have pointed out, some things are becoming more clear. Google with Android / Chrome / Fuchsia along with Samsung with Dex are moving in the direction that the mobile OS will replace your desktop OS. Apple is moving that same way, just slower to make sure everything works right. So when Apple finally brings out it's next iphone with mouse/monitor/etc support, all those Marzipan apps will just work with it (with only a recompile). Dex currently has the problem of barely any apps for it. That future iPhone won't have that problem

The Macs? Apple will milk them for a number of years and will spend a bit more time for the important markets/products. However I'd bet that they've already got scheduled for roughly when the last Mac will be made
 
twalk said:
The Macs? Apple will milk them for a number of years and will spend a bit more time for the important markets/products. However I'd bet that they've already got scheduled for roughly when the last Mac will be made
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I’d guess that the next mp will be last try of that. If it won’t be huge success, they kill the line and offer just imacPro.
I can’t also think why they would care about mini, if beancounting is the driving force.
I could think that selling laptops and imacs is good business to them, so why stopping it? Just shift to iOS-like os, to have more control.
Btw, talking about mouses and iOS, is there any way to remote control an ipad? Meaning really using the ipad’s gui?
 
eutexian said:
Maybe it's time for Apples next revolutionary product. A tablet that can become a laptop and/or a desktop. One product.. 3 distinct fully interchangeable uses.

Running iOS and/or OS X
Click to expand...
I have also been thinking this is a possibility. The stars are lined up for it with all lines being so woefully behind.
 
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I guess I will just never understand Apple's lack of commitment to headless devices. I mean it's no longer just about that one device, it is also about getting people into the ecosystem and buying other devices, apps, and other services.

I know so many who would come to Apple from Windows but they want a decent headless device so all they need to do is replace out the PC box, not the monitors, keyboard or mouse.

None of them want a laptop or an AIO. So it seems pretty counter-productive to deny them the chance to move over or accept subpar hardware.
 
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eutexian said:
A tablet that can become a laptop and/or a desktop. One product.. 3 distinct fully interchangeable uses.
Click to expand...

Certainly not a new idea ... essentially a docking station setup with detachable screen but engineering the horsepower for each configuration expecting tons more capability in desktop mode would be challenging ... hey maybe that'll be the concept put forth as "modularity" ... that would be a great segue for "Oh - one more thing"!
 
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masterbaron said:
Pray for clarity ... should Apple dick around or discontinue the Mini - we'll need to set our budget straight. If they falter with the new MacPro, delay or set the bar so high that only an AIO or laptop will do then the consequence of leaving MacOS will be at hand.

This is perhaps a turning point we can only wait so long- getting real with a trajectory for the next 10-years ... either way it should present some measure of clarity as in which camp we belong.
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Many have reached the "turning point" already. We are working up to wave 4 now, I believe
  • Wave 1 - glued in components - making the portables, non user upgradeable caused lots of backlash. I know people who have left Apple, because of this. Personally, I am typing this out on my 2012 15" cMBP, and don't plan on doing anything more, until this one fails
  • Wave 2 - Trash can Mac Pro - outdated when released, and lags FAR behind PCs for a fraction of it's cost
  • Wave 3 - Ignoring Pros - This spans a number of years, but it's the biggest wave so far. The beginning can be traced back to FCPX and it's radical departure and lack of initial features. Then ignoring the pros with the trash can pro, removing ports like crazy, thin over power/cooling, not offering more than 16 Gigs of RAM on a portable until just recently, etc... Pros rely on getting their hands on updated tech, and Apple has turned their backs on them on many occasions, since 2011

I could cite a lot more examples for #3, including the Mac Mini debacle since 2012. Wave #1 pushed me to the edge and #3 finally got me. Don't get me wrong, in the last 18 months I've purchased a used iMac for my son and a MBAir for the misses. But these are being treated as disposable machines, until my son is older and I can train the misses on Linux. Oh yeah, did I mention that also in the last 18 months, I setup a beautiful Ryzen system with a GTX 1080 that blows away the Mac Pro for $4k+ at about 1/3 the cost.

Apple has really lost it's way. And if someone like you, who detests anything NOT MacOS, is waffling, then that's a BIG problem.
 
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Count Blah said:
And if someone like you, who detests anything NOT MacOS, is waffling, then that's a BIG problem.
Click to expand...

Yes ... I'm conflicted ... got everything working just like I like it - even got the wife's Win10 machine talking to the Canon printer and the NAS - she's been limping along at home because the corporate machine disallows any non-approved software. From this point I will have to put up or shut up - just waiting on Apple to see how this story goes.

I have that sinking feeling I'll be saving for a year for a MacPro as a replacement for the Mini - I'll dupe myself that because of my age I should invest in the long-run as it may be my last desktop before I break the setup I have for something less encompassing - you know, go out with a bang!

All in all ... there's 5 computers, 3 tablets and 3 iPhones in the home as long as one of the computers on the network is a Mac I can extend the ecosystem and bridge on needed capability for specific things should the need arise - at this point the power of the network and the cloud should mitigate the hardware choices.
 
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Count Blah said:
Many have reached the "turning point" already. We are working up to wave 4 now, I believe
  • Wave 1 - glued in components - making the portables, non user upgradeable caused lots of backlash. I know people who have left Apple, because of this. Personally, I am typing this out on my 2012 15" cMBP, and don't plan on doing anything more, until this one fails
  • Wave 2 - Trash can Mac Pro - outdated when released, and lags FAR behind PCs for a fraction of it's cost
  • Wave 3 - Ignoring Pros - This spans a number of years, but it's the biggest wave so far. The beginning can be traced back to FCPX and it's radical departure and lack of initial features. Then ignoring the pros with the trash can pro, removing ports like crazy, thin over power/cooling, not offering more than 16 Gigs of RAM on a portable until just recently, etc... Pros rely on getting their hands on updated tech, and Apple has turned their backs on them on many occasions, since 2011

I could cite a lot more examples for #3, including the Mac Mini debacle since 2012. Wave #1 pushed me to the edge and #3 finally got me. Don't get me wrong, in the last 18 months I've purchased a used iMac for my son and a MBAir for the misses. But these are being treated as disposable machines, until my son is older and I can train the misses on Linux. Oh yeah, did I mention that also in the last 18 months, I setup a beautiful Ryzen system with a GTX 1080 that blows away the Mac Pro for $4k+ at about 1/3 the cost.

Apple has really lost it's way. And if someone like you, who detests anything NOT MacOS, is waffling, then that's a BIG problem.
Click to expand...
Excellent clarity. Thank you. I remember all of those "waves" too. Does not make much sense, especially when viewed in a timeline like that.
 
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