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The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming
- Thread starter GabrieleR
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But of course! Who would even ever think otherwise? Need I even get started on the various options regarding reigns and seat cushions?
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LOL!
I'd be interested in the horse without the buggy. As a rider of small motorcycles for several decades, I do need to prepare for the day that fuel for my 1997 Honda Dream (100 cc, 135 mpg US) is priced beyond my means. The buggy would be superfluous to requirements. I seldom carry anything larger than my early 2009 Mac Mini.I have a horse and buggy for sale. Would you like to buy it? It is very old and slow and outdated, just the way you like it
If you can quote a reasonable price and delivery arrangements, I will almost certainly be happy to take the nag off your hands.
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I think it's very sensible for Apple to start focusing their entire Mac line more towards pro users as the primary audience and I think we're starting to see a trend in that direction. Most people that no longer need a computer at home have an iPad and a phone and that works perfectly for them. I think it's a good move for Apple to start realigning its Mac business in that direction to see where it takes them. They will no doubt still offer a few lower-powered Macs for those that don't need much out of their computer (not everyone wants just an iPad at home). But keeping four year old technology and continuing to sell an insanely slow Mac mini with just 4 GB of soldered memory in 2018 isn't quite what I had in mind.
In 2014 I originally bought the 1.4 GHz Mac mini to replace a 1.3 GHz MacBook Air that I was always using plugged into an external display. I couldn't believe how slow it was. It wasn't just the 5400-rpm hard drive, but that combined with such a slow processor and small amount of memory. I didn't realise how often the MacBook Air was paging to disk because of how fast the SSD was by comparison. I ended up having to return it and upgrading to the 2.6 GHz Mac mini which served me reasonably well for several years until I wanted to use a 4K monitor with it (did I mention that doesn't work so well?) Both models have a 5400-rpm hard drive but it just goes to show what happens when you combine that with a really slow processor and just 4 GB of RAM.
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What are the likely chips for the upcoming “pro focused” Mac Mini
I suspect the likely contender is the same 6 core chip from the 15” MBP
Are there any other contenders ?
I suspect the likely contender is the same 6 core chip from the 15” MBP
Are there any other contenders ?
More likely the Core i5-8259U, Core i5-8269U or Core 7-8559U CPUs from the 2018 13" MacBook Pro. Long shots are the Core i5-8305G Processor with Radeon Pro WX VegaM GL graphics and the Core i7-8706G Processor with Radeon Pro WX Vega M GL graphics which were silently announced alongside the Whiskey Lake 15w U-Series. I do not see a 6-core in the Mac mini, I do see 4-core/8-thread and on-package (i or d)GPU, while the iMac 21.5 and 27" graduate to 6-core CPUs.
The i5-8305G and i7-8706G are both 65W TDP processors which I thing are too hot for the current case design. I thing they will stick with the current case which has supported 45W TDP processors in the past.
I think you are pretty spot on about the Coffee Lake U family of chips being used, It makes the most sense.
I agree the 6-core Coffee Lake H processors are not likely for cost and heat considerations although I would love to see the guts of the 15" MacBook Pro in a Mini case.
Vague allusions were made to the mini not being so “mini” anymore during the 2017 Mac Pro mea culpa article, which is why it is remotely possible a more advanced cooling system and taller chassis might allow for the 65w TDP. Theoretically the on die Vega would also allow Apple to make some pseudo “Pro” claims, but this is all speculation on my part.
45w hex-cores would be nice, though...sadly, Apple always seem to be one step behind nice or “schweet”!!!
You can’t believe anything ‘alluded’ to by Apple. They have even been quoted as saying the mini is important, and we see what an actual statement has meant, over the past 4+ years.
At this point, I really don't care if they announce a Mac Mini, Mini Pro or Mac Pro.. I just want a damn headless Mac. And no, I don't want a flaky* Hackintosh.
*by flaky, I mean worrying if it's going to boot after an major or minor OS update.
*by flaky, I mean worrying if it's going to boot after an major or minor OS update.
Not a lot of difference in price between 28W and 45W CPUs, and the case can do either. But Apple would probably want to pair a dGPU with the 45W. So that leads me to think 28W U-series like the 2018 13” MBP. At one time I thought they’d use a dual core in the entry level model but if pricing starts at $899+ my guess is it will be quads across the entire lineup.
It would be nice to have a higher performance option with the H-series + dGPU in a case with improved thermals; it really all depends on how Apple plans to position/market the new mini. If they’re really going upscale, max configs with 28W quads doesn’t really cut it imo. Also, with the H-series they could offer a 64GB max memory, but in any event I expect socketed DDR4 and all the ports of the $1,099 iMac 1080p.
A two tier range, with 28w quads and iGPU in the current case for Tier 1, and 45w hexes with dGPU in a taller case for Tier 2.
Yes, please.
(I have no objection to three tiers, starting with dual-cores and iGPU at entry level.)
Oh-oh, did things just get worse for us Mini users? All the chatter about Mojave causing blurry fonts on non-Retina monitors (1) has me worried about updating my Mac Mini 2014 to Mojave; and (2) If a new Mini is released, will all the non-Retina external monitors out there (like mine) have to be replaced?
I did not say that I believe them, simply that they alluded to it. I will believe Apple when I am on the order page, sorting out BTO options and delivery times. Until that happens, anything and everything is possible, including nothing.
From a certain point of view the Mac mini is important to Apple. However, it is a sliding scale and relative to the iPhone, the iPad and now the Watch, it is definitely at or near the bottom of the list. Many posters on this forum would rate the Mac mini a #1 or a #2 and do not give one whit about iPhone, iPad, Watches, et al. Unfortunately, the reality is that the Mac mini simply is not where Apple makes its money and where the opportunities lie, Apple has to capitalize on it.
That being said...why they could not have spared a small team to update the Mini in late 2016 once Skylake supplies stabilized does frustrate me just a bit. I am sure dual-core i5 and i7 CPUs and maybe a BTO option to the 6770HQ along with TB3 would have been appreciated. But I do not run Apple, nor do I have any special insight into their day to day, so I must reluctantly defer to the executive suite. It is what it is.
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New minis will support 4K displays just fine and they are relatively cheap at this point. If you want to hang on to your investment in your existing monitors, you can, but the flip side is that the fonts may not look as sharp. There are some workarounds for this right now. I do not think it was an easy decision for Apple, but I am pretty sure it was a necessary one.
Apple has wanted to get rid of non-Retina displays for years, which is one reason why I think they have let the Mac mini and the Mac Pro languish, hoping they could quietly discontinue them. The non-Retina 21.5" iMac was a bone thrown to those looking at a price tag and to school districts want to cut costs as much as possible. I suspect it will disappear in any 2018 iMac update.
Apple could have alleviated all of this had it kept the products updated and made sure it released its own monitors, which would be fine for Pro users, but not for value conscious mini buyers.
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A two tier range, with 28w quads and iGPU in the current case for Tier 1, and 45w hexes with dGPU in a taller case for Tier 2.
Yes, please.
(I have no objection to three tiers, starting with dual-cores and iGPU at entry level.)
Two tiers is remotely possible, one using the existing mini chassis, which would be fine for most and a thicker/taller chassis for higher TDP CPUs, but costing $$$. Whatever Apple decides, for better or worse, we are going to be stuck with for quite a while.
True. UNLESS... they give us snap in CPU upgrades! LOL! Too funny! My joke of the day!
Snap in CPU upgrades!?!? LOL...oh, wait, Apple used to do exactly that, a VERY long time ago...in a galaxy far far away from Tim Cook.
Wait? The fonts are blurry on the new MacOS for the 21.5 1080p iMac?
I was planning on buying that model in the near future and they effectively killed it with a software update?
I was planning on buying that model in the near future and they effectively killed it with a software update?
Thanks for clearing up why Apple did it.
I have two big non-Retina displays on my 2014 Mini desktop. The system works great for me. But if I upgrade to Mojave and can’t get a workaround going for blurred fonts, then I will be really stuck. Can’t afford and prefer not an all in one iMac, and don’t want to spend more money on new monitors. Whether or not there is an affordable new Mini (and that is looking less likely), I am looking at a very expensive replacement desktop when this Mini dies. If I elect to stay in Macs.
You might be right. On the other hand a size vs. performance compromise has its benefits in case of portable devices. A self-imposed design vs. performance compromise however has already proven Apple to be an unwise one for desktop devices...
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