The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming

[DesertSurfer]

I’m going through the considerations too. Should I get the i5 or the i7? 256 or 512? 8 go and upgrade myself, or pay for 16? I’m having so much fun trying to decide that maybe I won’t decide for a while. There is lots of good discussion on a variety of threads to digest and bring back to the new Mac mini, which is almost certainly coming.

 

[Apple fanboy]

That's a seriously maxed out machine - looking forward to the benchmarks
[doublepost=1542162224][/doublepost]

UK Refurb prices have not changed for 2014 Minis. As far as I know they aren't available brand new on 'clearance' but at the moment the UK store is empty. Perhaps Apple withdrew unsold 2014s from the channel in order to service the future 2014 Minis that turn into problems before the 5 years is up?
[doublepost=1542162482][/doublepost]

I'm currently weighing up my BTO options while waiting for i5 vs i7 heat and noise reviews.

I’m looking forward to the delivery!

 

[masterbaron]

I’m having so much fun trying to decide

One thing is clear for most of us ... a deeper sense of appreciation which almost certainly needs to be savored for the long haul.

 

[Boyd01]

at the moment the UK store is empty. Perhaps Apple withdrew unsold 2014s from the channel in order to service the future 2014 Minis that turn into problems before the 5 years is up?

Lots of 2014 refurbs at the US store, price is the same as it was before the 2018 model was introduced so I'm not impressed....

https://www.apple.com/shop/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/mac_mini

B&H Photo has 7 different configurations of the 2014 Mini in stock. I see they have dropped the entry level machine down to $449 instead of $499. But no discount on the $889 2.6ghz/8gb/256gb model.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?ci=10009&fct=fct_model-year_5620|2014&cp=9581+37094+10009

Am planning to get a new Mini for my daughter's family soon. Their needs are really basic and could certainly be met with a 2014 Mini, but there's just no way I would buy one without a substantial discount. Looking at that $889 model... it costs $90 more than the base 2018 Mini which is twice as fast, has much better graphics and a better array of ports. The only thing that's "better" is a 256gb SSD vs a 128gb ssd in the base 2018.

 

[sublunar]

Lots of 2014 refurbs at the US store, price is the same as it was before the 2018 model was introduced so I'm not impressed....

https://www.apple.com/shop/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/mac_mini

B&H Photo has 7 different configurations of the 2014 Mini in stock. I see they have dropped the entry level machine down to $449 instead of $499. But no discount on the $889 2.6ghz/8gb/256gb model.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?ci=10009&fct=fct_model-year_5620|2014&cp=9581+37094+10009

Am planning to get a new Mini for my daughter's family soon. Their needs are really basic and could certainly be met with a 2014 Mini, but there's just no way I would buy one without a substantial discount. Looking at that $889 model... it costs $90 more than the base 2018 Mini which is twice as fast, has much better graphics and a better array of ports. The only thing that's "better" is a 256gb SSD vs a 128gb ssd in the base 2018.

Very poor value for sure, yes, and the UK store still gets 2014 refurbs from time to time but you'd expect Apple to be looking to keep a number of 2014 models behind in case of problems because the alternative in the future would be to hard out 2018 Minis in case a 2014 Mini bought this year with AppleCare dies.

 

[jasnw]

Lots of 2014 refurbs at the US store, price is the same as it was before the 2018 model was introduced so I'm not impressed....

I suspect that Apple would rather bury unsold stock in a land fill and write off the full price than sell below original cost. Also, the price will need to drop significantly to move such crippled, out-of-date hardware in any meaningful numbers.
[doublepost=1542231965][/doublepost]On a more cheerful note, I've noticed much more hating-on-Apple in the new MR Mini threads than I'm seeing here since the new models came out. Most of those posting are not people who posted in this thread much, and vice versa. Maybe we all got it out of our systems over the past FIVE YEARS and have become mellowed.

 

[toke lahti]

I don't have recent info, but a study with DDR3 put it at about 5-8% slower under normal usage patterns for single channel. Note that 2 mis-matched dimms will run in dual channel mode until it accesses upper memory (eg: 4G + 8G means the first 8G runs in dual mode and the top 4G runs in single mode)

Is the difference smaller/same/bigger with ddr4?

 

[twalk]

Is the difference smaller/same/bigger with ddr4?

I don't really know, but if I had to guess, I'd say it's probably about the same

 

[DesertSurfer]

Ok, I finally put in my order: i7, 16, 512. Pick up date is Nov. 29. In the end, the fact that I wish my 2012 had the i7 pushed me in that direction.

 

[Cape Dave]

I suppose we could g on forever arguing about whether the thread should be shut down, preventing anyone who still wants to post on it from doing so, or not. So I won't say any more on this particular subject after this. The thread made its first full cycle in 2014. Some people were happy, many were not, and it kept going. Now we have another new mac mini. Some people are happy, some are waiting to learn more details about what is actually in it and how it performs, and some are unhappy with this new mac mini. It seems premature to shut it down forcibly, to me, but obviously others have a different perspective. I expect it could be hashed out to the point of consensus, perhaps around page 1000.

This thread is living proof that yes, we can go on arguing forever.

 

[blairh]

Are you guys cool with this $800 starting price now? And for 128 GB of storage? I gave up on the Mini earlier this year and got an iMac, which was the right call now that I see the new Mini. But I'm just shocked more people aren't up in arms about such a pricer starting Mini price how little storage you get.

 

[sublunar]

Are you guys cool with this $800 starting price now? And for 128 GB of storage? I gave up on the Mini earlier this year and got an iMac, which was the right call now that I see the new Mini. But I'm just shocked more people aren't up in arms about such a pricer starting Mini price how little storage you get.

Maybe they're just happy to see a Mac mini?

I don't think you can compare the 2014 with 2018 models, even with the difference in CPU power between the two models.

The fact that you get SSD storage as standard now means very little when you try and match up the prices.
You still see refurbs of the 2014 model on the Apple Store and they are simply even worse value now.

Remember it was possible to spec up a Mini with SSD only and some of the refurbs show that today's pricing is a comparative bargain even before you take into account of the vastly improved CPU benchmarks and - vitally for many - the RAM which you can now upgrade yourself if the have the tools, the time, the patience, and the skill.

There's still an article to be had to compare the 2017 iMac to the 2018 Mac Mini though, and those of us who don't mind paying a few hundred more dollars for a 4k display, keyboard and Apple Mouse might be tempted to go that way.

The Coffee Lake i3 vs Kaby Lake i5 comparisons alone should be interesting.

 

[ElectronGuru]

Are you guys cool with this $800 starting price now? And for 128 GB of storage?

I’m of two minds here. Lots of dudes (in this thread!) have been clamoring for more performance. And Apple pushed so hard on that, they moved mini into a whole other use/price class. Had these a gpu, this would literally be the vaunted Xmac.

And this isn’t 2006 any more. Computers aren’t needed for just browsing anymore and likely switchers have long since switched. The pool of buyers who remain (especially for Apple) are more likely to be content creators and need the power.

Ideally, they could have held onto a dual core entry config but that would have meant slower CPUs or a second mobo. Would we want a second silver model with more room, less cooling, and slower everything, at a lower price? That sounds like the 2014 model. Which if spec’d with an ssd etc would come pretty close to $800.

 

[DesertSurfer]

Price increases seem to be Apple's new way of maintaining profits. We will see if that is sustainable. I priced out a 2014 mini with the mid-range dual core i5, 16 gb of ram, and a 256 SSD, and it came to $1099. A 2018 mini with the quad core i3 at 3.6 ghz, 16 gb of ram, and a 256 SSD is $1199. For the extra $100 you get a more capable cpu, faster ram, and better graphics. If I look at it that way, it's not such a terrible price increase.

 

[Apple fanboy]

People moan when they came with too basic components. People moan that they are too expensive.
So basically you want Apple to give you pro specs at basic prices?
Some people!

The New Mac mini is almost certainly coming!
Tracking number says Monday!

 

[blairh]

Maybe they're just happy to see a Mac mini?

I don't think you can compare the 2014 with 2018 models, even with the difference in CPU power between the two models.

The fact that you get SSD storage as standard now means very little when you try and match up the prices.
You still see refurbs of the 2014 model on the Apple Store and they are simply even worse value now.

Remember it was possible to spec up a Mini with SSD only and some of the refurbs show that today's pricing is a comparative bargain even before you take into account of the vastly improved CPU benchmarks and - vitally for many - the RAM which you can now upgrade yourself if the have the tools, the time, the patience, and the skill.

There's still an article to be had to compare the 2017 iMac to the 2018 Mac Mini though, and those of us who don't mind paying a few hundred more dollars for a 4k display, keyboard and Apple Mouse might be tempted to go that way.

The Coffee Lake i3 vs Kaby Lake i5 comparisons alone should be interesting.

Don't you think not providing a Mini at the $500 price point is a mistake though? I certainly do.
[doublepost=1542482599][/doublepost]

I’m of two minds here. Lots of dudes (in this thread!) have been clamoring for more performance. And Apple pushed so hard on that, they moved mini into a whole other use/price class. Had these a gpu, this would literally be the vaunted Xmac.

And this isn’t 2006 any more. Computers aren’t needed for just browsing anymore and likely switchers have long since switched. The pool of buyers who remain (especially for Apple) are more likely to be content creators and need the power.

Ideally, they could have held onto a dual core entry config but that would have meant slower CPUs or a second mobo. Would we want a second silver model with more room, less cooling, and slower everything, at a lower price? That sounds like the 2014 model. Which if spec’d with an ssd etc would come pretty close to $800.

What about people who want to switch moving forward? I just think they are blowing it by making it so expensive to start. The main reason I switched to Macs in 2008 was that I could buy a Mini for $400 on sale brand new.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Don't you think not providing a Mini at the $500 price point is a mistake though? I certainly do.

The only way they would do that is with spinning drives. Nobody wants that.

 

[sublunar]

Don't you think not providing a Mini at the $500 price point is a mistake though? I certainly do.
[doublepost=1542482599][/doublepost]
What about people who want to switch moving forward? I just think they are blowing it by making it so expensive to start. The main reason I switched to Macs in 2008 was that I could buy a Mini for $400 on sale brand new.

This is the point though, the original Mini was for PC switchers who wanted a PC and had a keyboard, mouse, and monitor.

Years later, more of these switchers have gone directly to smart phones and tablets, or laptops. Desktops are a dying breed and Apple have identified that professionals are the die hard users and they firstly don't want an energy efficient machine on top of the list of requirements.

In hindsight now, the Mini now serves its function as a headless server for people like Mac Mini Colo/MacStadium where GPU isn't important.

Music professionals, app developers, and serious hobbyists who don't really need powerful dGPU and wouldn't even have welcomed a $100 premium for a pricey mobile Iris iGPU, never mind the 'Vega' GPU in the Kaby Lake G CPU, neither of which would have developed the Geekbench results that the value for money desktop CPU.

At the end of the day, the Mini has gone upmarket by using all SSD for tech reasons. As a side effect, and combined with the more powerful processors, we're looking at a machine with much faster benchmarks and smoothly running OS. And this can only help the Apple range.

The sub-$500 computer is something that Apple have famously said they couldn't do regardless of how many people who say they can build a cheap machine for pennies - it's inevitably not a Mac because software costs money too.

This is even if some people say that Apple need to spend more time fixing the bugs and less on gimmicky new and inevitably initially poorly functioning features.

When the 2018 iMac eventually arrives it wouldn't be very surprising to find it's gone SSD only like the iMac Pro - why would Apple now release a Mac with anything less than Fusion Drive in all SKUs? The prices will inevitably rise though.


I'll leave you with this quote which I wholeheartedly agree with:

Price increases seem to be Apple's new way of maintaining profits. We will see if that is sustainable. I priced out a 2014 mini with the mid-range dual core i5, 16 gb of ram, and a 256 SSD, and it came to $1099. A 2018 mini with the quad core i3 at 3.6 ghz, 16 gb of ram, and a 256 SSD is $1199. For the extra $100 you get a more capable cpu, faster ram, and better graphics. If I look at it that way, it's not such a terrible price increase.

 

[blairh]

This is the point though, the original Mini was for PC switchers who wanted a PC and had a keyboard, mouse, and monitor.

Years later, more of these switchers have gone directly to smart phones and tablets, or laptops. Desktops are a dying breed and Apple have identified that professionals are the die hard users and they firstly don't want an energy efficient machine on top of the list of requirements.

In hindsight now, the Mini now serves its function as a headless server for people like Mac Mini Colo/MacStadium where GPU isn't important.

Music professionals, app developers, and serious hobbyists who don't really need powerful dGPU and wouldn't even have welcomed a $100 premium for a pricey mobile Iris iGPU, never mind the 'Vega' GPU in the Kaby Lake G CPU, neither of which would have developed the Geekbench results that the value for money desktop CPU.

At the end of the day, the Mini has gone upmarket by using all SSD for tech reasons. As a side effect, and combined with the more powerful processors, we're looking at a machine with much faster benchmarks and smoothly running OS. And this can only help the Apple range.

The sub-$500 computer is something that Apple have famously said they couldn't do regardless of how many people who say they can build a cheap machine for pennies - it's inevitably not a Mac because software costs money too.

This is even if some people say that Apple need to spend more time fixing the bugs and less on gimmicky new and inevitably initially poorly functioning features.

When the 2018 iMac eventually arrives it wouldn't be very surprising to find it's gone SSD only like the iMac Pro - why would Apple now release a Mac with anything less than Fusion Drive in all SKUs? The prices will inevitably rise though.


I'll leave you with this quote which I wholeheartedly agree with:

I think there are and always will be Windows users looking to switch to a Mac, not an iOS device, and will not now due to the high Mini price.
[doublepost=1542496313][/doublepost]

The only way they would do that is with spinning drives. Nobody wants that.

If you want a Mac at $500 you'll take a HDD.

 

[sublunar]

I think there are and always will be Windows users looking to switch to a Mac, not an iOS device, and will not now due to the high Mini price.
[doublepost=1542496313][/doublepost]
If you want a Mac at $500 you'll take a HDD.

You missed my main point - Windows switchers are going to laptops (Mac sales data says laptops outsell desktops 4 to 1)

Apple don't want you to spend $500 on a Mac. Just like Porsche won't put a 1.0 Litre non turbo engine in a 911 just so they can sell a 911 for the same price as Ford family car. They have the Boxster or Cayman for that, and even they are no slouch (nor are they cheap either).

By the same token, if desktops are 20% or less (certainly dropping) of the Mac using contingent then it stands to reason there's a strong reason for them being popular - and Apple are chasing the professionals who don't mind increasing the average selling price.

If that 20% of Mac users are willing to pay a high average selling price for their machine and hand Apple just as much profit they won't continuing to make them.

People buying a $500 Mini aren't going to be high value Apple users so they don't want your money.

That's not to say that they won't make a cheaper Mini - by that point we're talking a Mac Nano with A14X CPU and running macOS - and it'll also be SSD too.

 

[LeeW]

I went for the i7, 512GB, 16GB. Had it 4 days now and really happy with it. Just about got everything moved over and working as it was on the 2014 MM. Sorted for another 4 years!

 

[dav3yb]

They should just release a bare bones configuration of one that lets you add your own ram and SSD. Go the Intel NUC route, and price it at 500$. If apples pricing is to be believed on their storage and ram prices this would triple their profit margins.

 

[philipma1957]

So far I grabbed 2 external usb 3.1 t3 1tb. Drives.

I also grabbed a 4K 28 inch acer on sale for 329. With coupons it cost me 176.

I have the dell i7 8700t 7060 has the same 630 the same m2 128 gb ssd.

I added a stick of 16 gb ram I already had it on hand.

So I spent 140+600+176 total of 916 and I got a 512gb Intel ssd which is in the dell cost was 83 bucks.

So I am at 999. I would have had to spend about 1600 to do this with a new mini And I would of had to install the ram.

I rather have the mini but I had the dell and I can always order a new mini/refurb in a month or two.

 

[dogslobber]

Are you guys cool with this $800 starting price now?

The original non-neutered Intel Mini started at 800 bucks in 2006. I thought that was a bargain back then as the cheaper by 200$ neutered model had a constipated Core Solo chip in it.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I think there are and always will be Windows users looking to switch to a Mac, not an iOS device, and will not now due to the high Mini price.
[doublepost=1542496313][/doublepost]
If you want a Mac at $500 you'll take a HDD.

If you want a cheap Mac, you are not the target audience!

When Apple released the Mac mini it was a cheap way for people to be introduced to their ecosystem. These days they have iOS devices for that.

But nowadays your basic user just looking for web browsing and email probably just buys an iPad. Desktops are for those with other needs.
I’m happy they have dropped the spinning drives. If you can’t afford it, save or buy something else. Most of the previous pages and pages in this thread are moaning about the spinning drive.
Now people are moaning about the price! Apple can’t win.

Buy the smallest SSD and add an external as you need.
I’m happy to have a 2TB SSD internal.