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The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming
- Thread starter GabrieleR
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Interesting. So far I thought that problem would only affect 2012 minis. Either LG has screwed up on their TB (DP) implementation or Intel has screwed up on their iGPU’s - or the TB standard has troubles with DP that have not been rectified even with TB3.
In any case - thanks for that info! One less reason to switch to a 2018 mini.
That 500mA is the standard USB2 limit. USB3 (non-C) allows up to 900mA, but requires special Type-B connectors (Link) for that.
If your SSD housing & cable do have that connector, 900mA should be available. Make sure that the plugs sit properly (check for dust/grime), try a different port and/or a different cable.
It wouldn't be the only one. My dell 30" monitors had problems with multiple macs, resulting it my having to make custom monitor config files (forgot their name) to config the GPU to send the video signal over as RGB and not YCbCr which made everything blurry.
LG’s Nordic _consumer_ support has been extremely unhelpful; they just gave a link, that the problem has been dealt with:
https://www.lg.com/ca_en/support/product-help/CT20098114-20150908277807-no-video
Maybe 15”mbp does not have the problem anymore...
I never thought they would release another Mac mini. I will replace my MacBook Pro when it fails with a Mac mini that will last me to the end of macOS.
Back in 2005, Steve Jobs stated that the transition to OSX set Apple up for the next 20 years... Do you see a transition to a different operating system happening in the next 4-6 years? If so, what is that operating system (iOS?)?
I don't want to put words into SpaceBro's mouth, but I understood "to the end of macOS" to mean 'until Apple stops making Mac computers.' Something which many people on this forum frequently lament as a possibility. Personally, I don't see that happening, as long as people are purchasing Apple computers, I think Apple will continue making them, and macOS will continue to exist.
On the other hand...if Apple EVER relents on the lock-down of iOS devices and allows them to become 'full' computers similar to Macs, then maybe we'll transition to a new era and new hybrid operating system. But I wouldn't foresee that as happening any sooner than 10+ years. And, no, I have nothing on which to base that statement. Just my feeling.
"Full computer" as if macs are that now?
I've been struggling with transition from mini2012 to mini2018 for over a month now.
I do understand now better, why "pros" stay out of this game nowadays.
MacOS isn't just a GUI over a bsd.
It is a mess of undocumented layers of secuirity because of all appleID & iCloud things.
The OS should be "solid as unix", but even the new file system fails in many ways.
One of the basic things as multi user OS, putting a user account to another disk is almost too much.
Maybe it's transitioning from hfs+ to apfs, but permissions are whatever.
Now I got 10k emails with "downloading..." attachments. Which of course never downloads.
Funniest thing is, that when my new mini can't wake up the right way with my new display, the support is categorising the problem to "external displays"! This display works out of the box with every other computer on the planet. But not with a mac. Excluding new mbp15", which got it's drivers fixed in 10.14.2beta.
Well, Apple can't make desktop computers any more. If the mac is something else than one internal drive with both the system and accounts in that ssd with ridiculous price & internal display, there will be trouble. And because 95% (out of the hat) only uses the simpliest config, Apple can focus to just that. The OS wiil degrade over time because of that.
I've been struggling with transition from mini2012 to mini2018 for over a month now.
I do understand now better, why "pros" stay out of this game nowadays.
MacOS isn't just a GUI over a bsd.
It is a mess of undocumented layers of secuirity because of all appleID & iCloud things.
The OS should be "solid as unix", but even the new file system fails in many ways.
One of the basic things as multi user OS, putting a user account to another disk is almost too much.
Maybe it's transitioning from hfs+ to apfs, but permissions are whatever.
Now I got 10k emails with "downloading..." attachments. Which of course never downloads.
Funniest thing is, that when my new mini can't wake up the right way with my new display, the support is categorising the problem to "external displays"! This display works out of the box with every other computer on the planet. But not with a mac. Excluding new mbp15", which got it's drivers fixed in 10.14.2beta.
Well, Apple can't make desktop computers any more. If the mac is something else than one internal drive with both the system and accounts in that ssd with ridiculous price & internal display, there will be trouble. And because 95% (out of the hat) only uses the simpliest config, Apple can focus to just that. The OS wiil degrade over time because of that.
I love my 2012 i7 Mac mini, and whilst replacing the thermal paste with new and better stuff (Thermal Grisly konductonaut on the CPU and kryonaut on the chipset)and fitting a new SSD and HDD and combining them into a fusion drive helped massively I could do with a new one, but I’m looking at over £2000 for the configuration I want and I’ll need to get more ram to install myself (never payed apple ram prices) and dongles for the 16TB of external hard drives that hold my Plex library. It’s not a cheap option. I’m almost better going for a 27” iMac. And I’d get a discreet GPU that is underpowered for that screen resolution (The Radeon Pro 580x isn’t great, it sits between a Nvidia GTX 1050ti and 1060) for a 5k screen I’d want a Vega 56 minimum if we have to stick to AMD (why no Nvidia?) not a vega 20. With 20 compute units that’s barely above the 11 that the Ryzen 5 2400G has as integrated graphics. Sorry mini rant over
The 2018 Mac Mini has USB c and USB a connections, so you might not need to buy those dongles!
There are a couple of other discussion in the Forum that have a lot of info about eGPU's:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/build-guide-2018-mac-mini-and-egpu.2177481/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/external-gpu-egpu-resources.2154653/
The 2018 Mac mini was favourably received by commentators, pundits, pros, dilettantes, geeks and wannabes, but I don't see many of them about. Even in base form, it is ratherr costly and way more computer than I require for my humble needs. Although my 2009 Mac mini is starting to show up some shortcomings, I am not about to replace it any time soon. Several average Joes I know are in the same position.
In the province I live in the main Apple shop has had the 2018 Mac Mini on display...... a couple of months after it had been released, but last time I popped in that had disappeared. At one other branch they were still selling the previous model until recently. The Mac mini has not bee on display at other retailers around the island.. Travelling toothed provinces recently, I have found Mac Minis on display few and far between, which wasn't the case for the previous model.
Unless they come out with a Mac mini with specs more relevant to the average consumer, rather than going after the high end niche, it may well come to be that average Joes and Jills will lose interest, thus Apple will lose interest and new Mac Minis will cease to come.
In the province I live in the main Apple shop has had the 2018 Mac Mini on display...... a couple of months after it had been released, but last time I popped in that had disappeared. At one other branch they were still selling the previous model until recently. The Mac mini has not bee on display at other retailers around the island.. Travelling toothed provinces recently, I have found Mac Minis on display few and far between, which wasn't the case for the previous model.
Unless they come out with a Mac mini with specs more relevant to the average consumer, rather than going after the high end niche, it may well come to be that average Joes and Jills will lose interest, thus Apple will lose interest and new Mac Minis will cease to come.
The new Mac Mini for commentators, pundits, pros, dilettantes, geeks and wannabes is surely coming.
If the next Mac mini (almost certainly coming) uses its Apple's own ARM chips, there might be hope for a less expensive base model.
This is Apple we are talking about. I see virtually zero chance that no matter what CPU they use that they’d release an entry level model cheaper than the $799 price for the low end model now. I’m also not sure how an i3 is way more computer than average people need. Apple simply isn’t interested in the bargain basement market.
In other words a glorified iPad Pro box that you hook up to a monitor? No thanks. I want a x86-64 CPU or I'm not buying it. A hybrid type of Mini with both ARM and x86-64 processors would be interesting. To bring the overall price down and boost performance Apple could work a deal with AMD for a chip solution including an advanced GPU similar to what the current gaming consoles use.
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The 2018 Mac Mini is one incredible machine. Didn't seem the least bit overpriced to me. Excellent computer. Plenty of ports. It just works. I'm an average consumer.
The "dilettantes, geeks and wannabes" stuff from @Micky Do gets pretty old. But - to be fair - based on his older posts, he lives in a country where annual incomes are substantially less than the US. In that context, I think his point is well taken in that Apple used to offer a $499 entry level desktop and the 2018 Mini is a 60% increase over that.
Now - no argument - you get what you pay for, and the $499 entry level 2014 Mini was a horrible machine in the stock configuration. But it was a Mac, and it was 500 bucks. Obviously, Apple is no longer interested in the $499 entry level to the Mac ecosystem. I suppose they think you should buy an iPad if that's your budget.
Personally, I think that's a shame. Apple just "gave the finger" to millions of people who would like a Mac but can't afford an $800 computer.
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I assume at least a significant portion of those who would have bought the mini are like me; got fed up waiting and took a second-hand model (or alternative) instead.
However; there are other valid points in that it has less exposure / promotion: I've not seen it in physical retailers that had the previous models, and something notable is that every other Mac (laptop or iMac) has been granted quite substantial discounts quite frequently of late. Naturally; this undercuts the Mini price and attractiveness...
Hmm, seems strange Apple would not have their "latest & greatest" Space Grey Mac mini on display / demo at their own stores...
Maybe the SG Mac mini was actually just a placeholder to appease the masses until the REAL new Mac mini is released...?
A placeholder for an ARM-based Mac mini...!?!
ARM based computing hasn't worked out very well for Microsoft or Google in the business market. Google has had some success in the low budget consumer market with their cheap Chrome laptops but even those have failed to gain widespread adoption compared to x86-64 machines. I would hate to see Apple fully commit to heading down this historic road of failure for it's Mac line of computers. Macs have always been considered a premium line of Apple products. IMO making Macs more like iPhones and iPads would cheapen that image to the business professionals who have been dedicated to using Macs and I don't believe it would do much to convert current users in the consumer market away from their cheaper Windows machines.
Furthermore the desktop and laptop market has been dominated by x86 and x86-64 CPU based machines for decades. I believe Apple underestimates the desire in the business and professional market for legacy support especially with the ease at which the current Macs can utilize virtual machines. Besides me I know several long time Apple and Mac enthusiasts that require smooth running Windows VMs on their Macs and a move to ARM would force a many Mac users to move to x86-64 Windows 10 machines even if it means running multiple systems... both Mac and Windows for their desktop. However I believe hybrid Mac solutions using both ARM and x86-64 CPUs would be intriguing.
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The SG Mac mini is on display at Apple Stores right next to the iMac Pro and Mac Pro displays. The poster is referring to other retailers that carry Macs, but since he did not state which ones, or which countries, it is impossible to say. Other than Best Buy and the Apple Store, I do all my shopping online.
The REAL Mac mini? Apple does not spend time engineering placeholders in this day and age. The 2018 Mac mini has plenty of horsepower and was purpose built, otherwise Apple would still be selling the 2014 model until it was ready to release an ARM-based model.
