fuchsdh
macrumors 68020
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The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming
- Thread starter GabrieleR
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No one knows. If you have buying considerations now, make the choice with what is out there now.
phoenix-mac-user
macrumors regular
Wonder if we might see a replay of the Intel Mac release, where they will release a Silicon Mini in the Spring when they demand all the Developer versions be returned and give them a Silicon Mac mini as a replacement?
I think the choice of the Mac mini chassis for the AS development kit was probably just convenience and practicality, rather than a comment or indication of Apple’s roadmap and product plans. So I wouldn’t read anything into it in terms of what that means for the mini going forward.
Sounds a bit too optimistic. More likely IMHO they’ll just demand them back and that will be that.
PinkyMacGodess
Suspended
True, but why go through all that to dump it? The mini would be the perfect first product, or the perfect device in a range of devices released to push the New Apple Silicon Era. I mean, unless the new new mini is a cobbled mess and doesn't work well, which I haven't heard anything to believe is happening. *shrug* What Apple does in the future is something we can only guess at. An Apple chipped mini seems like a great idea, and an already 'ready for prime-time' product. Baby steps to release. Swapping processor brands could be easy as swapping a few chips, to as involved as swapping most of the chips. I saw a video that showed an Apple system that mixed Motorola 6800 chips and Mostek 6502 support chips. You go with what you know...
fuchsdh
macrumors 68020
The Mac mini simply isn't a major priority for Apple. They've demonstrated they're not all that interested in tossing all their work and starting over repeatedly, so while I can believe the Mac mini will still look the same outwardly, an ARM Mac is probably going to be all-new inside and then stay as similar as possible from then on. They're not going to piecemeal it, they want something they can update and then forget for a year or two like they have with the current one save for spec bumps.
At this point, we're in uncharted territory with Apple making its own chips; we don't know how much tech is going to be shared between different platforms (are they only going to make 2–3 Mac chips, maybe just at difference performance thresholds based on power? Are some Macs just going to have iOS device guts? Are they actually going to have BTO processor upgrades or is it going to be like the 2018 Airs where you're just choosing RAM, storage, etc?) so it's impossible to say whether it "makes sense" for Apple to prioritize certain products switching to ARM sooner rather than later.
My gut feeling is that it'll be towards the end of the transition, honestly. The Mac mini is one of the cheapest products Apple makes, but they intentionally pivoted away from being the "budget" computer with the 2018 version, embracing its use as the "and everything else" Mac that's used as a server, secondary Mac, hobby machine, media digest, etc. That's a more professional niche like the Mac Pro, which I would likewise expect to be one of the last machines to switch (because pro users are going to be more gun-shy about new architectures, and because Mac's chips are untested in the real world with such massive performance requirements.)
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PinkyMacGodess
Suspended
But the first thing they did for developers was to create an Apple Silicon based Mac Mini! Hmm... Did the mini prove it's usefulness? Will Apple embrace the mini now? They probably could have used a standard iMac instead. *shrug* But since they have already 'done it', they could just continue it...
Making an AS based Mac Mini probably took the least effort to get something out the door. The Mini is useful to developers but does not otherwise sell in enough volume for Apple to pay much attention to it.
phoenix-mac-user
macrumors regular
They are going to have to give them something they can continue to develop on, even if they make them buy it. I think they will need some sort of desktop system for developers, and I am guessing a Mac mini will be easier to release than a iMac or a Mac Pro, considering they basically have one now.
Maximara
macrumors 68000
I remember reading somewhere that upon return there will be a credit given toward the purchase of an actual production ARM Mac. The Developer's Kit is why I think a ARM mini is aways away - its just too soon.
Nütztjanix
macrumors 68000
I don't know if anyone has taken it apart, but maybe they sort of just stuck an iPad logic board in and connected it to the rear panel ports (slightly simplified spoken).
My expectation is they will make them buy it, not provide a production AS Mac as a replacement for the DTK.
And I don’t think we should expect that Apple’s AS Mac roadmap and release plans are driven by what “will be easier to release”.
It’s certainly possible that an AS-based Mac mini will be amongst the first set of AS Macs released - I’m not arguing that it won’t - but if it is then it’s because it suits Apple’s strategic objectives to do that. But an AS-based Mac mini means the product will be judged on desktop-class performance and Apple may not want to start there. They may want to start at a lower end, with laptops (which also sell far better of course than Mac minis), and work up from there.
fastlanephil
macrumors 65816
Apple will no doubt start with the lower end laptops and maybe the low end iMacs. Tim cook said “over the next two years“ back in June so I think the AS Mac Pro could be released or at least announced at Apple’s 2022 WWDC but possibly sooner. That leaves quite a lot of time between then and late 2020 with the first AS Mac(s). So I’m thinking possibly fall to late 2021 for the AS Mac Mini some time after the higher end AS iMacs are released.
Maximara
macrumors 68000
IMHO the Mac Pro will be the last Mac to make the Intel to AS transition - that is such a specially market machine that Apple will want the OS to be as bug free as is possible. I doubt anyone is going to pulled the old "daughter board" apples used for the LC to allow it to run Apple II software natively out of mothballs.
fastlanephil
macrumors 65816
Nope, I'll wait for this month's event and decide after that.
Next two years might mean 2021 and 2022. Then Apple can announce 31.12.2022, that there will be new mac pro at wwdc2023. And then the transition was over "over next two years". And then next MP might have a slight delay. Or they just cancel any future mac pros.
MarkC426
macrumors 601
I doubt the Mac Pro will be cancelled.
Apple have put an awful lot of development into the 2019mp.
This story just appeared on the front page. 🙂
"Apple engineers are currently developing a new Mac Pro that looks like the current design at about half the size. It's unclear if that Mac will replace the current Mac Pro or if it's an additional model.
[...]
The new Mac Pro is not set to come out in 2020 and will presumably be released in 2021 or 2022."
www.macrumors.com
"Apple engineers are currently developing a new Mac Pro that looks like the current design at about half the size. It's unclear if that Mac will replace the current Mac Pro or if it's an additional model.
[...]
The new Mac Pro is not set to come out in 2020 and will presumably be released in 2021 or 2022."
Apple Working on Redesigned Mac Pro With Smaller Form Factor and Apple Silicon Chip
As part of the transition to Apple Silicon, Apple is designing a new Mac Pro that has a smaller form factor, reports Bloomberg. The new Mac Pro is said to have a design that looks like the current design, but in a more compact enclosure that's "about half the size". It is not known if the new...
www.macrumors.com
half the size, double the price (of the current Mac Pro) 🙃
If the make a larger Mini Pro, can we get an Nano or Apple TV sized base Mini to balance it out 😉
If the make a larger Mini Pro, can we get an Nano or Apple TV sized base Mini to balance it out 😉
dogslobber
macrumors 601
richpjr
macrumors 601
The weird thing is the ARM Mini's Apple came out with for developers. The work is basically done - why not release one?
phoenix-mac-user
macrumors regular
They will. IMHO the Mac Mini (or some variation of it) will be around forever. I can only use a desktop computer. I have a KVM that I use for work so an iMac monitor is useless to me. I have tried docking a MacBook but it sucked.
Micky Do
macrumors 68020
I doubt it....... the imminent demise of the Mac Mini has been predicted since 2007, but new Mac Minis have come at irregular intervals, and will almost certainly continue to do so.