The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming

[crowe-t]

It's a matter of personal opinion here, but Mojave and later deactivate sub pixel rendering which affects text quality on non-Retina displays. A lot of people complain about it since it looks worse than High Sierra. You can reactivate it through the command line but opinions on it are mixed on how well that works after you reactivate it.

That said, I use Monterey on a non-Retina screen every day, and it's fine. It's not as crisp, but it's OK IMO. The screen I use is an Apple 30" Cinema HD Display and this is the system I'm typing on right now.

It's the OS and not the processor that causes this. I thought it only happened on the M1 Mini.

 

[opeter]

If that happens, and assuming it comes with a 24 GB option, I'll probably just buy it and forget about a mythical M2 Pro Mac mini. I can save my US$200-250.

I have a strange feeling, that it will be crippled in one way or another.

 

[EugW]

I have a strange feeling, that it will be crippled in one way or another.

Yes. Like the current M1 it will be short on ports.

 

[Boil]

Yes. Like the current M1 it will be short on ports.

M2 Pro Mac mini will fix that...! ;^p

 

[pshufd]

M2 Pro Mac mini will fix that...! ;^p

Assuming at least 3 USB-C ports for external display, wouldn't it make sense to do that for the base mini as well to simplify manufacturing?

 

[Boil]

Assuming at least 3 USB-C ports for external display, wouldn't it make sense to do that for the base mini as well to simplify manufacturing?

Good thing the rear panel is an insert that can be easily swapped with one that has the proper amount of port cutouts for the given SoC...?

And it should be fairly apparent now that Apple does not want the base Mn SoC to support more than two displays; if one needs more than two, Apple will gladly show you products up the ladder...

If you want to gripe about Apple not having the sense to simplify manufacturing, look to the 24" iMac, no ports panel insert there...

 

[pshufd]

Good thing the rear panel is an insert that can be easily swapped with one that has the proper amount of port cutouts for the given SoC...?

And it should be fairly apparent now that Apple does not want the base Mn SoC to support more than two displays; if one needs more than two, Apple will gladly show you products up the ladder...

If you want to gripe about Apple not having the sense to simplify manufacturing, look to the 24" iMac, no ports panel insert there...

The extra port wouldn't have to power more than two displays. It could just be a plan USB-C port, like the two front ports on the base Mac Studio. You could use it to charge and sync your iPhone.

 

[Neodym]

Good thing the rear panel is an insert that can be easily swapped with one that has the proper amount of port cutouts for the given SoC...?

… provided that the next gen Mac mini will keep the current form factor.

 

[Boil]

… provided that the next gen Mac mini will keep the current form factor.

You right, by the time Apple gets around to a redesign of the Mac mini, replaceable port panel technology will be lost to us...! ;^p

 

[gusping]

I like the current design. It is certainly better than a plexiglass top or whatever the rumours pointed to. I can't imagine that looking good. Apple barely have enough 'engineering' capacity to put an M2 Pro in a mini, let alone redesign it. Let's not get ahead of ourselves

 

[EugW]

Hmmm... Regarding the port situation: A decent Thunderbolt dock that Apple itself sells costs CA$350 / US$300. Ouch.

CalDigit TS3 Plus Dock

The CalDigit TS3 Plus dock uses one of your Mac’s Thunderbolt 3 ports to instantly add up to 15 expansion ports and to provide charging for your MacBook. Buy online now at apple.com.

www.apple.com

 

[pshufd]

I like the current design. It is certainly better than a plexiglass top or whatever the rumours pointed to. I can't imagine that looking good. Apple barely have enough 'engineering' capacity to put an M2 Pro in a mini, let alone redesign it. Let's not get ahead of ourselves

I like the current design too and prefer all metal to plastic but the reason for plastic is better radio communications so it does have a practical purpose. I use wired peripherals to sidestep the Bluetooth issues.

 

[gusping]

Hmmm... Regarding the port situation: A decent Thunderbolt dock that Apple itself sells costs CA$350 / US$300. Ouch.

CalDigit TS3 Plus Dock

The CalDigit TS3 Plus dock uses one of your Mac’s Thunderbolt 3 ports to instantly add up to 15 expansion ports and to provide charging for your MacBook. Buy online now at apple.com.

www.apple.com

I've never bought into the 'just buy a TB dock' argument. For low and even some prosumers, it is a terrible solution. Not to mention they are very hit or miss in Mac OS. Relying on one would drive me mad.

 

[gusping]

I like the current design too and prefer all metal to plastic but the reason for plastic is better radio communications so it does have a practical purpose. I use wired peripherals to sidestep the Bluetooth issues.

Good point! Forgot about that. Thankfully, bluetooth is one of the few areas I haven't had issues with my 2018 mini.

 

[pshufd]

I've never bought into the 'just buy a TB dock' argument. For low and even some prosumers, it is a terrible solution. Not to mention they are very hit or miss in Mac OS. Relying on one would drive me mad.

I have had great luck with the port hubs on Dell Ultrasharp monitors and they are useful for Windows and Intel Macs. I have seen issues with TB docks, including driver issues, and it seems to me that other solutions are preferable unless you have an unlimited budget.

 

[EugW]

If the new Mac mini comes in spring, that's getting close to the back-to-school sale. I qualify for that promotion so if the new Macs came in April, waiting a bit more until June to get a nice discount doesn't seem like a bad idea... except that the Mac mini did not qualify for the back-to-school sale this year. So, I could just get the Mac Studio and a nice sum in a gift card back, right? Wrong. Apple didn't include the Mac Studio in the back-to-school sale either.

BTW, I wonder when the M2 series Mac Studios will get released. Fall 2023?

I like the current design too and prefer all metal to plastic but the reason for plastic is better radio communications so it does have a practical purpose. I use wired peripherals to sidestep the Bluetooth issues.

Yes, I use a wired keyboard, although I use a wireless RF non-Apple mouse. No pairing issues with wireless RF, since it uses a (tiny) USB RF dongle.

So I'd need:

USB-C: Monitor
USB-C: External SSD, although I could probably get away with USB-A.
USB-A: Time Machine drive
USB-A: Wired keyboard
USB-A: RF mouse dongle
USB-A: Bar code scanner
USB-A: Webcam
USB-A: Flash card reader
USB-A: Keep one open for USB thumb drives, etc.

Like the external SSD, I'd like to keep the Time Machine drive on its own USB port. However, most of the other USB-A peripherals can run through a hub.

C'mon Apple, throw us a bone. Give us at least one more USB-C port, to bring us to 3 USB-C + 2 USB-A. Please!

 

[pshufd]

If the new Mac mini comes in spring, that's getting close to the back-to-school sale. I qualify for that promotion so if the new Macs came in April, waiting a bit more until June to get a nice discount doesn't seem like a bad idea... except that the Mac mini did not qualify for the back-to-school sale this year. So, I could just get the Mac Studio and a nice sum in a gift card back, right? Wrong. Apple didn't include the Mac Studio in the back-to-school sale either.

BTW, I wonder when the M2 series Mac Studios will get released. Fall 2023?

Yes, I use a wired keyboard, although I use a wireless RF non-Apple mouse. No pairing issues with wireless RF, since it uses a (tiny) USB RF dongle.

I am happy with giving in and getting a Studio. I am hoping to replace the M1 mini with it (as opposed to using both of them together). It seems like it should be able to handle my full workload. I've seen many others just buy the M1 mini or get the Studio too. If you need a machine, particularly for earning a living, you can't wait forever.

 

[sublunar]

I've never bought into the 'just buy a TB dock' argument. For low and even some prosumers, it is a terrible solution. Not to mention they are very hit or miss in Mac OS. Relying on one would drive me mad.

If you are on a budget then there’s many USB-C hubs out there (no idea if they are 5gb/s or at least 10gb/sec which the M1/M2 macs should be compatible with) - the Caldigit ones get my recommendation. I have 2, can’t speak for other hubs but noticed they are now hugely expensive for U.K. users thanks to the exchange rates etc.

 

[EugW]

I wonder if the may just do what they did with the M1 iMac and give us 2 USB-C plus 2 TB4, and get rid of USB-A ports altogether.

If you are on a budget then there’s many USB-C hubs out there (no idea if they are 5gb/s or at least 10gb/sec which the M1/M2 macs should be compatible with) - the Caldigit ones get my recommendation. I have 2, can’t speak for other hubs but noticed they are now hugely expensive for U.K. users thanks to the exchange rates etc.

The CalDigit Thunderbolt 4 Element Hub seemed like a nice solution until I found out it overheats. 😕

Review: CalDigit's Element Hub Delivers Flexible Thunderbolt and USB Support

Recent advancements in Thunderbolt technology have brought the ability to include multiple downstream Thunderbolt ports on various docks and hubs,...

www.macrumors.com

 

[gusping]

If you are on a budget then there’s many USB-C hubs out there (no idea if they are 5gb/s or at least 10gb/sec which the M1/M2 macs should be compatible with) - the Caldigit ones get my recommendation. I have 2, can’t speak for other hubs but noticed they are now hugely expensive for U.K. users thanks to the exchange rates etc.

Thanks. I may look at them out of curiosity, but I'd rather buy a Mac Studio than use USB-C hubs

 

[Boyd01]

Will a 2018 Mac Mini look OK on an HD display or does it need a 4K display like the M1 does?

Opinions on this vary....

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/a-warning-do-not-buy-a-mac-mini-unless-you-have-a-high-resolution-4k-display.2338026/

 

[Mellofello808]

I am happy with giving in and getting a Studio. I am hoping to replace the M1 mini with it (as opposed to using both of them together). It seems like it should be able to handle my full workload. I've seen many others just buy the M1 mini or get the Studio too. If you need a machine, particularly for earning a living, you can't wait forever.

For higher end users, why not just buy a studio?

It's not cheap, but it also isn't outrageously overpriced either IMHO

 

[pshufd]

For higher end users, why not just buy a studio?

It's not cheap, but it also isn't outrageously overpriced either IMHO

If you already have a mini, then you have to sell it if you get the Studio and just getting another mini would have meant one fewer step for me. The gap in price between the base mini and the base Studio just felt so huge. Objectively, though, I'm better off with the Studio because the overall gap between the base mini and the base Studio is actually huge.

 

[EugW]

Hmmm... Maybe I should get a Mac Studio with 64 GB RAM.

Apple Photos should not be doing this. I have a little under 60000 items in my Photos library and initiated an export of all the unmodified masters for a backup. For the past half an hour Photos has pegged one core at 100% (so I guess this workload isn't parallelized). It has accumulated insane amounts of memory usage, and it is continuing to rise.

Note these are UNMODIFIED photos. It just has to copy them out to another drive. Why the hell is Photos doing this?

Interestingly, memory pressure isn't in the red yet though, and the machine is still usable.

 

[sublunar]

I am happy with giving in and getting a Studio. I am hoping to replace the M1 mini with it (as opposed to using both of them together). It seems like it should be able to handle my full workload. I've seen many others just buy the M1 mini or get the Studio too. If you need a machine, particularly for earning a living, you can't wait forever.

For work purposes you’d be able to get it back as an expense, as a U.K. user I’d be looking to see how Apple revalue M1 Max base studio refurbs once the M2 mini and studio comes out. This is because I think it’s obvious the new retail prices will go up but that might leave a question mark over how they price up a base M1 Max studio (currently refurbished as £1799).

Will they increase the base price of the discontinued M1 Max studio to £2199 thus increasing the price of the discounted refurb to almost £2k?

If they don’t it’ll become the No brainer purchase when the M2 max is out, and then we have the laptops.

The percentage discount on the M1 Pro MacBook Pros has increased making them cheaper for the moment (as little as £1619 now for a base model refurb) but what if the m2 pro macs go up in price too?

Bear in mind that a refurb m1 mini with 16/512 spec is £929, add the theoretical £200 for the binned M1 Pro cpu and you’re looking at around 500 quid for a Pro Display XDR Screen, Keyboard, trackpad, and battery plus and extra thunderbolt port and hdmi - worth it?