Upgraded Mac Minis Confirmed by Apple

[ITR 81]

I see nothing wrong with this.
I got a iMac that was suppose to be 15in G4 but ended up with a 17in G4 but it was labeled a 15in on the box...so I think Apple has been doing this for quite some time....most first time buyers won't even notice the difference.

Also isn't most of the folks buying the mac mini first time buyers anyway?
I mean it is the entry level Mac now isn't it?
Most folks won't even notice the difference...sh*t sometimes I think my old G4's run faster then my dual 2.5 G5.

This will probably happen again when a update to PB's surfaces...hell it may have already but no ones noticed it yet.
Either way I will buy it..even if it's not the next step up.
It's either that or wait for next yr's Intel driven stuff.

 

[Superhob]

Hmm.. Does not list the HD speed (4200 vs. 5400)...

As far as I know, they've never listed the HD speed for the mac minis. It's always been hit and miss with some 40gb hard drives running at 5400 and all the 80gb hard drives running at 4200. I'm not sure about the speed of the new 100gb drives...

 

[~Shard~]

Hmm.. Does not list the HD speed (4200 vs. 5400)...

Yes, good point - I would assume it's 4200, no?

 

[Windowlicker]

Think about it this way:

A customer is buying a mac mini, but wants a faster computer than just 1.25. So, he/she goes and buys the middle model. What if 1.33 would've been enough and the other stuff isn't needed? Then it's $100 more for well, nothing.

Surely this won't happen often, but theoretically speaking...

 

[Qunchuy]

I dont think so. Majority of people dont know the difference between processor speeds and amount of memory.

And, most people don't know the difference between memory and hard drive space.

Heck, I know lots of people who don't know the difference between the CPU and the display. For them the monitor is the computer, and the box next to it is the hard disk. I'm getting more used to ignorance -- I've stopped laughing at people when they say they have "a 2 gigahertz RAM" -- but I still try to eliminate it where possible.

 

[Windowlicker]

Another point of view:

The mac mini has a very small profit margin (about 7,5% in Finland). Now, when products get the EOL stamp on them, the price has to go down about 100€, if there's a better product replacing it (this means ipod mini kept the price tag, because there wasn't a new mini with a bigger hd). Now, if Apple has to pay every reseller 100€ a mini they will be losing money.

So maybe they know there's lots of the old model in stock, but at the same time Apple has to ship the new ones because they are out of the old ones. And by waiting a couple of days for the current models to move out of the shelves they will save some money..? Maybe I'm a little off the hook?

Take it or leave it, this is pretty confusing.

 

[RichardCarletta]

so the lesson of this story is.....

wait until this Thanksgiving Day to buy your new Mac Mini .

Apple could just dump all of the old models on Best Buy . There are hundreds of those stores they could unload the old machines. Personally , I wish Apple would drop the 1.25 GHZ and 1.33 GHZ G4's ( except for repairs ) . Those kind of speeds are so outdated and lame today.

 

[~Shard~]

Personally , I wish Apple would drop the 1.25 GHZ and 1.33 GHZ G4's ( except for repairs ) . Those kind of speeds are so outdated and lame today.

Yes, for today's technology they aren't top of the line of course, but don't knock the processors/speeds themselves. There are many Mac users here whose existing systems run with processors at those speeds, or even slower, who have no complaints at all on regarding their performance.

 

[gopher]

Last time Apple released a quiet upgrade like this was October 2003. The eMacs of October 2003 never were truly classified on the Apple spec pages, yet they had the following distinctions:

1. All models were Mac OS X only bootable, whereas the May 2003 models only the Superdrive model was Mac OS X only bootable.

2. There was no middle end model (just a top end and bottom end).

The distinction was more apparent on Macspeedzone's website:

http://macspeedzone.com/html/hubs/specs/emac/archive/oct_03.shtml
Apple's website which omits the October 2003 eMac:
http://www.info.apple.com/support/applespec.html

Worse yet, mid-2004 there were still a mixture of the old and new eMacs sold in Europe, and many educators were stuck not knowing which ones could boot into Mac OS 9, and couldn't.

 

[marsay]

Rediculous

I bought a mac mini 1.42 superdrive model about a week and a half ago, just before reading rumors about the 1.5 update. Not wanting to have just bought an old model and wanting to "upgrade" my purchase, I returned my mini to the Apple store at which I purchased it. I paid the 10% restocking fee, which I think stinks. I am now waiting for the 1.5 updated model and I have to "gamble" in hopes to get a newly updated unit? A poor business decision by Apple in my eyes. A consumer should know what he/she is buying, period. It's only fair. I'm guessing that Apple will see lots of complaints on this issue, and rightfully so.

 

[VicMacs]

I think this is stupid. Just mark the old ones down $50 and sell the new ones at the regular price.

Id go for a 399 mini, make that a $100 drop

 

[ack_mac]

Id go for a 399 mini, make that a $100 drop

If they did this, I 'll bet they would sell the old inventory within days... Microsoft does not make money on the Xbox console itself.. They make money on the accessories and games..

Apple will still make the money back when users buy accessories, software, updated OS's, iPods, etc...

Not a bad idea... Are you listening Mr. Jobs?

 

[mac-er]

This makes no sense.
Shipping "new" Minis in old boxes would not clear out old stock. They would just old off on shipping new ones.

Some Mac mini systems may contain components that slightly exceed the published specifications,” said Apple in a statement provided to MacCentral. There are no changes to the published specifications or part numbers.

It almost sounds like a mistake by the manufacturer. They didn't mean to bump up the specs. Somehow, but don't know how.

 

[1984]

So if the new and old minis share the same model #, is the following scenario possible?

You were lucky and received a 1.5Ghz mini but something went wrong with the motherboard in 6 months. The unit is still under warranty so you send it in for repair. Unfortunately, the mini came back with the 1.42 Ghz CPU and 32MB Radeon 9200.

Yes, it's entirely possible and even likely as they often use refurbished parts.

EDIT: They could go by serial number though this depends on whether they have switched over to the 1.33/1.50 processors entirely or are using a mix of the new and old on the production line.

 

[1984]

Everyone who ordered a Mac mini is getting what was advertised or better and Apple sits on no old inventory. This wouldn't fly with a PowerMac, but with the Mini, c'mon, it's not a big deal.

Just because you have money to burn doesn't mean everyone does. A Mac mini is a big deal to a great many people. It's just a terrible way to handle excess inventory. It's not a promotion. It's not advertised. They aren't stuffing golden tickets into some boxes saying you won a special model or anything. It's just a bad idea. I do think they will learn from this mistake though. If not the PowerBooks will be next. If you think this is bad imagine what will happen if some people get 1440x900 while others get 1920x1200 or something.

 

[shamino]

Why would anybody not return a mini if they didn't get the new model?

And how would they explain this when trying to get an RMA number?

"I want to return this, it's not what I ordered"
"You ordered a 1.42GHz Mac mini. What did you get?"
"I got a 1.42GHz Mac mini, but some people on MacRumors said you're giving out 1.5GHz models and I want one"
"I'm sorry sir. Getting exactly what you ordered is not a product defect."
​

Or wait on their purchase now that it's clear an upgrade is in the works?

This is far more likely, but how many customers actually read rumor sites?

 

[1984]

I think this is the real reason that people are complaining.

Potential mini buyers have been waiting a while now for minis with the updated specs (64MB VRAM, and 8x Superdrives). Now, they are available for purchase, but only in a pot-luck fashion. So to tell 'em to wait, is a bit harsh.

They've been waiting for a while already and now that they exist, they can't buy them.

That's the real problem.

Yes, I have been waiting and will continue to wait while muttering obscenities about Apple under my breath.

 

[BOOMBA]

It was just a matter of time...


Dell adopts Mac mini “marketing ploy”

Dell adopts Mac mini “marketing ploy”

http://macenstein.com/default/?p=25

 

[sjk]

This is far more likely, but how many customers actually read rumor sites?

Thst would be an interesting statistic. Let's take a poll here.

 

[shamino]

One thing I haven't seen mentioned so far is that getting more than you paid for is not always a good thing.

A home user may be thrilled to get a faster CPU, more video memory and a faster SuperDrive than what was ordered, but a corporate buyer may disagree.

When you have to support a lot of machines, every different model means yet another factor you have to consider. You buy a dozen or so 1.42GHz minis, and when you set them up, you find that some are the upgraded model. Now, instead of having one model to support, you've got two.

Since you can't tell which is which from the box, you have to open the System Profiler and record the configuration during your initial setup/testing. If you had entered them into inventory as soon as the units arrived, you may have to go change all those entries in your database. If a lower-ranking employee gets a faster model than a higher-ranking employee, there will be complaints that you'll have to deal with.

etc., etc.

These kinds of problems don't happen if you get exactly what you order, and if the configuration is accurately recorded on the invoice.

 

[1984]

This may be true if you order directly from Apple, but how are they going to change the part numbers now even when they do officially announce the update? They have already sold some upgraded models under the old part number/boxes, so they can't very well start a new part number now, it would be a nightmare for customer service. And if they do stick with the old part numbers, then even after the announcement when you pick up a box at the retail outlet or order one from an online reseller like Amazon how will you know if its an old or new model?

This is what I have been saying. You're right. It's just a terrible way of handling excess inventory. If anything, it causes customers to hold off on their purchases for fear of getting an older model. If they want to clear out excess inventory then this is the exact opposite of what they should be doing. Also, if the only way to get a new model is to order one directly from Apple BTO then it screws over the Apple retailers who are mad enough at Apple as it is. It seems a lot of people here don't care about any of this because it doesn't concern them. They see the Mac mini as insignificant. What they fail to realize is that if we don't complain about it Apple will simply go on and do the same thing with the PowerBooks and PowerMacs. The lesson needs to be learned now before it's too late.

 

[BOOMBA]

true, but
1) mac minis ain't in no corporate setting
2) it's not like they went from PowerPC to Intel, they made VERY minor updates that don't require any additional support (at least by anyone qualified to support them.)

One thing I haven't seen mentioned so far is that getting more than you paid for is not always a good thing.

A home user may be thrilled to get a faster CPU, more video memory and a faster SuperDrive than what was ordered, but a corporate buyer may disagree.

When you have to support a lot of machines, every different model means yet another factor you have to consider. You buy a dozen or so 1.42GHz minis, and when you set them up, you find that some are the upgraded model. Now, instead of having one model to support, you've got two.

Since you can't tell which is which from the box, you have to open the System Profiler and record the configuration during your initial setup/testing. If you had entered them into inventory as soon as the units arrived, you may have to go change all those entries in your database. If a lower-ranking employee gets a faster model than a higher-ranking employee, there will be complaints that you'll have to deal with.

etc., etc.

These kinds of problems don't happen if you get exactly what you order, and if the configuration is accurately recorded on the invoice.

 

[1984]

BREAKING NEWS!

There is now a 100gb Hard Drive option available for the mac mini. It is an option on all three configurations. This was not there yesterday (I'm checking daily to see when the updated minis arrive). Also, it is not listed as an option on the Tech Specs section for the mac mini. Just thought I'd let you all know...

Now what do we make of this? They went through the trouble of changing this BTO option yet left the other specs untouched. It could mean they actually haven't switched entirely over to the 1.33/1.50 processors and are instead using a random mix of old and new on the production line. Someone mentioned the possibility of Freescale only giving Apple the new chips if they bought a bunch of older ones with them as a package. If this is true things just went from bad to worse. It could mean there will never be an official announcement. The lack of a new model number would support this. Uh-oh.

 

[~Shard~]

I am now waiting for the 1.5 updated model and I have to "gamble" in hopes to get a newly updated unit?

Nope. No gambling involved. Just wait until the new Minis are officially announced/released so that you can buy a new one for sure. It's that simple. Obviously you're not in a huge rush for a Mini or else you would have kept the one you initially bought.

 

[ack_mac]

Now what do we make of this? They went through the trouble of changing this BTO option yet left the other specs untouched. It could mean they actually haven't switched entirely over to the 1.33/1.50 processors and are instead using a random mix of old and new on the production line. Someone mentioned the possibility of Freescale only giving Apple the new chips if they bought a bunch of older ones with them as a package. If this is true things just went from bad to worse. It could mean there will never be an official announcement. The lack of a new model number would support this. Uh-oh.

C'mon.. Quite being so dramatic Of course there will be an announcement, there are too many people receiving updated minis, this was not a screw-up at the production plants.. Apple was obviously trying to clear their old inventory at the retail stores and it leaked out that some buyers are already getting the 1.5's.. I'll bet you they change the boxes as soon as they make the announcement.