What's holding back the update for the Mac Mini?

[Chippy99]

I really think Apple should either hurry out the new Minis and iMacs OR put some pressure on Belkin and the like to get the Thunderbolt to USB3 dock out.

For over a year now, people have been forced into buying expensive Thunderbolt nonsense just to have a fast back up solution. It's borderline extortion.

 

[Liquinn]

I really think Apple should either hurry out the new Minis and iMacs OR put some pressure on Belkin and the like to get the Thunderbolt to USB3 dock out.

For over a year now, people have been forced into buying expensive Thunderbolt nonsense just to have a fast back up solution. It's borderline extortion.

It's mad that not even the Mac Pro has Thunderbolt.

 

[calvol]

Holding off here too, in spite of needing a Mac with Thunderbolt to run a TB display that I got a good deal on (currently have a 2010 Air with DisplayPort).

It's kind of disappointing that Apple's entire HW line is not released in step with Intel upgrades, but as long as sales don't drop too much, Apple can get away with it. I would instead buy a 13" MBP right now if they came with a dGPU, but I hate to spend that much on HD4000 graphics, so kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place. On the other hand, after looking at the Asus UX-31A in BestBuy last weekend, I'm starting to wonder "why Mac", and may consider a PC/Linux platform instead, and just sell the TB Display.

 

[Chippy99]

Holding off here too, in spite of needing a Mac with Thunderbolt to run a TB display that I got a good deal on (currently have a 2010 Air with DisplayPort).

It's kind of disappointing that Apple's entire HW line is not released in step with Intel upgrades, but as long as sales don't drop too much, Apple can get away with it.

It's so pathetic though. I mean adding Ivybridge chipset, latest cpu's (and therefore USB3 and HD4000) is trivial, trivial, trivial modification for Apple. Heck, people like Asus, Gigabyte, MSI etc etc etc can bang a new motherboard out in 5 minutes and they are nothing like the size of Apple. It's not as if there's even new drivers to write - they have done that already for the RMBP.

So instead of just getting on with it and releasing a new Mini with these features - which would surely boost sales and give Apple something new and exciting to promote - instead we have "as long as sales don't drop too much, Apple can get away with it."

Doesn't that strike you as (a) a big opportunity missed and (b) pretty pathetic really. It takes the shine off the whole company for me. My returning to Windows gets nearer by the passing day.

If the Mini (and iMac and Pro for that matter) is so unimportant to them that they either can't be bothered, or haven't the resources, to keep it updated properly then they should sell the desktop division off to someone who can do a competent job with it. They are pissing about with it big time.

I am actually serious about that. Apple would make more money if they sold the desktop business to someone who could take it seriously.

 

[Evildude683]

At this point I won't be too picky about the update. I just want them to do it soon. I am in the market for a mini and I don't want to pull the trigger now and then see an update in two weeks.

That's exactly how I feel!
As a matter of fact that's what happen to me with the ipad 2, I bought it and 2 months later they released the "new" ipad.

 

[InternetSandman]

I am really starting to doubt if Apple really cares all that much for the desktop macs anymore, it's less then 4% of the sales of the company and that includes all desktop machines.

I mean on one hand 4% of the sales of Apple is a very big number so they SHOULD care about it but it's also probably easy to get complacent about the mini doing a couple hundred million in sales when the iPhone is doing almost 20 billion in revenue every quarter.

I am pretty determined in holding off at this point, really want USB 3.0 for my new mini since it has to manage quite a few very large external hard drives.

I don't think they'll just stop updating, if they didn't bring any improvements to their desktop line, the professional market would get very vocal, very fast about it. Not to mention that the Mini is still the cheapest way to get the OSX experience, and unless they wanna abandon OSX altogether I'd say making sure the most budget friendly alternative to Microsoft is up to date with it's hardware is a pretty important thing to do

 

[philipma1957]

well they could offer a discount. right now they are offering a 49 dollar discount on the iPhone just ask.


see this thread


https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1420640/

seems to me they should offer a mac mini discount.

This would get the 2011 stock cleared.

 

[Poki]

Money isn't the only thing that matters. As some people already mentioned, 4% of Apples current revenue is more than most companies make altogether. But much more important, all current Macs are a strategic point for Apple. If they wouldn't keep them up-to-date, Microsoft could easily get the whole market. And whoever controls the whole computer market has a HUGE advantage in expanding this into mobile and TV sectors.

So if it's not for the money (and again, they make quite huge wins with Macs) it's at least important for all their other products, including the iPhone.

 

[Ifti]

It's so pathetic though. I mean adding Ivybridge chipset, latest cpu's (and therefore USB3 and HD4000) is trivial, trivial, trivial modification for Apple. Heck, people like Asus, Gigabyte, MSI etc etc etc can bang a new motherboard out in 5 minutes and they are nothing like the size of Apple. It's not as if there's even new drivers to write - they have done that already for the RMBP.

So instead of just getting on with it and releasing a new Mini with these features - which would surely boost sales and give Apple something new and exciting to promote - instead we have "as long as sales don't drop too much, Apple can get away with it."

Doesn't that strike you as (a) a big opportunity missed and (b) pretty pathetic really. It takes the shine off the whole company for me. My returning to Windows gets nearer by the passing day.

If the Mini (and iMac and Pro for that matter) is so unimportant to them that they either can't be bothered, or haven't the resources, to keep it updated properly then they should sell the desktop division off to someone who can do a competent job with it. They are pissing about with it big time.

I am actually serious about that. Apple would make more money if they sold the desktop business to someone who could take it seriously.

As much as I hate it, I kinda agree.
It's not as though these will be any major update, it's just component updates for which they already have drivers etc. I do not understand why the Mac Pro needs to wait until 2013, with not even any announcement for the iMac or Mac Mini.

 

[xheathen]

Is there any reason it's a marketing decision based on what is happening with Windows 8?

Once Win8 lands, the closet thing to what many people consider the "good ol' desktop experience" is going to be the Mac. It occurs to me that with MS totally rejecting the user base that hates the Metro environment, Apple could potentially explode with entry level users looking at Mini's and iMacs. If they corresponded a new release, priced it correctly, they really could do some damage.

 

[philipma1957]

Is there any reason it's a marketing decision based on what is happening with Windows 8?

Once Win8 lands, the closet thing to what many people consider the "good ol' desktop experience" is going to be the Mac. It occurs to me that with MS totally rejecting the user base that hates the Metro environment, Apple could potentially explode with entry level users looking at Mini's and iMacs. If they corresponded a new release, priced it correctly, they really could do some damage.

Personally I think both microsoft and mac are missing the ball about ios vs desktop. My needs for mobile computing are just about none. My needs for the cloud or whatever are just about zip. I am tech savy I have coin to spend. What has happened is the sky sharing is a gold mine for both apple and microsoft . They are so wanting to make a ton of money on it that they do not realize how many of us will resist using it.



https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1418264/



https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1420625/


these two are some simple reasons for iCloud resistance. lots more this tech is a hackers dream. You know how some people are anti apple or anti microsoft.

I am certainly not the only person that is anti cloud. Before the internet i used credit cards for about 13 years. now with the internet I used credit cards for about 15 years.

0 credit card frauds the first 13 years with no net. 6 or 7 the last 15 years with the net. Maybe 8 I lost track.

I have no iCloud but I use a lot of credit cards for business they are routinely hacked 1 every 18 months or so. This year alone two since June. Both of these The credit card companies told me they were hacked and were changing over 100,000 cards.

Some cards are hacked by sheer muscle power. I was tricked twice in the first few years. But all the other times were by hackers no trickery. I do a lot to be careful so as far as I am concerned no iCloud for me. It would just make a hack worse.

 

[neilmacd]

Mac Rumors: New iMac and Mac Pro models found in Bootcamp files...

No mention of a new mini (6,0).

May mean nothing, may mean something?

 

[xheathen]

Personally I think both microsoft and mac are missing the ball about ios vs desktop. My needs for mobile computing are just about none. My needs for the cloud or whatever are just about zip. I am tech savy I have coin to spend. What has happened is the sky sharing is a gold mine for both apple and microsoft . They are so wanting to make a ton of money on it that they do not realize how many of us will resist using it.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1418264/

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1420625/


these two are some simple reasons for iCloud resistance. lots more this tech is a hackers dream. You know how some people are anti apple or anti microsoft.

I am certainly not the only person that is anti cloud. Before the internet i used credit cards for about 13 years. now with the internet I used credit cards for about 15 years.

0 credit card frauds the first 13 years with no net. 6 or 7 the last 15 years with the net. Maybe 8 I lost track.

I have no iCloud but I use a lot of credit cards for business they are routinely hacked 1 every 18 months or so. This year alone two since June. Both of these The credit card companies told me they were hacked and were changing over 100,000 cards.

Some cards are hacked by sheer muscle power. I was tricked twice in the first few years. But all the other times were by hackers no trickery. I do a lot to be careful so as far as I am concerned no iCloud for me. It would just make a hack worse.

Yes, I think this is similar to the social media explosion that has happened. It's the next big thing with all the hype, and everyone is talking about how it's the new world order. But quite frankly, people are getting disenfranchised in droves with how utterly useless much of it has become.

You also confirm the reason I've never applied for a credit card

 

[philipma1957]

Yes, I think this is similar to the social media explosion that has happened. It's the next big thing with all the hype, and everyone is talking about how it's the new world order. But quite frankly, people are getting disenfranchised in droves with how utterly useless much of it has become.

You also confirm the reason I've never applied for a credit card

yeah I wish that was possible sometimes,but I have passed that chance up since 1987 or so.

 

[Chippy99]

0 credit card frauds the first 13 years with no net. 6 or 7 the last 15 years with the net. Maybe 8 I lost track.

I have no iCloud but I use a lot of credit cards for business they are routinely hacked 1 every 18 months or so. This year alone two since June.

Weird.

I have no idea what you are doing (and what I am not doing), but I do pretty much all of my shopping and business transactions on-line, using credit cards. It's not massive spend but I have been doing this for as long as there's been an internet. And I have never had one single dodgy transaction, never a card hacked or stolen, nothing.

The only "problem" is when very occasionally one of my credit card companies will block a genuine transaction because it looks suspicious. That can be difficult if you are in a foreign country at the time, as has happened.

I wonder what on earth you are doing to make your experiences so terrible?

 

[philipma1957]

Weird.

I have no idea what you are doing (and what I am not doing), but I do pretty much all of my shopping and business transactions on-line, using credit cards. It's not massive spend but I have been doing this for as long as there's been an internet. And I have never had one single dodgy transaction, never a card hacked or stolen, nothing.

The only "problem" is when very occasionally one of my credit card companies will block a genuine transaction because it looks suspicious. That can be difficult if you are in a foreign country at the time, as has happened.

I wonder what on earth you are doing to make your experiences so terrible?

I have thought the same thing. Back in 99 and 98 I was tricked by phishing. All the recent ones I do not know how it was done. I have a degree in accounting and I know quite a bit about security.

I have had a major bank issue a card I used the card 3 times In a few months.
They sent me a fraud notice that the card was used by a person in Rome Italy to buy a 300 dollar plane ticket. This case I suspect a clerk at my local supermarket. The day after I purchased food the card was used to buy the ticket.

 

[Chippy99]

I have thought the same thing. Back in 99 and 98 I was tricked by phishing. All the recent ones I do not know how it was done. I have a degree in accounting and I know quite a bit about security.

I have had a major bank issue a card I used the card 3 times In a few months.
They sent me a fraud notice that the card was used by a person in Rome Italy to buy a 300 dollar plane ticket. This case I suspect a clerk at my local supermarket. The day after I purchased food the card was used to buy the ticket.

Where's your local supermarket? The Tesco in Lagos? ;-) Or Somalia on the east coast? ;-)

Seriously I really don't know what I would do in your shoes - it must be a nightmare. Maybe I am unusually lucky.

Hope your bad luck doesn't continue. I'd stick to paying cash as much as possible I think!

 

[InternetSandman]

Mac Rumors: New iMac and Mac Pro models found in Bootcamp files...

No mention of a new mini (6,0).

May mean nothing, may mean something?

At this point I'll be willing to purchase whatever desktop gets upgraded first. I have the cash, and although I'd much rather spend less (as would everyone who doesn't have eight or more digits on their bank balance) really I just need something new, so I really hope that means something, but given those lines of code are about a year old at this point it sadly kills whatever optimism the original story would have given me

 

[rezinous]

Was so close to buying a MBA 13 this weekend as I sold my mini, part of me wants to hold on longer or just buy a refurb mini.

Hopefully it gets updated with 10.8.1

 

[Che Castro]

Was so close to buying a MBA 13 this weekend as I sold my mini, part of me wants to hold on longer or just buy a refurb mini.

Hopefully it gets updated with 10.8.1

For how much did you sell the mini?

 

[rezinous]

For how much did you sell the mini?

Sold for $660 AUD with 8gb ram. Cost me $650 2 months before brand new including ram upgrade.

 

[MJL]

I have thought the same thing. Back in 99 and 98 I was tricked by phishing. All the recent ones I do not know how it was done. I have a degree in accounting and I know quite a bit about security.

I have had a major bank issue a card I used the card 3 times In a few months.
They sent me a fraud notice that the card was used by a person in Rome Italy to buy a 300 dollar plane ticket. This case I suspect a clerk at my local supermarket. The day after I purchased food the card was used to buy the ticket.

This year a number of "tourists" from Asia (Malaysia etc, never had problems in either S'pore or Hong Kong) have been caught here in New Zealand with electronic gear in their lugage that is designed to capture transaction and card data at EFTpos terminals in stores. Apparently they work in teams where one person distracts the salesperson while the other quickly installs the gadget. Months later they come back to collect the gadget and then the fun starts.

In Asia itself (once again in Malaysia etc) you NEVER let your CC out of sight and you try to use it only at a bank or ATM, they are masters at hijacking your card details. What do you expect when at the varsity in Kula Lumpur teach hacking? And then the US companies bring their manufacturing to Malyasia?

We pay as much as possible with the real stuff rather than using the plastic which gets primarily used to get the hard stuff from the bank itself. If purchasing something across the web I use PayPal as much as possible.

 

[philipma1957]

This year a number of "tourists" from Asia (Malaysia etc, never had problems in either S'pore or Hong Kong) have been caught here in New Zealand with electronic gear in their lugage that is designed to capture transaction and card data at EFTpos terminals in stores. Apparently they work in teams where one person distracts the salesperson while the other quickly installs the gadget. Months later they come back to collect the gadget and then the fun starts.

In Asia itself (once again in Malaysia etc) you NEVER let your CC out of sight and you try to use it only at a bank or ATM, they are masters at hijacking your card details. What do you expect when at the varsity in Kula Lumpur teach hacking? And then the US companies bring their manufacturing to Malyasia?

We pay as much as possible with the real stuff rather than using the plastic which gets primarily used to get the hard stuff from the bank itself. If purchasing something across the web I use PayPal as much as possible.

One of the problems in the states is restaurant payment. You hand your card to the waiter and they disappear for a few minutes. So why pay with a card? Discover, chase and BOA all offer 5% discounts and no interest if you pay in full. So if you monthly expenses are 2000 that is 100 bucks a month in rebates and no interest with full payment. Buying from APPle discovercard gives 5%. Once or twice a year chase gives 10%.