Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Will there be a spec bump of the 2018 Mini this year?
- Thread starter iBrooker
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Eh, not anytime soon… expect 3–4 years.
There’s a good chance for a full update in 3-6 years. There’s a slim chance for a partial upgrade before then. If you want something sooner you’ll need a Mac Pro or iMac.
No way. Not the first half. MAYBE in the fall again since the 9th-gen processors are the same socket and presumably would be an easy upgrade for Apple, but I would not count on it. On the other hand, up until 2012 the mini did receive updates roughly every year, but that was a different time and a lot has changed. I doubt the desktop market is big enough for Apple to devote significant resources to it. That can be evidenced by the fact that all of their desktops have been neglected recently and are not receiving regular updates.
If you are in the market for a mini, I would go ahead and buy it now.
My god, clearly someone hasn't experienced the 4 year pain, or the 2 year disappointment prior.
Don't wait for a mini purchase, this is it for a long while.
Don't wait for a mini purchase, this is it for a long while.
All the ninth gen intel processors that are higher performance/threads, are also higher wattage I believe. TDP of 95W and maxing out at up 50% higher under load. Current cooling in 2018 mini is good for only about 75W constant and brief peaks of around 90W on the current i7 CPU.
Even the iMac cooling system will need an upgrade in order to use th 9th gen chips to their full potential. So very doubtful they will be added this year. Possibly 10th gen intel in 2020 if power can be kept in check.
But I fully expect the i7 2018 mini to last me a good 5-6 years. If I run out of storage I'll just add an external drive, and add eGPU if I need it for high res displays. The 2018 mini is a very solid buy if you want a desktop Mac without a built in display.
To be honest, the one thing I am looking forward to in the near future is an arm based Mac, particularly for laptops. Then I may finally retire my 15inch 2011 MBPro.
A colleague has a 15inch 2017 4core MBPro that is constantly overheating. Goodness knows how bad the current 6 core chips would be like!
The question:
"Will there be a spec bump of the 2018 Mini this year?"
The answer:
No.
"Will there be a spec bump of the 2018 Mini this year?"
The answer:
No.
The next Mac mini may very well be powered by Apple's own A-series processors. But don't expect one before 2020. Now is the best time to upgrade.
Or wait for the updated iMac which should be coming soon. As nice as the LG monitors are, their lack of reliability (especially stuck into an all in one case) had us move away from iMac and toward Mac mini with the ability to get our own monitors.