WWDC Prediction: Mac Mini gone, Mac and Mac Pro will be shown off.

[LoveMacMini]

So while I was on the toilet, usually the one place where all my innovation happens, I started thinking about the WWDC and what hardware would come out of it.

Yes I realize there are lots of threads talking about WWDC, but I’ve yet to hear anyone think of the rumor I’m about to purpose.

Now we all remember the G4 Cube correct? Personally I thought it looked ugly, but lots of Mac fans loved it. It wasn’t successful however, and it quickly went EOL (end of life).

Now today we have the Mac Mini, which I think is great, but is lacking a bit. For one thing it needs more storage capacity. It needs to use standard 3.5 inch hard drives. It’s been around for a while now, and while successful I think Apple makes a lot more money from the notebooks then the desktop line.

Now here’s where my idea comes in, the Mac comes back, along with the Mac Pro.

The Mac Pro will be the full blown model with Intel Xeon’s aka Woodcrest chips inside.

The Mac, the brand that got started in 1984, will come back with a vengeance. It will be release with the new Core 2 Duo chips, in a mATX chassis. So it won’t be the size of a full tower, and it won’t be the size of a Mini, it will be half way in between.

Now why would someone want such a thing? Well first off you can make a platform that is upgradeable. In a mATX chassis you have 3 expansion slots usually. So Apple can sell this thing with onboard video and the brave ones can upgrade the video card to whatever they see fit.

Now you have to ask yourself, wouldn’t this cannibalize sales of the Mac Pro?

Honestly, I don’t think it will since some people need to have all those open slots on a motherboard, some people need to have the capability to use more than one video card, some people want to have dual dual core chips, some people want to have dual quad core chips when they come out in the first half of 2007.

The rest of us however can live with a smaller Mac tower that only has a PCI Express slot and one or two open PCI slots.

I love how the Mac Mini looks but I don’t want to buy one due to the storage factor.

One more thing, about those iMacs, that’s where I can’t think of what to say. I mean they’re great systems for those that want an all in one, but I personally don’t like how they look. I used to own an Intel iMac and it just didn’t look right on my desk. Here’s hoping they go brushed aluminum one of these years, I’ve had enough with this white Plexiglas nonsense!

So anyway, what do you guys think? Am I mad or is this plausible?

 

[netdog]

The proposed Mac is very plausible, but the Mini won't go away.

 

[mduser63]

Naming a specific model with the generic term "Mac" is a bad idea. When you say "I'm going to buy a Mac" it's no longer clear whether you're talking about a Mac in general or the specific model of Mac called a Mac. Besides that, the iMac is the successor to the original Mac. It's (relatively) small, all-in-one, focused on consumers, etc. Mac(intosh) as a name for a specific model worked back then because there was only one model. As soon as more/new models were released, Mac became a generic name, and specific Macs received specific names (Mac plus, Mac II, PowerBook, etc).

I don't think your idea is entirely implausible other than the naming thing, but I don't think it's at all likely either. A cheap, somewhat expandable/upgradeable Mac would be pretty cool, but all-in-all the current lineup works pretty well.

As for the iMac, I don't see it going anywhere. I hear plenty of people (non-Mac users) refer to Macs in general as iMacs just because they're so familiar as the "face" of Apple computers. They're also a really good tie-in with the iPod brand for halo-effect switchers. I personally think the current iMac G5/Intel iMac is the best looking iMac ever, and while I'm sure Apple can/will come up with something even cooler in the future, I think the current design has a fair amount of life left in it. After all, it's not even quite two years old.

 

[balamw]

Now why would someone want such a thing? Well first off you can make a platform that is upgradeable. In a mATX chassis you have 3 expansion slots usually. So Apple can sell this thing with onboard video and the brave ones can upgrade the video card to whatever they see fit.

While I'd snap one of your proposed Macs up in a heartbeat, I sincerely doubt Apple will release a consumer grade Mac with expansion capabilities. It just wouldn't be simple, which is a big appeal of Macs vs. the avedrage Dell. Pros on the other hand can manage that type of upgrading to get more life out of their boxes.

I for one would still like to see them release a headless Mac that's as powerful as an iMac.... At a price between the top-end mini and the iMac, say $1099. Give it an HDMI port and you have a great Mac for HDTV integration.

B

 

[bradc]

You're thoughts are logical, BUT,

Apple invested a fair chunk of chane in designing & engineering (us engineers don't come cheap nor does Ives ) the Mini. The Mini probably has the lowest profit margin, but it's like the first hit of Apple Crack. Once they get you to try the cheap Apple Crack you go 'Oh *****, this stuff is dope!' and then, you're...well...addicted! And then, you buy another hit of more expensive AppleCrack iMac, and then friendscome over and taste/feel/see your two new stashes of AppleCrack and they say 'Oh *****, this stuff is dope!'. Then they ask how much for some AppleCrack, and you say starts at $599 USD, then they go 'Ohhhh damn, for real?', and you say 'Yeah brethren, I aint frontin'. So your friend goes and buys $599 AppleCrack, and before you know it, there are all thhese junkies waiting for August 7th to see what new flavour of AppleCrack is going to be released!

And that my fine fellow lavatorial thinker friend, is why you're wrong. Because I'm 99% sure this is what Steve Jobs and crew said in their meeting and the flowchart looked very similar. Serious...

 

[LoveMacMini]

see when i see a mac mini i too think it's crack

but then i see the biggest hard drive that apple offer as an option and i get very very very very turned off

which is why if anything i hope the mac mini just gets a little bit taller [to support 3.5 inch drives], and i can have the option of ordering it with a 500 GB drive

 

[gadgetgirl85]

I think mac minis will stay. Great to have a computer like that for entry level people like me

 

[Chaszmyr]

As mduser63 said, naming a specific computer "Mac" would be a very bad idea.

 

[Josias]

Did you think of other cr*p in the can? No, seriously, the Mini is a rolling success, thousands of design awards, and the computer that will make many people switch. (Thanks to the Mac-crack comment ).

BTW, the Mini has room for 3.5" HDD's and dedicated GPU. I hope Apple very soon will put a 3.5" into the Mini, you get more bytes/buck, faster HDD's and more space... Also an X???? would be nice...

BTW, for the "Mac":
1. "Hey yo man, I'm goin' buy meself da Mac tuuuuday!"
2. "Hey yo, cool man! Which one?"
1. "Ya know, da Mac!"
2. "Yeah yeah, Mac, but what of da Macs?"
1. "FFS! Da Mac, ya knw: M-A-Cee! MAC!"
2. "Yeah yeah, but I don't catch your bullsh*t, what Mac?"

...

 

[steamboat26]

I agree with everyone else about the mini. If they take the mini away, then there is no low cost mac for people like me

BTW, for the "Mac":
1. "Hey yo man, I'm goin' buy meself da Mac tuuuuday!"
2. "Hey yo, cool man! Which one?"
1. "Ya know, da Mac!"
2. "Yeah yeah, Mac, but what of da Macs?"
1. "FFS! Da Mac, ya knw: M-A-Cee! MAC!"
2. "Yeah yeah, but I don't catch your bullsh*t, what Mac?"
...

Awesome

 

[Sun Baked]

So while I was on the toilet, usually the one place where all my innovation happens, I started thinking about the WWDC and what hardware would come out of it.

...

So anyway, what do you guys think? Am I mad or is this plausible?

If you are not mad, I'm sure we can make you mad.

Too much though, and not enough wiping -- time for a bidet.

 

[liketom]

for when your thinking of ideas , save a thought for what your there for in the fist place

 

[naco]

In a mATX chassis you have 3 expansion slots usually. So Apple can sell this thing with onboard video and the brave ones can upgrade the video card to whatever they see fit.

The only way I see Apple selling this is if they can control the complete market of the upgrades. Like a special ATI Graphics card that only is sold through Apple/authorized resellers. And special sound cards that only fit in that system. other than that, I don’t think they would make it. It's an absolutely great idea with the ability to do what ever you want with it, but thats why Apple has iLife and the such. They want high quality with everything you need already there. And thats what they do best. That and ticking off people wanting to get a Mac. Always so secretive.

 

[generik]

They want high quality with everything you need already there. And thats what they do best. That and ticking off people wanting to get a Mac. Always so secretive.

They don't want high quality, they want everything to go through them.

Mark my words, if Apple is the market leader instead of Microsoft, all of us would be worse off today.

 

[itcheroni]

People talk about the limited hard drive on the mini as if Apple desperately wishes they could give us more space. If they wanted to give it to us, they certainly could. They just want to differentiate between the prices.

Mac mini gets 60-120gb
iMac gets 250gb-ish
and Mac Pro gets 500gb-ish

Would it make sense for Apple to start offering Mac mini's with 500gb? Even if they could somehow do it and keep the form factor, they definitely wouldn't.

 

[SC68Cal]

That won't happen because they will then cannibalize their sales of the iMac, and possibly their PowerMac (or Mac Pro) since someone will figure why buy that when you can just upgrade the "Mac"

 

[Dont Hurt Me]

Apple has shown through the years they can and might do anything.....so Ill wait and see.

 

[funkychunkz]

Now we all remember the G4 Cube correct? Personally I thought it looked ugly, but lots of Mac fans loved it. It wasn’t successful however, and it quickly went EOL (end of life).

Ya I remember it, it's sitting in front and to the left of me. It's a master piece of design, and offers some expandability while sporting (at the time) a more than decent CPU. I say they should should have the cube as part part of the mini line (mini plus? mini^3?). But when you pull it out of the sheel you can push a button and it folds out (spring loaded). Like on of those pocket calculators with a display that you can tuck in.... kinda. I think it would need some other selling point... maybe as a true multimedia PC?

 

[nickelbackmac]

for when your thinking of ideas , save a thought for what your there for in the fist place

LOL! It's so hilarious and, yet, I feel like I have to do that to the rest of my PC. The monitor (CRT type) is now a trash can and that is the perfect thing to do with the tower! Hoo-rah!!!!