AppleInsider › Forums › Mac Hardware › Future Apple Hardware › Apple releases redesigned Mac mini with HDMI port starting at $699
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Apple releases redesigned Mac mini with HDMI port starting at $699 - Page 9

post #321 of 384
6/16/10 at 10:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Walney View Post

Sorry, but you just have to accept that we do get gouged. $699 equates to £472 at current exchange rate. There is no import duty on computer equipment from the US, and the UK price (excluding tax) is £552, so we are sucking up an extra $118 (again, excluding taxes) compared to US price.

Even if we accept that it's more expensive doing business in the UK/Europe, the $100 increase from the old model got translated into an extra $164 at this end excluding taxes... and because we then get stiffed for the VAT, that extra $64 then becomes an extra $75 on the bottom line - that's why we get a bit p*ssed

EDIT: ... no import duty from China either

It's not so much gouging as Apple being horrible at supply chain management. The extra $ isn't being taken by Apple, it's wasted along the way.

I remember reading an article last year that layed it out. It suggested that for many non-U.S. countries, Apple couldn't even tell you how their products get there. They subcontract it out, pay a fee, slap the fee on that country's price and are done with it. Pathetic really.
Reply
Reply
post #322 of 384
6/16/10 at 11:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by John.B View Post

It looks like we are getting ripped off for the MacBook, MBP, and iMac here in the US! LOL!

Well the Euro is 1.2x the value of the dollar, so 1000 Euros is $1200. So no, not really
Reply
Reply
post #323 of 384
6/16/10 at 11:21am
Dismal fail.

The problems with this machine were that it was underpowered and too expensive. It was already smaller than it needed to be. So what does apple do? They "fix" the one thing that wasn't broken, keep lousy specs, and raise the price? Could the company be any more tone deaf to what consumers want when it comes to this model?

Seriously, they went to the trouble of a redesign and put all the effort into size, still at the expense of performance and high cost? I'd almost say apple went out of their way to try and get people to NOT buy this model and go with an iMac instead, but then they wouldn't have bothered to redesign. Just amazing how clueless the company is when it comes to desktops.
Reply
Reply
post #324 of 384
6/16/10 at 1:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jragosta View Post

2. If you had a problem with a $300 Asus netbook and a $2500 MacBook Pro, which one are you more likely to take the time to have repaired?

Personally I would take both in for repair, if I had paid for both and either one had failed I would want it repaired, after all I did pay for a working computer
Reply
Reply
post #325 of 384
6/16/10 at 1:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jragosta View Post

Oooohhhh. 3 years. That must be a really fine computer.

I have a couple of Macs that are coming on three years old now, am I to beleive that they are no longer a "fine computer"?


Quote:
Originally Posted by jragosta View Post

Heck, the fact that you consider a 3 year old computer to be representative of quality proves my point as well as any thing.

How to expect to judge history without looking into history?

I currently have four Macs, two have failed, so am I meant to ignore that fact that I have had a 50% failure rate, or should I only take records for the latest one, which has failed so making it a 100% failure rate?
Reply
Reply
post #326 of 384
6/16/10 at 3:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by anonymouse View Post

Well, I see you're up to your old tricks again. Let's review:

1. You're always wrong.

2. You're not as smart as you think you are.

3. See 1.

Others having reduced your argument to a tiny heap of rubble, nothing more needs to be said.

Nice rebuttal. I see you excelled in debate.
Reply
Reply
post #327 of 384
6/16/10 at 4:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by minderbinder View Post

Could the company be any more tone deaf to what consumers want when it comes to this model?

The above is stated incorrectly.

Quote:
Could the company be any more tone deaf to what I want when it comes to this model?

FTFY
Reply
Reply
post #328 of 384
6/16/10 at 4:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tonton View Post

The above is stated incorrectly.
Quote:
Could the company be any more tone deaf to what I want when it comes to this model?

FTFY

LOL
Dick Applebaum on whether the iPad is a personal computer: "BTW, I am posting this from my iPad pc while sitting on the throne... personal enough for you?"
Reply
Dick Applebaum on whether the iPad is a personal computer: "BTW, I am posting this from my iPad pc while sitting on the throne... personal enough for you?"
Reply
post #329 of 384
6/16/10 at 4:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SSquirrel View Post

Speaking for myself, I would like to have seen Apple move away from c2d and IGPs, but the i3 isn't really an improvement over the c2d, especially if it means losing the Nvidia igp and using an Intel one. i5 and discrete GPUs are what should be aimed for as minimums, IMO.


You stated exactly what I wanted to concerning prcessor choice.

I would also have added that if they were looking at power savings and noise reduction they could also have added the option of an SSD, a la Macbook Air, but that's not an option in this build either. I find it interesting no one has addressed THAT little tidbit.

And the design seems to preclude self upgrade of the HDD as well.

Quote:
Originally Posted by SSquirrel View Post

Here in Kentucky sales tax is just 6%, so that still only makes $740.94. All these systems are being shipped from China, we know increased shipping prices aren't the cause of the price difference.

True, for the price increase the fact it is in a milled aluminum case just doesn't seem to cut it.

That having been said, I will more than likely purchase a 2.66 version with a 500GB HDD and give my current iMac Extreme to my mother, who is in great need of anythng newer than her current gateway PC running XP. That, coupled with the fact she is functionally PC iliterate would make this change a viable and welcome one for her.

I can now just run everything through my over large samsung TV and suppliment everything else with iPad appliances, iPhones, and Macbook Pros. Though I DO despise laptops, I now appreciate the minimalist approach when not wanting to dedicate an entire room to an iMac as a computer room/office, having elected to take a roommate in my apartment, as well as the fact I have cancelled comcast television and gone to straight broadband internet, with their television offerings being equal to shite.
Reply
Reply
post #330 of 384
6/16/10 at 6:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by solipsism View Post

I love how you people just grab the sale price, maybe to a conversion to same currency, but then don't factor a single thing into the additional charges one country might impose over another. No Eco 101 these days?

I love how people still defend increases in us:foreign currency differentials even though it has been shown multiple times over the past few days to be irrespective of taxation/duty

Household: MacBook, iPad 16gb wifi, iPad 64gb wifi, iPad Mini 32gb, iPhone 4S 32gb, iPhone 32gb, iPod Touch 4th gen x2, iPod touch 16gb gen 2, iPod nano 16gb gen 5 x2, iPod nano gen 3 8gb, iPod...

Reply

Household: MacBook, iPad 16gb wifi, iPad 64gb wifi, iPad Mini 32gb, iPhone 4S 32gb, iPhone 32gb, iPod Touch 4th gen x2, iPod touch 16gb gen 2, iPod nano 16gb gen 5 x2, iPod nano gen 3 8gb, iPod...

Reply
post #331 of 384
6/16/10 at 6:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cycomiko View Post

I love how people still defend increases in us:foreign currency differentials even though it has been shown multiple times over the past few days to be irrespective of taxation/duty

Again, that is not the only thing to consider when importing goods.
Dick Applebaum on whether the iPad is a personal computer: "BTW, I am posting this from my iPad pc while sitting on the throne... personal enough for you?"
Reply
Dick Applebaum on whether the iPad is a personal computer: "BTW, I am posting this from my iPad pc while sitting on the throne... personal enough for you?"
Reply
post #332 of 384
6/16/10 at 6:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by solipsism View Post

Again, that is not the only thing to consider when importing goods.

again,

when the normal costs are somewhere around ~US cost + 10%,

and then with an actual improvement in US:local exchange rate and no changes in warrenty requirements, labour prices, taxation, transportation costs and every other thing you like you bring up that doesnt actual relate to anything that is ever being discussed, it goes to ~US cost + 20%

there is something fishy going on

and the mac mini stinks of fish throughout most countries in the world

Household: MacBook, iPad 16gb wifi, iPad 64gb wifi, iPad Mini 32gb, iPhone 4S 32gb, iPhone 32gb, iPod Touch 4th gen x2, iPod touch 16gb gen 2, iPod nano 16gb gen 5 x2, iPod nano gen 3 8gb, iPod...

Reply

Household: MacBook, iPad 16gb wifi, iPad 64gb wifi, iPad Mini 32gb, iPhone 4S 32gb, iPhone 32gb, iPod Touch 4th gen x2, iPod touch 16gb gen 2, iPod nano 16gb gen 5 x2, iPod nano gen 3 8gb, iPod...

Reply
post #333 of 384
6/16/10 at 7:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dlux View Post

At this point, the entry point for Mac OS has just risen another notch. ... There's no technical reason that Apple can't offer a stripped-down unit (no disc burning, smaller HD, slower processor) for $500 and reclaim at lot more hobbyists.


They cover that price point with the iPad.
Reply
Reply
post #334 of 384
6/16/10 at 7:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by solipsism View Post

It's impressive but it certainly doesn't seem like a practical expense for those looking for a low cost Mac, but maybe we're the ones looking at this wrong. Maybe Apple is focusing these on a different user.

When set up with the cheapest Mac peripherals, what is the total price? How does that compare with the entry level iMac?

Any chance that many people will hook it up to their existing TV, given the HDMI output?
Reply
Reply
post #335 of 384
6/16/10 at 8:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dlux View Post

I think that's what people have a problem with. Apple prioritized miniaturization, but for a stationary machine that seems to be an unsavory (and unnecessary) compromise. By shrinking the form factor Apple has both boxed themselves in a corner in terms of user-expandability AND added to the production costs. And for what?


Beauty and simplicity.

I've read comments, however, that they went with form over function this time around. I think that they'll sell plenty of them to various types of consumers.
Reply
Reply
post #336 of 384
6/16/10 at 8:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hattig View Post

But it is above that $500 barrier, and above the $600 barrier too. Could they have created a low-end variant to hit the $600 price point - slower CPU, no FW800, etc?

The iPad is available for those who are in that price range.
Reply
Reply
post #337 of 384
6/17/10 at 12:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ruisantus View Post

Here in Portugal it starts at 799 = $980.
In the UK it starts at £649 = $956

I think they didn't convert the price right...

Even when taking sales tax into account. 1 = US$ 1.23 currently. 799 after sales tax = approximately (as sales tax differs per EU country but is roughly 20%) 665 before sales tax. That is US$ 820 before sales tax. In other words, the mini is US$ 120 more expensive (before sales tax) in Europe than in the US, or a whopping 17%.

I wonder why (other than saying that European Mac buyers are less price sensitive than US buyers, or to keep demand artificially limited).
Reply
Reply
post #338 of 384
6/17/10 at 1:31am
Currency exchanges fluctuate.

If we take the 699 base US price, the price in dollars in Japan would have been $768 on June 4, $735, and $794 on March 4. Today, it converts at $754. Three months saw 8% of fluctuation, something Apple must take in to account when setting their prices.

The Euro has fluctuated from .69 to .84 to the dollar over the past six months, which is a 22% change in just six months, far greater than the 8% seen in Japan, an uncertainty that must be considered and will thus be included in the price.

The same is true everywhere. These are just two examples, and Apple likely is looking at far longer periods than six months.

 

Your = the possessive of you, as in, "Your name is Tom, right?" or "What is your name?"

 

You're = a contraction of YOU + ARE as in, "You are right" --> "You're right."

 

 

Reply

 

Your = the possessive of you, as in, "Your name is Tom, right?" or "What is your name?"

 

You're = a contraction of YOU + ARE as in, "You are right" --> "You're right."

 

 

Reply
post #339 of 384
6/17/10 at 1:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stevie View Post

The iPad is available for those who are in that price range.

The iPad can't serve as a living room media server. The Apple TV can, but it can't play 1080p or iTunes Visuals or sync my iPods or download on BT or browse the internet or video chat on MSN and Yahoo or connect to my digital piano for recording, composing and sequencing or connect to my printer.

And I won't tolerate Windows.

So I guess I have no choice but to pay for a beautiful device that's about $200 too much, but is the only thing that suits my needs.
Reply
Reply
post #340 of 384
6/17/10 at 4:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jfanning View Post

I currently have four Macs, two have failed, so am I meant to ignore that fact that I have had a 50% failure rate, or should I only take records for the latest one, which has failed so making it a 100% failure rate?

That's a 50% failure rate for Macs, in your experience. That's quite bad, actually. Of course, we can't extrapolate in any way, but... yours ain't the only story I hear.

Yes, I'm being a mopey mike here, but well... What were we talking about again? LOL
Reply
Reply
post #341 of 384
6/17/10 at 4:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by harleighquinn View Post

And the design seems to preclude self upgrade of the HDD as well...

Hard disk upgrading doesn't look too painful...
http://www.macminicolo.net/macmini2010.html

But yeah... Not quite a self upgrade, but just about as difficult(?) as the previous non-unibody model?
Reply
Reply
post #342 of 384
6/17/10 at 6:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post

The belief / hope/ bet (take your pick) by Steve Jobs is that now or in the near future HD movies will be so readily available to rent or buy over the net that no one would drive to a store to buy or rent a DVD of any size shape or color. I am not expressing my opinion one way or the other here, simply explaining Apple's reasoning for not including BR in any Macs


But as of now, with this product, there is no way to buy or rent an HD movie over the 'net.

It seems to be an unwise decision to exclude functionality.
Reply
Reply
post #343 of 384
6/17/10 at 6:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by oxygenhose View Post

I
1. As a digital audio connection, HDMI is not the optimum choice, even digital rca coaxial is more reliable,

Why is HDMI less reliable?
Reply
Reply
post #344 of 384
6/17/10 at 6:38am
Have there been Geekbench / Cinebench benchmarks published yet? I wonder how it compares to the iMacs / previous versions of the mini.
Reply
Reply
post #345 of 384
6/17/10 at 6:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jragosta View Post

Apple has made their decision for some reason - and Apple undoubtedly knows more about their reasoning than some whiner on AI.

So is Apple always right? And can't a whiner can't identify Apple's mistakes?
Reply
Reply
post #346 of 384
6/17/10 at 6:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by IronHeadSlim View Post

Apple is NOT moving away from Mac OS for us. Stop being ridiculous. The iOS is entry level and for the masses. There will always be an operating system like OS X to program the content. C'mon.

Apple certainly IS moving towards mobile devices. They are now the highest
priority in the company. That is where Apple thinks there is money to be made. That much is clear.

There will always be an OS like OSX? Maybe. It exists today, and is not going anywhere. Literally.
Reply
Reply
post #347 of 384
6/17/10 at 6:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jragosta View Post

I love the 'Apple tax is higher than the MS tax' argument. Why not do some research on how much a server license with unlimited clients costs from Apple vs Microsoft. It's $499 for Apple and quite a few times higher for Microsoft. .

Microsoft Home Server is available at Amazon right now for $87.92.
Reply
Reply
post #348 of 384
6/17/10 at 7:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by 1984 View Post

I wonder if this means the end for the AppleTV? It seems to have been removed from both Apple's main website and their online store.


If you Google on apple TV, this is the first hit:

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/hom...KWG-AppleTV-US
Reply
Reply
post #349 of 384
6/17/10 at 7:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bruceedits View Post

Could this announcement mean that the new Mac Pro, 6 and 12-core desktops are not far behind? Hope so.

Don't hold your breath if you are waiting for more powerful, cheaper Mac Pros. The current updates were in the pipeline before the explosion of portable devices, but next time around?
Reply
Reply
post #350 of 384
6/17/10 at 7:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by kaisersoze View Post

You final sentence implies (in an overt way) that you think it is wrong for any person to ever offer any reasoned criticism of any product unless they can make a better product for less money! Yes, this is exactly what you are saying, and this is preposterous.


That's what Steve has said more than once. Most of these knee-jerk foolish responses are paraphrases of Steve.
Reply
Reply
post #351 of 384
6/17/10 at 7:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by BDBLACK View Post

Nobody wants to pay that kind of money for a stand alone desktop.

Lots and lots of people pay WAY more than than that every day for stand alone desktop machines. Look at the iMacs, for example.

WTF?
Reply
Reply
post #352 of 384
6/17/10 at 7:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stevie View Post

Microsoft Home Server is available at Amazon right now for $87.92.

And that is a comparable product because it has 'server' in its name? Good thinking!
Reply
Reply
post #353 of 384
6/17/10 at 7:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by kpluck View Post

Steve knows his users and his users are form over function idiots as a rule. They rather pay a lot of money for a cool looking under powered computer, than have a basic looking mid-tower with a 3 year in home warranty, more RAM, bigger faster HD, and better CPU/GPU performance.

I think that is only one of the target customers for the Mini.

Another is the switcher who already owns peripherals. They would be people who just want a Mac, likely because they know little about using a computer and want something "easy".

Diehards and first timer/amateur/naive users seem to me to be the likely target markets for the Mini.
Reply
Reply
post #354 of 384
6/17/10 at 7:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ascii View Post

I think Apple care about profits, but they also care about the quality of their products and the reputation of their brand. They try to make as much profit as possible from the kind of products they want to build, rather than build the products that will make the most money.

If they are doing that, they are open to shareholder lawsuits.

I think that instead, they are making as much total profit as they can figure out how to make.
Reply
Reply
post #355 of 384
6/17/10 at 7:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by SSquirrel View Post

So if you are buying this for a desktop system, rather than a HTPC, why not just save up an extra $200 and buy a white MacBook instead? That way you can output to your desktop monitor, hookup your keyboard and mouse and still have portability too.

You seem to be valuing function over form. That is not the customer that Apple focuses upon.
Reply
Reply
post #356 of 384
6/17/10 at 7:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jetlaw View Post

Take your wife or girlfriend to Best Buy and parade her by the biggest, baddest, PC in the store, then have her walk by the new Mac Mini and ask her which one she would rather have in her house. I assure you, a dissertation on bus speed and expansion slots is not going be very persuasive on her.


Har! Girls! They don't know nothing except looks!!!

Reply
Reply
post #357 of 384
6/17/10 at 7:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MMTM1983 View Post

IMAGINE THIS:

this new Mac Mini with best specs hooked up to a new Sony LED 3D Glossy Flat Screen TV 30"-50", Best Sony Wireless Surround Sound system, PS3/XBOX, Apple TV, Sky + HD, Gaming Seat, Wireless Trackpad, Wireless Keyboard, Wireless Mouse, 2-5TB External HD, Time Machine, and some how connect a cam to all this, Apple really going for the Entertainment Market now...

That system would cost a fortune and would neither sound nor look as good as other cheaper HT systems.

Especially the sound. Sony?
Reply
Reply
post #358 of 384
6/17/10 at 7:55am
It truly is a shame that the potential of this machine is limited by the minute BTO options Apple offers; the processor can only be upgrade to 2.66Ghz Core 2 Duo, the hard drive is limited to 5400 RPM with no option for solid state, and the graphics is limited to the 320M integrated Nvidia chipset. With the next screenless With the Mac Mini starting at $699 and the next screenless Mac starting at $2,499, there's a vast void that could easily be filled if they just added a few more BTO options to the Mini. And unlike the MacBook Pro lineup, it's not as though upgrading the entry-level model is going to suddenly encroach on the product above it there's an $1,800 price gap!

I currently have a 15" MacBook Pro that's identical in specs to this new Mac Mni, paired with a 24" LED Display. Because of the iPad, I'm finding that I don't need a laptop anymore. But because I have this gorgeous 24" LED Display, I don't need an iMac either. The Mac Mini seems like a perfect fit for me, only its impossible to order one that exceeds my current computer. And a Mac Pro would be total overkill for my needs, not to mention it costs 2,500 damn dollars.
Reply
Reply
post #359 of 384
6/17/10 at 8:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jragosta View Post

What IS foolish is comparing the cost of a home built PC (and 99 times out of a 100, the builder forgets to add in all their costs like shipping, tax, operating system and other software, labor, etc) which has no warranty, takes up your time, and may or may not have components that work well together)

You forget that most people who build their own computers know a heck of a lot about the subject.

Adding up costs for a cost/benefit analysis is unlikely to be beyond most of them. WRT components that work well together, that is a matter of knowledge, eh? Getting the optimal combinations is a popular reason for building one's own PC.
Reply
Reply
post #360 of 384
6/17/10 at 8:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stevie View Post

The iPad is available for those who are in that price range.

I didn't know the iPad had HDMI/Display Port out.
You need skeptics, especially when the science gets very big and monolithic. -James Lovelock
The Story of Stuff
Reply
You need skeptics, especially when the science gets very big and monolithic. -James Lovelock
The Story of Stuff
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Future Apple Hardware
AppleInsider › Forums › Mac Hardware › Future Apple Hardware › Apple releases redesigned Mac mini with HDMI port starting at $699