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Informed players say Apple's Mac mini still kickin' - Page 2

post #41 of 159
10/24/08 at 3:21am
My guess is based on the following assumptions:
there are currently 3 products totally unsupported: the mini, appleTV and Time Capsule.
no comment on the mini here again, but appleTV (their hobby) is lacking of a few features and Time Capsule, well... overpriced and totally useless given the state of the art amount of data all of us have at home. no expansion option available so far.

The other "fact" is the left over macbook white. Cute to keep it in their list, but what for? well, to match the transition they are undergoing. An entry system sort of as a good excuse for what?

So I would assume sort of a media/file-server to happen. its either a combination of:
1. Mini + newer hardware (MacBook)
2. Mini + appleTV -> media server
3. Mini + time capsule features (which would be the best, given it has an accessible hardware)

On the other hand, which wouldn't surprise me too much, would be to shrink it to state-of-the-art.

And for sure the mini is selling well. Probably not millions of units as the iPhone, but its the only headless device left (ignoring the MacPro... exchange rates!).
Steve, are you listening? Put the mini in a mini tower (design doesn't matter, if you want, make it a brick ;-) ), let us handle the hardware and we'll buy this product! Even for the price of the current mini you are far off the low price segment here in europe.
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post #42 of 159
10/24/08 at 3:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mcarling View Post

In my opinion:
DisplayPort, 802.11n, and the Nvidea chipset are nearly certain. DDR3 and the removal of FireWire seem very likley. 128GB SSD might be a BTO option. 2GB RAM might be integrated as with the MacBook Air.

Yup agree with everything you said. They will 100% be going for a smaller (thinner) unit, as Apple is always about the "thinness". And with the certainty of MagSafe, as others have said it'll be the perfect companion for the new 24" display - a computer and display which together just requires one power plug (like the iMac).

I want!
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post #43 of 159
10/24/08 at 4:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ascii View Post

Hopefully the dual HD thing means they are rebranding it as a "home server" instead of a low cost desktop.

They are great for this. Quiet as a mouse and able to boot up without monitor attached.

How do you shut the thing down 'properly' without a monitor for the menu access?
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post #44 of 159
10/24/08 at 4:06am
I can't imagine that Apple would put a Magsafe adaptor on the mini. Think of how many 24" monitors would be needed in that server farm.
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post #45 of 159
10/24/08 at 4:20am
I was surprised at the amount of conversation that the Mac Mini was dead and we would know some time around the new Macbook range. That was clearly to do with the notebook market. The Mini is a Desktop hence announcements would happen when the desktops are updated.

My feeling is that we will see something similar to the White Macbook thing happen. The mini will be kept on. Little changed and it will be cheaper. That will be sad because it really needs a graphics upgrade.
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post #46 of 159
10/24/08 at 4:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by pja View Post

How do you shut the thing down 'properly' without a monitor for the menu access?

To shutdown (halt):
$ sudo shutdown -h now

To reboot:
$ sudo shutdown -r now
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post #47 of 159
10/24/08 at 4:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hudson1 View Post

I can't imagine that Apple would put a Magsafe adaptor on the mini. Think of how many 24" monitors would be needed in that server farm.

How would that MagSafe change anything? Of course they would ship it with MagSafe power adapter, as they do with laptops, the only need for 24" monitor would come from displayport, and the consensus seems to be that it is the way forward, and also I don't see too many dvi monitors in that server room either.
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post #48 of 159
10/24/08 at 4:51am
I'll have another... with superdrive, please. No regrets, no hiccups after two years.
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post #49 of 159
10/24/08 at 5:22am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Project2501 View Post

How would that MagSafe change anything? Of course they would ship it with MagSafe power adapter, as they do with laptops, the only need for 24" monitor would come from displayport, and the consensus seems to be that it is the way forward, and also I don't see too many dvi monitors in that server room either.

I thought the Mac Mini has an in built power supply with a standard power cord for connection? What would be the point of a MagSafe connector unless they were going to give it a brick like they did to the AppleTV. Unless they can make it the size of the notebooks I think it would tick people off... Unless they make it thinner.
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post #50 of 159
10/24/08 at 5:24am
I think apple will just kill it off. If apple stated no netbooks why would they keep the mini around?
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post #51 of 159
10/24/08 at 5:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by pmjoe View Post

I'm still hoping for a Blu-ray drive and FireWire.

If they did that I'd buy one for sure. And it would even get me to buy my very first Blu-ray movie, too. I have no interest in getting a stand-along Blu-ray player and cluttering up my home theater.

But if they drop FW, then no combination of other specs would get me to buy one. Too much money invested in FW hard drives. And even if I had all USB drives, I'm not sure I'd want to connect a half-dozen drives to a single computer via USB.
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post #52 of 159
10/24/08 at 5:54am
The mini has a place. Apple did say they couldn't build a quality computer for $500. Since the minis sell for $600, it makes me think Apple considered this in make the statement.

And if business to consumer sales are indeed 2 to 1, I'd imagine Apple would keep firewire on the units, though probably keep to FW400. Besides, from some of what I've read on the FW omission on the MacBook, space seemed to play has much of a role as anything else.

Another thought is that Apple may have considered scraping the mini, but may have decided that in these current times, to continue to expand the user base, having a sub $1000 system makes sense.
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post #53 of 159
10/24/08 at 5:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ALPICH View Post

I thought the Mac Mini has an in built power supply with a standard power cord for connection? What would be the point of a MagSafe connector unless they were going to give it a brick like they did to the AppleTV. Unless they can make it the size of the notebooks I think it would tick people off... Unless they make it thinner.

Ok, That is a valid point, I always assumed, that mini had external power supply to begin with, but one learns something new everyday. Still I think that extracting the power supply and using MagSafe could be right way forward. They might be able to use same power brick in mini as they use with laptops and as you said that would allow them to build even smaller case, or maybe allow using full size hard drives.
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post #54 of 159
10/24/08 at 6:12am
Sweet, I wonder if they will redesign the MacMini or just upgrade the specs?
Apple is a hardware company, dont believe me? Read this Article!. For those who understand my message, help me spread this info to those who dont get it.
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Apple is a hardware company, dont believe me? Read this Article!. For those who understand my message, help me spread this info to those who dont get it.
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post #55 of 159
10/24/08 at 6:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Marvin View Post

They could keep prices down by removing the optical drive altogether. I don't even use mine any more.

We would still need an optical drive to upgrade to a new OS X. External optical? Upgrades on a flash drive?
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post #56 of 159
10/24/08 at 6:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ALPICH View Post

I thought the Mac Mini has an in built power supply with a standard power cord for connection? What would be the point of a MagSafe connector unless they were going to give it a brick like they did to the AppleTV. Unless they can make it the size of the notebooks I think it would tick people off... Unless they make it thinner.

The mini does have an external brick. A rather large brick at that.
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post #57 of 159
10/24/08 at 6:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ALPICH View Post

I thought the Mac Mini has an in built power supply with a standard power cord for connection? What would be the point of a MagSafe connector unless they were going to give it a brick like they did to the AppleTV.

The Mac Mini has an external white power "brick" which is about as wide as the Mini, half the height and half the depth. It takes mains power in one side and feeds the Mac Mini something like 24V DC on the other side (don't have mine handy to check). For the Intel models, the power supply is rated at 110W.

Replacing it with a MagSafe and reducing the maximum power consumption to 85W (same as the MacBook Pro) would be a good idea, as the same power adapter can then be used, and the power adapter is much smaller.

This would also mate nicely with the new 24" display. They could even make the power adapter a "negative build-to-order" option - anyone buying the screen at the same time could choose to forgo a separate power adapter for the Mini.

85W might not be enough to allow for the idea of putting two hard drives in the Mini. I'm inclined to expect something like a minor external revision of the current model, with technical specs similar to the new MacBooks, but hopefully retaining the Firewire port.

An argument against MagSafe: unless the Mini gains an internal battery, popping off the MagSafe plug would be instant shutdown.
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post #58 of 159
10/24/08 at 6:42am
Some where I saw a mac mini mockup that looked like a shrunk mac pro. Does any know where I might find this Mockup?
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post #59 of 159
10/24/08 at 6:51am
I'd laugh if it was still dead

DaHarder just got banned. Let's crack open the champagne.

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DaHarder just got banned. Let's crack open the champagne.

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post #60 of 159
10/24/08 at 7:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by REM#1 View Post

Some where I saw a mac mini mockup that looked like a shrunk mac pro. Does any know where I might find this Mockup?

Haven't seen it but I thought this teaser was cool.
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post #61 of 159
10/24/08 at 7:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jcatma61 View Post

I'll have another... with superdrive, please. No regrets, no hiccups after two years.

Agreed... My G4 Mini was in use at the office for two years until it was replaced with an Intel Mini a year ago. The G4 has been running for a year at home as a media server to push content to my Apple TV. It's been running for three years constantly and hasn't had a single problem.

It's a perfect machine for the office (because who needs a high-end GPU for editing documents, and sending email). In addition to the normal office tasks, I'm running a mysql server, Apache webserver and an Oracle client for php connectivity to several internal databases. The thing is amazing (and since it's my personal machine, I'd never be able to get away with something so obvious as an iMac on my desk).

I really hope it sticks around.
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post #62 of 159
10/24/08 at 7:33am
I'm not at all surprised by the business vs. consumer numbers.

I've been using two minis as web/mail/app servers for almost two years, now, and they've proved to be very reliable. Granted we've got fairly low traffic compared to enterprises, but I've had zero downtime that I didn't cause myself by my own UPS and firewall carelessness or during updates/upgrades. I've got a third mini that I bought at the same time that's just sitting there ready to switch over the moment anything fails. I just assumed I'd have trouble by now, but the original two been purring along.

All of that for 1/4 to 1/3 of an XServe. Not a solution for everybody, of course, but I'd hate to see these little guys EOLd.
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post #63 of 159
10/24/08 at 7:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ireland View Post

I'd laugh if it was still dead

That's because you're a jerk.
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post #64 of 159
10/24/08 at 7:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by dempson View Post


This would also mate nicely with the new 24" display.

I agree. Apple is great at strategy, integration and simplicity. The new 24" LED displays will come out in november and will feature iSight, speakers and a microphone. All those things are available on the MacBook, so the new display is obvioulsy aimed at more than just the laptops. And guessing that sales of the Mac Pro are rather small there has to be some other big seller on the way that can make use of these integrated features. Enter the Mac mini, which fits more perfect with the new 24" LED display than any other product.

It would seem appropriate to launch the new mini with the new display, but perhaps Apple wasn't ready with it but still wanted to introduce the new display with the MacBooks. So I'm waiting with high hopes for the next mini and it might just be a big seller - especially for businesses looking for that clean and stylish desk environment.
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post #65 of 159
10/24/08 at 7:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Project2501 View Post

Do you guys think that the new 24 inch display for notebooks could also power mac mini via its MagSafe connector? I think the new Display could be a wonderful companion for mac mini as well.

I would think that the 24in display might be aim specifically for this purpose. After all, how many people really connect up their macbooks to a display. It seems like a lot of engineering effort, if the display can not also power and support the new mini (xMac, Mac Nano?).

Personally I have a display and I am waiting on a new mini to replay an older windows machine.
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post #66 of 159
10/24/08 at 7:54am
I'm thinking that displayport would save them enough space on the mini to keep firewire.

Although I'd trade firewire for an eSATA port.

4GB RAM, 802.11N and 9400M are sufficient updates for me.

DisplayPort without an HDMI adaptor would kinda suck given you can do this with DVI today.
BluRay might be nice but highly unlikely.
Dual HDD implies a taller footprint I think. Perhaps I'm wrong about that. It's been a litttle while since I opened up my mini.

I wouldn't mind a TC sized footprint.
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post #67 of 159
10/24/08 at 7:55am
Dead or Alive, stay tuned for the dramatic conclusion....

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iPhone, iPod
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post #68 of 159
10/24/08 at 7:58am
Man, I've been considering for a while now that my next upgrade will be to a desktop (for better price/performance ratio) and I'll fill in the gaps using my current laptop and remote screen sharing. However, I couldn't figure out a way to do it both because of the price of iMacs and the fact that I'm not sure how my advisor would take to me leaving my personal computer in the lab all year round, and what would I do with my work PC? Also, since there's no way to shut off the iMac screen while screen sharing, that would be a major privacy issue.

I never in thought of the mini before, but now I realize it's perfect for me!!!

One of those switchie things will let me use my existing monitor/keyboard/mouse with my work PC and mac mini, I can just leave it sitting in my desk all year round, they are reportedly dead quiet. It works perfectly on all fronts!

Now we just need Apple to update these things in the next few months, and I'll buy them the night they're released. (Along with the iPod Touch I've been waiting for)
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post #69 of 159
10/24/08 at 8:03am
Just realized I said the same thing as you, in terms of using the personal computer at work. I wonder how many others have the same idea?

I'm a grad student working in a research lab with 5 or 6 guys, and we all have work PC's. I definitely wouldn't want to have two monitors cluttering up an already extremely cramped desk space.
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post #70 of 159
10/24/08 at 8:08am
Thumbs down.

I'd rather see them completely dump this machine and start over. Make a box that doesn't use pricey laptop parts, until that happens this will never be a good bang for your buck.
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post #71 of 159
10/24/08 at 8:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by John F. View Post

I want to buy a Mac mini, but I need FireWire. What do you recommend? Wait until the new one comes out, or just buy the current? I would hate to wait until January only to find out that Apple removed the FireWire, and that the older version has run out in stores. But faster graphics would be nice. Quite a dilemma.

Buy the current version, its resale value will remain high if you decide to upgrade later...
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post #72 of 159
10/24/08 at 8:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by minderbinder View Post

... Make a box that doesn't use pricey laptop parts, until that happens this will never be a good bang for your buck.

Well, that's called a "headless" Mac which a lot of us would like...a non-portable Mac with a lot more grunt than a mini without having to spend $2800 for an entry-level Mac Pro.

But I just don't see that happening given Apple's fascination with miniaturization.
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post #73 of 159
10/24/08 at 8:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by minderbinder View Post

Thumbs down.

I'd rather see them completely dump this machine and start over. Make a box that doesn't use pricey laptop parts, until that happens this will never be a good bang for your buck.

While I wouldn't give it a thumbs down, to your point about pricey laptop parts... One of the rumors is for a 2nd hard drive. But what would be better is if they'd just use a 3.5" desktop hard drive instead of the 2.5" laptop drive. It would be faster, cheaper, and higher capacity. Since several companies make 3.5" external drives with the same footprint as the mini, that shouldn't be an issue. The height might need to change, but maybe not.

I see no reason why they couldn't get a 3.5" drive, along with an optical drive, and the same NVIDIA chipset into a mini size case. The MB Air shows just how small the motherboard could be. Worst case they'd need to add a fraction of an inch to the height (just don't change the footprint because then I can't stack it with my hard drives and AirPort Extreme! )
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post #74 of 159
10/24/08 at 8:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Felix01 View Post

Well, that's called a "headless" Mac which a lot of us would like...a non-portable Mac with a lot more grunt than a mini without having to spend $2800 for an entry-level Mac Pro.

But I just don't see that happening given Apple's fascination with miniaturization.

its a numbers thing.

95% of people using a non-pro computer use basically
a) DVD / iTunes watching / listening
b) web surfing/email
c) word processing
d) maybe minor iPhoto/Address book/ garage band

So really upgrading most of the specs doesn't affect whether or not the machine is usable, so they upgrade aesthetics and "miniturize" so that they can have a selling point.

I think its mostly people in this forum (myself included) that would use an 'xMac'
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post #75 of 159
10/24/08 at 9:07am
So, when is the Mini available on the market ?
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post #76 of 159
10/24/08 at 9:10am
If we're talking about powering the mini with a magnetic power attachment, it makes no sense to me. The whole idea behind Magsafe was that it allows for a fail-safe type of arrangement if someone happens to kick the power cord. This happens when we're talking about portable computers. It also only makes sense as a fail-safe device if the computer also has a battery. Desktop computers are most certainly designed for their power feed to not come undone. The results of that doing so are most undesirable.
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post #77 of 159
10/24/08 at 9:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hudson1 View Post

If we're talking about powering the mini with a magnetic power attachment, it makes no sense to me. The whole idea behind Magsafe was that it allows for a fail-safe type of arrangement if someone happens to kick the power cord. This happens when we're talking about portable computers. It also only makes sense as a fail-safe device if the computer also has a battery. Desktop computers are most certainly designed for their power feed to not come undone. The results of that doing so are most undesirable.

IMO, those of you arguing against using a MagSafe connector on the mini haven't used a laptop employing MagSafe. Let me tell you, the magnet is strong...the only way to (easily) disconnect it is to consciously tilt the connector up or down to break the bond.

I think a MagSafe on a new mini (if it comes to be) makes perfect sense for reducing cord clutter when connecting the unit to the new 24-inch LED Cinema Display. The mag bond is plenty strong...the mini wouldn't easily be disconnected whether powering through an LED Cinema Display or from a wall plug with a MagSafe cord.

I've yet to inadvertently disconnect my MagSafe-powered laptop.
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post #78 of 159
10/24/08 at 9:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by 460FILMS View Post

Now, I can confidently await the new MacMini's introduction, hopefully this fall, to complete my home theater, home automation, video surveillance (although, no off-the-shelf, OS X-based CCTV software exists that I know of--it's all Windows-only based stuff)

http://www.securityspy.com/
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post #79 of 159
10/24/08 at 9:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by tmedia1 View Post

Buy the current version, its resale value will remain high if you decide to upgrade later...

Not just that, but if the 'other' rumours are true, then there may not be a new version of the Mini at all

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wiggin View Post

While I wouldn't give it a thumbs down, to your point about pricey laptop parts... One of the rumors is for a 2nd hard drive. But what would be better is if they'd just use a 3.5" desktop hard drive instead of the 2.5" laptop drive. It would be faster, cheaper, and higher capacity. Since several companies make 3.5" external drives with the same footprint as the mini, that shouldn't be an issue. The height might need to change, but maybe not.

I don't believe it's the height that would be the problem, it's the length. Crack open the inside of the Mini and you'll see that it's very tight in there. I don't believe there is room inside for a 3.5" drive along with the cable (small as a SATA cable may be).

Quote:
Originally Posted by Felix01 View Post

IMO, those of you arguing against using a MagSafe connector on the mini haven't used a laptop employing MagSafe. Let me tell you, the magnet is strong...the only way to (easily) disconnect it is to consciously tilt the connector up or down to break the bond.

Not entirely true. I've come downstairs many times to find my laptop dead and the cord disconnected. I'm quite certain that's from the cats running around and running into the power cord. I'd rather that not happen on a computer without a battery!

Your point about reducing clutter does make sense, but there's no reason a cord couldn't have the magsafe connector on one end (for the monitor) and a standard connector on the other (for the Mini). Although if the cord is to remain on the desk (as it certainly would with a monitor-to-mini cable), then it's certainly less likely to be disconnected by an errant feline!
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post #80 of 159
10/24/08 at 9:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by vinea View Post

I'm thinking that displayport would save them enough space on the mini to keep firewire. ...

DisplayPort without an HDMI adaptor would kinda suck given you can do this with DVI today.

But you can get a mini Displayport to DVI adapter:

Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter from AppleStore

then use a DVI-to-HDMI adapter like I have on my mini now .
iMac, MacBook Air, Mac mini
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iMac, MacBook Air, Mac mini
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