@allenbf: it may not be "better" than the iMac, but it gives one more flexibility to upgrade the computer without having to replace a perfectly good monitor at the same time.
I used to think that. Then the last time I went to hand down my mini to the kids and realized...I'd have to either pair it with an old 17" CRT or buy a new monitor for them. So...$150 later they had a new monitor and I figure this time I'll just get the iMac and not worry about it.
And if you weren't just a ball of gas yourself, you'd know why that's an immeasurably foolish question, one so unworthy of a serious answer that it's also unworthy of using the correct state of matter in this self-referential retort.
At work I have no say in which desk I'm assigned to and essentially no say in lighting.
When viewing a text document my MBP shows my head, an air conditioning vent and, if I sit up straight, the light two desks over. Everything but the light is pretty easy to ignore so I angle myself and the screen to avoid that. Luckily I have a post and another desk behind me right now, but next quarter I could move to a desk facing away from a floor-to-ceiling window. I had that situation a year ago and there were times of day when it was nearly impossible to be productive. When the sun is coming through the little cracks between the blinds there just isn't much you can do except wait or go for coffee.
AMD has some nice processor solutions with their APUs. Even without the discrete GpU they handle OpenCL well. Often they will actually perform better than intel when that capability can be leveraged.
It will fly off the shelf if priced right. I would have no problem with a Mini like machine built on AMD hardware. The only iffy thing is Thunderbolt but I'd be just as happy with two Gigabit Ethernet ports.
Agreed. I'd be happy with a miniDP and no thunderbolt if the cross-patenting isn't fully extended, by I have never known my former company to let Intel hold them by the balls when it comes to R&D jointly developed post NeXT infusion from my ex-NeXT camp.
So you'll buy a weaker performing computer because you haven't ever heard of buying a anti-reflective film to solve the glare problem without compromising the computing power. A matt screen OPTION would be best for a minority opinion such as yours, although I doubt Apple will comply for 10% of the small iMac market. The 90% rest of us like our smooth glass (reflective) screens.
Just FYI,
I have installed several anti-reflective films (from reputable and well-regarded vendors).
In my experience, while cutting down on reflections, some also introduce a slight 'twinkle' effect to the pixels, which I find to be a sad trade-off in order to cut down on reflections.
If shiny reflective surface works for you, OK, fine.
But the glossy surface is not very good for my eyes, causing more eye-strain and visual 'tiredness', at least that's how I characterize it for me.
I have owned and used many iMacs from older ones with anti-reflective screens up to latest Aluminum/ Core i series with glossy screens, so I've been able to compare -- I prefer the Apple anti-reflective screen treatment over the glossy.
(Curious how you come by your assertion of percentage of 10% iMac users are concerned about glare and that 90% like the reflective glass screen surface.)
The Mac Mini is entry level, and does a good job for it's price. I don't think it's meant to compete with the iMac, or there would be faster configurations.
That said, it's fast enough for most people IMO.
The Mini is a low end Apple computer but it is really a mid level computer when one compares the hardware with other companies. Add some upgrades to the Mini and it is nearly a high end consumer and business machine. A Mini can be priced at over $1200. At those prices it does cost more. The OS is worth it when compared to Windows but one really must need what OS X offers to go with a high end Mini. For word processing, e-mail, and spreadsheets the Mini is just overpriced. When the machine is used for entertainment and fun, then the Mac OS becomes worth the extra money.
The Mini is a low end Apple computer but it is really a mid level computer when one compares the hardware with other companies. Add some upgrades to the Mini and it is nearly a high end consumer and business machine. A Mini can be priced at over $1200. At those prices it does cost more. The OS is worth it when compared to Windows but one really must need what OS X offers to go with a high end Mini. For word processing, e-mail, and spreadsheets the Mini is just overpriced. When the machine is used for entertainment and fun, then the Mac OS becomes worth the extra money.
If only it would handle video rendering I would have a stack of five minis right now running with Remote Desktop. The test I ran on my slightly older model took forever to complete and the machine was hot as a grill.
If only it would handle video rendering I would have a stack of five minis right now running with Remote Desktop. The test I ran on my slightly older model took forever to complete and the machine was hot as a grill.
Ah...here are some folks doing just that. It could be fairly software dependent on the performance side so YMMV.
Quote:
So i've done some 3-4 hour renders on the mini now on animation sequences. At the default fan settings the CPU cores can get up to 96 degrees! The fan doesn't go automatically go above 3200 rpm even when the thing is running on all cores.
Using smcFanControl and setting it do 4500 RPM minimum the mini is still very quiet and keeps the cores at a more reasonable 80 degrees.
HD temperatures never get above 40 degrees so looks like they've got them well isolated from the CPU core.
We just got the same setup as you. Our two extra quad core minis arrived today. Everything works as expected but it's a lot of noise. Do you have the same issues? When Net Render is running and maxing out the machines the noise almost gets unbearable. For how long did you have them running?
Ours just rendered a 4K sequence with 300 frames. The speed is amazing and they are a great addition to our network but the heat concerns us a little bit. The CPUs run with 90 degrees (celsius) / 360 kelvin. Compared to a 12 core 2.93 GHz Mac Pro, it's a lot.
Buy Applecare, max the internal fans and set them in front of your AC vent or use them as a space heater in the winter with a normal fan.
Or you can try this to isolate the noise and reduce temps:
Quote:
The cheapest solution using new (under warrenty) equipment is, as mention above, a high efficiency domestic window AC unit.
As long as the Farm is in an enclosed space that is sealed and you're AC unit has a dehumidification function you should be fine. Keep the AC in recirculate mode to avoid fluctuating temperature and humidity levels.
If the farm is to be in a box or a closet then just rememebr to seal, seal, seal and insulate - you dont want your hard earned cooling going out the door so to say.
...
OH BTW .... that AC unit needs to dump its heat somewhere so dont forget to give it enough ventilation to do its job properly.
Venting outside might be an issue. Maybe you can tap into your bathroom vent from a nearby closet or something and provide the ac unit with venting that way.
The minis are small enough to fit in a wine cooler with humidity control so that might work but they don't cool much and are slow to get the temps down. Maybe a beer fridge.
The Mini just doesn't hold up to this type of usage. It is a low end machine with rather terrible performance for the price in a desktop. I have to wonder when or if thermal throttling kicked in on your Mini. Throttling is a tell tale sign that you have thermal problems. Case temperature doesn't imply that that the machine has reached a throttling temperature, you really need to monitor CPU temperature.
Even so this highlights one of the reasons I have a love hate relationship with the Mini. In reality it doesn't even come close to offering midrange PC performance. That isn't a problem per say if you see the Mini as a low end machine. The problem is that Apple doesn't have a midrange desktop.
If only it would handle video rendering I would have a stack of five minis right now running with Remote Desktop. The test I ran on my slightly older model took forever to complete and the machine was hot as a grill.
Being totally honest, my current Mac mini is enough to suffice me for now. Having the 8 GB of memory and Samsung 470 is good though it's just the graphics that are killing me. Really I don't want to have to get another Mac mini and deep down I don't think the IB mini is going to cut it in terms of graphics.
Venting outside might be an issue. Maybe you can tap into your bathroom vent from a nearby closet or something and provide the ac unit with venting that way.
The minis are small enough to fit in a wine cooler with humidity control so that might work but they don't cool much and are slow to get the temps down. Maybe a beer fridge.
Hmm. I think I'll stick with the second iMac I currently have for a while. If the new update is nice, I might give it a shot. I do have a shelf that has enough room for a stack of three or four minis, and the room is always kept at a nice cool temperature. I would love to free up the desk space (and get rid of the display) that the iMac takes up.
Sometimes I wish there was a system setting where you could set the CPU max at say 80% and thus avoid heat issues...
Subjective. And that's the crux of the whole thing. People who prefer matte think their way is the only way. I know; I USED TO BE ONE OF THEM. Then I actually used a glossy display and accepted how stupid it was to have thought matte was worth lying about.
Two problems with this comment:
1) "People who prefer matte think their way is the only way."
If you'd read what I, and many others have written, you'd see that what you're saying is a flat out lie. I don't begrudge others from liking what I find to be an inferior product. I have stated repeatedly that my way is NOT the only way. What is unacceptable, though, is having no option whatsoever to buy a standard matte display (not super-hires, retina, etc.). If you go back and read your comments and mine, you'll see that it's your comments that have the my-way-or-the-highway tone. I personally cannot use a display with reflections. If you think reflections are acceptable, that's fine, I really don't care.
You should really apologize for making false accusations. Not that I believe you'd ever stoop to admitting you're wrong...
2) "to have thought matte was worth lying about."
Did you really lie to people about the matte/glossy issue? Because I never have. Or are you implying that others are lying? Because it's really easy to position a matte display so there are no DISCERNIBLE reflections. Seeing an area of the screen that's somewhat brighter than the rest of the screen is vastly different from seeing a fully-focused reflection of whatever happens to be behind you. Or your own face. Or the various lights that other people in the room are using, etc. Conversely, it's very difficult to position a glossy display where those things aren't fully focusable right on your screen.
After this conversation, I made a point to go into Best Buy yesterday to take another look at the retina 15" MacBook. Sadly, it's actually not even as good as what I'd remembered seeing during a brief visit to the Apple store a few weeks ago. I was able to diddle around and find a position that would have been acceptable to work, but it was a challenge, and frankly, when you're working in various locations all the time it's rarely possible to create those kinds of ideal lighting environments.
The only people that are lying are those who claim there are no reflections. They ARE there, it's just a matter of whether or not people can push them aside, mentally.
Last time I checked the Mac mini (the topic of the thread) didn't have a display.
Wonder if we'll see an update this week... doubt it will be at the event with a focus on iBooks. Maybe just a release?
The Mac Mini didn't even get an event when it last got a redesign. It's not getting one, even if Apple managed to somehow get Haswell this early.
Oh, sure, they'd definitely mention it being updated… at an event for a redesigned iMac. But even the iMac wouldn't get an event unless it was redesigned in some way.
And I don't see them giving it Ivy Bridge when the iMac is stuck with Sandy.
If they don't get back to the Mac in some form or fashion then I hope the iPad mini bombs. I don't mean to be negative but I think Apple needs to knocked off of their perch a bit to get them back into focus.
If they don't get back to the Mac in some form or fashion then I hope the iPad mini bombs. I don't mean to be negative but I think Apple needs to knocked off of their perch a bit to get them back into focus.
That won't happen. Honestly I see a huge success brewing in iPad Mini if it comes out with the right feature set.
That does not however excuse them for their attitude towards the desktop. They basically abandoned it five years ago but even before that their attitude seemed to be to stuff the market with crap overpriced hardware and then to declare the desktop dead. In reality Apple doesn't have a "desktop" solution. They have the Mini and Pro, which are special interest machines that have been poor values for years now and the iMac. The iMac is such a joke that many of us don't even count it The fact that the iMac has been Apples desktop sale leader doesn't erase the fact that the machine is clumsy, poorly engineered and limited.
When I comes right down to it I'm not surprised at all that Apple has sales issues on the desktop.
How much better must the iPad get in order for them to justify dumping the Mac Mini? Does that even matter?
I use my Mac Book with an external screen most of the time. Perhaps Apple will just eliminate the Mini and suggest people buy the lowest level Mac Book and get an external screen. It really is a good solution. The only downside is there are fewer ports. That is easily fixed with a USB hub. The Apple monitor has ports built in so it might not matter. Apple could easily remind people that their existing monitors, mice, and keyboards will work well with a Mac Book just like they did with the Mac Mini advertisements.
I've never owned an iMac. The all in one design didn't matter to me because I have plenty of space on my desk. To some people space might matter. A Mac Book placed under a monitor with a stand wouldn't take up any more space than an iMac. Apple could just switch to making only Mac Books, Apple TVs, Airport, Monitors, and iDevices. Doing so would give the company a better focus. Those items could all blend together around the one screen using the Airport for sharing.
The idea of prestige could be transferred from the Mac Pro to the super-duper Mac Books with retina displays. Apple could claim they make the worlds best laptop and not care about the loss of the Mac Pro and iMac. I didn't know about the Mac Pro until I shopped online for my first Apple computer. Even then I wasn't interested in it nor did I care that Apple made a super fancy expensive gigantic desktop tower. Tim Cook did mention that an improved Mac Pro was coming out next year. Will it be the last?
Maybe they could have an event; "Come and get your Mac Pro's and Mini's. The Last Chance Event. We Ain't Makin 'Em No More!"
Comments
Quote:
Originally Posted by bheiser1
@allenbf: it may not be "better" than the iMac, but it gives one more flexibility to upgrade the computer without having to replace a perfectly good monitor at the same time.
I used to think that. Then the last time I went to hand down my mini to the kids and realized...I'd have to either pair it with an old 17" CRT or buy a new monitor for them. So...$150 later they had a new monitor and I figure this time I'll just get the iMac and not worry about it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
Wait for the Earth to spin a little more.
And if you weren't just a ball of gas yourself, you'd know why that's an immeasurably foolish question, one so unworthy of a serious answer that it's also unworthy of using the correct state of matter in this self-referential retort.
At work I have no say in which desk I'm assigned to and essentially no say in lighting.
When viewing a text document my MBP shows my head, an air conditioning vent and, if I sit up straight, the light two desks over. Everything but the light is pretty easy to ignore so I angle myself and the screen to avoid that. Luckily I have a post and another desk behind me right now, but next quarter I could move to a desk facing away from a floor-to-ceiling window. I had that situation a year ago and there were times of day when it was nearly impossible to be productive. When the sun is coming through the little cracks between the blinds there just isn't much you can do except wait or go for coffee.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wizard69
Great minds think alike!
AMD has some nice processor solutions with their APUs. Even without the discrete GpU they handle OpenCL well. Often they will actually perform better than intel when that capability can be leveraged.
It will fly off the shelf if priced right. I would have no problem with a Mini like machine built on AMD hardware. The only iffy thing is Thunderbolt but I'd be just as happy with two Gigabit Ethernet ports.
Agreed. I'd be happy with a miniDP and no thunderbolt if the cross-patenting isn't fully extended, by I have never known my former company to let Intel hold them by the balls when it comes to R&D jointly developed post NeXT infusion from my ex-NeXT camp.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ljocampo
So you'll buy a weaker performing computer because you haven't ever heard of buying a anti-reflective film to solve the glare problem without compromising the computing power. A matt screen OPTION would be best for a minority opinion such as yours, although I doubt Apple will comply for 10% of the small iMac market. The 90% rest of us like our smooth glass (reflective) screens.
Just FYI,
I have installed several anti-reflective films (from reputable and well-regarded vendors).
In my experience, while cutting down on reflections, some also introduce a slight 'twinkle' effect to the pixels, which I find to be a sad trade-off in order to cut down on reflections.
If shiny reflective surface works for you, OK, fine.
But the glossy surface is not very good for my eyes, causing more eye-strain and visual 'tiredness', at least that's how I characterize it for me.
I have owned and used many iMacs from older ones with anti-reflective screens up to latest Aluminum/ Core i series with glossy screens, so I've been able to compare -- I prefer the Apple anti-reflective screen treatment over the glossy.
(Curious how you come by your assertion of percentage of 10% iMac users are concerned about glare and that 90% like the reflective glass screen surface.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by ghost03
The Mac Mini is entry level, and does a good job for it's price. I don't think it's meant to compete with the iMac, or there would be faster configurations.
That said, it's fast enough for most people IMO.
The Mini is a low end Apple computer but it is really a mid level computer when one compares the hardware with other companies. Add some upgrades to the Mini and it is nearly a high end consumer and business machine. A Mini can be priced at over $1200. At those prices it does cost more. The OS is worth it when compared to Windows but one really must need what OS X offers to go with a high end Mini. For word processing, e-mail, and spreadsheets the Mini is just overpriced. When the machine is used for entertainment and fun, then the Mac OS becomes worth the extra money.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Smallwheels
The Mini is a low end Apple computer but it is really a mid level computer when one compares the hardware with other companies. Add some upgrades to the Mini and it is nearly a high end consumer and business machine. A Mini can be priced at over $1200. At those prices it does cost more. The OS is worth it when compared to Windows but one really must need what OS X offers to go with a high end Mini. For word processing, e-mail, and spreadsheets the Mini is just overpriced. When the machine is used for entertainment and fun, then the Mac OS becomes worth the extra money.
If only it would handle video rendering I would have a stack of five minis right now running with Remote Desktop. The test I ran on my slightly older model took forever to complete and the machine was hot as a grill.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bergermeister
If only it would handle video rendering I would have a stack of five minis right now running with Remote Desktop. The test I ran on my slightly older model took forever to complete and the machine was hot as a grill.
Ah...here are some folks doing just that. It could be fairly software dependent on the performance side so YMMV.
Quote:
So i've done some 3-4 hour renders on the mini now on animation sequences. At the default fan settings the CPU cores can get up to 96 degrees! The fan doesn't go automatically go above 3200 rpm even when the thing is running on all cores.
Using smcFanControl and setting it do 4500 RPM minimum the mini is still very quiet and keeps the cores at a more reasonable 80 degrees.
HD temperatures never get above 40 degrees so looks like they've got them well isolated from the CPU core.
http://www.planetside.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=14222.0
Quote:
We just got the same setup as you. Our two extra quad core minis arrived today. Everything works as expected but it's a lot of noise. Do you have the same issues? When Net Render is running and maxing out the machines the noise almost gets unbearable. For how long did you have them running?
Ours just rendered a 4K sequence with 300 frames. The speed is amazing and they are a great addition to our network but the heat concerns us a little bit. The CPUs run with 90 degrees (celsius) / 360 kelvin. Compared to a 12 core 2.93 GHz Mac Pro, it's a lot.
http://forums.creativecow.net/thread/19/875130
Buy Applecare, max the internal fans and set them in front of your AC vent or use them as a space heater in the winter with a normal fan.
Or you can try this to isolate the noise and reduce temps:
Quote:
The cheapest solution using new (under warrenty) equipment is, as mention above, a high efficiency domestic window AC unit.
As long as the Farm is in an enclosed space that is sealed and you're AC unit has a dehumidification function you should be fine. Keep the AC in recirculate mode to avoid fluctuating temperature and humidity levels.
If the farm is to be in a box or a closet then just rememebr to seal, seal, seal and insulate - you dont want your hard earned cooling going out the door so to say.
...
OH BTW .... that AC unit needs to dump its heat somewhere so dont forget to give it enough ventilation to do its job properly.
http://www.techspot.com/community/topics/render-farm-dry-cooling-project.32934/
Venting outside might be an issue. Maybe you can tap into your bathroom vent from a nearby closet or something and provide the ac unit with venting that way.
The minis are small enough to fit in a wine cooler with humidity control so that might work but they don't cool much and are slow to get the temps down. Maybe a beer fridge.
Even so this highlights one of the reasons I have a love hate relationship with the Mini. In reality it doesn't even come close to offering midrange PC performance. That isn't a problem per say if you see the Mini as a low end machine. The problem is that Apple doesn't have a midrange desktop.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/HP+-+Pavilion+HPE+Desktop+-+10GB+Memory+-+1TB+Hard+Drive/5563052.p?id=1218661381249&skuId=5563052 <--- I'm looking at this.
If someone can find something cheaper so that I can play Diablo III, Starcraft II, and a few other games at good frame rates.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nht
Ah...here are some folks doing just that. It could be fairly software dependent on the performance side so YMMV.
http://www.planetside.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=14222.0
http://forums.creativecow.net/thread/19/875130
Buy Applecare, max the internal fans and set them in front of your AC vent or use them as a space heater in the winter with a normal fan.
Or you can try this to isolate the noise and reduce temps:
http://www.techspot.com/community/topics/render-farm-dry-cooling-project.32934/
Venting outside might be an issue. Maybe you can tap into your bathroom vent from a nearby closet or something and provide the ac unit with venting that way.
The minis are small enough to fit in a wine cooler with humidity control so that might work but they don't cool much and are slow to get the temps down. Maybe a beer fridge.
Hmm. I think I'll stick with the second iMac I currently have for a while. If the new update is nice, I might give it a shot. I do have a shelf that has enough room for a stack of three or four minis, and the room is always kept at a nice cool temperature. I would love to free up the desk space (and get rid of the display) that the iMac takes up.
Sometimes I wish there was a system setting where you could set the CPU max at say 80% and thus avoid heat issues...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
Subjective. And that's the crux of the whole thing. People who prefer matte think their way is the only way. I know; I USED TO BE ONE OF THEM. Then I actually used a glossy display and accepted how stupid it was to have thought matte was worth lying about.
Two problems with this comment:
1) "People who prefer matte think their way is the only way."
If you'd read what I, and many others have written, you'd see that what you're saying is a flat out lie. I don't begrudge others from liking what I find to be an inferior product. I have stated repeatedly that my way is NOT the only way. What is unacceptable, though, is having no option whatsoever to buy a standard matte display (not super-hires, retina, etc.). If you go back and read your comments and mine, you'll see that it's your comments that have the my-way-or-the-highway tone. I personally cannot use a display with reflections. If you think reflections are acceptable, that's fine, I really don't care.
You should really apologize for making false accusations. Not that I believe you'd ever stoop to admitting you're wrong...
2) "to have thought matte was worth lying about."
Did you really lie to people about the matte/glossy issue? Because I never have. Or are you implying that others are lying? Because it's really easy to position a matte display so there are no DISCERNIBLE reflections. Seeing an area of the screen that's somewhat brighter than the rest of the screen is vastly different from seeing a fully-focused reflection of whatever happens to be behind you. Or your own face. Or the various lights that other people in the room are using, etc. Conversely, it's very difficult to position a glossy display where those things aren't fully focusable right on your screen.
After this conversation, I made a point to go into Best Buy yesterday to take another look at the retina 15" MacBook. Sadly, it's actually not even as good as what I'd remembered seeing during a brief visit to the Apple store a few weeks ago. I was able to diddle around and find a position that would have been acceptable to work, but it was a challenge, and frankly, when you're working in various locations all the time it's rarely possible to create those kinds of ideal lighting environments.
The only people that are lying are those who claim there are no reflections. They ARE there, it's just a matter of whether or not people can push them aside, mentally.
Originally Posted by Blah64
If you'd read what I, and many others have written, you'd see that what you're saying is a flat out lie.
You may not. Many do.
Did you really lie to people about the matte/glossy issue?
I have not. Others do. Primarily matte people.
The only people that are lying are those who claim there are no reflections.
No, plenty of matte people lie.
Last time I checked the Mac mini (the topic of the thread) didn't have a display.
Wonder if we'll see an update this week... doubt it will be at the event with a focus on iBooks. Maybe just a release?
Originally Posted by Bergermeister
Last time I checked the Mac mini (the topic of the thread) didn't have a display.
Wonder if we'll see an update this week... doubt it will be at the event with a focus on iBooks. Maybe just a release?
The Mac Mini didn't even get an event when it last got a redesign. It's not getting one, even if Apple managed to somehow get Haswell this early.
Oh, sure, they'd definitely mention it being updated… at an event for a redesigned iMac. But even the iMac wouldn't get an event unless it was redesigned in some way.
And I don't see them giving it Ivy Bridge when the iMac is stuck with Sandy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bergermeister
Last time I checked the Mac mini (the topic of the thread) didn't have a display.
Wonder if we'll see an update this week... doubt it will be at the event with a focus on iBooks. Maybe just a release?
I've been thinking (hoping) that they will have a mini-themed event, i.e. the iPad mini and a new Mac mini.
It would make a good sound bite for marketing buzz. Just hoping.
That won't happen. Honestly I see a huge success brewing in iPad Mini if it comes out with the right feature set.
That does not however excuse them for their attitude towards the desktop. They basically abandoned it five years ago but even before that their attitude seemed to be to stuff the market with crap overpriced hardware and then to declare the desktop dead. In reality Apple doesn't have a "desktop" solution. They have the Mini and Pro, which are special interest machines that have been poor values for years now and the iMac. The iMac is such a joke that many of us don't even count it The fact that the iMac has been Apples desktop sale leader doesn't erase the fact that the machine is clumsy, poorly engineered and limited.
When I comes right down to it I'm not surprised at all that Apple has sales issues on the desktop.
How much better must the iPad get in order for them to justify dumping the Mac Mini? Does that even matter?
I use my Mac Book with an external screen most of the time. Perhaps Apple will just eliminate the Mini and suggest people buy the lowest level Mac Book and get an external screen. It really is a good solution. The only downside is there are fewer ports. That is easily fixed with a USB hub. The Apple monitor has ports built in so it might not matter. Apple could easily remind people that their existing monitors, mice, and keyboards will work well with a Mac Book just like they did with the Mac Mini advertisements.
I've never owned an iMac. The all in one design didn't matter to me because I have plenty of space on my desk. To some people space might matter. A Mac Book placed under a monitor with a stand wouldn't take up any more space than an iMac. Apple could just switch to making only Mac Books, Apple TVs, Airport, Monitors, and iDevices. Doing so would give the company a better focus. Those items could all blend together around the one screen using the Airport for sharing.
The idea of prestige could be transferred from the Mac Pro to the super-duper Mac Books with retina displays. Apple could claim they make the worlds best laptop and not care about the loss of the Mac Pro and iMac. I didn't know about the Mac Pro until I shopped online for my first Apple computer. Even then I wasn't interested in it nor did I care that Apple made a super fancy expensive gigantic desktop tower. Tim Cook did mention that an improved Mac Pro was coming out next year. Will it be the last?
Maybe they could have an event; "Come and get your Mac Pro's and Mini's. The Last Chance Event. We Ain't Makin 'Em No More!"