A new Mac mini with that much power sounds very interesting indeed, imagine what a new Mac Pro will be when its turn is up in the transition queue.
‘Mini’ seems like a misnomer - it gives the connotation of a ‘Mac lite,’ but the Mac mini is a very capable machine. I also find myself thinking it should be priced lower because of the ‘mini’ moniker, even though I know it’s price is in line with its capabilities.
I'm hoping for this summer for a 16" MBP with second generation M chip. Not that I can afford it, but I might convince my employer or be able to crowd fund it.
I hope these rumors are correct - I’m due to upgrade my MBP and this would be perfect!
Loving my M1 Mac mini (16 GB) as my desktop computer. My only complaint regarding it is that it boots rather slowly but I think some of that is due to launch items that may be running with Rosetta and from time to time the computer can become temporarily unresponsive with a ton of windows open in Safari. Considering how early we are with Mac OS running on Apple Silicon I think it is pretty impressive.
And I would like to cast a vote for a return to Space Gray for the Mac mini.
That's odd, mine is extremely fast at booting (like lighting as they say) and exhibits none of the issues you mention. I have one side by side with the high-end 27" iMac 5k and the Mac mini stomps on the iMac at most things. Could it be a peripheral or some software you have installed that's the cause of the slowdown?
That said, I just realized I am in the macOS beta program so my Mac mini is not the same as yours, unless you are too.
I think it’s a good move to shift the thermal load of the power supply out of the computer proper. And I like how the power brick is possibly evolving into a hub: Ethernet now on the iMac, perhaps another port or two in the future.
Really hoping for an announcement at WWDC, and orders to open before the end of June (EOFY down here). I’ve loved my mid-2015 15” rMBP, but it is starting to show it’s age at times.
I think it’s a good move to shift the thermal load of the power supply out of the computer proper. And I like how the power brick is possibly evolving into a hub: Ethernet now on the iMac, perhaps another port or two in the future.
Really hoping for an announcement at WWDC, and orders to open before the end of June (EOFY down here). I’ve loved my mid-2015 15” rMBP, but it is starting to show it’s age at times.
Apple could add foot peddles and buttons to the brick, like a guitarists effect box.
Wonder if they'll take the power supply out of the mini like the iMac make it half the height of the current one.
Good idea. The brick on the floor would weigh far more than the resulting Mac mini I bet. Maybe the Mac mini will just be a mouse pad
That’s what Intel does with the NUCs. It’s kind of a mixed bag. On the one hand it slims down and lightens up the main unit, outboards a component that can independently fail, reduces heat, and makes for a smaller wire to hide topside. On the other hand it’s just one more claptrap brick sitting on the floor gathering dust.
I’ve given up caring about it one way or the other because many monitors, hubs of various kinds, external drives, etc., have moved to the outboard power brick model. My work desk had a wire trough that provided a convenient place to hide all the external power bricks but at home they usually end up on the floor or Velcro’d to the backside of the desk if it has a privacy panel. My standing desks have privacy panels with pouches and the power bricks live in the pouch.
I’m surprised Apple hasn’t unleashed some of its designers on a quest to come up with a power brick and cable management solution that allows their vision of a clean desktop that they depict in their advertising to be realized in real life. The iMac is always shown as if it’s floating on a clean desktop devoid of any wires other than the single power cord. At least in my real life, looking behind my iMac with a second monitor attached, USB hub, backup drives (Time Machine and CCC), wireless charging dock, DAC, speakers, Ethernet cable, power cords, etc., is a truly frightening experience in cable clutter. The UPS sitting on the floor, keyboard, trackball, trackpad, and drink coaster finish off the claptrapian experience.
Can't wait for the redesigned mac mini or mini mac pro. 👍
Not interested in any iMac, which I feel is a waste.
A waste of what? I only use laptops personally, but the iMac is a much better deal. 24" 8GB 512 is $1699. 24" 16GB 1TB is $2099. The MBP 16GB 512 is $2400 and 16GB 1TB is $2799 and I doubt Apple is going to lower prices once they put their own M1 chip in there, in spite of not having to pay Intel.
Wonder if they'll take the power supply out of the mini like the iMac make it half the height of the current one.
Awful trend.
Why? If it keeps the main unit cooler then there's less fan noise and/or more thermal headroom for better performance.
Because external bricks have a much reduced lifespan when compared to internal. Why? Thermal overload. I hate external power bricks with a passion. Why create even more e-waste?
Wonder if they'll take the power supply out of the mini like the iMac make it half the height of the current one.
Awful trend.
Why? If it keeps the main unit cooler then there's less fan noise and/or more thermal headroom for better performance.
Because external bricks have a much reduced lifespan when compared to internal. Why? Thermal overload. I hate external power bricks with a passion. Why create even more e-waste?
These sound like decent points if true.
How much do they reduce the lifespan? I've never had an external brick die on me so I'm surprised that you say "much reduced". Plus an external one will be easier to replace, and the externalising of the heat generation may contribute to other parts lasting longer, so I imagine it's a trade off.
commentzilla said: Apple already has fast SSDs in all of their Macs and with only 16GB of max ram they depend heavily on swap memory, which appears to work very well.
Not really. if you have a load that really requires more RAM, swapping still sucks. I made the mistake of trying a few games on my M1 MacBook Air - and it played them so wall that I don't think I will have to maintain a separate Windows gaming machine anymore - well, until I loaded Cities:Skylines. I'm slightly addicted to mods and assets in the Steam workshop and 32GB is the minimum for me so I'm *really* looking forward to these newer chips and memory capacities because I decided on the last day of the return window to return the M1 MacBook Air and wait for the next round and more RAM.
It's been tough, but I think it will be well worth the wait.
And the way this article is written it sounds like the new MacBook Air might use the same CPU and support more RAM too? Ugh - I dunno if I can wait until the end of the year if they release the new MacBooks this summer. And the machines are small enough I dunno if the Air is worth prioritizing. Ack! What a time to be a Mac user. The Apple Silicon machines are just absolute screamers so these new ones should be absolutely mind bending!
And i don't give a crap about upgradeable RAM. The fixed RAM allows for close coupling and thus ridiculous speed. Bring it on! If you want maximum flexibility that 95% of people NEVER use then take the speed hit and overall crappier experience of a Windows machine. Knock yourself out. So much consternation over utter non-issues.
MplsP said: You’ll probably be shocked to learn that many people consider the non-upgradable RAM and SSD to be an issue in the current models, so it’s not a surprise that it’s an issue for the new models, too.
Many but not enough to be a game changer. I'm far more annoyed at the SSD than I am the RAM. Very few people change ANYTHING on their machines after they buy them, and RAM is probably one of the least changed. The benefits for it being integrated with the SOC are substantial so it's a perfectly equitable trade off.
However on the SSD I agree - Apple are just being assholes by soldering it on the board. You might save a tiny amount of space and gain some non-trivial efficiencies in manufacturing, but it otherwise does nothing for the consumer. Still a relatively minor nit because, and I'm sure Apple has MORE than enough data to back this, once again the VAST majority of people never crack their laptop case (either themselves or paying someone else to do so).
Like it or not, especially with laptops, computers are appliances for the VAST majority of people. Hell even on my Windows gaming machines I very rarely upgrade parts in them these days. Major CPU revisions often require new sockets, which require new RAM and everything else. AMD is at least a bright star in this regard with what would today be considered ridiculous forward and backward socket compatibility. But even aside from socket I ended up having to get a new motherboard with PCIe 3 vs. 2 compatibility issues, and now PCIe 4 guarantees that if I do build a new windows box I might as well just build an entire new one. "Upgradability" hasn't really been a thing for a long, long time now despite nerds waxing nostalgic about it
Wonder if they'll take the power supply out of the mini like the iMac make it half the height of the current one.
I dunno - the mini is basically an Apple TV at this point and the Apple TV power supply is integrated.
I think they externalized the power supply on the iMac only because of their "thin at all cost" mantra. The Mini has always been cubic/rectangular in shape so I see no need to kick the PS out.
And I still have an early G4 Mac Mini that had an external power brick - power bricks suck.
Comments
That said, I just realized I am in the macOS beta program so my Mac mini is not the same as yours, unless you are too.
Really hoping for an announcement at WWDC, and orders to open before the end of June (EOFY down here). I’ve loved my mid-2015 15” rMBP, but it is starting to show it’s age at times.
I’ve given up caring about it one way or the other because many monitors, hubs of various kinds, external drives, etc., have moved to the outboard power brick model. My work desk had a wire trough that provided a convenient place to hide all the external power bricks but at home they usually end up on the floor or Velcro’d to the backside of the desk if it has a privacy panel. My standing desks have privacy panels with pouches and the power bricks live in the pouch.
I’m surprised Apple hasn’t unleashed some of its designers on a quest to come up with a power brick and cable management solution that allows their vision of a clean desktop that they depict in their advertising to be realized in real life. The iMac is always shown as if it’s floating on a clean desktop devoid of any wires other than the single power cord. At least in my real life, looking behind my iMac with a second monitor attached, USB hub, backup drives (Time Machine and CCC), wireless charging dock, DAC, speakers, Ethernet cable, power cords, etc., is a truly frightening experience in cable clutter. The UPS sitting on the floor, keyboard, trackball, trackpad, and drink coaster finish off the claptrapian experience.
How much do they reduce the lifespan? I've never had an external brick die on me so I'm surprised that you say "much reduced". Plus an external one will be easier to replace, and the externalising of the heat generation may contribute to other parts lasting longer, so I imagine it's a trade off.
And what do you mean by thermal overload?
It's been tough, but I think it will be well worth the wait.
And the way this article is written it sounds like the new MacBook Air might use the same CPU and support more RAM too? Ugh - I dunno if I can wait until the end of the year if they release the new MacBooks this summer. And the machines are small enough I dunno if the Air is worth prioritizing. Ack! What a time to be a Mac user. The Apple Silicon machines are just absolute screamers so these new ones should be absolutely mind bending!
And i don't give a crap about upgradeable RAM. The fixed RAM allows for close coupling and thus ridiculous speed. Bring it on! If you want maximum flexibility that 95% of people NEVER use then take the speed hit and overall crappier experience of a Windows machine. Knock yourself out. So much consternation over utter non-issues.
However on the SSD I agree - Apple are just being assholes by soldering it on the board. You might save a tiny amount of space and gain some non-trivial efficiencies in manufacturing, but it otherwise does nothing for the consumer. Still a relatively minor nit because, and I'm sure Apple has MORE than enough data to back this, once again the VAST majority of people never crack their laptop case (either themselves or paying someone else to do so).
Like it or not, especially with laptops, computers are appliances for the VAST majority of people. Hell even on my Windows gaming machines I very rarely upgrade parts in them these days. Major CPU revisions often require new sockets, which require new RAM and everything else. AMD is at least a bright star in this regard with what would today be considered ridiculous forward and backward socket compatibility. But even aside from socket I ended up having to get a new motherboard with PCIe 3 vs. 2 compatibility issues, and now PCIe 4 guarantees that if I do build a new windows box I might as well just build an entire new one. "Upgradability" hasn't really been a thing for a long, long time now despite nerds waxing nostalgic about it
I think they externalized the power supply on the iMac only because of their "thin at all cost" mantra. The Mini has always been cubic/rectangular in shape so I see no need to kick the PS out.
And I still have an early G4 Mac Mini that had an external power brick - power bricks suck.