So… before, we were talking how the studio was just a stretched Mac mini.
And now that’s even more true. LOL
snd actually it’s great news for the mini. Looks a bit more clunky, but takes less space and the Pro chip is pretty dang rad. Starts at 599 with 16 GB RAM?
I own Apple stock and usually buy the maxed out version of Apple computers, phones, AppleTVs, and iPads. But I’m retired now and for home use I really just need the lower end version of the mini which would more than suit my needs for years to come. But it is interesting that with this mini you can go from basic to high end workstation In the same form factor.
Hmm. Seems like the Studio Display should be updated to include an opening through which to route the wires from the Mac Mini that is perched upon its base.
Or, you know… not.
Don’t ruin the design of the studio display just so a few people can plop the mini on the monitor stsnd. The new mini design won’t look at home on the stand as it is.
It’s really tempting to replace my 2018 Mac mini that I use as a Plex server, but it works just fine, it’s just that it gets so hot in the closet where I have it.
I'm curious, what do people use Plex servers for? I looked into it once and couldn't find a use case that made sense for me.
That's a pretty sweet set of upgrades. Honestly, I would've thought they'd leave the Mini for the final (3rd?) update this week as it is likely the biggest overhaul. I presume tomorrow or Thursday we'll of course see the M4 MacBook Pro which, beside the chip upgrade which is nice, I think the only other notable change is they're potentially putting that 3rd Thunderbolt port onto the non-Pro chip base model (as it should be) which presumably would simplify manufacturing as they'll all now have the exact same chases with different logic board/chip/RAM/SSD combos. The M4 Pro in the extra-mini Mini will make a nice "headless" MBP for the desktop. I agree with a previous poster, they should slice out a spot in the Studio Display to route the cables from that baby so it can sit nicely under the screen (Hell, they'll even save a bit of $$$ on the recovered aluminum haha).
"Honestly, I would've thought they'd leave the Mini for the final (3rd?) update this week as it is likely the biggest overhaul"
Same here but it looks like they're announcing products based on processor order.
1. Monday - M4 Macs 2. Tuesday - M4 / M4 Pro Macs 3. Wednesday - M4 / M4 Pro / M4 Max Macs
Apple discontinued their Front Row home theater Mac software in 2011 and as we know Apple rarely looks back to resurrect something. And Apple has shown that it sees macOS, iOS, and other operating systems as differentiated concepts. If they wanted tvOS mode in the Mac, they would have included it in the M1-series models.
They even removed the IR sensor on the front of the Mac mini. I'm not even sure if you can use the Apple Remote with the M-series Macs.
Apple's actions over years has shown that they are distancing Macs from the Apple TV. "Convergence" was a buzzword at the turn of the millennium. It never worked out the way everyone expected/hoped for.
Today we just have smart televisions that handle most of it. My LG C2 has the base Apple TV software.
If you need a decent HTPC, just get a mini PC and run Kodi (or similar HTPC software). The ones that can handle 4K video playback are about <$150. Apple cannot compete on price in this product category.
It’s really tempting to replace my 2018 Mac mini that I use as a Plex server, but it works just fine, it’s just that it gets so hot in the closet where I have it.
If you just need to manage thermals, grab one of the last M2 minis in the refurbished site or even a used M1. All you really need is something in the M series and your closet will be cooler.
On further thought… it feels like this Mac mini transition is the start of a shift away from Mac Studio.
Perhaps to prepare for the introduction of the 32” iMac 6k. So ready for that.
As the studio display ages, it makes sense to keep it around as a companion to the Mac mini.
The mini itself can contain a Max chip starting with m5. The Mac Pro can go as high as Extreme chips - while shrinking the chassis - complete with 8k Pro Display XDR. and the iMac 6k can contain max and ultra chipsets.
That would be a dream lineup and would sort the mess and overlap now between studio, mini, and Mac Pro.
it’s possible the m4 max/ultra Studio may be the last for a while.
It’s really tempting to replace my 2018 Mac mini that I use as a Plex server, but it works just fine, it’s just that it gets so hot in the closet where I have it.
I'm curious, what do people use Plex servers for? I looked into it once and couldn't find a use case that made sense for me.
The primary purpose is to host video. So if you have multiple television sets and different people watching each one, each person can get their content from a centrally hosted archive rather than sneakernetting the files to the local device.
More powerful Plex server hardware and serve up multiple streams and do transcoding on the fly.
If you live by yourself and you only have one television set (or watch everything on your computer monitor) you would not have a usage case. Just put all your content on the device you use for media consumption.
There are other video server software offerings out there. I know Jellyfin is another which I believe works with Kodi. There's also a Roku client so you can stream your Jellyfin-hosted video library to your Roku.
So host your video library off a Jellyfin-powered server and watch your videos with a $30 streamer. You could buy four of these for less than the price of one Apple 4K TV box. I might try that someday.
It's helpful to remember that Plex was started about 15 years ago when streaming video services were less commonplace than in 2024. And 15 years ago fewer people had broadband Internet connections that would support 4K streaming. And very, Very, VERY few people had handheld devices to support these activities. It's a good alternative for people with large media libraries to consider.
But this Plex discussion is drifting off topic.
The new Mac mini M4 is WAY overpriced as a Plex server. Nothing wrong with repurposing old hardware for this type of usage but you'd have to have a big fat wallet to use a brand new Mac mini for this sort of thing.
On further thought… it feels like this Mac mini transition is the start of a shift away from Mac Studio.
<snip>
it’s possible the m4 max/ultra Studio may be the last for a while.
I think the Studio should go with Max and Ultra Chips (skip the pro). It’s the Mac Pro that could be doomed even with the fastest Ultra M4. Especially at $6k.
What can take full advantage of a thunderbolt 5 port besides a eGPU? Last I heard Apple does not allow/compatible with graphics cards so just increased read/write speeds for external storage drives?
Thunderbolt five is a big upgrade. It means that you can drive a 4.5k or 5k 6K 8k @ 120 Hz with one connection a huge upgrade for the future, note such a monitor won’t be cheap. Which means the usual crying will ensue when Apple offers a curated monitor at that level…..
It also means the upcoming M4 Mac Studios are going to be computing monsters and it also means if Apple would stop leaving billions on the table a 5k M4 or M5 27 or 30 inch iMac would truly be one hellacious computer inside a XDR enclosure.
On further thought… it feels like this Mac mini transition is the start of a shift away from Mac Studio.
Perhaps to prepare for the introduction of the 32” iMac 6k. So ready for that.
As the studio display ages, it makes sense to keep it around as a companion to the Mac mini.
The mini itself can contain a Max chip starting with m5. The Mac Pro can go as high as Extreme chips - while shrinking the chassis - complete with 8k Pro Display XDR. and the iMac 6k can contain max and ultra chipsets.
That would be a dream lineup and would sort the mess and overlap now between studio, mini, and Mac Pro.
it’s possible the m4 max/ultra Studio may be the last for a while.
With Apple using Mac Studio ultra’s within their server farm for Apple IntelligenceI I think Max Studios ultra’s will be made well into the future the demand for a big memory hi bandwidth computers are tailored made for AI development.
Hmmmm, this could be an interesting alternative to an Apple TV 4K and double as a media hub. I could ditch my Synology NAS and plug a RAID into the Mac mini instead.
Most of the video streaming I do can be done with Safari. I'll often plug my Mac into my big TV to have photo "slide" shows, because I don't use iCloud for photos (or music or much of anything).
I was intending to rackmount this puppy with a 10Gbps ethernet port. But at 2 inches tall, this new mac mini > 1U (1.75"). Is there a way to strip down some height so that it fits in a 1U space (1.75")? I thought they made a point in their presentation to show that previous Minis have been rackmounted. So I'm hoping there is a solution to this? Thanks.
On further thought… it feels like this Mac mini transition is the start of a shift away from Mac Studio.
<snip>
it’s possible the m4 max/ultra Studio may be the last for a while.
I think the Studio should go with Max and Ultra Chips (skip the pro). It’s the Mac Pro that could be doomed even with the fastest Ultra M4. Especially at $6k.
That’s only if Apple wants to stop at Ultra level chipsets. And that would be a shame. The Studio is the same performance as max pro only because the Mac Pro has been limited. I’m thinking apple wants to reclaim the powerhouse image snd will finally debut the Extreme tier with the M5 generation. With a newly designed iMac 6k, there will be no need for a Studio. But those who want the ultimate in power can get the max pro - a proper evolution of the 2019 monster.
Comments
snd actually it’s great news for the mini. Looks a bit more clunky, but takes less space and the Pro chip is pretty dang rad. Starts at 599 with 16 GB RAM?
this thing will sell in droves.
I'm curious, what do people use Plex servers for? I looked into it once and couldn't find a use case that made sense for me.
Same here but it looks like they're announcing products based on processor order.
1. Monday - M4 Macs
2. Tuesday - M4 / M4 Pro Macs
3. Wednesday - M4 / M4 Pro / M4 Max Macs
Apple discontinued their Front Row home theater Mac software in 2011 and as we know Apple rarely looks back to resurrect something. And Apple has shown that it sees macOS, iOS, and other operating systems as differentiated concepts. If they wanted tvOS mode in the Mac, they would have included it in the M1-series models.
They even removed the IR sensor on the front of the Mac mini. I'm not even sure if you can use the Apple Remote with the M-series Macs.
Apple's actions over years has shown that they are distancing Macs from the Apple TV. "Convergence" was a buzzword at the turn of the millennium. It never worked out the way everyone expected/hoped for.
Today we just have smart televisions that handle most of it. My LG C2 has the base Apple TV software.
If you need a decent HTPC, just get a mini PC and run Kodi (or similar HTPC software). The ones that can handle 4K video playback are about <$150. Apple cannot compete on price in this product category.
it’s possible the m4 max/ultra Studio may be the last for a while.
More powerful Plex server hardware and serve up multiple streams and do transcoding on the fly.
If you live by yourself and you only have one television set (or watch everything on your computer monitor) you would not have a usage case. Just put all your content on the device you use for media consumption.
There are other video server software offerings out there. I know Jellyfin is another which I believe works with Kodi. There's also a Roku client so you can stream your Jellyfin-hosted video library to your Roku.
https://github.com/jellyfin/jellyfin-roku
So host your video library off a Jellyfin-powered server and watch your videos with a $30 streamer. You could buy four of these for less than the price of one Apple 4K TV box. I might try that someday.
It's helpful to remember that Plex was started about 15 years ago when streaming video services were less commonplace than in 2024. And 15 years ago fewer people had broadband Internet connections that would support 4K streaming. And very, Very, VERY few people had handheld devices to support these activities. It's a good alternative for people with large media libraries to consider.
But this Plex discussion is drifting off topic.
The new Mac mini M4 is WAY overpriced as a Plex server. Nothing wrong with repurposing old hardware for this type of usage but you'd have to have a big fat wallet to use a brand new Mac mini for this sort of thing.
It also means the upcoming M4 Mac Studios are going to be computing monsters and it also means if Apple would stop leaving billions on the table a 5k M4 or M5 27 or 30 inch iMac would truly be one hellacious computer inside a XDR enclosure.
With Apple using Mac Studio ultra’s within their server farm for Apple IntelligenceI I think Max Studios ultra’s will be made well into the future the demand for a big memory hi bandwidth computers are tailored made for AI development.
https://www.reddit.com/r/LocalLLaMA/comments/140l0im/apple_has_an_excellent_hardware_base_for_local/
https://www.simplymac.com/macbooks/apple-m-series-chips-explained
I could ditch my Synology NAS and plug a RAID into the Mac mini instead.
Most of the video streaming I do can be done with Safari.
I'll often plug my Mac into my big TV to have photo "slide" shows, because I don't use iCloud for photos (or music or much of anything).
Tempting!
I was intending to rackmount this puppy with a 10Gbps ethernet port. But at 2 inches tall, this new mac mini > 1U (1.75"). Is there a way to strip down some height so that it fits in a 1U space (1.75")? I thought they made a point in their presentation to show that previous Minis have been rackmounted. So I'm hoping there is a solution to this? Thanks.