My 1.67Ghz Powerbook can playback a 720p Divx file wih about 75%-80% cpu usage in vlc so if you add in GPU acceleration I would assume the top end mini could manage 720p and 1080i. There is an app around that basically does what core video will do and i remember it knocked cpu usage down about 10%-15% on the same 720p file If I find the link ill post it
Ok, I've seen lots of Powermac threads but no Mac mini threads...
What's your guess on when it will arrive and what it will have in it?
I doubt we'll see it before fall (Oct/Nov), unless it is a simple speed-bump.
In the fall/winter revision, I expect a 32 or maybe 64MB GFX chip better suited for Core*, a somewhat faster CPU (1.4 - 1.67Ghz, depending on Freescale's progress), but not yet any mainboard redesign (FireWire 800, more USB ports, second RAM slot). Maybe an easier-to-open case. And I see bundles with mouse and keyboard.
Hopefully, they fix the god-awful VGA-out. The quality is so bad on 1280x1024 and higher, I will have to sell my really good CRT and buy a cheap TFT with DVI.
It's too early to have ambitious hopes for a Rev B mini. A simple RAM bump to 512 MB is all I expect to see, and the sooner the better. Let's hope RAM prices keep dropping.
I wondering whether Apple is seeing an advantage to a single RAM strip in the mini. I'd never suggest Apple planned it this way . . . , but it could produce more RAM upgrades for Apple. If the mini had a second, open RAM slot, almost all customers would buy third party RAM for their mini. With just one slot, however, Apple doesn't charge the full price for an upgrade. To go one step higher in RAM is only about half Apple's regular price, making it competitive with third party RAM. I'd suspect many customers that want only 512 MB get it from Apple on special order.
Regarding suggested major changes to the mini, I believe we may first see another low end model in the Mac product line. Most really significant improvements to a mini will result in higher manufacturing cost, and I believe Apple wants to keep the mini at the rock bottom end of the product line. The next target market may be business, and those who want just a little more than the mini offers. These are customers who are willing to pay a little more and sacrifice the mini's tiny footprint. I'd like to see a very small desktop with 2 PCI expansion slots, several more USB ports, built-in power supply and better a graphics chip set.
Get real folks. The Mac mini JUST came out in JANUARY. We won't see a speed bump or anything similar for a while. Apple has a history of letting a first generation of any brand new product sit and ferment for a while before an update. I expect we might see a speed bump or features upgrade at MW Paris...at the earliest.
If you want a Mac mini, just buy it now and get it over with.
First... I already bought my Mini. I'm just speculating about the future, not holding out for more juice.
Second... neither Apple nor any other computer-maker has a set in stone update schedule. Rather, most updates depend upon the availability of third party hardware. Advances in chip design and manufacturing are driven by forces far beyond Apple's marketing department. If Freescale started offering pin compatible, 10 Watt, 2 Ghz 7448's for a nickel each, Apple would adopt them immediately, "product cycle" be damned. If RAM prices collapsed, we'd see mini's w/ a gig of ram.
Nobody can keep the Mac mini in stock. That should tell you all you need to know about the possible imminence of any changes to the box.
I expect to see no changes to the Mac mini this year. The only exception would be if Apple decided that all their computers should come with 512 Mb RAM standard.
The people who are arguing that an update must happen because of the system requirements for Core Image don't understand the extremely robust scalability of this new API set.
What will next year's Mac mini bring? I predict that the upgrade will be modest enough that current Mac mini owners will not see the necessity of purchasing a new box; but that it will be compelling to even more switchers and sitters (people sitting on old Macs). The geeks will be displeased. Normal people will be thrilled.
Thanks everyone for the great replies. I'm looking forward to seeing what others have to say.
For me, I'm probably going to breakdown and get a mini within the next 30 days. I'd like to wait for a Rev. B, but I know it wont be anytime soon... I am going to wait for Tiger to be released before I purchase the mini though... That way I can get the mini with Tiger preinstalled, or at least with a DVD in the box!!
As you can see from my signature, I've got an old B&W running as my home server. I'm going to replace the B&W with the mini & add an external FW drive for extra storage. The current Rev. A mini will do just fine acting as my server, but I'm a little concerned about it acting as my multimedia server as well... (http://centerstageproject.com/). The CenterStage project is using the mini as a baseline (min CPU spec for the project is 1GHz), so it shouldn't be a major problem, but I'd like a little more horsepower under the hood for video encoding. I've still got my dual 2.0GHz G5, so I can use that if need be, but it would be nice to have the mini do everything for me (not that it can't, just that the G5 could do it faster ).
Well you are all in for a big dissapointment. Apple is notoriously slow at product updates and where is the incentive when the product is selling so well?
I think that they most likely thing to happen is that Apple may take the view that the G5 heat problems are not going to be resolved and that we see a cell based PowerBook. If this happens and it is a sucess then I would expect to see cell based minis in time, but not for at least another 6 months.
I expect no updates within 6 months of any kind to the mini.
Comments
This is what you will see for rev b:
$499 model:
1.5ghz
512mb ram
60 gb hard drive (5400 RPM with 7200 60 gb IBM Hitachi as expensive BTO option )
NVIDIA GeForceFX Go 5200 or ultra/ATI Radeon 9600 Pro for core image
combo drive
$599 model:
1.67 ghz
100 gb hard drive (5400 rpm drive perhaps, with same 7200 60gb drive BTO option)
NVIDIA GeForceFX Go 5200 or ultra/ATI Radeon 9600 Pro for core image
superdrive
All shipping with Tiger 10.4
Originally posted by corvette
The mac mini will be upgraded at macworld in July
This is what you will see for rev b:
$499 model:
1.5ghz
512mb ram
60 gb hard drive (5400 RPM with 7200 60 gb IBM Hitachi as expensive BTO option )
NVIDIA GeForceFX Go 5200 or ultra/ATI Radeon 9600 Pro for core image
combo drive
$599 model:
1.67 ghz
100 gb hard drive (5400 rpm drive perhaps, with same 7200 60gb drive BTO option)
NVIDIA GeForceFX Go 5200 or ultra/ATI Radeon 9600 Pro for core image
superdrive
All shipping with Tiger 10.4
I don't know if Apple intends to be at the July MacWorld (last year's one in Boston, they did not even exhibit).
Thus, perhaps in August, we'll see a revised Mac mini come out
so it will have
a little bit more capient hd
a geforce fx 5200 (for core image)
a faster g4, maybe a dual core
tiger
Originally posted by fulmer
Ok, I've seen lots of Powermac threads but no Mac mini threads...
What's your guess on when it will arrive and what it will have in it?
I doubt we'll see it before fall (Oct/Nov), unless it is a simple speed-bump.
In the fall/winter revision, I expect a 32 or maybe 64MB GFX chip better suited for Core*, a somewhat faster CPU (1.4 - 1.67Ghz, depending on Freescale's progress), but not yet any mainboard redesign (FireWire 800, more USB ports, second RAM slot). Maybe an easier-to-open case. And I see bundles with mouse and keyboard.
Hopefully, they fix the god-awful VGA-out. The quality is so bad on 1280x1024 and higher, I will have to sell my really good CRT and buy a cheap TFT with DVI.
I wondering whether Apple is seeing an advantage to a single RAM strip in the mini. I'd never suggest Apple planned it this way . . .
Regarding suggested major changes to the mini, I believe we may first see another low end model in the Mac product line. Most really significant improvements to a mini will result in higher manufacturing cost, and I believe Apple wants to keep the mini at the rock bottom end of the product line. The next target market may be business, and those who want just a little more than the mini offers. These are customers who are willing to pay a little more and sacrifice the mini's tiny footprint. I'd like to see a very small desktop with 2 PCI expansion slots, several more USB ports, built-in power supply and better a graphics chip set.
Originally posted by CosmoNut
Get real folks. The Mac mini JUST came out in JANUARY. We won't see a speed bump or anything similar for a while. Apple has a history of letting a first generation of any brand new product sit and ferment for a while before an update. I expect we might see a speed bump or features upgrade at MW Paris...at the earliest.
If you want a Mac mini, just buy it now and get it over with.
First... I already bought my Mini. I'm just speculating about the future, not holding out for more juice.
Second... neither Apple nor any other computer-maker has a set in stone update schedule. Rather, most updates depend upon the availability of third party hardware. Advances in chip design and manufacturing are driven by forces far beyond Apple's marketing department. If Freescale started offering pin compatible, 10 Watt, 2 Ghz 7448's for a nickel each, Apple would adopt them immediately, "product cycle" be damned. If RAM prices collapsed, we'd see mini's w/ a gig of ram.
I expect to see no changes to the Mac mini this year. The only exception would be if Apple decided that all their computers should come with 512 Mb RAM standard.
The people who are arguing that an update must happen because of the system requirements for Core Image don't understand the extremely robust scalability of this new API set.
What will next year's Mac mini bring? I predict that the upgrade will be modest enough that current Mac mini owners will not see the necessity of purchasing a new box; but that it will be compelling to even more switchers and sitters (people sitting on old Macs). The geeks will be displeased. Normal people will be thrilled.
For me, I'm probably going to breakdown and get a mini within the next 30 days. I'd like to wait for a Rev. B, but I know it wont be anytime soon... I am going to wait for Tiger to be released before I purchase the mini though... That way I can get the mini with Tiger preinstalled, or at least with a DVD in the box!!
As you can see from my signature, I've got an old B&W running as my home server. I'm going to replace the B&W with the mini & add an external FW drive for extra storage. The current Rev. A mini will do just fine acting as my server, but I'm a little concerned about it acting as my multimedia server as well... (http://centerstageproject.com/). The CenterStage project is using the mini as a baseline (min CPU spec for the project is 1GHz), so it shouldn't be a major problem, but I'd like a little more horsepower under the hood for video encoding. I've still got my dual 2.0GHz G5, so I can use that if need be, but it would be nice to have the mini do everything for me (not that it can't, just that the G5 could do it faster
I think that they most likely thing to happen is that Apple may take the view that the G5 heat problems are not going to be resolved and that we see a cell based PowerBook. If this happens and it is a sucess then I would expect to see cell based minis in time, but not for at least another 6 months.
I expect no updates within 6 months of any kind to the mini.