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.
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.
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.
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)
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.
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.
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...
... 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.
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! )
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'
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.
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.
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)
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
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
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!
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).
Actually, NewerTech's miniStack (as well as drives from other companies) is a combination external drive and hub and is the exact same footprint as the Mac mini. It contains a 3.5" SATA drive and has ports for USB, FireWire, and eSATA on the back as well as USB and FireWire ports on the side. So there is obviously enough room in the mini's footprint for a 3.5" drive with enough room left over for the cables and ports.
Comments
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.
I'd laugh if it was still dead
That's because you're a jerk.
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.
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.
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.
______________________
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)
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.
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.
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...
... 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.
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!
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'
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.
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/
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
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).
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!
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
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).
Actually, NewerTech's miniStack (as well as drives from other companies) is a combination external drive and hub and is the exact same footprint as the Mac mini. It contains a 3.5" SATA drive and has ports for USB, FireWire, and eSATA on the back as well as USB and FireWire ports on the side. So there is obviously enough room in the mini's footprint for a 3.5" drive with enough room left over for the cables and ports.
http://www.newertech.com/products/ministackv3.php