An Atom CPU would not be a great idea. Not even for an AppleTV would the Atom processor be a good idea.
The AppleTV would be a great place for Atom paired with Nvidia's Ion. The appliance currently has a special Intel 1GHz CPU and poor Intel graphics. By pairing an Atom with Nvidia the appliance could do much better graphics and reduce the cost by using the cheap, mass produced 1.6GHz Atom CPU. There was a story not to long ago stating that Apple was using such a setup, though some people (foolishly IMO) assumed it was for a revised Mac Mini and/or Apple-branded netbook.
Do you really think the mini can handle 55 or 65w? Its tiny fan already whines like crazy if you keep the CPU pegged. The current power brick can't handle that, either. I don't think Apple is putting quad core processors in their low-end machine anytime soon.
I think the Mac Mini will have the MB's main internals and the iMac will have dual-core in the lowest model and those new Intel quad-cores in the other models. This seems to be to pretty a simple guess based on Apple's track record with the Mini and Intel's assertion that the new quads are designed for AIOs.
I don't need the video to consider this plausible. The MacBook-like internals, the move to mDP, all these things are pretty self-evident. And there seem to be a lot of rumblings about desktop updates.
I think the best evidence, actually, is the disappearing 20" monitor. It's going to come back with mDP adapters (the 30" will too as soon as they can source an LED backlight for it at a reasonable price). I would not be surprised at all if the 20" comes back in the mold of the 24" LED display, speakers and "docking station" and all—or you can use the display and speakers that came with your PC. Or, hey, here's the whole thing bundled into one nice little box. We call it the iMac.
The mini initially shipped needing a DVI-VGA adapter to connect to legacy PC monitors, so an mDP -> DVI (-> VGA) adapter would be nothing new. If anything, I'd guess that it allows the salespeople to talk about making the "new" standard talk to your "old" monitor, making it easier to talk them into an upsell. "And see, with this shiny new monitor you don't have all those wires and separate speakers and all that other clutter."
I don't see the Mac Pro getting an update until the 30" gets an update, or possibly vice versa. It might even be possible that they've already discontinued production of the 30" but it's a slow enough seller that they can still have it up in the store.
As for the Cube, I'm not sure what the reason would be to bring it back. Now, I bought one. It's still running. I love its geek-lusty little Star Trek design. But that's what it is. It's difficult to cool, so it doesn't really buy you very much in terms of internal expandability or advanced graphics capability. The "toaster" optical drive is cool when it works and an enormous pain in the ass when it doesn't--but if you lay it horizontal the way the mockup upthread has it, you lose the central convection column that the Cube relied on to stay cool.
If you want expandable graphics, the box has to be big enough to really do it right. If you don't want the size or bulk of a truly expandable box, there's really no reason to make it larger than a mini.
As for the Cube, I'm not sure what the reason would be to bring it back. Now, I bought one. It's still running. I love its geek-lusty little Star Trek design. But that's what it is. It's difficult to cool, so it doesn't really buy you very much in terms of internal expandability or advanced graphics capability. The "toaster" optical drive is cool when it works and an enormous pain in the ass when it doesn't--but if you lay it horizontal the way the mockup upthread has it, you lose the central convection column that the Cube relied on to stay cool.
If you want expandable graphics, the box has to be big enough to really do it right. If you don't want the size or bulk of a truly expandable box, there's really no reason to make it larger than a mini.
I don't think people expect a Cube, or a cube like desktop from Apple, to return as it was; a polycarbonate encased computer with no active cooling. It's just the idea of a middle of the road desktop between the mini and the Pro. Maybe something the size of the G4 cube isn't right. Maybe something along the lines of a Shuttle. But Apple style.
I don't think people expect a Cube, or a cube like desktop from Apple, to return as it was; a polycarbonate encased computer with no active cooling. It's just the idea of a middle of the road desktop between the mini and the Pro. Maybe something the size of the G4 cube isn't right. Maybe something along the lines of a Shuttle. But Apple style.
That's pretty much what I was saying: Either go for a Shuttle style case (although those have overheating and noise issues as well) or go full miniature. A cube shaped case is not a meaningful compromise between the two, however compelling it is as a design object.
Or, just look at the target markets. The only games that require bleeding-edge hardware don't run on the Mac anyway, and wouldn't even if the iMac shipped with some kind of firebreathing GPU. Fallout 3 runs fine on a P4 with an NVidia 9500; by the time an A-list game arrives on the Mac the hardware it runs on is going to be a year old anyway. So in terms of basic practicality there's no incentive to make the compromises necessary to offer the sort of options that PC gamers expect. The market isn't there. And what other profitable market is there for a shuttle style Mac?
There's the sales-oriented argument that you can convince the customer that they have all these options and possibilities down the road, even though at its price point the box has never actually been tested to see how well it handles the latest, hottest internal components. That strikes me as fraudulent. Why not engineer a machine designed for the way people actually do use their computers and sell it on its merits at the time of sale?
Where's something really useful like eSata with port multiplier support (or better yet two eSata ports)?
Not going to happen. Apple will push FW over eSATA. eSATA would have to be hugely popular for Apple to adopt it, but it won't ever take off since it doesn't supply power over the interface.
So you're saying that he somehow got his hands on a top secret computer but not a copy of OS X to run on it.
It may not be his machine but one that he has access to. Maybe he doesn't have 45 minutes to install the OS. If he did boot the machine, presumably you'd expect him to show the info panel but that also shows the serial numbers, which he may not know how to blur out in a video. The more he shows, the more ways he gives Apple to find out who he is. If he's only got a glossy screen, there's no way he can do this. This is really why Apple are going glossy and pushing mini-dp. The only Mini-dp compatible screens will be Apple's own glossy screens so anyone showing a leaked video will be rumbled as their reflection is plain to see.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kolchak
Do you really think the mini can handle 55 or 65w? Its tiny fan already whines like crazy if you keep the CPU pegged. The current power brick can't handle that, either. I don't think Apple is putting quad core processors in their low-end machine anytime soon.
You said the iMac before. The 24" iMac already handles 55W. I don't think they can put a quad in a Mini.
Quote:
Originally Posted by solipism
There was a story not to long ago stating that Apple was using such a setup, though some people (foolishly IMO) assumed it was for a revised Mac Mini and/or Apple-branded netbook.
It was supposed to be people at Nvidia who leaked this. They said Apple were using Ion for the Mini and people at AI had asked if it was for ATV and they seemed adamant it was for the Mini. I don't see how they could seriously reach that conclusion because for one thing, Apple would be significantly downgrading their spec and they never do this. Also, the price would have to be so low that it borders on being an ATV itself.
There will be an Nvidia Ion product launched at $299 in June. Apple would never leave the Mini launch until then nor would it be $299. That platform will be used for consumer items like the iphone and ATV as Jobs will get to introduce them.
I think the Mini update is coming tomorrow. If they are having a press event, it won't be until next week at least but if there are no enclosure redesigns and just a spec bump, it will happen without fanfare.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RGFrog
Where's something really useful like eSata with port multiplier support (or better yet two eSata ports)?
Where's something really useful like eSata with port multiplier support (or better yet two eSata ports)?
eSATA is a one trick pony... for the most part all it can do is connect to an external drive. Firewire and USB can do much more plus carry power. Including eSATA wouldn't remove the need for Firewire for many people based on the multitude of feedback seen in these forums.
actually, as this is just a stretched mac mini, it is 6.5 inches in each direction - so, it is very small, and would match current mac mini 3rd party add ons. the original cube was bigger then that (9.8 x 7.7 x 7.7in). also, the point i was making about the mac pro is, if i bought one there would still be 3 empty drive bays, likely 4 empty ram slots, and 3 empty pci card slots - thats a lot of extra space for nothing. whereas, this new mac cube would have no wasted space on expansion, because there would be none (maybe an extra drive bay!? ;-)
i am sure, given the space, they could make a nice mac; maybe just use full size memory, maybe a second drive, maybe internal power, maybe make room for another fan-less design due to massive space for great ram and processor heat sinks - who knows! apple excels at both engineering and industrial design - i am sure they would make this work given the extra 4.5in of height, and work without excessive noise! already i heard the current mini has a fan that runs too much. so, if there were suddenly about 3x more room, perhaps that extra space will improve heat dissipation. i believe!
Do you really think the mini can handle 55 or 65w? Its tiny fan already whines like crazy if you keep the CPU pegged. The current power brick can't handle that, either. I don't think Apple is putting quad core processors in their low-end machine anytime soon.
I don't think there is any rush for Apple to get a quad core chip into the mini. The whole point behind the mini is to use entry-grade technology to keep the product at a lower price point. It can work because the capabilities of that technology are substantive enough for the mini to be a useful product anyway. I think that if we see a mini that runs the 9400M GPU with a 2G DP processor out of Intel's mobile line, the machine will be more than enough computer for quite a few customers. It's not much of a leap for Apple to improve specs by upping the base memory to 2 gigs of faster RAM to go with the 9400 M and keep in mind that there will soon be a performance boost coming in the revised OS which is said to be a streamlined package able to take better advantage of multiple cores.
To me it's about how this plays out in absolute terms rather than looking at it in relative terms. By that I mean, if the mini so assembled proves to be a very solid machine able to handle pretty much everything the average consumer throws at it, does it really matter that there are faster systems out there? The mini is already a decent little computer (I'm on my second one) and the rumoured specs upgrades would collectively improve the machine's performance by a substantial amount, certainly very noticeable even for an average customer.
It's all about taking advantage of the advances manufacturers like Intel have made which allow levels of performance from inexpensive components that are comparable to state of the art performance not so long ago. All I ask of the next mini is that it allow me to edit HD video without a lot of anguish. If it's powerful enough to do that, it's powerful enough for me and, I would imagine, most potential customers. The days of having machines make spectacular strides every few months, accompanied by all manner of hype about how much more powerful the latest model is, are long past. The reason for this is that even the most modest computers today have the ability to handle the majority of tasks we throw at them. There is still a longing for the latest and greatest but the reality is that the technology has evolved to the point where it's becoming a minor issue. Today's computers, top to bottom, are that capable.
There was a time when Apple might have worried that making the mini too capable would eat into the sales of their Mac Pro products but that machine is evolving into a niche product anyway. These days the thing to do is opt for a laptop in place of a desktop system. Still, the pro desktop has it's market and the mini has its niche also. The truth is that for the vast majority of us, the expandability and power of the pro range is simply overkill and right now, with so much scary economic news circulating, overkill is something few of us can afford to indulge in.
Hopefully Apple will not, as has been suggested from time to time, pull the plug on the mini. It's a form factor that is ideal for quite a few of us and even just occasional spec upgrades will be enough to keep the machine from falling too far behind the needs of most customers. You don't get to brag to your friends about how spectacular your computer's specs are but you get your tasks done with little fuss. That's a good thing.
There was a time when Apple might have worried that making the mini too capable would eat into the sales of their Mac Pro products but that machine is evolving into a niche product anyway. These days the thing to do is opt for a laptop in place of a desktop system. Still, the pro desktop has it's market and the mini has its niche also. The truth is that for the vast majority of us, the expandability and power of the pro range is simply overkill and right now, with so much scary economic news circulating, overkill is something few of us can afford to indulge in.
I agree. The Mac Pro is already well-differentiated from the rest of Apple's line by using the Xeon, which contains many optimizations for high performance and high throughput computing. It is also a DP system and will likely have MP options once Intel releases the rest of the Nehalem-based Xeons. It's really aimed at people doing complex video compositing (AfterEffects, Shake), editing high resolution images (mostly scientific imaging) or scientific computing; in other words, a very exclusive set of users. I would say the upcoming mini is perfectly capable of handling Photoshop for the average designer.
Making the case all metal and perhaps sligtly bigger to increase heat dissapation would enable the use of much cheaper desktop CPUs. The Core2 5200 cost about 100 dollars and the corresponding mobile cpu 300 dollars. that is 200 dollars for 30W less heat output.
If they are sticking with Core 2 Duo in the iMac, that is just plain laughable if they are hitting the same price points. Core 2 Duo prices haven't dropped much at all since last time but they can't keep doing this.
Quick search for a PC tower shows you can get the Q8200 quad with 8GB Ram, 500GB HD, DVDRW, Geforce 9500GT w 1GB VRam for under £450. The iMac entry point is £700 usually.
I suspect that the Nvidia 9400M will be on the lowest end model. Perhaps that can bring the price down a bit.
There could be a chance the update will happen today. The silent Macbook refresh came and was reported on Wednesday the 21st January. Maybe Wednesday is the new Tuesday.
If the photo is genuine, then it's of a store sales notice meaning that the refresh should come within 24 hours. But it could of course just be a random printout.
It's baffling, honestly. Something is up their sleeve.
Sadly I don't think they have anything up their sleeve.
They have treated the mini like a cheap whore — trotted her out as an "affordable" Mac; ignored her when they went high-end with the aluminum iMac and the unibody MacBook Pros...
Comments
No, no, no, no, no, no.....
An Atom CPU would not be a great idea. Not even for an AppleTV would the Atom processor be a good idea.
The AppleTV would be a great place for Atom paired with Nvidia's Ion. The appliance currently has a special Intel 1GHz CPU and poor Intel graphics. By pairing an Atom with Nvidia the appliance could do much better graphics and reduce the cost by using the cheap, mass produced 1.6GHz Atom CPU. There was a story not to long ago stating that Apple was using such a setup, though some people (foolishly IMO) assumed it was for a revised Mac Mini and/or Apple-branded netbook.
Do you really think the mini can handle 55 or 65w? Its tiny fan already whines like crazy if you keep the CPU pegged. The current power brick can't handle that, either. I don't think Apple is putting quad core processors in their low-end machine anytime soon.
I think the Mac Mini will have the MB's main internals and the iMac will have dual-core in the lowest model and those new Intel quad-cores in the other models. This seems to be to pretty a simple guess based on Apple's track record with the Mini and Intel's assertion that the new quads are designed for AIOs.
I think the best evidence, actually, is the disappearing 20" monitor. It's going to come back with mDP adapters (the 30" will too as soon as they can source an LED backlight for it at a reasonable price). I would not be surprised at all if the 20" comes back in the mold of the 24" LED display, speakers and "docking station" and all—or you can use the display and speakers that came with your PC. Or, hey, here's the whole thing bundled into one nice little box. We call it the iMac.
The mini initially shipped needing a DVI-VGA adapter to connect to legacy PC monitors, so an mDP -> DVI (-> VGA) adapter would be nothing new. If anything, I'd guess that it allows the salespeople to talk about making the "new" standard talk to your "old" monitor, making it easier to talk them into an upsell. "And see, with this shiny new monitor you don't have all those wires and separate speakers and all that other clutter."
I don't see the Mac Pro getting an update until the 30" gets an update, or possibly vice versa. It might even be possible that they've already discontinued production of the 30" but it's a slow enough seller that they can still have it up in the store.
As for the Cube, I'm not sure what the reason would be to bring it back. Now, I bought one. It's still running. I love its geek-lusty little Star Trek design. But that's what it is. It's difficult to cool, so it doesn't really buy you very much in terms of internal expandability or advanced graphics capability. The "toaster" optical drive is cool when it works and an enormous pain in the ass when it doesn't--but if you lay it horizontal the way the mockup upthread has it, you lose the central convection column that the Cube relied on to stay cool.
If you want expandable graphics, the box has to be big enough to really do it right. If you don't want the size or bulk of a truly expandable box, there's really no reason to make it larger than a mini.
As for the Cube, I'm not sure what the reason would be to bring it back. Now, I bought one. It's still running. I love its geek-lusty little Star Trek design. But that's what it is. It's difficult to cool, so it doesn't really buy you very much in terms of internal expandability or advanced graphics capability. The "toaster" optical drive is cool when it works and an enormous pain in the ass when it doesn't--but if you lay it horizontal the way the mockup upthread has it, you lose the central convection column that the Cube relied on to stay cool.
If you want expandable graphics, the box has to be big enough to really do it right. If you don't want the size or bulk of a truly expandable box, there's really no reason to make it larger than a mini.
I don't think people expect a Cube, or a cube like desktop from Apple, to return as it was; a polycarbonate encased computer with no active cooling. It's just the idea of a middle of the road desktop between the mini and the Pro. Maybe something the size of the G4 cube isn't right. Maybe something along the lines of a Shuttle. But Apple style.
I don't think people expect a Cube, or a cube like desktop from Apple, to return as it was; a polycarbonate encased computer with no active cooling. It's just the idea of a middle of the road desktop between the mini and the Pro. Maybe something the size of the G4 cube isn't right. Maybe something along the lines of a Shuttle. But Apple style.
That's pretty much what I was saying: Either go for a Shuttle style case (although those have overheating and noise issues as well) or go full miniature. A cube shaped case is not a meaningful compromise between the two, however compelling it is as a design object.
Or, just look at the target markets. The only games that require bleeding-edge hardware don't run on the Mac anyway, and wouldn't even if the iMac shipped with some kind of firebreathing GPU. Fallout 3 runs fine on a P4 with an NVidia 9500; by the time an A-list game arrives on the Mac the hardware it runs on is going to be a year old anyway. So in terms of basic practicality there's no incentive to make the compromises necessary to offer the sort of options that PC gamers expect. The market isn't there. And what other profitable market is there for a shuttle style Mac?
There's the sales-oriented argument that you can convince the customer that they have all these options and possibilities down the road, even though at its price point the box has never actually been tested to see how well it handles the latest, hottest internal components. That strikes me as fraudulent. Why not engineer a machine designed for the way people actually do use their computers and sell it on its merits at the time of sale?
Where's something really useful like eSata with port multiplier support (or better yet two eSata ports)?
So, an extra USB port and a FW800 port.
Where's something really useful like eSata with port multiplier support (or better yet two eSata ports)?
Not going to happen. Apple will push FW over eSATA. eSATA would have to be hugely popular for Apple to adopt it, but it won't ever take off since it doesn't supply power over the interface.
So you're saying that he somehow got his hands on a top secret computer but not a copy of OS X to run on it.
It may not be his machine but one that he has access to. Maybe he doesn't have 45 minutes to install the OS. If he did boot the machine, presumably you'd expect him to show the info panel but that also shows the serial numbers, which he may not know how to blur out in a video. The more he shows, the more ways he gives Apple to find out who he is. If he's only got a glossy screen, there's no way he can do this. This is really why Apple are going glossy and pushing mini-dp. The only Mini-dp compatible screens will be Apple's own glossy screens so anyone showing a leaked video will be rumbled as their reflection is plain to see.
Do you really think the mini can handle 55 or 65w? Its tiny fan already whines like crazy if you keep the CPU pegged. The current power brick can't handle that, either. I don't think Apple is putting quad core processors in their low-end machine anytime soon.
You said the iMac before. The 24" iMac already handles 55W. I don't think they can put a quad in a Mini.
There was a story not to long ago stating that Apple was using such a setup, though some people (foolishly IMO) assumed it was for a revised Mac Mini and/or Apple-branded netbook.
It was supposed to be people at Nvidia who leaked this. They said Apple were using Ion for the Mini and people at AI had asked if it was for ATV and they seemed adamant it was for the Mini. I don't see how they could seriously reach that conclusion because for one thing, Apple would be significantly downgrading their spec and they never do this. Also, the price would have to be so low that it borders on being an ATV itself.
There will be an Nvidia Ion product launched at $299 in June. Apple would never leave the Mini launch until then nor would it be $299. That platform will be used for consumer items like the iphone and ATV as Jobs will get to introduce them.
I think the Mini update is coming tomorrow. If they are having a press event, it won't be until next week at least but if there are no enclosure redesigns and just a spec bump, it will happen without fanfare.
Where's something really useful like eSata with port multiplier support (or better yet two eSata ports)?
eSATA is too slow. FW800 can go up to 3.2GBps.
So, an extra USB port and a FW800 port.
Where's something really useful like eSata with port multiplier support (or better yet two eSata ports)?
eSATA is a one trick pony... for the most part all it can do is connect to an external drive. Firewire and USB can do much more plus carry power. Including eSATA wouldn't remove the need for Firewire for many people based on the multitude of feedback seen in these forums.
You said the iMac before. The 24" iMac already handles 55W. I don't think they can put a quad in a Mini.
You lumped them together in your post.
Given that possible iMac chips are being launched tomorrow:
<snip>
This means that both Mini and iMac refresh can appear on Tuesday. Unfortunately, the iMac may not see a redesign but you never know.
The cube was smaller than this overall
actually, as this is just a stretched mac mini, it is 6.5 inches in each direction - so, it is very small, and would match current mac mini 3rd party add ons. the original cube was bigger then that (9.8 x 7.7 x 7.7in). also, the point i was making about the mac pro is, if i bought one there would still be 3 empty drive bays, likely 4 empty ram slots, and 3 empty pci card slots - thats a lot of extra space for nothing. whereas, this new mac cube would have no wasted space on expansion, because there would be none (maybe an extra drive bay!? ;-)
i am sure, given the space, they could make a nice mac; maybe just use full size memory, maybe a second drive, maybe internal power, maybe make room for another fan-less design due to massive space for great ram and processor heat sinks - who knows! apple excels at both engineering and industrial design - i am sure they would make this work given the extra 4.5in of height, and work without excessive noise! already i heard the current mini has a fan that runs too much. so, if there were suddenly about 3x more room, perhaps that extra space will improve heat dissipation. i believe!
Do you really think the mini can handle 55 or 65w? Its tiny fan already whines like crazy if you keep the CPU pegged. The current power brick can't handle that, either. I don't think Apple is putting quad core processors in their low-end machine anytime soon.
I don't think there is any rush for Apple to get a quad core chip into the mini. The whole point behind the mini is to use entry-grade technology to keep the product at a lower price point. It can work because the capabilities of that technology are substantive enough for the mini to be a useful product anyway. I think that if we see a mini that runs the 9400M GPU with a 2G DP processor out of Intel's mobile line, the machine will be more than enough computer for quite a few customers. It's not much of a leap for Apple to improve specs by upping the base memory to 2 gigs of faster RAM to go with the 9400 M and keep in mind that there will soon be a performance boost coming in the revised OS which is said to be a streamlined package able to take better advantage of multiple cores.
To me it's about how this plays out in absolute terms rather than looking at it in relative terms. By that I mean, if the mini so assembled proves to be a very solid machine able to handle pretty much everything the average consumer throws at it, does it really matter that there are faster systems out there? The mini is already a decent little computer (I'm on my second one) and the rumoured specs upgrades would collectively improve the machine's performance by a substantial amount, certainly very noticeable even for an average customer.
It's all about taking advantage of the advances manufacturers like Intel have made which allow levels of performance from inexpensive components that are comparable to state of the art performance not so long ago. All I ask of the next mini is that it allow me to edit HD video without a lot of anguish. If it's powerful enough to do that, it's powerful enough for me and, I would imagine, most potential customers. The days of having machines make spectacular strides every few months, accompanied by all manner of hype about how much more powerful the latest model is, are long past. The reason for this is that even the most modest computers today have the ability to handle the majority of tasks we throw at them. There is still a longing for the latest and greatest but the reality is that the technology has evolved to the point where it's becoming a minor issue. Today's computers, top to bottom, are that capable.
There was a time when Apple might have worried that making the mini too capable would eat into the sales of their Mac Pro products but that machine is evolving into a niche product anyway. These days the thing to do is opt for a laptop in place of a desktop system. Still, the pro desktop has it's market and the mini has its niche also. The truth is that for the vast majority of us, the expandability and power of the pro range is simply overkill and right now, with so much scary economic news circulating, overkill is something few of us can afford to indulge in.
Hopefully Apple will not, as has been suggested from time to time, pull the plug on the mini. It's a form factor that is ideal for quite a few of us and even just occasional spec upgrades will be enough to keep the machine from falling too far behind the needs of most customers. You don't get to brag to your friends about how spectacular your computer's specs are but you get your tasks done with little fuss. That's a good thing.
There was a time when Apple might have worried that making the mini too capable would eat into the sales of their Mac Pro products but that machine is evolving into a niche product anyway. These days the thing to do is opt for a laptop in place of a desktop system. Still, the pro desktop has it's market and the mini has its niche also. The truth is that for the vast majority of us, the expandability and power of the pro range is simply overkill and right now, with so much scary economic news circulating, overkill is something few of us can afford to indulge in.
I agree. The Mac Pro is already well-differentiated from the rest of Apple's line by using the Xeon, which contains many optimizations for high performance and high throughput computing. It is also a DP system and will likely have MP options once Intel releases the rest of the Nehalem-based Xeons. It's really aimed at people doing complex video compositing (AfterEffects, Shake), editing high resolution images (mostly scientific imaging) or scientific computing; in other words, a very exclusive set of users. I would say the upcoming mini is perfectly capable of handling Photoshop for the average designer.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/24/a...packing-imacs/
If they are sticking with Core 2 Duo in the iMac, that is just plain laughable if they are hitting the same price points. Core 2 Duo prices haven't dropped much at all since last time but they can't keep doing this.
Quick search for a PC tower shows you can get the Q8200 quad with 8GB Ram, 500GB HD, DVDRW, Geforce 9500GT w 1GB VRam for under £450. The iMac entry point is £700 usually.
I suspect that the Nvidia 9400M will be on the lowest end model. Perhaps that can bring the price down a bit.
There could be a chance the update will happen today. The silent Macbook refresh came and was reported on Wednesday the 21st January. Maybe Wednesday is the new Tuesday.
If the photo is genuine, then it's of a store sales notice meaning that the refresh should come within 24 hours. But it could of course just be a random printout.
At this point I'm so sick of waiting for a new mini I'd take a hamster powered mini.
I know how you feel.
The tardiness of the new Mac mini on Apple's part is beyond pathetic
It's baffling, honestly. Something is up their sleeve.
It's baffling, honestly. Something is up their sleeve.
Sadly I don't think they have anything up their sleeve.
They have treated the mini like a cheap whore — trotted her out as an "affordable" Mac; ignored her when they went high-end with the aluminum iMac and the unibody MacBook Pros...