I hope they improve it and don't discontinue it. The mac mini was the first mac I owned long term and essentially switched me. I borrowed a friends ibook and loved it, made me want a mac. Then I bought a 20" imac g5 but money got tight for a short period and I had to sell it. Then I got my mini and even though I have a mbp now I still use it all the time, I love that thing and it's the only computer I'd never sell. In a few weeks it'll begin a life on whichever HDTV I get as a web surfer, download slave, and in general relaxo mac.
Apple my advice? When the macbook pro is updated, shove the baseline old ones innards into the mini. I'm talking core 2 duo 2ghz, x1600 128mbs, 1 gig(2 max) ram. At the current high end mini's price. That'd be worth it to a lot of people. You already have the components so you'd save money, and since the imac and mbp will no doubt be way past that in power by then you shouldn't be stepping on anyone's toes.
Make it:
799
2ghz core 2 duo
1gb ram (max 2)
120gb hd (bto up to 250gb)
ati x1600 128mb
I'd buy a new one in a heartbeat if it was like that.
Word! I'm a PC user and purchased a MMini to see if all the OSX jazz was justified. Mmm, not so much -- however my MMini is a great little Media box for my bedroom. It has a very high wifey approval factor combined with the 32" lcd in our room. Ripping movies & tv shows on DVD w/ Handbrake for later viewing in FrontRow has been great. In that way I've found it superior to my other PCs.
Not so excited about the AppleTV. I'm really happy with the combo Ripper/dvr/media player functionality I've got in the MMini. If I'd bought an ATV with its playback-only functionality -- I'da prolly eBay'd it by now... The X360 downstairs already does that just fine...
Quote:
Originally Posted by henrikmk
Actually probably just about any PC users, who won't pay for an iMac and don't want their monitor replaced. I fitted the profile about perfectly and several of my PC owning friends want one too. I'm also planning to buy more of them for work purposes (need more low-cost OSX machines for testing purposes), so I hope it's not true. The price point is really critical.
It's interesting to note that AI is reporting that 1) the mac mini is going away and 2) that the 17" iMac is going away. It looks like they're clearing out room for a new product.
If those rumors become reality then it sure looks that way to me as well. Still it makes me nervous, especially because there isn't any rumors of a machine to take the place of the mini and 17" iMac.
I have an Intel Core Duo Mac Mini, and it rocks. Needed a desktop, but did not want a big loud box, and I already had a nice monitor (and keyboard and mouse), so I bought a refurb unit from Apple. It's been an awesome machine. Very small footprint, and most importantly for me, it is very quiet. But hey, I had a 12" Powerbook, too, so what do I know?
Make it big enough to use a 3.5" drive, have an internal power supply, and be reasonably easy to upgrade RAM/HDD, and that's all the tweaking to the basic form factor I need/want.
replace the mini with a mid tower with desktop parts and pci-e slot maybe even put on board video in it so apple can sell a low end one with out a video card but keep the slots to add one.
Don't be shy! When you post, tell us what you really think!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Coolie
I will be the first to dance on the Mac Mini's grave, if/when it dies. As far as I'm concerned, it was the biggest rip-off in Apple's fleet of computers.
Consider this:
Mac minis were always underpowered when compared against competitor's PCs, and you always got less for the money. At any time, you can go on Dell or HP, and get a more powerful computer than Mac Mini, which INCLUDES a monitor (even if it's crap), and essentials like, I dunno, A MOUSE AND KEYBOARD??
Mac Mini is ridiculous. The highest end model is a pathetic Core Duo 1.8 Ghz, with 512gb RAM, and an 80gb HDD? How do those parts add up to a 799 dollar price tag? Were they charging for the form factor? A comparable 799 dollar PC comes with a bare minimum 1 gig of ram, a 160 gig hard disk, and a much faster CPU.
Apple should let Mac Mini die, or at least price it more responsibly. Or better yet, offer a headless mid-range desktop. iMacs are great, but I want my own choice of monitor. If they stick with the Mac Mini, they should make it more powerful (at least iMac amount of power), and give me a fairer price. I can stomach 799 if it's a Core 2 Duo, plenty of RAM, and a bare minimum 250 gig hard disk. Especially since no monitors or other peripherals are involved.
I haven't read posts on this so I apoligize if what I said has already been said.
In my opinion, the mac mini should have come with a decidated graphics card (in fact, why can't Apple offer different memory options on it's computers that come with graphics cards? I hate the fact that we have to get (in most cases) what Apple offers).
The price was also too high. It should have been more like $400.00 to $500.00 with the option to choose between several different graphics cards. I would have bought one if this was the case.
I'm skeptical of this 'source.' The Mac mini is a pretty popular machine, lack of updates aside. I think the lack of updates is more related to the fact that its primary user base is not that focused on the capabilities of the machine.
If apple does discontinue the line, it's a good bet that they have something waiting to replace it.
If Apple is to seduce the Windows user, then the Mac Mini is definately not the best way to do so. Neither is AppleTV. Hardware is not gonna be the answer.
It's time for .mac to raise its game! This highly neglected and overpriced internet tool should come for free, open to all windows users and with all the features to be a worthy alternative to Facebook and the likes. There's no better way to give people a flavour of the Tiger/Leopard user experience.
Your .mac friends will be changing their contact details themselves, updating your Addressbook and iPhone automatically!!
Wake up Apple! You were late with Safari, now you are being late with the Web 2.0 experience
"Hell is God's way of ensuring his children aren't burdened with truly brilliant unknowns"
-God
We're not equating homosexuality with hell, now are we? 'Cuz Jerry Falwell used to do that a lot, and I'm sure that wherever he is now, God's laying the smack down on him for being a hateful dumbass on that one. \
I was able to switch three families from PCs to Macs by taking them to Apple stores and pointing out the Mac Mini.
Ditto. In addition I switched one company from Windows 2003 Small Business Server to Mac OS X Server running on a Mac Mini. They even bought a second Mac Mini to run Parallels.
These machines are small and silent. Perfect for home and office. PLEEEEEEEEASE don't kill them!!!
The Mac Mini is an incredibly versatile machine. Ih an external firewire drive as a server for about 2 years now. It has been a solid dependable machine. It's small size makes it easy to hide (perfect as a server). I use it to store the family music and photo collections.
As Laptops become dominant there is an increasing role for a home server. This is a market Microsoft has recognized and is targeting. Having a machine as a central shared device for the family is really useful, especially when storage space on laptops continues to be an issue. The AppleTV is not this central shared device. It is a semi-dumb peripheral. That makes sense in Apples Digital media strategy. However, I contend that their is an emerging role for a home server that can store our digital lifestyle artifacts and allow them to be shared amongst household members.
Come on Apple, keep the Mini and beef up this shared capability. AppleTV provides a great digital media peripheral that allows you to liberate your media to the big screen. Now let's see some developments to allow the centralization and sharing of shared albums.
I want features in iTunes and iPhoto that allow me to seamlessly break my library in to multiple locations. ie. Have a core of music on my laptop, have a mush larger family library on a shared machine and be able to sync them both seamlessly to my iPod. This is doable now with some behind the scenes file sharing but Apple could do a much better job if they set their minds to the challenge.
You know there's this wonderful technology called Networked Attached Storage, the Airport Extreme comes with exactly that.
But if you have a Mini doing exactly this already, just continue to use it, and if you don't have a Mini to do this, then pick one up before it's dropped.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Catman4d2
big mistake,this was the best media center ever... now you would have to buy a pro mac and or something else to serve or stream your dvds to the living room. through apple tv that sucks!
or rip them, who has time for that i DONT,great now i am going to have to be some crappy PC for the living room. PHUK!!!!!!!
with a mac mini it was easy and cheap,bad move apple!
lets start a petition!!!!!!
Read above.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian Green
Perhaps someone would be so kind as to provide sales figures for the Mini in relation to the other macs. Let's see just how bad the figures are.
The death of the Mini means Steve 0 for 2 on a cube/square design. At least his glass cube store worked out for him.
I think the Mini and the 17" iMac are the worst selling... I can't remember though. If you're interested try looking on Amazon.
I've used a number of minis over the last few years as web and file servers. They're really convenient because they're completely silent and take up to no floor space.
I think the Mini and the 17" iMac are the worst selling... I can't remember though. If you're interested try looking on Amazon.
Over at Amazon, among the iMacs, the 17" Super Drive model seems to be doing well, the combo drive model not so much.
It appears to go:
20" iMac (best-selling of the iMacs, and in the Top 10 at Amazon)
17" iMac Superdrive (doing well, in Top 20)
24" iMac (doing not so well, out of the Top 100)
17" iMac Combo drive (worst-selling of the iMacs)
That's just among the iMacs that were offering rebates.
Surprisingly, (or perhaps not so) the $599 Mac Mini appears to be selling quite WELL over at Amazon, and is #15 as of this writing, ahead of all the iMacs except the 20".
The $799 Mac Mini is doing less well, but is still in the Top 50. Perhaps the Mac Mini is not quite the sales 'dud' that some folks think it is? \
Of course, the MacBooks and MacBook Pros dominate the Amazon Top 10, but even so, the Mac Mini appears to be more than holding its own.
1.) Contrary to most people who've commented on it, I loved the article. Yes, when I saw the headline, I thought it was actual "news", but a quick check of Apple's site indicated that it wasn't. I enjoyed reading it.
2.) I really, really, really hope that the article is right; with the caveat that only if the Mini is then replaced with the fabled mini/micro-tower xMac: Desktop CPU, desktop RAM, two PCIe slots, two HDD bays, one optical drive bay. The motherboard can have integrated graphics on it to keep the entry-level price down.
Putting a laptop sized hard drive in the mini was the biggest mistake. This limited its overall storage capacity. If you want external storage though, why buy a mini when you can buy an external hard drive (network drive or hook it up to AirPort extreme) with tripple the capacity for half the price? The mini was never an attractive computer except given that the iMac represented a better value package. If you wanted to buy a 20" or 23" display, it was really too underpowered to drive it well given the crappy video.
WHEN WILL APPLE LEARN THEY NEED A SUB MAC PRO!!! Half the size and storage/ram capability, a good single or dual core 2 duo with a decent video card. People have been demanding this for ages! C'mon Apple. Who cares if it hurts Mac Pro and iMac sales if you sell a ton of these!!!
Comments
I cannot take another mid size tower rumor. Please God, make it stop.
God can't make it stop, only The Steve can.
Apple my advice? When the macbook pro is updated, shove the baseline old ones innards into the mini. I'm talking core 2 duo 2ghz, x1600 128mbs, 1 gig(2 max) ram. At the current high end mini's price. That'd be worth it to a lot of people. You already have the components so you'd save money, and since the imac and mbp will no doubt be way past that in power by then you shouldn't be stepping on anyone's toes.
Make it:
799
2ghz core 2 duo
1gb ram (max 2)
120gb hd (bto up to 250gb)
ati x1600 128mb
I'd buy a new one in a heartbeat if it was like that.
Not so excited about the AppleTV. I'm really happy with the combo Ripper/dvr/media player functionality I've got in the MMini. If I'd bought an ATV with its playback-only functionality -- I'da prolly eBay'd it by now... The X360 downstairs already does that just fine...
Actually probably just about any PC users, who won't pay for an iMac and don't want their monitor replaced. I fitted the profile about perfectly and several of my PC owning friends want one too. I'm also planning to buy more of them for work purposes (need more low-cost OSX machines for testing purposes), so I hope it's not true. The price point is really critical.
It's interesting to note that AI is reporting that 1) the mac mini is going away and 2) that the 17" iMac is going away. It looks like they're clearing out room for a new product.
If those rumors become reality then it sure looks that way to me as well. Still it makes me nervous, especially because there isn't any rumors of a machine to take the place of the mini and 17" iMac.
2.4GHz C2D
4GB Ram
GeForce 8400GT 512MB(Or whatever newer GPU)
200GB 5400rpm 2.5in HDD
This of course is the high end BTO Maxed out.. but still... Its a MBP without the Screen.
Then of course make the iMac with a 2.4Ghz Quad Core Etc, and Add the Screen to distinguish them apart.
I will be the first to dance on the Mac Mini's grave, if/when it dies. As far as I'm concerned, it was the biggest rip-off in Apple's fleet of computers.
Consider this:
Mac minis were always underpowered when compared against competitor's PCs, and you always got less for the money. At any time, you can go on Dell or HP, and get a more powerful computer than Mac Mini, which INCLUDES a monitor (even if it's crap), and essentials like, I dunno, A MOUSE AND KEYBOARD??
Mac Mini is ridiculous. The highest end model is a pathetic Core Duo 1.8 Ghz, with 512gb RAM, and an 80gb HDD? How do those parts add up to a 799 dollar price tag? Were they charging for the form factor? A comparable 799 dollar PC comes with a bare minimum 1 gig of ram, a 160 gig hard disk, and a much faster CPU.
Apple should let Mac Mini die, or at least price it more responsibly. Or better yet, offer a headless mid-range desktop. iMacs are great, but I want my own choice of monitor. If they stick with the Mac Mini, they should make it more powerful (at least iMac amount of power), and give me a fairer price. I can stomach 799 if it's a Core 2 Duo, plenty of RAM, and a bare minimum 250 gig hard disk. Especially since no monitors or other peripherals are involved.
In my opinion, the mac mini should have come with a decidated graphics card (in fact, why can't Apple offer different memory options on it's computers that come with graphics cards? I hate the fact that we have to get (in most cases) what Apple offers).
The price was also too high. It should have been more like $400.00 to $500.00 with the option to choose between several different graphics cards. I would have bought one if this was the case.
If apple does discontinue the line, it's a good bet that they have something waiting to replace it.
It's time for .mac to raise its game! This highly neglected and overpriced internet tool should come for free, open to all windows users and with all the features to be a worthy alternative to Facebook and the likes. There's no better way to give people a flavour of the Tiger/Leopard user experience.
Your .mac friends will be changing their contact details themselves, updating your Addressbook and iPhone automatically!!
Wake up Apple! You were late with Safari, now you are being late with the Web 2.0 experience
Originally Posted by cwinnipeg View Post
"Homosexuality is gods way of ensuring the
truly brilliant arent burdened with children"
-Unknown Brilliant individual
"Hell is God's way of ensuring his children aren't burdened with truly brilliant unknowns"
-God
We're not equating homosexuality with hell, now are we? 'Cuz Jerry Falwell used to do that a lot, and I'm sure that wherever he is now, God's laying the smack down on him for being a hateful dumbass on that one.
.
I was able to switch three families from PCs to Macs by taking them to Apple stores and pointing out the Mac Mini.
Ditto. In addition I switched one company from Windows 2003 Small Business Server to Mac OS X Server running on a Mac Mini. They even bought a second Mac Mini to run Parallels.
These machines are small and silent. Perfect for home and office. PLEEEEEEEEASE don't kill them!!!
I cannot take another mid size tower rumor. Please God, make it stop.
It will never stop. Muhahahaha.
.
The Mac Mini is an incredibly versatile machine. Ih an external firewire drive as a server for about 2 years now. It has been a solid dependable machine. It's small size makes it easy to hide (perfect as a server). I use it to store the family music and photo collections.
As Laptops become dominant there is an increasing role for a home server. This is a market Microsoft has recognized and is targeting. Having a machine as a central shared device for the family is really useful, especially when storage space on laptops continues to be an issue. The AppleTV is not this central shared device. It is a semi-dumb peripheral. That makes sense in Apples Digital media strategy. However, I contend that their is an emerging role for a home server that can store our digital lifestyle artifacts and allow them to be shared amongst household members.
Come on Apple, keep the Mini and beef up this shared capability. AppleTV provides a great digital media peripheral that allows you to liberate your media to the big screen. Now let's see some developments to allow the centralization and sharing of shared albums.
I want features in iTunes and iPhoto that allow me to seamlessly break my library in to multiple locations. ie. Have a core of music on my laptop, have a mush larger family library on a shared machine and be able to sync them both seamlessly to my iPod. This is doable now with some behind the scenes file sharing but Apple could do a much better job if they set their minds to the challenge.
You know there's this wonderful technology called Networked Attached Storage, the Airport Extreme comes with exactly that.
But if you have a Mini doing exactly this already, just continue to use it, and if you don't have a Mini to do this, then pick one up before it's dropped.
big mistake,this was the best media center ever... now you would have to buy a pro mac and or something else to serve or stream your dvds to the living room. through apple tv that sucks!
or rip them, who has time for that i DONT,great now i am going to have to be some crappy PC for the living room. PHUK!!!!!!!
with a mac mini it was easy and cheap,bad move apple!
lets start a petition!!!!!!
Read above.
Perhaps someone would be so kind as to provide sales figures for the Mini in relation to the other macs. Let's see just how bad the figures are.
The death of the Mini means Steve 0 for 2 on a cube/square design. At least his glass cube store worked out for him.
I think the Mini and the 17" iMac are the worst selling... I can't remember though. If you're interested try looking on Amazon.
Sebastian
I've used a number of minis over the last few years as web and file servers. They're really convenient because they're completely silent and take up to no floor space.
Bummer.
I think the Mini and the 17" iMac are the worst selling... I can't remember though. If you're interested try looking on Amazon.
Over at Amazon, among the iMacs, the 17" Super Drive model seems to be doing well, the combo drive model not so much.
It appears to go:
20" iMac (best-selling of the iMacs, and in the Top 10 at Amazon)
17" iMac Superdrive (doing well, in Top 20)
24" iMac (doing not so well, out of the Top 100)
17" iMac Combo drive (worst-selling of the iMacs)
That's just among the iMacs that were offering rebates.
Surprisingly, (or perhaps not so) the $599 Mac Mini appears to be selling quite WELL over at Amazon, and is #15 as of this writing, ahead of all the iMacs except the 20".
The $799 Mac Mini is doing less well, but is still in the Top 50. Perhaps the Mac Mini is not quite the sales 'dud' that some folks think it is?
Of course, the MacBooks and MacBook Pros dominate the Amazon Top 10, but even so, the Mac Mini appears to be more than holding its own.
.
1.) Contrary to most people who've commented on it, I loved the article. Yes, when I saw the headline, I thought it was actual "news", but a quick check of Apple's site indicated that it wasn't. I enjoyed reading it.
2.) I really, really, really hope that the article is right; with the caveat that only if the Mini is then replaced with the fabled mini/micro-tower xMac: Desktop CPU, desktop RAM, two PCIe slots, two HDD bays, one optical drive bay. The motherboard can have integrated graphics on it to keep the entry-level price down.
3.) it's == it is; its == belonging to it.
WHEN WILL APPLE LEARN THEY NEED A SUB MAC PRO!!! Half the size and storage/ram capability, a good single or dual core 2 duo with a decent video card. People have been demanding this for ages! C'mon Apple. Who cares if it hurts Mac Pro and iMac sales if you sell a ton of these!!!