Closing the book on Apple's Mac mini

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  • Reply 121 of 575
    s.metcalfs.metcalf Posts: 972member
    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 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 (removeable) 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!!![/QUOTE]
  • Reply 122 of 575
    s.metcalfs.metcalf Posts: 972member
    sorry for double post
  • Reply 123 of 575
    tbagginstbaggins Posts: 2,306member
    And in added hilarity, about 10 minutes after I listed how Mac Minis and iMacs were selling over at Amazon, the $599 Mac Mini jumped up to #13.



    Are people making a run on these or something? I didn't think an AI rumor could be quite that influential. \



    .
  • Reply 124 of 575
    benroethigbenroethig Posts: 2,782member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by s.metcalf View Post


    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 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 (removeable) 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!!!



    [/QUOTE]



    In there defense, at the time 2.5 and 3.5 inch hard drives offered similar capacities in the low end. Over the two and a half year reign of the mini 3.5 inch drives have gotten larger and cheaper. The notebook drives have remained almost stagnant.
  • Reply 125 of 575
    tbagginstbaggins Posts: 2,306member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TBaggins View Post


    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.



    .



    PS- Above sales rankings are as of this writing, and obviously can be volatile. So don't whine if they change.



    .
  • Reply 126 of 575
    wilcowilco Posts: 985member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by pairof9s View Post


    I think you have a gross misunderstanding of God. Always it seems your type take the figurative to be literal. If you believe, you receive; if you don't, you won't. It's as simple as it needs to be.



    (FYI...I no longer see this as a needed thread on this excellent forum. Should not have started this, so I'll respond no more. God bless you.)



    Isn't there an AIDS-related funeral somewhere that you could be protesting?



    If you were smart, you'd be praying that there's not an actual heaven and hell -- or you're going to have to start investing in some summer outfits.



    Um, Mods? Are you too busy not proofreading the articles to shit-can this guy?
  • Reply 127 of 575
    slewisslewis Posts: 2,081member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by stonefree View Post


    I wonder if Apple really even cares about market share anymore. Maybe this move (if true) , along with the delay of Leopard because of the iPhone, is reflective of them dropping "Computer" from their name.



    So why is it you're making a bigger deal out of this than it is? They care about market share, but that won't stop them from entering other markets in the consumer electronics world (of which Computers is a subset of Consumer Electronics) and Leopard was delayed on a moment's notice because of a software problem with the iPhone, that also uses OS X. Granted that Mac sales will do just fine without Leopard (there is always a large group of people waiting for some refresh or another anyways) and Leopard will be a rather inexpensive upgrade at just $129, and one that will be worth it.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MacGregor View Post


    Whether any new device takes the place of the Mini, it is pretty obvious that the key will be to slowly wean music and video away from the computer.



    As much as a Mac with iTunes is great at organizing things smartly and keeping a leash on content, we all know that content will increasingly be available on phones and mobile devices and setboxes that do not require a Mac or a Windows pc.



    Verizon has set their future on competing for content by just using a phone. That has major disadvantages, but those will fade over time as wifi enlargens and phones get smarter.



    aTV, if it is to "replace" the Mini, will need to become more than just a really expensive wireless holding cell for content. It needs to access the web and deal with DRM (for awhile anyway) and run more independent of the Mac itself, or it will be leapfrogged. This is a few years away, but my point is that the Mini can help with that transition for some years to come.



    Not so fast. This is merely one fork in the road and definitely not one that has been reached yet. There are 2 ways that I see it going, there is the way you just described, having different data on devices that are relevant to them, music on Digital Audio players, Video in media centers, contacts on phones, etc.



    The one that I happen to favorite is using the computer as a central database where everything comes back to the computer. Your phone just break? Buy another, sync it, and be done. Time to upgrade your media center? Buy another, sync it, and be done. Alternatively, it could be a central server that you sync to, perhaps one located right at home.



    But like I said, it's a fork in the road that hasn't been crossed yet. Apple seems to favor the second option though



    Sebastian
  • Reply 128 of 575
    palegolaspalegolas Posts: 1,361member
    A slightly bigger mini with exchangable graphics card would be better. For home gamers. It would sell.



    PowerBook 12 is the BEST and most portable Mac so far. I think Apple originally was going to introduce the MacBook Thin sooner to replace the 12. They probably ran into problems in the development, or was going to introduce it with Leopard or something. It would be a strange move to introduce one or two revisions of a MacBook Pro 12" and then introduce MacBook Thin. That's why they didn't.
  • Reply 129 of 575
    tkntkn Posts: 224member
    They have to replace it with something. I really can't believe they are killing it entirely. I was about to buy 2 of them, because the AppleTV is such a limited piece of overpriced junk.
  • Reply 130 of 575
    slewisslewis Posts: 2,081member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by a_greer View Post


    Here is what I dont get: sure it is annoing, but that crapware subsidises the cost of the PC...what is so damnd hard about going into add/remove programs and deleteing everything on the first boot up? Then just install what you want and defrag and you are golden...



    Now-a-days it is a lot cheaper to do that than even to build.



    Ooh sounds like a blast. Instead of working out of the box like a computer should anyways, you get to have loads and loads of fun getting rid of junk that should not be there to begin with. If I walk over to a Sony Vaio in CompUSA there's usually 3 columns of Icons on the desktop. You could have party with that.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by backtomac View Post


    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.



    Fear Ze Rumors!!



    Sadly it's probably less fiction than fact. RIP Mr. Mac Mini.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mr O View Post


    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



    1 2.0) Drop 2.0 The 2.0 Buzzwords 2.0 before 2.0 I 2.0 Send 2.0 You 2.0 A 2.0 Dell 2.0 With 2.0 Crapware 2.0.



    2 2.0) Yes they need to do more with .Mac, but free isn't in the cards.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TBaggins View Post


    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.



    .



    Sheesh, and they want to drop the 17" and probably the Minis? Now I am confused. The Mac Mini is clearly selling well if Amazon is any indicator, so why drop it? Hell, why not update it? Yes I'm one of those people who thought it was a sales dud.



    Oh and a couple more things: They should just get it over with and release that damned Mid tower. As much as I despise the things and wouldn't want one associated with Apple, if they continue to ignore "Niche" markets as they are called, well those niche markets can still add up to several million people that they are just outright ignoring altogether.



    Sebastian
  • Reply 131 of 575
    slewisslewis Posts: 2,081member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TBaggins View Post


    And in added hilarity, about 10 minutes after I listed how Mac Minis and iMacs were selling over at Amazon, the $599 Mac Mini jumped up to #13.



    Are people making a run on these or something? I didn't think an AI rumor could be quite that influential. \



    .



    Apple Insider is now one of the most trafficked Apple Rumor sites as far as I can tell. It probably has something to do with the spike in accuracy lately, AI for the most part has been dead on with news. You hear that? It's the sound of NDAs being broken.



    Sebastian
  • Reply 132 of 575
    gregalexandergregalexander Posts: 1,400member
    It's dangerous, of course, to compare "the current product lineup" against "the current product lineup minus Mac Mini". We need to compare it against "the future product lineup" of which we know little about!



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by iconsumer View Post


    maybe apple should merge the mac mini with the apple tv instead ?



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by danielchow View Post


    only the product name is dead. i think it has simply evolved into something else. that is, it's now Apple TV.



    I would be very surprised if Apple wasn't looking at how people use Mac Mini's as media centres, and planning a high end AppleTV with exactly those extra features - ie: AppleTV + regular OSX + DVD drive etc.



    So for anyone worried they wouldn't be able to use a Mac Mini on their TV anymore... I wouldn't worry about the future.



    However - people use the Mac Mini elsewhere - eg: some people mention servers...



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Slewis View Post


    You know there's this wonderful technology called Networked Attached Storage, the Airport Extreme comes with exactly that.



    I agree. An Airport Extreme with a huge hard disk could function as a server. I _think_ I read that the Airport Extreme could even allow for shared username management on the network (anyone know?). If it doesn't yet, it could.



    So anyone using MacMini's as servers should be safe even if the MacMini disappears.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Buck View Post


    I have about 40 machines working in the enterprise. Not one of them has ever failed, but that's besides the point. And the point is that they are affordable for the enterprise, even more so when they used to have G4s in them. That was the key point for replacing the PCs. I doubt the management would go for expensive iMacs and it doesn't make sense from their perspective since they want just a computer, not a monitor



    If the Mac Mini goes - this is a problem! I was considering swapping a dual 867Mhz G4 for a MacMini... that possibility goes away. Of course, an iMac will do the job and I can still use our professional monitor (PLUS the iMac monitor)... but the lowend Mac in a traditional role is what would be lost if the mac mini disappears.



    I suppose a future high end AppleTV might also do the same... but I'll need VGA support.



    Anyway...



    I actually think the MacMini does more for Apple just by getting people to consider a Mac. How many people look at the MacMini, when they wouldn't have otherwise looked... and then buy instead the iMac or something else?
  • Reply 133 of 575
    gregalexandergregalexander Posts: 1,400member
    At the risk of deluding myself...



    I still believe that Apple is going to make an unexpected move at WWDC. It may be that they need to be in control of the computer & screen for their new system to work.



    As an example... if they have created a touch interface and a new method of interaction with 10.5 - they'd want to announce new iMacs, MBPs, Cinema displays (& MBs). Publicity would want to focus on this different new interface... on all Macs... and the Mac Mini wouldn't fit the new paradigm (99.9% of Mac Mini users aren't going to buy an Apple Cinema Display).



    Just a thought.
  • Reply 134 of 575
    groakesgroakes Posts: 53member
    Personally, I would like something in the Mini's form factor as a home server unit. Media server, mail server, file and print with some stackable fw attached disk and running a cutdown version of OS X server and something like VNC to control it without having to worry about kvm. And maybe some home portal software (iZope anyone?) that integrates with rest of iLife so you can put all your stuff up on a home intranet.



    Gates is talking about home servers so the meme is out there....
  • Reply 135 of 575
    19841984 Posts: 955member
    I'd like to see the Cube return in some form. Of course it could be smaller, say 6.5x6.5 and aluminum with ports on the back not the bottom. Plenty of room for a desktop size hard drive too. They can pack in a lot more now than they could back then.
  • Reply 136 of 575
    aisiaisi Posts: 134member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TBaggins View Post


    Perhaps the Mac Mini is not quite the sales 'dud' that some folks think it is? \



    When the Mac mini was introduced in January 2005 it was quite successful but cannibalized iMac sales and the Mac average selling price slipped from $1,500 to $1,300. People actually liked the low cost Mac. Oh, the horror! Peter Oppenheimer announced in April that Apple would stop reporting CPU sales by product family.



    According to Piper Jaffray's product sales analysis, Mac mini sales started to collapse in 2006. In the meantime, iMac sales went up and notebook sales almost doubled. Since then, Mac mini sales are allegedly well under 100,000 units per quarter, if true it's a complete and utter dud.



    The price went slightly up during the Intel transition, yet the Mac mini is rarely updated, as the now defunct eMac. In my opinion Apple wants to sell iMacs and notebooks, not a low cost Mac. Put aside your feelings and try to think like Apple's Chief Financial Officer and all of a sudden the Mac mini is a liability. The MacBook is already under Apple's typical average selling price and selling like crazy, Apple doesn't need a sub-$800 product. They need the opposite, the 24-inch iMac or a ultra thin scantily clad notebook (selling for +$1,500), to maintain the ASP and increase revenue, margins and profits.



    It's kinda sad, though. Mac mini owners like them, it's so small and silent. But Apple never really pushed the mini, they held it back.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by michaelprovence View Post


    How can apple gain some market share without affordable computer ?? This is impossible and i am worried that apple in the future will focus on ipod, iphone and mac TV and no more on computers ??



    It's not all about market share, Apple must increase the Mac revenue too, and the Mac mini didn't help. Besides, Apple is already gaining market share, the Mac is outgrowing the PC market.
  • Reply 137 of 575
    jadonjadon Posts: 1member
    The more I learn about Apple, the less I like. I converted to a Mac in 2005 thanks to the Mini. At the time, I ran a Windows box and a Linux box. Because the Mac ran OS X, I could run most of the Unix apps I was running on Linux and have a nice GUI for running Microsoft Word and web browsing on a really small and quiet box.



    The Apple TV is no substitute for a Mini. I just can't go back to another loud, bulky PC. I have a nice LCD monitor, so why would I want to blow a mint for a iMac? I'm only waiting around for the next version of OS X before I buy another Mini to replace my G5 with an Intel. If Apple leaves me without an update version of the Mini, I suppose I'll just survive with my G5 Mini until someone finally makes a reasonably quiet and small PC.
  • Reply 138 of 575
    lakingsfnlakingsfn Posts: 141member
    Well, Apple killed the iPod Mini which was the best selling iPod of all time when they did so. As sad as I would be to see the Mac Mini killed it probably makes sense because the 17" iMac for example is very competitively priced. Apple also is set to introduce new items at WWDC, one of which wouldn't surprise me a bit to be a redesigned iMac. I definitely will be holding on to my Mac Mini even if I stop using it and get something new.
  • Reply 139 of 575
    anantksundaramanantksundaram Posts: 20,403member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by wilco View Post


    Um, Mods? Are you too busy not proofreading the articles to shit-can this guy?



    Wow, another "can this guy" post.



    It is perhaps a legitimate request. But.........



    I am amazed at how often this seems to be requested/demanded on AI (and wilco, you surely recall that you were once a victim of a similar sentiment for your -- I am paraphrasing -- zune/brown/poo posts.)



    This, from citizens in a voluntarily membered medium, dealing an industry that is all about communication, in a country that enshrines the concept of free speech!



    Pathetic. If the "mods" agree to this sort of thing, "speech" will sound like one hand clapping.
  • Reply 140 of 575
    iqatedoiqatedo Posts: 1,822member
    I haven't read all posts on this and so, please forgive me if this has come up.



    There seems to be two distinct schools of thought on this subject. One encompasses those who either own or have used a mini. They speak highly in its praise. The other, those who have not and who seem ambivalent to its future. I haven't owned or used one, however it also seems that some very innovative and interesting applications have been found for them. Apple users are not just desk jockies (no offence meant to those who are of course, variety is the spice of life), we are scientists, engineers, artists, artisans and so on. In these fields, the mini has so much potential.



    I have an application coming up in which only a Mac Mini format makes sense, I do not need a keyboard, mouse, monitor or optical drive and only a small HD if I can manage the system remotely however and so, perhaps I should be looking at the TV more closely. What I would like to know is, now that it has been claimed that a (full) version of OS X has been booted on the TV, is this a more capable way of accessing the same functionality as the mini? I do need a serial port through USB.



    All the best.
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