You will have to wait for the cable co to get tur2way or OCAP up and running and also apple will be forced to let the cable co load and run there own software on the apple tv box and I don't know if apple will like that.
I think there's been a strong consensus here that a 6.5" x 6.5" footprint is not large enough for a computer that uses a 3.5" HDD even if there are drive enclosures of that size. My personal view is that stacking a Time Capsule on top of a mini is more useful than putting an Airport Base Station on top. That takes care of your need for a stackable drive and WiFi router in one stroke.
Also, I don't recall people saying that a 6.5" x 6.5" computer is fine while a 7.7" x 7.7" computer is "too big".
I'd have no problem with 7.7" x 7.7" except for all the accessories that are already sized for the current mini footprint. But it wouldn't be the first time Apple has screwed it's customers and accessory makers by obsoleting all of our accessories for no good reason.
And given the lackluster performance of the Time Capsule hard drive and the inherent drawbacks of the all-in-one design (what happens to your data when the router fails?), I'd much rather have the Extreme base station and a seperate hard drive. The Time Capsule is fine as a remote disk, but if you are going to set it right next to your computer anyway, why not just get a bigger, faster, cheaper external drive? I also have a hard time thinking of a reason I'd ever need a mini and an AppleTV in the same stack.
The larger footprint would be fine if they (or I) were starting from scratch, and it wouldn't necessarily stop me from buying one. But with all due respect to the "consensus", I'd much prefer they maintain the current footprint (and I see no technical reasons why they couldn't).
You will have to wait for the cable co to get tur2way or OCAP up and running and also apple will be forced to let the cable co load and run there own software on the apple tv box and I don't know if apple will like that.
Or they could just offer CableCard support... I dont see why there would need to be software from say Comcast on my system to record tv... I could do it now with an EyeTV, or a Tivo for that matter, just if I want Digital tv, I need a CableCard.
I would be all for adding dual tuner full digital tv support to a 7.7 x7.7 mini with an HDMI w/sound adapter in box, as they are only going to ship new machines with Mini Displayport, to make the mini into a out of the box PVR, with CableCard. Also offer a lower end version without the tuner card or the cable in ports for the business class users. If that were the Mini available today I would buy one in a heartbeat.
I also think we may see the Mini adopt a Mag Safe adapter so that Apple can produce one less component, thereby increasing margins.
hiimamac: Your join date reads June 2008 and your number of posts 5,066. Is that correct? If so, that is 1,013 posts a month. When do you have time to eat or sleep, let alone perform other functions?
Or they could just offer CableCard support... I dont see why there would need to be software from say Comcast on my system to record tv... I could do it now with an EyeTV, or a Tivo for that matter, just if I want Digital tv, I need a CableCard.
I would be all for adding dual tuner full digital tv support to a 7.7 x7.7 mini with an HDMI w/sound adapter in box, as they are only going to ship new machines with Mini Displayport, to make the mini into a out of the box PVR, with CableCard. Also offer a lower end version without the tuner card or the cable in ports for the business class users. If that were the Mini available today I would buy one in a heartbeat.
I also think we may see the Mini adopt a Mag Safe adapter so that Apple can produce one less component, thereby increasing margins.
CableCards are a dead technology. The cable industry has seen to that. Apple won't even add memory card slots to their computers. I have a hard time seeing them add a slot for a technology that is already being made obsolete. The cable industry's direction is Tru2Way going forward, and that requires that you allow them to install their own software on your device.
As I understand it, that software would be like a plug-in to the device manufactures included software. In the future, Apple could conceivably support that capability in a version of AppleTV. There would be a menu option for the tuner, and when you select that option the cable companies software kicks in. But right now we are caught in the no-man's land between obsolete CableCards and not-ready-for-primetime Tru2Way which isn't yet fully developed.
If you need to get a new mac but don't have a lot of cash they are great. I bought one two years ago with a 20 inch monitor, I upgraded to a tower two weeks ago, a very simple transition. I have a friend who is learning disabled, I introduced him to the EMac which needs upgrading soon, he will most likely buy a new mac mini. If you're a 'switcher' - plug and play... need i say more.
The Mini is a perfect Christmas gift because it costs about the same as a games console.
Hmm... That is something to ponder. Instead of Apple simply adding the 9400M to the next Mac Mini, or it's replacement, having an option the dedicated Nvidia GPU in the MPB would make it a decent gaming machine at a low price.
The Mac Mini could be a great games machine. Just stick a 4850 Radeon in it. They're dirt cheap. With any Penryn duo chip. It would do as well as any PS3 or 360. They could soup up the style a bit. It's not bad. Nicer in person then it looks in the photos. And chop the price a little. There's no excuse for it being so old without an update. It's typical Apple. They make hard work of it and their other line up.
Same with a cheap mid-tower. Chop off some of the bulk off the Mac Pro and pass on the savings. And there's no excuse for those out of date GPUS. Should be 4850s by now. They're great value.
Apple has this false doctrine of crippling lines underneath when other differentiating factors exist. Eg Mac Pros have Xeons. No reason not to have a desktop Conroe to differentiate a consumer tower desktop.
In fact. Apple's desktop line is out of date from top to bottom. And yet Ati and Nvidia have had great new GPUs out from June of this year. Yeesh. There's no reason why the Mini, iMac and Mac Pro should be on the 4800 series of GPUs. Radeon 2600 'Pros'. Puh-LEEASE!
And the ram. I was in PC World the other day and most laptops have a 17 inch display and discrete graphics...AND 3 gigs of ram.
Ram. And Hard Drives. What's up with that? Consumer towers in PC World have 9800 GT with a GIG of RAM on the GPU! T/B HD. 4 gigs of ram and Quad core for £795-£1000.
*Shrugs. Sure the cases are cheap. But not as cheap as Apple are on those out of date specs.
I would like AppleTV to do the following (in order of descending priority):
1: be a programmable hard-disk video recorder for live TV
2: have an on-screen TV guide
3: allow quick switching between TV and wifi internet for during ad breaks
4: a DVD/bluray player
5: act as an airport base station
6: an access point to the iTunes store for music and movies
I'm a happy Apple TV user, though largely because of how well it displays/plays my music on my home theater. All the features everyone wants are pretty much what keep it from being an ideal option for tv or movies.
All that said, I'd consider replacing with a Mini if I could figure out how to maximize all potential features. Seems like today's state of affairs would require EyeTV in order to "supplement" my cable DVR? Otherwise, seems like you get access to iTunes content plus wireless mouse/keyboard give me a full, if undepowered, computing machine in the living room?
I'd be interested in comments from any who've done this. Pros? Cons? Advice?
I have long been baffled (as have many of you it sounds) by how difficult it is for Apple to get the hardware "right". I can't think of any hardware product from Apple that isn't disappointing, or, said another way, that isn't far outmatched by the competition in price, feature, or usually both. Apple sure gets the software right... but why can't they get the hardware right? My impression is that Apple has creative, innovative, skilled people and an atmosphere that fosters such traits, so the only sane explanation I can ever come to is Steve Job's stubbornness. It must be his curious ideas about what a computer must look like that accounts for such a long history of disappointing hardware.
~Hombrephaty
"You've had the Macintosh for 24 years, and the best you could do is 8% marketshare?"
CableCards are a dead technology... The cable industry's direction is Tru2Way going forward, and that requires that you allow them to install their own software on your device.
You realize that Tru2Way uses CableCards, right? The very same ones that are in service right now. The only difference is that the device is two way instead of one way in current CC devices.
The Mac mini and TV should be combined into ONE device.
If this rumor is real, I could see Apple adding the same graphics card as the MacBook to the Mac mini, which would be very nice, indeed.
Forget the HDMI port, though, it's only capable of driving Full-HD resolution display: 1920 x 1080. HDMI wouldn't even support or be capable of driving the Apple's 1920 x 1200 23" Cinema Display or any other comparable 23" to 26" monitor (like my nice new MATTE screen ViewSonic 26"). Forget driving a 30" display, either. DisplayPort is where it's at today! Just get a DisplayPort to HDMI adaptor... try and find one, though...
Let's PRAY they keep the FireWire port and kick it up to FireWire 800 while they're at it!
Some of us have been howling for Apple to release a 2 PCI slot Half-MacPro for years!
If Barack Obama can be elected President of the United States, then even THAT may be possible!
The perfect Mac is a quiet Mac. As powerful as possible, but mainly quiet. That is why I have a Mac mini instead of a Mac Pro. The dream Mac for me would be a quiet Mac as powerful as possible. A Mac miniTOWER!
I don't think your impression of Mac Pro is in sync with reality. It's quite quiet even when maxed out.
And the ram. I was in PC World the other day and most laptops have a 17 inch display and discrete graphics...AND 3 gigs of ram.
Ram. And Hard Drives. What's up with that? Consumer towers in PC World have 9800 GT with a GIG of RAM on the GPU! T/B HD. 4 gigs of ram and Quad core for £795-£1000.
*Shrugs. Sure the cases are cheap. But not as cheap as Apple are on those out of date specs.
Lemon Bon Bon.
Hmmm... my MacBook Pro has 4GB RAM.
PeeSea BoxStuffers have to try ANYthing to get people to buy their OS-limited junk. Tweak the specs all you want, but you're STILL STUCK with Windows. Or Ubuntu! NEVER forget Ubuntu ... ROFLMFAO!
The Mac mini and TV should be combined into ONE device.
That would kill the AppleTV sales. Replacing a $200 device designed as a simple, dedicated media extender with a $600 device that is requires much more effort to use as a media extender.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JeffDM
I don't think your impression of Mac Pro is in sync with reality. It's quite quiet even when maxed out.
That would kill the AppleTV sales. Replacing a $200 device designed as a simple, dedicated media extender with a $600 device that is requires much more effort to use as a media extender.
I don't see a Mac mini/TV hybrid as a replacement. It'd be more of a big brother; smarter, more savvy, more powerful and flexible.
The TV is quite a limited device, as far as I'm concerned.
You realize that Tru2Way uses CableCards, right? The very same ones that are in service right now. The only difference is that the device is two way instead of one way in current CC devices.
Point taken. Tru2Way still uses cards as security keys. The last time I had looked into Tru2Way, that was not yet specified. I also believe that they intend to eventually get rid of the need for cards.
However, Tru2Way still requires a new hardware platform. You can't simply remove your existing CableCard from your TiVo HD and plug in a Tru2Way CableCard. And it still requires that the cable company be allowed to install their software on your box, correct? I stand by my original point that we are currently in a no-man's land between the death of CableCards as we currently know them (v1.0/2.0) and the deployment of Tru2Way, which is an entirely new platform whether or not it uses CableCards.
I just don't see Apple jumping into that space. It's much better left to accessory makers like Elgato. They can make a relatively cheap add-on component that can be replaced as standards evolve. Once Tru2Way is stable and widely deployed it might make sense to build it into the computer itself.
The TV is quite a limited device, as far as I'm concerned.
Of course it's limited. It's a media extender. It's designed to bring iTunes and a few other apps to your living room. It's not supposed to be a computer where you can writing emails, do your Xmas shopping, and play WoW. A hammer is limited, too. Every try using one of those to change a uncork a bottle of wine? It's designed for a specific purpose, which means it won't fit everyone's needs.
Comments
You will have to wait for the cable co to get tur2way or OCAP up and running and also apple will be forced to let the cable co load and run there own software on the apple tv box and I don't know if apple will like that.
Or every partner that sells TV shows on iTS.
I think there's been a strong consensus here that a 6.5" x 6.5" footprint is not large enough for a computer that uses a 3.5" HDD even if there are drive enclosures of that size. My personal view is that stacking a Time Capsule on top of a mini is more useful than putting an Airport Base Station on top. That takes care of your need for a stackable drive and WiFi router in one stroke.
Also, I don't recall people saying that a 6.5" x 6.5" computer is fine while a 7.7" x 7.7" computer is "too big".
I'd have no problem with 7.7" x 7.7" except for all the accessories that are already sized for the current mini footprint. But it wouldn't be the first time Apple has screwed it's customers and accessory makers by obsoleting all of our accessories for no good reason.
And given the lackluster performance of the Time Capsule hard drive and the inherent drawbacks of the all-in-one design (what happens to your data when the router fails?), I'd much rather have the Extreme base station and a seperate hard drive. The Time Capsule is fine as a remote disk, but if you are going to set it right next to your computer anyway, why not just get a bigger, faster, cheaper external drive? I also have a hard time thinking of a reason I'd ever need a mini and an AppleTV in the same stack.
The larger footprint would be fine if they (or I) were starting from scratch, and it wouldn't necessarily stop me from buying one. But with all due respect to the "consensus", I'd much prefer they maintain the current footprint (and I see no technical reasons why they couldn't).
You will have to wait for the cable co to get tur2way or OCAP up and running and also apple will be forced to let the cable co load and run there own software on the apple tv box and I don't know if apple will like that.
Or they could just offer CableCard support... I dont see why there would need to be software from say Comcast on my system to record tv... I could do it now with an EyeTV, or a Tivo for that matter, just if I want Digital tv, I need a CableCard.
I would be all for adding dual tuner full digital tv support to a 7.7 x7.7 mini with an HDMI w/sound adapter in box, as they are only going to ship new machines with Mini Displayport, to make the mini into a out of the box PVR, with CableCard. Also offer a lower end version without the tuner card or the cable in ports for the business class users. If that were the Mini available today I would buy one in a heartbeat.
I also think we may see the Mini adopt a Mag Safe adapter so that Apple can produce one less component, thereby increasing margins.
Or they could just offer CableCard support... I dont see why there would need to be software from say Comcast on my system to record tv... I could do it now with an EyeTV, or a Tivo for that matter, just if I want Digital tv, I need a CableCard.
I would be all for adding dual tuner full digital tv support to a 7.7 x7.7 mini with an HDMI w/sound adapter in box, as they are only going to ship new machines with Mini Displayport, to make the mini into a out of the box PVR, with CableCard. Also offer a lower end version without the tuner card or the cable in ports for the business class users. If that were the Mini available today I would buy one in a heartbeat.
I also think we may see the Mini adopt a Mag Safe adapter so that Apple can produce one less component, thereby increasing margins.
CableCards are a dead technology. The cable industry has seen to that. Apple won't even add memory card slots to their computers. I have a hard time seeing them add a slot for a technology that is already being made obsolete. The cable industry's direction is Tru2Way going forward, and that requires that you allow them to install their own software on your device.
As I understand it, that software would be like a plug-in to the device manufactures included software. In the future, Apple could conceivably support that capability in a version of AppleTV. There would be a menu option for the tuner, and when you select that option the cable companies software kicks in. But right now we are caught in the no-man's land between obsolete CableCards and not-ready-for-primetime Tru2Way which isn't yet fully developed.
The Mini is a perfect Christmas gift because it costs about the same as a games console.
Hmm... That is something to ponder. Instead of Apple simply adding the 9400M to the next Mac Mini, or it's replacement, having an option the dedicated Nvidia GPU in the MPB would make it a decent gaming machine at a low price.
The Mac Mini could be a great games machine. Just stick a 4850 Radeon in it. They're dirt cheap. With any Penryn duo chip. It would do as well as any PS3 or 360. They could soup up the style a bit. It's not bad. Nicer in person then it looks in the photos. And chop the price a little. There's no excuse for it being so old without an update. It's typical Apple. They make hard work of it and their other line up.
Same with a cheap mid-tower. Chop off some of the bulk off the Mac Pro and pass on the savings. And there's no excuse for those out of date GPUS. Should be 4850s by now. They're great value.
Apple has this false doctrine of crippling lines underneath when other differentiating factors exist. Eg Mac Pros have Xeons. No reason not to have a desktop Conroe to differentiate a consumer tower desktop.
In fact. Apple's desktop line is out of date from top to bottom. And yet Ati and Nvidia have had great new GPUs out from June of this year. Yeesh. There's no reason why the Mini, iMac and Mac Pro should be on the 4800 series of GPUs. Radeon 2600 'Pros'. Puh-LEEASE!
And the ram. I was in PC World the other day and most laptops have a 17 inch display and discrete graphics...AND 3 gigs of ram.
Ram. And Hard Drives. What's up with that? Consumer towers in PC World have 9800 GT with a GIG of RAM on the GPU! T/B HD. 4 gigs of ram and Quad core for £795-£1000.
*Shrugs. Sure the cases are cheap. But not as cheap as Apple are on those out of date specs.
Lemon Bon Bon.
Agreed.
I would like AppleTV to do the following (in order of descending priority):
1: be a programmable hard-disk video recorder for live TV
2: have an on-screen TV guide
3: allow quick switching between TV and wifi internet for during ad breaks
4: a DVD/bluray player
5: act as an airport base station
6: an access point to the iTunes store for music and movies
I'm a happy Apple TV user, though largely because of how well it displays/plays my music on my home theater. All the features everyone wants are pretty much what keep it from being an ideal option for tv or movies.
All that said, I'd consider replacing with a Mini if I could figure out how to maximize all potential features. Seems like today's state of affairs would require EyeTV in order to "supplement" my cable DVR? Otherwise, seems like you get access to iTunes content plus wireless mouse/keyboard give me a full, if undepowered, computing machine in the living room?
I'd be interested in comments from any who've done this. Pros? Cons? Advice?
stick inside Mac mini
u get instantly - awesome graphics performance
1080p video playback
silent operation
7.1 audio.
HDMI
Displayport
and Firewire. It wouldn't have hurt to keep it in the Macbook for another couple of years?
It would if it meant removing the 2nd USB port to include it.
I have long been baffled (as have many of you it sounds) by how difficult it is for Apple to get the hardware "right". I can't think of any hardware product from Apple that isn't disappointing, or, said another way, that isn't far outmatched by the competition in price, feature, or usually both. Apple sure gets the software right... but why can't they get the hardware right? My impression is that Apple has creative, innovative, skilled people and an atmosphere that fosters such traits, so the only sane explanation I can ever come to is Steve Job's stubbornness. It must be his curious ideas about what a computer must look like that accounts for such a long history of disappointing hardware.
~Hombrephaty
"You've had the Macintosh for 24 years, and the best you could do is 8% marketshare?"
Your lack of faith disturbs me.
Jimzip
CableCards are a dead technology... The cable industry's direction is Tru2Way going forward, and that requires that you allow them to install their own software on your device.
You realize that Tru2Way uses CableCards, right? The very same ones that are in service right now. The only difference is that the device is two way instead of one way in current CC devices.
The Mac mini and TV should be combined into ONE device.
If this rumor is real, I could see Apple adding the same graphics card as the MacBook to the Mac mini, which would be very nice, indeed.
Forget the HDMI port, though, it's only capable of driving Full-HD resolution display: 1920 x 1080. HDMI wouldn't even support or be capable of driving the Apple's 1920 x 1200 23" Cinema Display or any other comparable 23" to 26" monitor (like my nice new MATTE screen ViewSonic 26"). Forget driving a 30" display, either. DisplayPort is where it's at today! Just get a DisplayPort to HDMI adaptor... try and find one, though...
Let's PRAY they keep the FireWire port and kick it up to FireWire 800 while they're at it!
Some of us have been howling for Apple to release a 2 PCI slot Half-MacPro for years!
If Barack Obama can be elected President of the United States, then even THAT may be possible!
The perfect Mac is a quiet Mac. As powerful as possible, but mainly quiet. That is why I have a Mac mini instead of a Mac Pro. The dream Mac for me would be a quiet Mac as powerful as possible. A Mac miniTOWER!
I don't think your impression of Mac Pro is in sync with reality. It's quite quiet even when maxed out.
And the ram. I was in PC World the other day and most laptops have a 17 inch display and discrete graphics...AND 3 gigs of ram.
Ram. And Hard Drives. What's up with that? Consumer towers in PC World have 9800 GT with a GIG of RAM on the GPU! T/B HD. 4 gigs of ram and Quad core for £795-£1000.
*Shrugs. Sure the cases are cheap. But not as cheap as Apple are on those out of date specs.
Lemon Bon Bon.
Hmmm... my MacBook Pro has 4GB RAM.
PeeSea BoxStuffers have to try ANYthing to get people to buy their OS-limited junk. Tweak the specs all you want, but you're STILL STUCK with Windows. Or Ubuntu! NEVER forget Ubuntu ... ROFLMFAO!
I absolutely agree with some others here:
The Mac mini and TV should be combined into ONE device.
That would kill the AppleTV sales. Replacing a $200 device designed as a simple, dedicated media extender with a $600 device that is requires much more effort to use as a media extender.
I don't think your impression of Mac Pro is in sync with reality. It's quite quiet even when maxed out.
Ditto.
That would kill the AppleTV sales. Replacing a $200 device designed as a simple, dedicated media extender with a $600 device that is requires much more effort to use as a media extender.
I don't see a Mac mini/TV hybrid as a replacement. It'd be more of a big brother; smarter, more savvy, more powerful and flexible.
The TV is quite a limited device, as far as I'm concerned.
You realize that Tru2Way uses CableCards, right? The very same ones that are in service right now. The only difference is that the device is two way instead of one way in current CC devices.
Point taken. Tru2Way still uses cards as security keys. The last time I had looked into Tru2Way, that was not yet specified. I also believe that they intend to eventually get rid of the need for cards.
However, Tru2Way still requires a new hardware platform. You can't simply remove your existing CableCard from your TiVo HD and plug in a Tru2Way CableCard. And it still requires that the cable company be allowed to install their software on your box, correct? I stand by my original point that we are currently in a no-man's land between the death of CableCards as we currently know them (v1.0/2.0) and the deployment of Tru2Way, which is an entirely new platform whether or not it uses CableCards.
I just don't see Apple jumping into that space. It's much better left to accessory makers like Elgato. They can make a relatively cheap add-on component that can be replaced as standards evolve. Once Tru2Way is stable and widely deployed it might make sense to build it into the computer itself.
The TV is quite a limited device, as far as I'm concerned.
Of course it's limited. It's a media extender. It's designed to bring iTunes and a few other apps to your living room. It's not supposed to be a computer where you can writing emails, do your Xmas shopping, and play WoW. A hammer is limited, too. Every try using one of those to change a uncork a bottle of wine? It's designed for a specific purpose, which means it won't fit everyone's needs.