I just ordered a refurbed Mac Mini too on Saturday. I'm going to be pretty pissed if the new Mini is 399$-499$(499$ being what I just paid)
Looks like its not shipping till tomorrow, wonder if I should cancel it before it ships, or if I could just return the unopened Fed-Ex box to the Apple store
Cancel it. Apple Stores won't return products purchased online. Especially refurbs.
does anyone really believe that apple would finally update any of their desktops without a major media announcement. that they would just suddenly be in the pipeline and hitting stores with no warning.
heck no. they will raise a stink. the media event on the 24th rumors actually have that going for them as possibly true.
does anyone really believe that apple would finally update any of their desktops without a major media announcement. that they would just suddenly be in the pipeline and hitting stores with no warning.
heck no. they will raise a stink. the media event on the 24th rumors actually have that going for them as possibly true.
If it's what's being rumored, they'd be nuts to hold a media event; it would remind everyone of the MacBook bump media event a couple of years ago, after which they've never held a media event just to have a CPU bump. So I think the iMac and Mac mini happens tomorrow.
Mar 24th is for the new Mac Pro with Nehalem, and whatever "pleasant surprise" they have.
does anyone really believe that apple would finally update any of their desktops without a major media announcement.
If the iMac stays with laptop C2Ds, then there is zero need for an event. Mini updates normally do not get announced at all... the last update it received has just been silently added to the store. The March 24th event (if it is for real) can be anything else (Mac Pro, Snow Leopard shipping date announcement, FCP/Aperture/Logic Pro updates, next gen iPhone, whatever... there must be enough in the pipepline).
Apple doesn't have to put a dramatically more robust CPU into the mini to provide a substantial upgrade. Just the change from the Intel integrated graphics to nVidia's 9400 M would provide a quantum leap in performance. And I imagine we're talking significantly faster memory technology as well.
Seems to me that by far the weakest link in the existing mini, of which I have a version, certainly is the Intel graphics.
But I'm not rushing out to buy this machine, even if it comes to market tomorrow. There's one more thing, as Jobs would say.
That one more thing is the new OS. No way in these scary economic times am I going to buy a new computer and then pay $129 Cdn. a few months later for a new OS. Ideally I'd love for the top-end model to also feature a superdrive that adds the ability to read Blu-Ray but it's a long shot for Apple to be adding blu-ray any time soon so that will have to be a feature of the mini I buy after this next one. Besides if you buy a blu-ray player then you have to buy blu-rays to play on it and that's more cash burned.
By my calculations roughly $900 Cdn. would get me the new iLife software, the new OS, 2gigs of faster RAM, a faster processor than the 1.83 in my current mini, internal DVD burning capability, two years gained in hard drive wear and tear, more internal HD capacity (I have the 80gig model).
As far as I'm concerned that would be money well spent because I've got a trip to Europe planned for later in the year and will be buying an HD camcorder to take with me. When I get back and have all that HD footage to edit, seems to me the difference would be incredible in doing that on my existing mini using existing software vs. doing it on a new mini under the new OS working with iMovie 09 and with 2gigs of RAM. I don't even have to know the clock speed of the Core 2 Duo in the new machine. All the other rumoured upgrades would make my life so much easier even if the same processor went into the new mini.
The megahertz race ended a couple of years ago. System and software upgrades are making a difference as manufacturers tackle bottlenecks independent of the CPU. And I have to think that anyone shopping for a computer based solely on the basic specs would never opt for a Mac. But that's a very minor element of what I consider when planning a computer purchase.
If these rumors are true, then it simply means, that the iMac stays with laptop components, and the real update will happen in late autumn, whenever Nehalem laptop chips are available. Looking at the i7 wattage, this might turn out to be the better decision and worth the wait ? the i7 desktop CPU's power consumption is higher than the 2.1 GHz G5's used in the iMac and this was quite noisy when compared to the current Intel iMacs. If the new entry-level 20" gets the specs of the old better model, plus faster FSB and memory, plus better graphics, plus eventually a LED backlight while being 300 USD less, than this is maybe not too exciting, but not too shabby either. Expecting an even more severe price drop from Apple is ambitious.
I do not know, why some people think an iMac with laptop components will no longer sell ? they have been selling well all the time, most people want them to be cool and quiet and they have always been more expensive than comparable PCs. Apple will never match the beige box price point ? an iMac with desktop CPU and mystic liquid cooling will only be noisier and less reliable (we had every single liquid cooled PowerMac failing here), and still more expensive. Not sure if this is asking for progress or asking for trouble.
well, we need something, before, if you were to get an iMac, you did not spend $1200+ more than you might have spent on a comparable windows tower PC. today, you do.
Compared to other All-in-ones you are starting to see more competition, and some are more than $500 less for a comparative model.
i want to see one of 2 things. i want to see some serious desktop performance (even if it means making the iMac bigger than the current model) OR i want to see a multipoint touch screen.
apple needs to either catch up and close the performance gap, or they need to innovate and make their product relevant in a different way.
Do the Minis still have integrated graphics, or do they have a separate graphics card ala the G4 Minis?
It will be integrated graphics, but it won't be Intel's integrated graphics. I guess it would be equivalent to a low end discrete chip.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrea818
I just ordered a refurbed Mac Mini too on Saturday. I'm going to be pretty pissed if the new Mini is 399$-499$(499$ being what I just paid)
Looks like its not shipping till tomorrow, wonder if I should cancel it before it ships, or if I could just return the unopened Fed-Ex box to the Apple store
Try cancelling it. You probably need to call. But if it's in the process of shipping and they say it's too late to cancel, I think you can return for full credit if you don't open it, minus any shipping fee you paid.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SmilinGoat
also, they *need* a new mighty mouse. i dont care if it is more sophisticated than it looks, it needs to feel better in a persons hand. if these rumors are faulse, and there is a really good iMac ahead of us, then i will still keep my Microsoft laser mouse 5000.
Keyboards and mice are such a personal preference that there's only so many people you can please with one design, so getting what you like from a third party is your best bet. I think Kensington has a new cordless scroll ball mouse, nice sized rather than the small one in the MM. I didn't get it as it was close to $100.
this is exactly what i have been saying for the past few months. i want to buy a new iMac, however they NEED to do something for me. i need an all-in-one, it does not need to be too powerful, however it does need to be able to do some pretty intensive things. but for $2000 it should be able to do those things...
there are already all in ones on the market that have quad cores, blu-ray drives, and support more than 4GB of ram, and they cost (maxed out) about the same as an iMac. there is a problem here.
Apple is VERY good at creating cases that can remove heat from components, so they, if anyone, should be able to put the most powerful computers in teh smallest cases together, yet they are letting themselves be outdone. which does not make my sympathetic, it makes me look more at the Dell one/gateway one/hp touch smart.
i WANT an apple iMac, but if these rumors are true, i'll be getting a Dell all-in-one.
The bozos at Dell are making all-in-one junk? Enjoy.
Guys/Gals(if any) -- You have to remember, despite other perceived/real lack of value-for-money, if this is all true, the MacBook and Mac Mini will have virtually *the best graphics for any entry-level laptop/ slim desktop*.
That 9400M can really crunch some graphics, it is one of the best integrated graphics for entry-level to mid-level price points. Look at the Dells and Sonys. Sure you get 15" for the price of a MacBook 13" but you're still looking in many cases at the almost useless GMA X3100.
My 2 cents.
And yes this are the upgrades for desktop, if true, that Apple will sit on until the end of the year.
With this Apple rounds out their offerings, and holds the fort until new iPhone 3G in June/July and Snow Leopard in October pre-holiday season... And maybe one or two surprises along the way this year.
I am feeling back in the flow with Apple now. They ain't perfect, and Macworld 2009 was shite, but given the financial storm around the world, this is a conservative but overall good "holding pattern" for Apple in 2009. 2010 post-Steve Jobs, well, is another story, perhaps.
</rambling><feel free to flame, discuss, disagree >
gah, its posts like this that make this site look bad... considering they (as low end as they are) often use better internals than Apple themselves.
NOT the graphics card. I've checked out so many Dell laptops and desktops and Sony laptops. I tell you for the most part for the circa-$1,000-$1,500 USD mark the MacBook 2.0ghz is still a better graphics/gaming machine.
Let me know if otherwise, because I don't mind getting a Dell if you can show me a sub-$,1000 USD Dell that has a better than 9400M graphic card in it.
Hmm.. For desktops certainly the USD $1,000-$2,000 space is really, really congested. Let's see what Apple's strategy is ?????
Comments
Looks like its not shipping till tomorrow, wonder if I should cancel it before it ships, or if I could just return the unopened Fed-Ex box to the Apple store
Cancel it. Apple Stores won't return products purchased online. Especially refurbs.
heck no. they will raise a stink. the media event on the 24th rumors actually have that going for them as possibly true.
does anyone really believe that apple would finally update any of their desktops without a major media announcement. that they would just suddenly be in the pipeline and hitting stores with no warning.
heck no. they will raise a stink. the media event on the 24th rumors actually have that going for them as possibly true.
If it's what's being rumored, they'd be nuts to hold a media event; it would remind everyone of the MacBook bump media event a couple of years ago, after which they've never held a media event just to have a CPU bump. So I think the iMac and Mac mini happens tomorrow.
Mar 24th is for the new Mac Pro with Nehalem, and whatever "pleasant surprise" they have.
does anyone really believe that apple would finally update any of their desktops without a major media announcement.
If the iMac stays with laptop C2Ds, then there is zero need for an event. Mini updates normally do not get announced at all... the last update it received has just been silently added to the store. The March 24th event (if it is for real) can be anything else (Mac Pro, Snow Leopard shipping date announcement, FCP/Aperture/Logic Pro updates, next gen iPhone, whatever... there must be enough in the pipepline).
Seems to me that by far the weakest link in the existing mini, of which I have a version, certainly is the Intel graphics.
But I'm not rushing out to buy this machine, even if it comes to market tomorrow. There's one more thing, as Jobs would say.
That one more thing is the new OS. No way in these scary economic times am I going to buy a new computer and then pay $129 Cdn. a few months later for a new OS. Ideally I'd love for the top-end model to also feature a superdrive that adds the ability to read Blu-Ray but it's a long shot for Apple to be adding blu-ray any time soon so that will have to be a feature of the mini I buy after this next one. Besides if you buy a blu-ray player then you have to buy blu-rays to play on it and that's more cash burned.
By my calculations roughly $900 Cdn. would get me the new iLife software, the new OS, 2gigs of faster RAM, a faster processor than the 1.83 in my current mini, internal DVD burning capability, two years gained in hard drive wear and tear, more internal HD capacity (I have the 80gig model).
As far as I'm concerned that would be money well spent because I've got a trip to Europe planned for later in the year and will be buying an HD camcorder to take with me. When I get back and have all that HD footage to edit, seems to me the difference would be incredible in doing that on my existing mini using existing software vs. doing it on a new mini under the new OS working with iMovie 09 and with 2gigs of RAM. I don't even have to know the clock speed of the Core 2 Duo in the new machine. All the other rumoured upgrades would make my life so much easier even if the same processor went into the new mini.
The megahertz race ended a couple of years ago. System and software upgrades are making a difference as manufacturers tackle bottlenecks independent of the CPU. And I have to think that anyone shopping for a computer based solely on the basic specs would never opt for a Mac. But that's a very minor element of what I consider when planning a computer purchase.
-iMac w/ Quad Core processor and 24in+ screen
-Mac Pro Nehalem w/ 16 core option
-AirPort/Time Capsule update
-Snow Leopard announcement
-New iPhone announcement
-64GB iPod Touch and other minor changes to the iPod lineup
If these rumors are true, then it simply means, that the iMac stays with laptop components, and the real update will happen in late autumn, whenever Nehalem laptop chips are available. Looking at the i7 wattage, this might turn out to be the better decision and worth the wait ? the i7 desktop CPU's power consumption is higher than the 2.1 GHz G5's used in the iMac and this was quite noisy when compared to the current Intel iMacs. If the new entry-level 20" gets the specs of the old better model, plus faster FSB and memory, plus better graphics, plus eventually a LED backlight while being 300 USD less, than this is maybe not too exciting, but not too shabby either. Expecting an even more severe price drop from Apple is ambitious.
I do not know, why some people think an iMac with laptop components will no longer sell ? they have been selling well all the time, most people want them to be cool and quiet and they have always been more expensive than comparable PCs. Apple will never match the beige box price point ? an iMac with desktop CPU and mystic liquid cooling will only be noisier and less reliable (we had every single liquid cooled PowerMac failing here), and still more expensive. Not sure if this is asking for progress or asking for trouble.
well, we need something, before, if you were to get an iMac, you did not spend $1200+ more than you might have spent on a comparable windows tower PC. today, you do.
Compared to other All-in-ones you are starting to see more competition, and some are more than $500 less for a comparative model.
i want to see one of 2 things. i want to see some serious desktop performance (even if it means making the iMac bigger than the current model) OR i want to see a multipoint touch screen.
apple needs to either catch up and close the performance gap, or they need to innovate and make their product relevant in a different way.
Do the Minis still have integrated graphics, or do they have a separate graphics card ala the G4 Minis?
It will be integrated graphics, but it won't be Intel's integrated graphics. I guess it would be equivalent to a low end discrete chip.
Looks like its not shipping till tomorrow, wonder if I should cancel it before it ships, or if I could just return the unopened Fed-Ex box to the Apple store
Try cancelling it. You probably need to call. But if it's in the process of shipping and they say it's too late to cancel, I think you can return for full credit if you don't open it, minus any shipping fee you paid.
also, they *need* a new mighty mouse. i dont care if it is more sophisticated than it looks, it needs to feel better in a persons hand. if these rumors are faulse, and there is a really good iMac ahead of us, then i will still keep my Microsoft laser mouse 5000.
Keyboards and mice are such a personal preference that there's only so many people you can please with one design, so getting what you like from a third party is your best bet. I think Kensington has a new cordless scroll ball mouse, nice sized rather than the small one in the MM. I didn't get it as it was close to $100.
I hate to be a pessimist but mini DP means an Apple monitor or an adaptor. Not the end of the world but not a tremendous advantage either.
Mini-DVI means an adapter as well, and while DP might work shitty now, you don't want to sit with DVI in two years.
this is exactly what i have been saying for the past few months. i want to buy a new iMac, however they NEED to do something for me. i need an all-in-one, it does not need to be too powerful, however it does need to be able to do some pretty intensive things. but for $2000 it should be able to do those things...
there are already all in ones on the market that have quad cores, blu-ray drives, and support more than 4GB of ram, and they cost (maxed out) about the same as an iMac. there is a problem here.
Apple is VERY good at creating cases that can remove heat from components, so they, if anyone, should be able to put the most powerful computers in teh smallest cases together, yet they are letting themselves be outdone. which does not make my sympathetic, it makes me look more at the Dell one/gateway one/hp touch smart.
i WANT an apple iMac, but if these rumors are true, i'll be getting a Dell all-in-one.
The bozos at Dell are making all-in-one junk? Enjoy.
The bozos at Dell are making all-in-one junk? Enjoy.
gah, its posts like this that make this site look bad... considering they (as low end as they are) often use better internals than Apple themselves.
Even More Codes:
Sorry guys. Looks like another Machine too! iMac, Mac Mini and What Else?
MB763LL/A - K10 - USA
MB764LL/A - K30 - GOOD-USA
MB765LL/A - K30 - BETTER-USA
bold guessing mode
Airport Extreme -> MB763LL/A - K10 - USA
TimeCapsule -> MB764LL/A - K30 - GOOD-USA
TimeCapsule -> MB765LL/A - K30 - BETTER-USA
You can't select mini, iMac or the Mac Pro any more. Something is up...
EDIT: Nevermind it's back
That 9400M can really crunch some graphics, it is one of the best integrated graphics for entry-level to mid-level price points. Look at the Dells and Sonys. Sure you get 15" for the price of a MacBook 13" but you're still looking in many cases at the almost useless GMA X3100.
My 2 cents.
And yes this are the upgrades for desktop, if true, that Apple will sit on until the end of the year.
With this Apple rounds out their offerings, and holds the fort until new iPhone 3G in June/July and Snow Leopard in October pre-holiday season... And maybe one or two surprises along the way this year.
I am feeling back in the flow with Apple now. They ain't perfect, and Macworld 2009 was shite, but given the financial storm around the world, this is a conservative but overall good "holding pattern" for Apple in 2009. 2010 post-Steve Jobs, well, is another story, perhaps.
</rambling><feel free to flame, discuss, disagree
Go to http://www.apple.com/mac/
You can't select mini, iMac or the Mac Pro any more. Something is up...
EDIT: Nevermind it's back
yes you can.
Mac desktop sales have cratered that past two quarters. Apple needs to release the desktops during the current quarter to stabilize things!
It has to be updated desktops in March. Has to be. Come on Apple....! DO IT....!
gah, its posts like this that make this site look bad... considering they (as low end as they are) often use better internals than Apple themselves.
NOT the graphics card. I've checked out so many Dell laptops and desktops and Sony laptops. I tell you for the most part for the circa-$1,000-$1,500 USD mark the MacBook 2.0ghz is still a better graphics/gaming machine.
Let me know if otherwise, because I don't mind getting a Dell if you can show me a sub-$,1000 USD Dell that has a better than 9400M graphic card in it.
Hmm.. For desktops certainly the USD $1,000-$2,000 space is really, really congested. Let's see what Apple's strategy is ?????