As fans await update for 3-year-old Mac mini, Apple classifies mid-2011 models 'obsolete'

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited December 2017
Apple on Monday updated its official list of "obsolete" products to add the mid-2011 Mac mini lineup, once again raising questions about what the company has planned, if anything, for its cheapest Mac.




The vintage and obsolete products page was updated to reflect the fact that the mid-2011 Mac mini is no longer supported by the company, meaning services and repairs are no longer offered.

Apple guarantees parts and service for products 5 years after it is no longer manufactured. After that, they become obsolete worldwide, with the exception of in California and Turkey, where laws require another two years of support.

Because of that, the mid-2011 Mac mini remains vintage in the U.S. and Turkey, but is obsolete elsewhere.

The most recent Mac mini update came in late 2014, more than three years ago. The product is infrequently updated and has long been the subject of speculation about cancelation, though it remains a part of the company's Mac lineup for the time being.

Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller made comments earlier this year suggesting the Mac mini could eventually see a refresh, though he declined to offer more specifics. Schiller did label the Mac mini as an "important product."

While Apple has not said anything else regarding the future of the Mac mini, the company did preannounce an all-new Mac Pro with modular design expected to arrive in 2018. The company also revealed, in an uncharacteristic move, that it will get back into the display business with a successor to the now-discontinued Thunderbolt Display.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 78
    AI_liasAI_lias Posts: 434member
    If I was Apple, I'd take that Mac Pro trash can design and reuse it for the new Mac mini. 
    jahbladecurtis hannahxzupscooter63cgWerksksecvannygeecalisurfboy
  • Reply 2 of 78
    The funny part Mac Mini-2014 was obsolete by any market category on day of release. Do you really want to compare quad-core Mac Mini from mid-2011 with only dual-core version from 2014? Seriously?

    Someone really tries to lose market. Just like people starting switch to Samsung Galaxy Note8 I hear around. Dragging people and dropping some of features to sort out marketting issues (like Mac Mini cutting in low end Mac Pro space) is not people's problem. There are alternatives. One of them make MacPro 6-core standard instead of dropping multitasking performance on lower end computers.
    xzu
  • Reply 3 of 78
    AI_lias said:
    If I was Apple, I'd take that Mac Pro trash can design and reuse it for the new Mac mini. 
    Depending what you do. Try serious publishing like we do or professional video editing and you will see huge diifference between Mac Mini and MacPro. We have both so no contest but we do this for living for large publishers (in fact the largers in the world for education so you could read some programming books that were edited by our studio). Now you have wrong idea beacuse actually MacPro should be made six-corre minimum and MacMini shouls stay being quad-core like mid-2011 and not dropped to mediocre dual-core with 2014 downgrade. In fact I consider 2014 already obsolete and underperforming on date of release.
  • Reply 4 of 78
    My 2012 quad-core is presumably a year from obsolescence then. I really hope we get a new model soon, or I'll be forced down the hackintosh route (which I don't want to do). Sadly, I can't fit an iMac where my computer goes. Presumably I'd need a mortgage for the upcoming Mac Pro, so that isn't going to happen. What my 2012 Mini is missing is hardware H265 decoding and 4K 60hz support. Other than that, it is fine for my needs.
    ZooMigonetmagedecoderingwatto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 78
    ...the mini is a favorite here, although features I miss beyond 2011 include user adjustable ram and dual drives for server raid, usb3, i7 priced in the land of the living, quad core, discrete graphics options (the 2011 had that) and when less is more, something as basic as a Kensington lock slot...?

    Given the speed of ethernet I'm not sure I understand the need for 'ultra fast' PCIe in a server oriented model, or PCIe without a faster graphics option for a desktop oriented model ?

    To me the macs that I feel are most worth looking at are the iMac - a bargain, still flexible, powerful; and the 2016 MacBook - a marvel where size matters most, and the venerable Air with such port flexibility built in...
    edited December 2017 decodering
  • Reply 6 of 78
    entropysentropys Posts: 4,152member
    I would have thought the current Mac mini would be rendered obsolete before the 2011 model.

    edited December 2017 kirkgray
  • Reply 7 of 78
    When I saw the downgrade that the 2014 model was, I beat feet to grab a 2012 on sale for close out. Earlier this year I received an email survey from Apple about my mini and responded yes I still have it, still use it, and would only consider another if it were also upgradable and mid to high end specced. Here is to hoping a new mini worth buying is coming soon. 
    davenwatto_cobramuthuk_vanalingam
  • Reply 8 of 78
    I bet Apple really wants their low end PC to have the A series chips inside.

    As long as it runs all of Apples software and MS Office it would be fine for 90% of its users.  Add QuickBooks, Quicken, and Photoshop the number would probably be 95%.  With the ability to run everything in the IOS store, games, etc. I’d be interested....
    patchythepirate
  • Reply 9 of 78
    AI_lias said:
    If I was Apple, I'd take that Mac Pro trash can design and reuse it for the new Mac mini. 
    God no. The design was horrible. Just ask anyone who's worked on one. It looked cool, but functionally it was worse than the old Mac Pro. 
    analogjackmuthuk_vanalingam
  • Reply 10 of 78
    Rayz2016Rayz2016 Posts: 6,957member
    AI_lias said:
    If I was Apple, I'd take that Mac Pro trash can design and reuse it for the new Mac mini. 
    That’s not particularly “mini” though. 

    I wonder how many of these they actually sell.

    What’s odd is that I’ve never seen a good word about these machines on any Mac forum, but when I look on Amazon:

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Apple-Mini-Intel-Core-Sierra/dp/B00ORHL02E/ref=sr_1_2?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1512427013&sr=1-2&keywords=mac+mini

    People seem to really like it. The common thread seems to be “a bit pricey but it does the job”.

    pscooter63
  • Reply 11 of 78
    The mini hasn't been updated since 2012, the 2014 mini was a downdate. If the next mini is not going to be a quad core then don't bother.
    ZooMigodecoderingnetmageglynhmuthuk_vanalingam
  • Reply 12 of 78
    wood1208wood1208 Posts: 2,905member
    Intel's 9th Gen processor lineup has been leaked; I like to see embedded into Macbook Pro, Mini and iMacs. Due to AMD pressure; Intel upping processor cores/threads,cache on their 9th gen like i5-series 6 cores with 12 threads and i7 8 coreswith 16 threads.
  • Reply 13 of 78
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    AI_lias said:
    If I was Apple, I'd take that Mac Pro trash can design and reuse it for the new Mac mini. 
    I would love for you to be correct, but if I see Apple going in a direction, it would be making the next Mac mini move toward the Apple TV size, not the Mac Pro.


    edit: 

    edited December 2017 xzuMacPro
  • Reply 14 of 78
    The funny part Mac Mini-2014 was obsolete by any market category on day of release.
    🤣
  • Reply 15 of 78
    Design wise they could just modernize it - the basic form factor is still great. The Mac Mini could suffice with just two or three USB-C ports and that's it. However they should surprise us with fast CPU/GPU performance. I would love one that matches the faster iMacs with great graphics. 

  • Reply 16 of 78
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member

    Rayz2016 said:
    AI_lias said:
    If I was Apple, I'd take that Mac Pro trash can design and reuse it for the new Mac mini. 
    That’s not particularly “mini” though. 

    I wonder how many of these they actually sell.

    What’s odd is that I’ve never seen a good word about these machines on any Mac forum, but when I look on Amazon:

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Apple-Mini-Intel-Core-Sierra/dp/B00ORHL02E/ref=sr_1_2?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1512427013&sr=1-2&keywords=mac+mini

    People seem to really like it. The common thread seems to be “a bit pricey but it does the job”.
    Imagine the general design with the centrally located airflow, but stubbier and/or a smaller diameter. I don't see that happening, I'm just noting how you could take that concept and miniaturize it.


    edit: That first pic has some outdated I/O.Probably even USB-C for power with an external PSU at this point. If not, at least use a two-prong power cable and reduce the USB-A and TB/mini-DP to USB-C.
     
    edited December 2017 xzupscooter63
  • Reply 17 of 78
    Rayz2016Rayz2016 Posts: 6,957member
    Soli said:

    Rayz2016 said:
    AI_lias said:
    If I was Apple, I'd take that Mac Pro trash can design and reuse it for the new Mac mini. 
    That’s not particularly “mini” though. 

    I wonder how many of these they actually sell.

    What’s odd is that I’ve never seen a good word about these machines on any Mac forum, but when I look on Amazon:

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Apple-Mini-Intel-Core-Sierra/dp/B00ORHL02E/ref=sr_1_2?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1512427013&sr=1-2&keywords=mac+mini

    People seem to really like it. The common thread seems to be “a bit pricey but it does the job”.
    Imagine the general design with the centrally located airflow, but stubbier and/or a smaller diameter. I don't see that happening, I'm just noting how you could take that concept and miniaturize it.


    edit: That first pic has some outdated I/O.Probably even USB-C for power with an external PSU at this point. If not, at least use a two-prong power cable and reduce the USB-A and TB/mini-DP to USB-C.
     
    Bloody hell. 

    That’s not half bad. 👍🏾
    xzuwatto_cobra
  • Reply 18 of 78
    Rayz2016Rayz2016 Posts: 6,957member
  • Reply 19 of 78
    Rayz2016 said:
    An industrial design student came up with this:
    Hopefully he flunks.
    macxpressLordeHawkxzu
  • Reply 20 of 78
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,801member
    AI_lias said:
    If I was Apple, I'd take that Mac Pro trash can design and reuse it for the new Mac mini. 
    This is exactly why you're not Apple...
    watto_cobra
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