Nice article, and I applaud AI for finally, finally broaching the topic. If any staff at AI actually get a one-on-one with Cook, please, please try and pin him down with more than the the MM is “in our future.” C’mon, I’ve been an Apple fan for decades but why can’t you update the MM. Give us something, anything! This is getting ridiculous!
Nice article, and I applaud AI for finally, finally broaching the topic. If any staff at AI actually get a one-on-one with Cook, please, please try and pin him down with more than the the MM is “in our future.” C’mon, I’ve been an Apple fan for decades but why can’t you update the MM. Give us something, anything! This is getting ridiculous!
Agreed. The Mini should have the current iMac (not the iMac Pro) compute and peripheral connectivity, just minus the screen, keyboard, and pointing device. Staying true to the vision that this is a computer for people who have their peripherals (the 'switchers'), or don't like it when an 'allin1' is 'allindead' when one component breaks.
so the baseline for non laptops: Mac Mini (fast) / iMac (fast) (basically the same chip/mem/storage, and ideally all the 'stuff' that makes a mac a mac for that year's version of desktop bliss.
iMac Pro (faster, maybe the nicest single screen option) Mac Pro (fastest, most expansionistically capable, massive screenage drivers)
5 years ago, I thought the Mac mini was going to look like a metal version of this: It could have fit in a 3.5” HDD as well as a Intel U-series computer.
I don’t know why we keep talking about this. Tim Cook doesn’t like the Mac so he just lets it go. He thinks that Apple no longer needs to have a Mac. Take a look at what has happened to the Macs since Steve died. It continues to break my heart. I haven’t bought a Mac in years. Not because I didn’t want to, there just wasn’t a new Mac that could justify the cost. The new iMac just doesn’t do it for my profession. Would love a couple of mini's for movie servers but I’m not buying that old of technology.
Tim doesn't think that at all. He just understands that Intel hasn't pushed processor upgrades much since 2014. Only the latest gen Kaby Lake CPUs gave us significant performance gains. What he DOES believe (like Jobs did) is that the desktop is becoming a much smaller market, which is why all the MacBooks have been upgraded a couple times in that same time period.
As for what we'll actually see from an update, here is the most likely scenario:
Same case design, the new Intel/AMD collab chips, RAM still soldered, PCIe SSD standard, 4 TB3 ports, 2 USB-A ports, Ethernet and HDMI still there, and no SD slot (unless they move it to the front).
What would be cool (and unlikely) would be some modular port that would allow for "expansion modules" so you could add like better graphics or more storage. Sort of a "Mini Pro" concept.
I’ve owned three mac minis. Two are still in use, but I’m slowly migrating to a new small computer line. I'm not looking for a single Gold-priced system. Sorry, iMac/Mac Pro. I work on software that communicates to other systems. I have built two Skull Canyon systems. One runs Win10. The other runs Linux. Now, this Hades Canyon with full Radeon graphics is really attracting my attention. It won’t be available until May, but it embodies what the next Mac Mini should have. Whether Apple were to use the same CPU/GPU board or if it just built its own case around the Hades Canyon computer, it would be a great candidate (or model) to base the next Mac Mini design.
best example of shmucky timmie cookie futility. one third 2018 finished and how has the lazy bugger earned his pay? One cut down el cheapo iPad. That's all folks! little timmie cookie = big time loser! oh yeah and the stupid $10k speaker
I kind of like the concept image in the article, I really hope we move away from the old style little box. I think it is more than likely the apple will stick with just USB C if the MacBook is anything to go by, espcially given the plethora usb-c accessories to allow the attachment of everything from thumb drives to 4K monitors. I also think those expecting an A series processor instead of an intel processor may have a point at least in part. While I don’t think the A series processors will replace the CPU, I could definately see it or a derivative of it replace the auxiliary chips espcially the integrated graphics and sound card. I base on the advances in the iPad Pro graphics and also thinking about the T1 and T2 chips that are now taking over more of the key systems aspects. However who knows, given what is already possible with the A series chips maybe there could be at least a base/ entry level Mac mini that is run solely on the A series procesdor, especially now office is available for iOS.
Plenty of Intel NUC boxes out there, greed is the only thing stopping Apple from making something similar where the user can add their own ram and storage. Absolutely zero user experience to be gained from Apple whacking a 40% premium on the hardware.
Plenty of Intel NUC boxes out there, greed is the only thing stopping Apple from making something similar where the user can add their own ram and storage.
It's not greed. It's because Apple already sells an inexpensive media server with the ATV. That's what most minis and NUCs are used for on the consumer side.
If Apple wants to make a small desktop computer, I would like to see them make a Macbook Pro with no battery. I have a MBP that I only ever use at my desk, can't be the only one! All the components could be spread out inside.
I kind of like the concept image in the article, I really hope we move away from the old style little box.
There are a lot of problems with that lozenge design. Probably the most obvious is that you don't need the Touch Bar for a product that is predominantly used as a media server, not as a desktop computer.
I kind of like the concept image in the article, I really hope we move away from the old style little box.
There are a lot of problems with that lozenge design. Probably the most obvious is that you don't need the Touch Bar for a product that is predominantly used as a media server, not as a desktop computer.
The existing Mac mini sometimes fulfils that purpose ( I don't know if it predominately does) but it wasn't sold with that expectation. Apple marketed it as a consumer desktop computer.
he bar-style concept is a clever idea. However I can't see Apple doing it, I think they have lost interest in that segment of the Mac market.
It's not so clever. For example, where are the cables? They're just omitted from the rendering because that's one of the problems with the design. Do people really want a bunch of cables in front of their monitor? Why even bother with wireless keyboard or trackpad if the cables are going to be on display in front?
Nice article, and I applaud AI for finally, finally broaching the topic. If any staff at AI actually get a one-on-one with Cook, please, please try and pin him down with more than the the MM is “in our future.” C’mon, I’ve been an Apple fan for decades but why can’t you update the MM. Give us something, anything! This is getting ridiculous!
Agreed. The Mini should have the current iMac (not the iMac Pro) compute and peripheral connectivity, just minus the screen, keyboard, and pointing device. Staying true to the vision that this is a computer for people who have their peripherals (the 'switchers'), or don't like it when an 'allin1' is 'allindead' when one component breaks.
so the baseline for non laptops: Mac Mini (fast) / iMac (fast) (basically the same chip/mem/storage, and ideally all the 'stuff' that makes a mac a mac for that year's version of desktop bliss.
iMac Pro (faster, maybe the nicest single screen option) Mac Pro (fastest, most expansionistically capable, massive screenage drivers)
this parallels the MacBook and Mac Book Pro.
If the Mac Mini had the internals of the iMac... it would not be Mini anymore... There is a lot of space taken up behind that giant monitor - it just does not seem like that.
The Mac Mini should have the same options as the MacBook Pro line (from low end to high end; which hopefully would include a mobile GPU from AMD (or nVidia) and up to the 6 core mobile processor.
It would be nice if they came out with a Mac (or Mac Mini Pro so to speak) - which was headless - and had the same consumer CPU parts as the iMac along with similar GPU offerings in a compact design - maybe sort of repurposing the trashcan Mac Pro design - or something similar... though I would go with a more regular shape so it fits nicely in rack cases engineered to hold them in a data room.
The Mac Pro would then be the Xeon dual CPU design sort of mirroring the dual-core HP workstation line but macified (it does not need to go right up to the top configuation, but higher configuration than the iMac Pro).
he bar-style concept is a clever idea. However I can't see Apple doing it, I think they have lost interest in that segment of the Mac market.
It's not so clever. For example, where are the cables? They're just omitted from the rendering because that's one of the problems with the design. Do people really want a bunch of cables in front of their monitor? Why even bother with wireless keyboard or trackpad if the cables are going to be on display in front?
Probably there would be one or two ports at the back, about as many ports as a MacBook Pro. I don't get the in front of the monitor problem, my MacBook Pro is in front of my monitor as I speak.
I could see exactly that -- with the side slot being used to insert your iPhone... The keyboard unit would supply power and an eGPU to drive a 27" screen or multiple screens and possibly some external storage capacity along with multiple ports.
The A11 is already a match for Intel's I5 and the phone already contains adequate memory and storage for most tasks. Why invest in a second one for your desk?
I don’t know why we keep talking about this. Tim Cook doesn’t like the Mac so he just lets it go. He thinks that Apple no longer needs to have a Mac. Take a look at what has happened to the Macs since Steve died. It continues to break my heart. I haven’t bought a Mac in years. Not because I didn’t want to, there just wasn’t a new Mac that could justify the cost. The new iMac just doesn’t do it for my profession. Would love a couple of mini's for movie servers but I’m not buying that old of technology.
Sure. It's a personal decision by Tim to let it go. Nothing to do with a business model or strategy. You know what else has happened since Steve died? The world has moved on. Technology has improved, use cases have changed and therefore Apple's product mix has evolved too. It will never be the 90's or the 00's again. I'm sure you can by a Mac SE with dual 800K floppies on e-bay.
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By Evan-Amos - Own work, Public Domain, Link
so the baseline for non laptops:
Mac Mini (fast) / iMac (fast)
(basically the same chip/mem/storage, and ideally all the 'stuff' that makes a mac a mac for that year's version of desktop bliss.
iMac Pro (faster, maybe the nicest single screen option)
Mac Pro (fastest, most expansionistically capable, massive screenage drivers)
this parallels the MacBook and Mac Book Pro.
It could have fit in a 3.5” HDD as well as a Intel U-series computer.
Let's see, what should the next Mac Mini have:
* Simple, stackable, small form-factor
* Lots of ports
* Game-worthy graphics
* User-accessible components (disk, memory)
I’ve owned three mac minis. Two are still in use, but I’m slowly migrating to a new small computer line. I'm not looking for a single Gold-priced system. Sorry, iMac/Mac Pro. I work on software that communicates to other systems. I have built two Skull Canyon systems. One runs Win10. The other runs Linux. Now, this Hades Canyon with full Radeon graphics is really attracting my attention. It won’t be available until May, but it embodies what the next Mac Mini should have. Whether Apple were to use the same CPU/GPU board or if it just built its own case around the Hades Canyon computer, it would be a great candidate (or model) to base the next Mac Mini design.
one third 2018 finished and how has the lazy bugger earned his pay?
One cut down el cheapo iPad. That's all folks!
little timmie cookie = big time loser!
oh yeah and the stupid $10k speaker
The Mac Mini should have the same options as the MacBook Pro line (from low end to high end; which hopefully would include a mobile GPU from AMD (or nVidia) and up to the 6 core mobile processor.
It would be nice if they came out with a Mac (or Mac Mini Pro so to speak) - which was headless - and had the same consumer CPU parts as the iMac along with similar GPU offerings in a compact design - maybe sort of repurposing the trashcan Mac Pro design - or something similar... though I would go with a more regular shape so it fits nicely in rack cases engineered to hold them in a data room.
The Mac Pro would then be the Xeon dual CPU design sort of mirroring the dual-core HP workstation line but macified (it does not need to go right up to the top configuation, but higher configuration than the iMac Pro).