M1X Mac mini with more ports could launch within months

Comments

• Reply 1 of 34

  Eric_WVGG Posts: 968member

  August 22, 2021 1:52PM

  the Intel Mac mini is gonna be around for years
  
  Apple always had one or two quietly hidden, deeply obsolete models that just tucker around for years due to niche needs. like the 21” iMac that still has a hard drive, a 2014 pedigree computer, only discontinued like last year? 
  
  Apple will need to have one token machine available for developers who have a difficult time transitioning to ARM — like, five or more years — and people who use quirky, special needs software (lots of musicians in this bucket). The Mini is the cheapest computer that ticks these boxes. 

  
• Reply 2 of 34

  Dontmentionthewar Posts: 19member

  August 22, 2021 2:00PM

  Here we go again, M.Gurman only source of info…
• Reply 3 of 34

  aderutter Posts: 604member

  August 22, 2021 2:37PM

  Didn’t we know this a month ago?

  
• Reply 4 of 34

  boxcatcher Posts: 267member

  August 22, 2021 4:12PM

  Man, Mac Mini used to go years between refreshes … suddenly, it’s getting upgraded every 10 months!

  
• Reply 5 of 34

  rcfa Posts: 1,124member

  August 22, 2021 4:26PM

  boxcatcher said:

  Man, Mac Mini used to go years between refreshes … suddenly, it’s getting upgraded every 10 months!

  Not getting updated, but complemented.
  I doubt the M1 versions will go away just because the M1X versions get introduced, unless Apple will transition to a much more aggressive upgrade cycle across its entire product line, or a repositioning of the MacMini line.

  
• Reply 6 of 34

  cpsro Posts: 3,198member

  August 22, 2021 4:47PM

  Fingers crossed this happens soon. (Not keen on MagSafe in a server, btw, and it must support 10GbE--in which case the M1X MacBook Pro should, too.)

  
• Reply 7 of 34

  darkpaw Posts: 212member

  August 22, 2021 4:56PM

  I don't get why we'd ever need MagSafe on a desktop computer? For a laptop, great; someone comes along and treads on the cable, it pulls it out without breaking the port on the laptop or pulling the laptop to the floor, and the laptop continues running on battery power.
  
  For a Mac mini (and, even the 24" M1 iMac) if someone comes along and pulls the cable out, the computer turns off right away. No battery there to safely save your data and shutdown gracefully. I guess that's better than having the mini fall to the floor, but who has the cables in a place where they could be trodden on? Most people have a desk against the wall with the cables running behind it. Anyone who has the cables in a place they could be trodden on, should really be thinking about that.
  
  I mean, who am I to know why it would be there. Apple might've had a spate of repair claims from exactly this.
  
  Okay, I answered my own question.

  
• Reply 8 of 34

  tht Posts: 5,443member

  August 22, 2021 5:59PM

  rcfa said:

  boxcatcher said:

  Man, Mac Mini used to go years between refreshes … suddenly, it’s getting upgraded every 10 months!

  Not getting updated, but complemented.
  I doubt the M1 versions will go away just because the M1X versions get introduced, unless Apple will transition to a much more aggressive upgrade cycle across its entire product line, or a repositioning of the MacMini line.

  Or the Mac mini transition to Apple Silicon will be completed. 😊 The Space Gray Mac mini’s are still Intel and are for sale. 
  
  The M1X versions are going to have a starting price of $1300, maybe $1100. Nobody is going to confuse the silver M1 models to these. They supposedly have a new form factor, so it will probably be more obvious than a different finish. 

  
  

  Also possible to put these into the iMac 24, but who knows if they will. 

  
• Reply 9 of 34

  aaron sorenson Posts: 37member

  August 22, 2021 10:33PM

  I don’t understand why ppl think it will get the M1 iMac’s mag safe but they wouldn’t integrate the Ethernet port into it and put one in the back of the mini  

  
• Reply 10 of 34

  aaron sorenson Posts: 37member

  August 22, 2021 10:37PM

  Also homie talking about MagSafe and no battery’s has a good point… I thought this would be great for servers to have pc’s with built in battery’s… no need for crazy back up battery’s and all that extra equipment, server homie techs would love that shit… could be a selling feature Apple could push to regain some of that server market… would have to bring back the feature rich server OS… maybe just keep the nerfed new one as basic and make a pro version for real homies.

  
• Reply 11 of 34

  entropys Posts: 4,166member

  August 23, 2021 3:15AM

  aaron sorenson said:

  Also homie talking about MagSafe and no battery’s has a good point… I thought this would be great for servers to have pc’s with built in battery’s… no need for crazy back up battery’s and all that extra equipment, server homie techs would love that shit… could be a selling feature Apple could push to regain some of that server market… would have to bring back the feature rich server OS… maybe just keep the nerfed new one as basic and make a pro version for real homies.

  That would be inefficient and expensive, and in a mini, chew up valuable real estate. Particularly on a server farm, maybe not so bad on a single server, but would it not be better to have a UPS and as big a battery to power other stuff, seperatey?

  edited August 2021
• Reply 12 of 34

  michelb76 Posts: 618member

  August 23, 2021 10:41AM

  Doubtful, probably in 2022.

  
• Reply 13 of 34

  blastdoor Posts: 3,278member

  August 23, 2021 10:59AM

  It will be interesting too see how m1x compares to this:
  
  https://www.newegg.com/amd-ryzen-7-5700g-ryzen-7-5000-g-series/p/N82E16819113682?quicklink=true
  
  
  
• Reply 14 of 34

  MplsP Posts: 3,924member

  August 23, 2021 12:56PM

  darkpaw said:

  I don't get why we'd ever need MagSafe on a desktop computer? For a laptop, great; someone comes along and treads on the cable, it pulls it out without breaking the port on the laptop or pulling the laptop to the floor, and the laptop continues running on battery power.
  
  For a Mac mini (and, even the 24" M1 iMac) if someone comes along and pulls the cable out, the computer turns off right away. No battery there to safely save your data and shutdown gracefully. I guess that's better than having the mini fall to the floor, but who has the cables in a place where they could be trodden on? Most people have a desk against the wall with the cables running behind it. Anyone who has the cables in a place they could be trodden on, should really be thinking about that.
  
  I mean, who am I to know why it would be there. Apple might've had a spate of repair claims from exactly this.
  
  Okay, I answered my own question.

  I agree with you - it’s pretty bass-ackward that they removed MagSafe from the laptops where it was incredibly useful and then added it to the desktops where it wasn’t even necessary. Desktops are designed to be permanent (or at least semi-permanent) installations. If you don’t bother to route the cords so people won’t trip, shame on you.
  
  It’s also interesting that USB A and HDMI ports are included, despite everyone on AI deriding them as obsolete, unnecessary ports.
  
  Remember, though - this is a rumor. Some, none or all of it may be true.

  edited August 2021
• Reply 15 of 34

  stompy Posts: 408member

  August 23, 2021 2:21PM

  darkpaw said:

  I don't get why we'd ever need MagSafe on a desktop computer? For a laptop, great; someone comes along and treads on the cable, it pulls it out without breaking the port on the laptop or pulling the laptop to the floor, and the laptop continues running on battery power.
  

  Apple describes the M1 iMac magnetic power connector as "A power connector that easily attaches via magnets", where (retired) MacBook MagSafe was an easily disconnected magnetic power connection. I get that it's easy to conflate the two, most people did when Apple introduced the 2021 iMac; adding to that, Apple has never said "Hey, this isn't MagSafe".
  
  The day the iMac went on sale, reviewer Jason Snell compared the new iMac power cord to the old: "In practical terms, the force required to yank the magnetic power cable off the iMac is the same force required to yank the current iMac’s plastic power plug out of its socket."
  
  Unless we're going to start referring to non-magnetic designs as "FrictionSafe", we should agree to only call products MagSafe that Apple calls MagSafe.

  edited August 2021
• Reply 16 of 34

  Marvin Posts: 15,322moderator

  August 23, 2021 4:52PM

  blastdoor said:

  It will be interesting too see how m1x compares to this:
  
  https://www.newegg.com/amd-ryzen-7-5700g-ryzen-7-5000-g-series/p/N82E16819113682?quicklink=true
  

  According to the spec, the M1 already has a faster GPU (2.6TFLOP vs 2 TFLOP):
  
  https://www.cpu-monkey.com/en/compare_cpu-apple_m1-1804-vs-amd_ryzen_7_5700g-1876
  
  The Ryzen CPU is up to 80% faster but this is a 65W desktop chip.
  
  For M1X, Apple would be able to double the CPU cores (8 performance cores vs 4) of the M1 and gain around 15% from the more advanced node to hit 20W for the CPU. They can 2x the GPU cores to get 5TFLOP (16-core) within 40W overall and 4x GPU for 10TFLOP (32-core) within 60W.
  
  Comparing a 60W M1X (on 5nm+) vs 65W AMD (7nm), Apple's chip would be 1.25x faster CPU and 4-5x faster GPU.

  
• Reply 17 of 34

  MplsP Posts: 3,924member

  August 23, 2021 5:33PM

  stompy said:

  darkpaw said:

  I don't get why we'd ever need MagSafe on a desktop computer? For a laptop, great; someone comes along and treads on the cable, it pulls it out without breaking the port on the laptop or pulling the laptop to the floor, and the laptop continues running on battery power.
  

  Apple describes the M1 iMac magnetic power connector as "A power connector that easily attaches via magnets", where (retired) MacBook MagSafe was an easily disconnected magnetic power connection. I get that it's easy to conflate the two, most people did when Apple introduced the 2021 iMac; adding to that, Apple has never said "Hey, this isn't MagSafe".
  
  The day the iMac went on sale, reviewer Jason Snell compared the new iMac power cord to the old: "In practical terms, the force required to yank the magnetic power cable off the iMac is the same force required to yank the current iMac’s plastic power plug out of its socket."
  
  Unless we're going to start referring to non-magnetic designs as "FrictionSafe", we should agree to only call products MagSafe that Apple calls MagSafe.

  So what’s the point of using magnets, then, especially for a desktop. How often do you plug/unplug a desktop’s power cord? Was the cord for the imac really that difficult or an issue in any way? Nope. Magnets are just a more expensive (and resource intensive) way of doing the same thing. 

  
• Reply 18 of 34

  JBSlough Posts: 92member

  August 23, 2021 5:56PM

  MplsP said:

  stompy said:

  darkpaw said:

  I don't get why we'd ever need MagSafe on a desktop computer? For a laptop, great; someone comes along and treads on the cable, it pulls it out without breaking the port on the laptop or pulling the laptop to the floor, and the laptop continues running on battery power.
  

  Apple describes the M1 iMac magnetic power connector as "A power connector that easily attaches via magnets", where (retired) MacBook MagSafe was an easily disconnected magnetic power connection. I get that it's easy to conflate the two, most people did when Apple introduced the 2021 iMac; adding to that, Apple has never said "Hey, this isn't MagSafe".
  
  The day the iMac went on sale, reviewer Jason Snell compared the new iMac power cord to the old: "In practical terms, the force required to yank the magnetic power cable off the iMac is the same force required to yank the current iMac’s plastic power plug out of its socket."
  
  Unless we're going to start referring to non-magnetic designs as "FrictionSafe", we should agree to only call products MagSafe that Apple calls MagSafe.

  So what’s the point of using magnets, then, especially for a desktop. How often do you plug/unplug a desktop’s power cord? Was the cord for the imac really that difficult or an issue in any way? Nope. Magnets are just a more expensive (and resource intensive) way of doing the same thing. 

  
  

  I believe the point was how thin the iMac is. After I looked at one in a Best Buy I realized there wouldn’t be room for the standard way they were connected before. It’s literally just a screen and almost as thin as an iPad. 

  
• Reply 19 of 34

  tht Posts: 5,443member

  August 23, 2021 6:02PM

  Marvin said:

  blastdoor said:

  It will be interesting too see how m1x compares to this:
  
  https://www.newegg.com/amd-ryzen-7-5700g-ryzen-7-5000-g-series/p/N82E16819113682?quicklink=true
  

  According to the spec, the M1 already has a faster GPU (2.6TFLOP vs 2 TFLOP):
  
  https://www.cpu-monkey.com/en/compare_cpu-apple_m1-1804-vs-amd_ryzen_7_5700g-1876
  
  The Ryzen CPU is up to 80% faster but this is a 65W desktop chip.
  
  For M1X, Apple would be able to double the CPU cores (8 performance cores vs 4) of the M1 and gain around 15% from the more advanced node to hit 20W for the CPU. They can 2x the GPU cores to get 5TFLOP (16-core) within 40W overall and 4x GPU for 10TFLOP (32-core) within 60W.
  
  Comparing a 60W M1X (on 5nm+) vs 65W AMD (7nm), Apple's chip would be 1.25x faster CPU and 4-5x faster GPU.

  Yup, with Apple Silicon, they finally have Macs that have respectable GPU performance across the board. One of the big advantages going with their own custom silicon. They really really need to redouble their efforts in getting 3D games onto the platform, including owning their own studio. It's probably the biggest headwind for more penetration into homes.
  
  It's going go be interesting what TDP the M1X will have. It can go into the MBP14, MBP16, iMac 24, Mac mini, and even the base SKUs for the Apple Silicon large iMac and Mac Pro. It's really their true blue, designed for a PC chip. A workhorse chip as it can go into all of their systems, save for the fanless laptop, and will be used for multiple generations of Mac models.
  
  So like with the M1, probably power-gated to 30 W for the MBP14 and iMac 24 for a 10 to 15% performance reduction versus the MBP16, Mac mini, large iMac and Mac Pro running at 40 to 50 W. Apple lets the MBP16 with the Intel i9-9980HK run at 90 W in perpetuity. Don't think they are going there. The RAM packaging will be the most interesting thing. They might stack LPPDR5 two layers high with 4 stacks to get 8 8GB packages in there for 64 GB total of RAM.
  
  Still wish they went for 24 GPU cores, and binned for 12, 18 and 24 GPU cores depending on computer model.

  
• Reply 20 of 34

  crowley Posts: 10,453member

  August 23, 2021 6:07PM

  MplsP said:
  
  Was the cord for the imac really that difficult or an issue in any way? Nope. 

  Actually yep, the C13-14 coupling and  connector is deeper than the the iMac so, in much the same way as with USB-A and ethernet, the form factor of the iMac meant it was not a possibility, they needed something else.
  
  Also, the C13-14 pair is only normally used for devices with onboard PSUs, which the iMac couldn't have without dramatic changes to the design.  Without a PSU, the connector type is pretty open season, there's loads of them.
  

  edited August 2021