Derffy

This is a welcome step forward.  I attributed the limited file system to instant access and low processing power.   Additionally, moving files between desktop and iPad has always seemed clunky.  I wonder if this will bring better access when using Mac finder to transfer files.  For instance when moving a file to iPad in Finder, you can not rename from Finder, you have to either login into the iPad to rename or rename in finder window prior to moving onto iPad. 

When you do the bench marking, really want to see boot times of the PCIe internal storage and external Thunderbolt against iMac pro SSD.  At this point Apple is using off the shelf Intel processors.   Maybe for the money they customized the controller to max out the PCIe lanes to the processor. This in conjunction with the 10 gigabit Ethernet would open some interesting doors for Mac software developers.  With Intel pushing Optane technology, maybe Apple baked in a surprise of their own.  I suspect this is Apple test driving architecture enhancements for the Mac Pro.

For perspective, when the redesigned 2010 "flat mini" series was introduced it started at $699 ($805 in 2018 money) for a base Core 2 Duo 2.4, only went to $499 after the 2nd refresh in 2014.  This being the "recycled" series maybe a future refresh will bring a low cost mac mini.

Appears Apple is taking the mini to the next level. Many basic things done in 2012 on a "new" Mac Mini, are largely being done on the go with phones and tablets. The previous article about schools issuing iPads to new students tends to confirm cloud services and information accessibility have changed. The casual user is happy to forgo the traditional desktop with a $500 tablet. Billing, accounting, household expenses, tracked in the cloud. Printing done wirelessly. Photo editing and sharing through social media. I see the new 2018 storage and port setup geared towards processing power at the desk. The new mini is looking for creators instead of users. That said, increasing the entry level by $300, seems be leaving tinkerers, the budget minded, and multitasking behind. On the other hand when the redesigned 2010 "flat mini" series was introduced it started at $699 ($810 in 2018 money) for a base Core 2 Duo 2.4, which went back to $499 after the 2014 refresh. Going back to 2010 shows similar price shock comments.