Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Desktops, Rumors, Apple, Mac mini
Will the Mini live or die?
I got a suprising number of "hurrahs" yesterday when I mentioned how afraid I was that the Mini might get killed before I was able to buy one with Leopard pre-installed on it. Rumors about today's Apple event (which we'll be metaliveblogging, so stay tuned) are everywhere, and one that I've heard pretty often is that the Mini's last days are upon us.Personally, that's really disappointing-- even if the Mini isn't quite the performer or the bastion of beauty that the iMac or the Mac Book Pro is, there's always room for the little computer that could (could convert the Windows faithful, I mean). So that's why I'm so happy to hear that Macenstein says the Mini won't be killed today-- instead, he's heard it'll get a nice upgrade: "The mini will sport a 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, a 100GB hard drive, SuperDrive, and cost $699." He also suggests it'll get a design refresh, which I'm totally fine with. However you want to play it Jobs, just don't kill my Mini!
Is Apple's smallest desktop headed for the junk heap, or is a brand new version headed for the Apple store? We'll find out when the press conference starts in about half an hour from now.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Daniel said 11:49AM on 8-07-2007
The Mini got me into the Mac in the first place and as for looks - it's far cooler than the Mac Pro monstrosity, surely that eyesore is the worst computer apple ever designed?
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Quix said 11:56AM on 8-07-2007
Apple definitely needs to keep the Mac Mini and cut the price. Surely Apple needs an affordable headless Mac. Time to use some of that cash in the bank and go for some market share.
And where's our consumer-grade tower model? Sure, I love my iMac, but I miss the days of $1,299 entry-level Power Macs.
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Matthew said 12:02PM on 8-07-2007
Die. Unless, that is, Apple builds basic Mac mini configuration at around $299.
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Dirk Pratt said 12:07PM on 8-07-2007
I think they should keep it in their line up, but somehow make it cheaper or at least get a monitor set up with it. The masses that can be converted only see price anyway. Once they are hooked on Mac, then they can go get a MacBook, iMac or MacPro.
But we've gotta get 'em first! And the Mini is great bait, just needs to be at a price point that those shitbox Dells are at.
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shawn-dude said 12:10PM on 8-07-2007
We own two of these fine beauties. The old G4 model makes a quick, quiet, and cool home server. Who wants the huge cheese-grater baking away in their closet, fans whining like it's trying to take off? (assuming, for the moment, you can spend $3k+ on a home server.) It's far too loud to stick next to your TV. Or, you can choose the iMac which fits into a audio/visual component stack like, well, a second TV in glaring "hello kitty" white. Er, um, no thanks.
What makes the mini great is its size and the fact you don't have to buy a whole new monitor every time you upgrade your CPU.
What makes the mini sad is its lack of a 3D graphic engine (aka "video card") and thus limits its game playing to solitaire, tetris, and 2D chess. Our Core 2 mini cannot play 5-year old Warcraft III without choking, which is quite pathetic considering how frugal the game is on modern PC resources.
I realize Apple makes more profit when people throw away their perfectly good iMac monitors to upgrade to a new one, but some of us are happy with our existing monitors and just want more speed. (and, need I add, don't require dual xenon's and their associated cost.)
Upgrade the Mini and add the Nvidia graphic card back in please. The old G4 Mini has the Nvidia card so we know it can be done.
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Stephen Lang said 12:12PM on 8-07-2007
A $699 price point would fly if it was a semi-expandable mini tower- 1 PCI slot, upgradeable graphics, 3.5 HD. That would be a nice headless Mac. The Mini is a headless iMac.
But they apparently don't want to undercut the Mac Pro, and probably want to keep their price points up. I love Macs, but I think it's lame that you have to spend $3000 for some PCI slots.
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Christopher L. Williams said 12:15PM on 8-07-2007
Macenstein hasn't heard anything. He's imagined it. He admits as much during the post. In other words, he hopes. This is blatant rumor mongering at its worst.
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Micah Neumark said 12:21PM on 8-07-2007
As much as I like the mini, there is one thing I think Apple should make. A lower cost tower that is expandable and easy to get into. Basically what I am describing is a Gaming machine. Core 2 Duo (don't need a Xeon for gaming), nice graphics card, fast RAM, HDMI port for 1080p gaming, etc...Sell for 1000 or 1200 or so (this price would, of course, depend on the graphics card). I think this would pull in gamers. They could upgrade all they want, run windows for games or Mac once the Mac gaming industry starts taking off. But it won't take off until something like this already exists. Gamers complain, well, we still can't build our own machine how we like, so screw the Mac. Games trump OS. But they don't have to. Come on Apple!
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Billy K said 12:22PM on 8-07-2007
The only problem with the Mini is the price. It's too expensive for switchers. I, as an Apple Zealot™, realize it's a great bargain at the price, but $700 just doesn't look that inviting to a potential switcher.
Of course there's the flip side, where if Apple were to lower the price, say back to the original $499 price point, the performance would be so lousy, they would lose a switcher.
It's a fine line, and for that reason, I just don't think the Mini is a good switcher product. A 17" iMac on the other hand...
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YodaMac said 12:23PM on 8-07-2007
The mini was never meant for those who want "expansion". I got mine as a cheap way to upgrade from my B&W G3 until the Intel transition was "safely" over. Now that I'm planning to replace it when Leopard comes out (you know, back in June...heh) ... I WAS seriously thinking of getting... another Mini.
I love the small, space-saving form factor. I don't really want to replace my perfectly good $700+ Cinema Screen just yet (the reason I stay away from iMacs is the built-in screen), and I am not a "hard-core" gamer, so the Mini suits me just fine.
I don't need a Mac Pro (too big/expensive)... I don't need an iMac (I already have a keyboard, monitor, etc. that work just fine.)... I NEED A MAC MINI! :)
Long Live the Mini! ... in whatever form...
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Krzysztof said 12:43PM on 8-07-2007
Looks like the Apple Store is down in Australia and New Zealand only as of 12:43EDST
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Justin said 12:44PM on 8-07-2007
I think the Mini is boxed in against the Macbook and the AppleTV but serves a purpose as a second/3rd Mac.
When I made the leap to Mac, I replaced two desktops and a laptop with one Macbook. When at home, it sits on my desk closed hooked to an external monitor (so it is basically just like a mini). My Macbook was a refurb so it wasn't much more than a Mini. It is a Mini I can pick up and go with and actually looks a bit easier to upgrade than the Mini.
I'd like to have a Mini to hook up to the HDTV as a media box/backup server but doing that eats into the AppleTV's space. So from Apple's standpoint, why keep it?
I personally want the iMac and Mini killed for an xMac but everyone has their flights of fancy.
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Stephen P said 12:51PM on 8-07-2007
I'd be glad to see the mini die. And hopefully replaced with a budget box that has no monitor but does have a 3.5" hard-drive. Being a person of low income, the mini was my intro to the Mac world and I plan to hang onto my first-gen, G4 mini hopefully about a year longer. That said, there's no great need for this "desktop" computer to be made so small that it can only fit a low capacity, 2.5" hard drive. I run mine off an external drive, and if I wanted to clone that drive, I'd need to buy a second external HD. Thus, my computer is no longer "mini," and it cost far more than the original price tag of $430 (refurb) when you add the HD. If I got a desktop with a $3.5", 160-Gig internal HD, I could clone that off a single, external HD. And it would be cheaper and less messy.
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Blair Cook said 2:28PM on 8-07-2007
It LIVES. They just said that it is being refreshed today!
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Blair Cook said 2:29PM on 8-07-2007
To the poster that wants the 1300 dollar mac. You just got your wish, entry 20'' imacs are now 1199.
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Dizzzz said 3:22PM on 8-07-2007
available in .nl http://store.apple.com/Apple/WebObjects/nlstore.woa/wa/RSLID?nnmm=browse&mco=9A42D2A0&node=home/desktop/mac_mini
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Dave Wood said 4:57PM on 8-07-2007
I hope the upgrade rumour is true, I've been holding off buying one for months waiting for the upgrade. If it's upgraded today, I'll buy one this week!
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joe said 1:43PM on 8-08-2007
I wouldn't have stopped with the upgrade in processor. I would have thrown and HD Tuner in it and scrapped the stupid apple tv! What really does the Apple TV buy me that I couldn't get with a Mini? Techmaven over on businessweek reviewed the HD Tivo and his comments were right on the mark. Outside of Tivo, no one else has come close to creating an easy to use DVR/TV/Media device. Apple isn't in this space even with apple tv. Cable companies now have to provide users with the card used in the cable boxes they supply. The major disadvantage here is that nobody makes a device that with the cable card has access to On Demand or Pay Per View. ENTER to trumpets ! The itunes Store!!!!!!!
It's funny that people always want their dvr/tuner to do more like a computer and their computer to do more, like a dvr/tuner. Yet no one has built the killer device in the space.
With cable cards opening the door, the mini's possibilities are much more endless. The "smart home" needs a decent computer at the hub. Serving up notice to my computer for everything doesn't make sense if I'm parked in front of my TV more, or if I'm one of those people who always has the TV on while I'm doing something else. I have 2 laptops at my house. So mobility isn't the issue. It's about where I spend my time. A computer requires me to be with it to be useful. A tv can be across the room and display something useful. Do I really want to hookup a Mac Pro to my TV?? A bit much don't you think?
Besides, that would open the door for the cinema displays being something more then a monitor. Let's face it. They look great, they are beautiful and if I had more cash I would have 2 or more, but in the end. It's just a monitor because it still needs a computer to be useful.
Killing the Mini is just a bad idea.
(Sorry for my rant.)
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OWRC said 3:08PM on 8-08-2007
Maybe the Mini and the Apple TV coexisting doesn't make sense. If the aTv essentially became the mini then that I could understand but to keep the aTv in its current state and lose the mini would be crazy.
In my opinon the current mini with front row makes a much better aTv than the current aTv. More codecs, storage, occasional games, eyetv etc.
Keep the mini and install the @Tv software on it and lose the apple tv box.
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JeffDM said 8:35PM on 8-11-2007
shawn-dude; One doesn't need to spend $3k on a home server, and said server doesn't need to be a mini to be reasonably quiet. For my HTPC, I use an original PowerMac G5, I almost never hear it. It replaced a Xeon-based Windows 2000 system, which was nearly as quiet except when the G5 really gets loaded, I didn't like that about the G5.
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