The Eventual Death Of The Mac Mini And Why
It’s been rumored that Apple’s Mac Mini will soon bite the dust. Introduced in January 2005, the Mac Mini’s aim was to entice switchers and make the transition as easy as possible. Even though it sported an all new amazing form factor and became a popular hit, it’s neglected and overpriced. Apple’s reincarnation of the cube was once again a failure and will eventually be killed off.
Apple had yet to venture in making their Macs small. True they had slim PowerBooks and iMacs but they all came with built-in displays, keyboards, mice, etc. If buying a Mac wasn’t your first computer then you could either get a PowerMac for a few thousand or sell off your hardware and invest in an iMac or even iBook. This wasn’t the best upgrade path for many, especially switchers. When Steve Jobs debuted the Mac Mini about two and a half years ago all our problems were solved. This was the lowest priced Mac to date; if you had an existing display, keyboard, and mouse they could all be hooked up to the Mini and you’d save at least a thousand dollars doing so.
The small form factor was not only a relief for those accustomed to big towers (like I was) but also expanded the pathway to mobile computing, such as installing a Mac Mini in your car to check the traffic or to control your car in the traffic. It was a huge leap for Apple design-wise as well. Many loved the PowerMac cube but its limited availability and high price and odd cooling system put it off as a luxury computer. The Mac Mini took its great features and included them in one small package.
Sadly the Mac Mini has always received the short end of the stick from Apple. Its brethren the MacBook, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac Pro, and Xserve have all been regularly updated and sport the latest and greatest processors from Intel, while only older versions of the Core Duo live on in the Mini. Besides, from aging technology finding a home in Apple’s low-end Mac, prices have gone up from the move to Intel while prices on other Macs have plummeted from the switch. The reason behind this is probably the laptop hardware used, 2.5” HDDs and Laptop style RAM.
Apple’s neglect will eventually lead to the death of the Mac Mini and any machine similar to it offered by Apple. Consumers in turn have also shunned the Mac Mini. The reason being is the Mini tries too hard at what it does. Its appearance is awesome but it’s appealing to switchers coming from the PC world. No doubt some of these people have tinkered with their own computers to change components; with the Mini it’s a difficult task compared to other computers and only a limited amount of components can be changed by the user. Another thing is price: Mac users have been accustomed to the prices Apple charges for its hardware, but it can still pose a problem for families who want a new computer and those used to the low prices of PCs. This can all be attributed to the type of hardware Apple put in the Mac Mini. Aiming for a small form factor, laptop-based parts were needed which drove up the price and made some upgrades difficult.
A totally new form factor would be needed for the Mac Mini to survive. Something that would allow easy upgrading, reducing price by using desktop components and still having a small footprint. Apple designing a PC after Shuttle would be the Mac Mini’s only hope to stay in Apple’s product line. Even then Apple would need to cut the price and regularly update the line, not use an outdated chip with minimal specs.
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Shouldn’t it be the G4 Cube instead of a “PowerMac” Cube? I’m always surprised/shocked at how “much” some AM bloggers know about Apple hardware. True, the G4 was supposed to be among the high end stuff, but I have never heard it being mentioned as a PowerMac before.
Well, if they should kill the mini, so be it. No biggie for me anywayz. I’m always more accustomed to having the iMac as the only Apple consumer desktop ever. Steve Jobs did say at D that he envisioned a day where 90% of mac sales will be notebooks. So the Mac Pro and the iMac would have already taken care of the 10% belonging to desktops. I will like to see more notebooks, like the sub notebook rumoured.
Is this the day of half-baked articles on AM? Sure, lately the mini has been a bit neglected, it is in dire need of an upgrade. Nevertheless, it is *the* switcher and entry level Mac, competitively priced with other ultracompacts, and the only consumer class Mac that offers some flexibility in the overall setup. One can assume it might be redesigned with more ports (HDMI...) and a spacious 3,5” HDD. That would make sense, as long as it is kept virtually silent.
Yeah, I’m surprised to see speculation on the death of the Mini… Perhaps a redesign, but Apple still needs a low end plug & play box.
It’s still cheaper to get a Mini with a 19” LCD than it is to buy the lame 17” low end iMac, even if not by much. Even if the Mini goes away, there would still be a sub-$1000 replacement.
Honestly though, I’d like to see a BTO $1000+ Mini with a higher end video card. I’d love to see a headless Mac with iMac 24"-like specifications… but that will never happen.
Switchers don’t care about it being ultra-compact. Throwing that out, it isn’t competitive against similarly priced computers.
@ryuworks, I’ve heard it as PowerMac Cube, Cube and G4 Cube.
Whether it’s the mini or not, Apple needs a sub-$1000 product. There are now rumors of discontinuing the 17” iMac as well. That’s a real shame. With all of the Mac mini shortcomings (and there are many), it was the computer that brought me back to the Mac since I had to have OS X but couldn’t afford the other Mac offerings at the time (this was pre-Intel).
The idea of a mini-tower has been floated and would be nice, but this is Apple. You’ll buy it their way and you’ll like it, dammit!
SterlingNorth, denying the product category does not count as an argument.
Axing anything from the product line would involve replacing it with something else at this point.
Yeah, the demise of the current Mac mini iteration is fulfilled...it is called the AppleTV rev 2.0. The current AppleTV and the Mac mini is converging to form a de facto living room killer setup.
With the shortcomings of AppleTV rev 1 where it needs a Mac or PC to work? Hmmmm. It should work all by itself to woo more newbies and switchers to the Mac. Now that’s a killer living room app.
How would this device handle the iTunes media organisation side of life? A killer living room appliance that requires a keyboard is not a killer living room appliance.
It appears to be Apple’s view that the living room side of things should be handled wholly with the Apple Remote.
My impression from the D webcast was that Apple are kind of feeling their way with tv… and don’t have as definite plans as you think. Not that I think it’s a bad idea. But why should Apple want to decouple the living room experience from the personal computer, which is their core business?
Man! Did I miss out on “pick on the writer” day last week?
It’s good though that you guys spot half-baked articles, convoluted sentences and misnamed products. It means we must have set the bar high. But sometimes we’re gunna stumble and whack our face on it. We can’t raise the bar every week.
BTW, I didn’t find it to be half-baked, rather a good exploration of the idea first put forward by Appleinsider.
also I’d be devastated if the Mac mini bit the dust. I love its form factor.
And if it wasn’t replaced, it’d be a VERY long time before I’d buy another Mac. I can’t afford to buy an iMac for my kids. Currently they have an eMac which was to be updated to a Mac mini early next year.
Apple has to have a low end Mac.
It appears to be Apple’s view that the living room side of things should be handled wholly with the Apple Remote. -Ben
As of today, Ben, you are correct. The mini remote gotta go the way of the hockey puck thingy.
But I wasn’t going that way. I did say AppleTV “rev 2” meaning a full Mac mini in the new *TV costume meaning dimensions and hue.
The current *TV has some limitations in its implementations namely it is dependent upon another Mac or PC’s running iTunes. Why can’t it run its own iTunes? This is even more so that its internal HD has been bumped to 160Gs. The keyboard support via Bluetooth is another matter.
If Apple needs ideas in this department (not that they’re really clueless) take the current mini, give it new clothes, innards, and interfaces (HDMIs, components, etc). Port over new Frontrow with Coverflow effects as in the *TV and voila!
A refreshed Mac mini, a la *TV.
I do love the current mini for I have two (not be bragging) for my entertainment setup. Tossed-out the VCRs several moons ago.
I love the idea of miniature, headless Mac for it gives new Mac customers reason to switch. I have doubts that >$1000 All-in-One iMac has the same draw. The mini can be coupled with a digital TV and a stereo system and look awesome. Do that with an iMac.
So, Apple has all the reasons to refresh the mini to match their current living room decor...in the *TV & the Airport Extreme.
Still, how would the user be interfacing with the itunes side of thing? With keyboard and mouse?
[btw, you can get an symbol by pressing alt-shift-k.]