Apple releases new Mac mini

[Joe]

But wowser....were I going to buy one my minimum specs would be 16 GB of RAM, i7 CPU, and yes I'm spoiled but I would want to view it in 5K on a 27" monitor with a 512 GB SSD.

The iMac spec'd out there would be $1,699 without any monitor. For a 5K 27" display I think it would run you $500.00 or more. So best case you are looking at $2,199 for a Mac that I would classify as midrange. Want to max it out?

i7 CPU, 64 GB RAM, 2 TB SSD, 10 GB ethernet? $4,199 plus the monitor!

More reasonable but still...i7 CPU, 32 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD, 1 GB ethernet? $2,499 plus the monitor!

 :shocked:

[David]

get me one while you're there Joe..

mucho apprecitato!

[Joe]

But which one?

[Tracy]

The 4199 one but get us the monitor too, K?

[wonderings]

Apple is removing any affordable computer from their lineup. The MacMini was their cheap computer that just about anyone could afford to get into owning a Mac. Now with raised prices, no option to upgrade the hard drive later on, you are getting a more premium computer with a premium price tag. A maxed out Mac Mini is a couple hundred less then a refurb iMac Pro and mini does not come with a mouse, keyboard or a 5K screen.

[Joe]

The 4199 one but get us the monitor too, K?

No problem. Just wait for UPS to show up. Should be any day now.

[Joe]

Apple is removing any affordable computer from their lineup. The MacMini was their cheap computer that just about anyone could afford to get into owning a Mac. Now with raised prices, no option to upgrade the hard drive later on, you are getting a more premium computer with a premium price tag. A maxed out Mac Mini is a couple hundred less then a refurb iMac Pro and mini does not come with a mouse, keyboard or a 5K screen.

Oh yeah I didn't even consider the mouse and keyboard. That is a deal breaker David and Tracy. Sorry.

[David]

damn, an' I was getting all excited and tingly.

[scottrsimons]

Nice to know that Apple is going back to their elitist days, where they are too good for everyone.

Here come the clones...Here come the clones...

I guess it's a good thing Apple has the phones to keep their cash reserves up. Guess it's finally time to look at the Dark Side (as I shudder in terror).   

[Joe]

damn, an' I was getting all excited and tingly.

Lifes a bitch huh?

[wonderings]

Nice to know that Apple is going back to their elitist days, where they are too good for everyone.

Here come the clones...Here come the clones...

I guess it's a good thing Apple has the phones to keep their cash reserves up. Guess it's finally time to look at the Dark Side (as I shudder in terror). 

I did not mind the price as much when I knew I was getting a great quality product with an OS that was making my life easier. Now I am getting a product that used to balance form and function and is leaning way more towards form then function. No replaceable hard drives anymore, RAM on most units is not replaceable. Apple will do zero upgrade on your machine, only fix it to the exact spec you bought it.

This is the fist time since switching to Mac at the inception of the first iMac that I am debating moving away from Apple. I still think it is a solid product but they no longer seem to be developing for what I want. I also think they have become Big Brother from their famous add in 1984. Think Apples way and only Apples way.

[Joe]

I am shocked but the ram in the Mac mini is user upgradeable instead of being soldered in. Probably some Apple engineer is getting reamed for that oversight as we speak.

[Possum]

I may be wrong as usual, but I don't believe the SSD is upgradeable. There was talk on Macrumors about it having the T2 chip, which means the SSD is soldered in. I don't see how that's possible. SSDs do wear out. Of course, my brain wore out long ago, so I may be entirely wrong.

Of course, the people who liked the original Mini (cheaper, good starting machine) will squawk about this, and the pros who have been wanting a beefier one will like it (maybe not the price). If they'd featured one more low end version along with these, they might have pleased more people.

[Joe]

They do have a "cheaper" model than what I listed. The lowest priced one has an i3 CPU , 8 GB RAM  , and a 128 GB SSD. It runs $799.00. I would NOT give them $250.00 for that one.

[Joe]

I didn't write these but this is what I found out about the RAM and SSD.

MEMORY TO 64GB

Memory, which previously maxed on the Mac mini at 16GB, can now be configured up to 64GB. The base model ships with 8GB RAM, but Apple specifically mentioned that memory is on SO-DIMMs.

I reached out to Apple about this and was told: "Yes, Mac mini is configurable up to 64GB and uses industry-standard DDR4 SO-DIMMs. While we don't consider the memory directly end-user accessible, service providers can access the internals of the Mac mini to upgrade the memory."

This is the best of both worlds, because Apple's RAM upgrades cost $200 to go to 16GB, $600 to go to 32GB, and a whopping $1,400 to go to 2666MHz DDR 4-based 64GB RAM.

If RAM is upgradeable after purchase, this is a big thing. A quick look at the Crucial site today (RAM prices change constantly) show that that same 64GB upgrade can be had for $879, $521 less than Apple charges. Even better, it means you can get an affordable Mac mini and later, as your needs change, can grow your RAM footprint.

STORAGE UP TO 2TB SSD FLASH

Storage also can be increased (but it looks like only during purchase). The base model starts with 128GB SSD flash storage (which is way faster than the spinning platters that used to ship on the old Mac minis and is also faster than the SSD upgrades I did to my Mac minis).

Upgrades cost $200 to go to 512GB, $600 to go to 1TB, and a painful $1,400 to go to 2TB SSD.