Apple releases new Mac mini

Started by Joe, October 31, 2018, 08:46:04 AM

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Possum

This is not really relevant to the Mini, I don't believe, but it is an interesting twist on the new T2 chip, which is supposed to enhance security. It's also going to discourage "unauthorized" tinkering.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/11/apples-t2-chip-will-block-some-third-party-repairs-of-new-devices/
Tall tree, short ropes, fix stupid.

Joe

The war on user upgrades continues...

Apple is doing their best to drive users away from their platform.
Mac OS Sonoma 14.2.1 (c) | (retired)

The seven ages of man: spills, drills, thrills, bills, ills, pills and wills.

wonderings

Quote from: Joe on November 15, 2018, 09:35:28 AMThe war on user upgrades continues...

Apple is doing their best to drive users away from their platform.

I really hope people start standing up and voicing their frustration with Apple. Seems there is less demand for their iPhones. I was reading an article on CNET about Apples stock being down and production of their phones were not as high as were expected. Of course this has all happened before and they come back stronger then before.

big-brother-apple

Joe

People usually vote with their wallets. Which appears to already be happening.

Our latest iMacs here (2015 models) can't have the hard drive swapped out unless you buy a kit from OWC or have Apple do it. Plus they now have the glass glued on instead of being held on by magnets like the previous version had so to change the hard drive out you have to have a special tool to cut the glue to get the glass off. Then remove the whole display to get to the hard drive. Then remove the hard drive. Then install the new hard drive from OWC with their "special" kit. Then re-install the display. Then put the glass back on. Oh yeah you will need  some special double sided tape to keep the glass attached. And then I'll bet you start seeing screen artifacts since you removed the display that is very delicate.

When the time comes for new prepress computers it might be time to look elsewhere. :(
Mac OS Sonoma 14.2.1 (c) | (retired)

The seven ages of man: spills, drills, thrills, bills, ills, pills and wills.

Possum

I can foresee a time coming when Apple's products will self destruct if anybody other than an Apple employee tries to mess with them. Each employee will have a magic Apple wand to wave over the item before and after repair, but it must be done within 10 seconds or poof!
Tall tree, short ropes, fix stupid.

wonderings

Quote from: Joe on November 15, 2018, 12:58:49 PMPeople usually vote with their wallets. Which appears to already be happening.

Our latest iMacs here (2015 models) can't have the hard drive swapped out unless you buy a kit from OWC or have Apple do it. Plus they now have the glass glued on instead of being held on by magnets like the previous version had so to change the hard drive out you have to have a special tool to cut the glue to get the glass off. Then remove the whole display to get to the hard drive. Then remove the hard drive. Then install the new hard drive from OWC with their "special" kit. Then re-install the display. Then put the glass back on. Oh yeah you will need  some special double sided tape to keep the glass attached. And then I'll bet you start seeing screen artifacts since you removed the display that is very delicate.

When the time comes for new prepress computers it might be time to look elsewhere. :(

The hard drive replacement is even worse, you can only put in what you had when you ordered it from Apple. If you had 1TB and wanted 2TB they will not do it. They are so set in this they will not accept your money to upgrade the most basic of things.

I am much more open to looking at non Apple options when I decide I want to upgrade. It will be full circle when that happens having taken our shop from majority PC to virtually all Macs and if Apple keeps doing what they are doing I will eventually be all PC again.

Joe

If you get the hard drive kit from OWC for the iMacs you can change the size of the drive. Not sure if that applies to other things like the Macbook Pro or iMac Pro.
Mac OS Sonoma 14.2.1 (c) | (retired)

The seven ages of man: spills, drills, thrills, bills, ills, pills and wills.

wonderings

Quote from: Joe on November 15, 2018, 03:36:10 PMIf you get the hard drive kit from OWC for the iMacs you can change the size of the drive. Not sure if that applies to other things like the Macbook Pro or iMac Pro.

That is not something I would never want to do. Removing that screen seems like no fun at all and one mess up and there goes the computer as it would probably be cheaper to buy new then to have Apple fix it... if they even would fix it.


Joe

Yeah on these I don't want to pull that display either. Even the last two times I've had a certified Apple repair place have to pull that display they have damaged it and then had to replace it. Which is why I do not have an SSD in my current Mac at home.
Mac OS Sonoma 14.2.1 (c) | (retired)

The seven ages of man: spills, drills, thrills, bills, ills, pills and wills.

seratne

#39
Not sure if the 2015 is that much different than the late 2013 21.5, but I was able to replace the drive in about 20 minutes. The hardest part was removing the left over adhesive strips before putting the new ones down. I used the OWC kit, and the drive had no special cables needed (my mid 2011 did need a special thermal sensor, but I think they dropped that nonsense when they went slim). It's stupid that Apple went with the adhesive instead of the magnets like on the older models. But it's actually pretty easy to get into.

Really considering going hackintosh for the eventual upgrades around here though. But, Intel's been dragging their heels and the newest processors actually aren't that much faster than what we currently have.

frailer

Quote from: Possum on November 15, 2018, 01:04:05 PMI can foresee a time coming when Apple's products will self destruct if anybody other than an Apple employee tries to mess with them. Each employee will have a magic Apple wand to wave over the item before and after repair, but it must be done within 10 seconds or poof!

It'll be own as The Banksy Upgrade.
Forgotten good guys: Dennis Ritchie, Burrell Smith, Bill Atkinson, Richard Stallman
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now just an honorary member.

frailer

Quote from: Joe on November 15, 2018, 12:58:49 PMPeople usually vote with their wallets. Which appears to already be happening.

Our latest iMacs here (2015 models) can't have the hard drive swapped out unless you buy a kit from OWC or have Apple do it. Plus they now have the glass glued on instead of being held on by magnets like the previous version had so to change the hard drive out you have to have a special tool to cut the glue to get the glass off. Then remove the whole display to get to the hard drive. Then remove the hard drive. Then install the new hard drive from OWC with their "special" kit. Then re-install the display. Then put the glass back on. Oh yeah you will need  some special double sided tape to keep the glass attached. And then I'll bet you start seeing screen artifacts since you removed the display that is very delicate.

When the time comes for new prepress computers it might be time to look elsewhere. :(

Fascinating to look back on the rise/fall/rise of Apple. They've reached 'maturity'; got big, now protecting (trying to) protect their pricing/market share when their products exist in a much more homogeneous pool of stuff. IMO they've gone as well thus far because Micrsoft's products (particularly OS), are so crap.
I would not easily move away from OSX at my age.
All that drama, Amelio, Jobs' ousting, comeback, the wrench from OS9, Jobs' foresight on a Unix-based OS... all seems like just yesterday.
Forgotten good guys: Dennis Ritchie, Burrell Smith, Bill Atkinson, Richard Stallman
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now just an honorary member.

Joe

Quote from: frailer on November 18, 2018, 04:52:13 AMFascinating to look back on the rise/fall/rise of Apple. They've reached 'maturity'; got big, now protecting (trying to) protect their pricing/market share when their products exist in a much more homogeneous pool of stuff. IMO they've gone as well thus far because Micrsoft's products (particularly OS), are so crap.
I would not easily move away from OSX at my age.
All that drama, Amelio, Jobs' ousting, comeback, the wrench from OS9, Jobs' foresight on a Unix-based OS... all seems like just yesterday.

I could but as long as my owners are willing to pay for Macs we will keep using them. :grin:
Mac OS Sonoma 14.2.1 (c) | (retired)

The seven ages of man: spills, drills, thrills, bills, ills, pills and wills.

Slappy

Quote from: Joe on November 18, 2018, 09:21:49 AMI could but as long as my owners are willing to pay for Macs we will keep using them. :grin:
Now I have to wonder, as the PDF editing/correction tools keep getting better, will platform at some point really become irrelevant? It honestly wouldn't be that hard to work on a Windows machine if all we're needed to do is preflight/fix PDFs.
A little diddie 'bout black 'n cyan...two reflective colors doin' the best they can.

Joe

Quote from: Slappy on November 18, 2018, 03:13:57 PM
Quote from: Joe on November 18, 2018, 09:21:49 AMI could but as long as my owners are willing to pay for Macs we will keep using them. :grin:
Now I have to wonder, as the PDF editing/correction tools keep getting better, will platform at some point really become irrelevant? It honestly wouldn't be that hard to work on a Windows machine if all we're needed to do is preflight/fix PDFs.

Same here on the commercial prepress side as I spend 95% of my time in Acrobat with Pitstop and in Photoshop but we could certainly do that on Windows. My biggest fear would be some of these people using email on Windows machines. EEEEEEK!
Mac OS Sonoma 14.2.1 (c) | (retired)

The seven ages of man: spills, drills, thrills, bills, ills, pills and wills.