Mac Mini: I'm not dead, yet

The Mac Mini might not be dead after all, as a new report suggests Apple might be adding Mini DisplayPort to the back of the computer.

(Credit: Apple)

Apple's Mac Mini might be getting a reprieve after all.

A few days after Gizmodo reported that European retailers believed the Mac Mini was heading for the exits, AppleInsider says the smallest and cheapest Mac hasn't left the building. Apparently a number of casinos in Las Vegas use Mac Minis to help run the ever-present security cameras in that city, and those customers believe that an update is around the corner.

One Las Vegas-based source who runs a collocation service based on the Mac Mini told AppleInsider that there are about 10,000 Mac Minis in use in Sin City. He believes that Apple is planning to release an updated Mac Mini in the near future that takes a few cues from the recent notebook launch, such as the addition of a Mini DisplayPort connection and the ability to address 4GBs of RAM.

If true, it would make sense that retailers were told not to expect any more of the older Mac Minis, in order to make way for the new models. The Mac Mini has been rumored to be on the way out more than once, and gotten up off the canvas each time. Apple might not yet be ready to part with the cute cube.

[JimDibb]

Except its clearly not a cube.

[tadbittipsy]

Don't let the Mini die!!! Its such a great way for people to get into Apple. I bought one for both my parents and grandparents. You wouldn't believe how quick they were iChat_ing away with video. I'm proud to have an all Mac family now. These little guys are as important to Apple on the low end as the Mac Pro is on the high end. With more ram and a processor update, even I a Pro owner, would consider one as a house server. Plus the marriage between the Mini, the Apple TV, and the Time Capsule, is one of the best media combos there is. I hooked all three up for my parents and they are blasting out tunes and watching all there favorite "Lost" episodes, while also showing of pictures of their grandchildren to friends! Go Mini.

[megustansalchichas]

make it cheaper!!!! quit gouging people and make this a true mass market computer. I can't believe they're still charging $600 bucks for a 1/80 configuration. I can get a good laptop for that price and have the advantage of portability.
boost it up to 2/160 or even better 2/250 and drop the price to $499. it doesn't even come with a mouse for xrysakes.

[solitare_pax]

So it doesn't come with a mouse or a keyboard - get the one you prefer, instead of the hunk o junk bundled with most PC packages - and save! I'm using a cheapo HP keyboard (actually very nice) and a logitech optical mouse on mine - and they cost far less than the Mac keyboard & mouse.

[lonestarState]

Mac Mini's Rule! I will definitely add another to my arsenal of Apple products! As tadbittipsy mentioned above the Mini Mac is a great way for people to move away from the crap that Windows Vista is!

[pjhenry1216]

Why can't people keep the ignorant bashing to themselves? I would like to see the mini updated because I want one, however, I use multiple computers through a kvm switch so an iMac is useless to me. I want a mac without a screen, but i also don't need a mac pro. However, i don't want one because I think windows vista is crap. Windows is just as stable as an Apple if Apple actually cared about flexibility. If Vista isn't running well, its the user's fault. Apple can only run one way: its own way. It won't run the way you want it. Windows does a little bit more, but not completely. Linux goes all the way, its just not as user friendly. Apple sacrified flexibility for user friendliness, Linux sacrificed user friendliness for flexibility, and Windows is sorta in the middle, not great at either, but not terrible.

So stop bashing Windows Vista because you don't know how to use a computer. If you just like a Mac interface more, than thats fine. But there's no reason to think that anything you don't like automatically sucks.

[dragonbite]

That didn't take long for somebody to come along and bash Microsoft when the article is about Apple.

[tappy727]

I have a Mac and I bought a Compaq laptop running Vista for $399. Vista isn't as nice a Mac OS but it isn't crap - email, internet and other programs run fine. Microsoft Office even runs better than on my Mac. At first I thought Mac OS looks better but I don't think much about looks when I have to actually do some work.

[Mr. Dee]

I thought the Mac Mini already supports 4 GBs of RAM, just no supported by Apple? Anyway, Apple needs to drop the price on this thing, for something that talks about BYOKM, it's too darn expensive. The Mini is worth no more than $300. Steve Jobs is talking horse radish when he says that his Company cannot build a $500 computer. I think all those years of being a billionaire, loving Mercedes has gone to his head. The Apple Tax is ridiculous!

[yaauie]

Apple is not in the business of cheap. cheap means low margins, low margins means low stock value and apple is first and foremost responsible to their shareholders. Here's an interesting article by John Gruber on what makes Apple, well, *Apple*. http://daringfireball.net/2008/10/listen_to_tim_cook

[fuzbears]

If it was not for the mac mini, I would not use a mac at all.. I like the control of how and where I set it up, and how creative you can be on implementation. If apple got rid of it, then they also force people to either use the mac the way they want, or not at all. Sure it is a niche market, but it is an important one if they want to see novel uses of their OS.
Wait, I forgot. Jobs knows what I want better than I do..

[yaauie]

I really thought more of cnet than this. How does this qualify as *news*? A user *speculates* that a manufacturer is going to change their product line in a specific way, with no inside information, no real data, and somehow that translates to news?

Apple may or may not kill the Mini. This article presents no argument on what Apple will do.

[pjhenry1216]

I want a Mac Mini because I want a mac but not their monitor as I use multiple computers (xp, vista, and ubuntu... i'd like to add a mac to the lineup) on the same monitor using a KVM switch. That annoys me about the iMac because I don't need a monitor. I also don't need anything as powerful as a Pro or any of their laptops just for the ability to use a monitor of my choosing.

[timber2005]

Sorry, that would be a "niche" market.

[savagesteve13]

The Mac mini is overpriced. If it was a cube (aka a bit larger vertically) if could have been expandable. It needed multiple memory slots, a video card slot, upgradeable processor, upgradeable HD, and more ports on the back and it would have been a low cost winner.
Apple mistakenly thinks that if it produces a cheap low end PC it will compete with its upper end PC's. A cheap PC will open new markets, not draw existing upper crust buyers away from power macs.

[dhoff21]

One of the best uses of the Mac Mini is to attach it to a TV and use it has a media server. I have my Mac Mini attached to my HDTV via the DVI to HDMI converter. I store all of my music, movies and tv shows in iTunes which uses an external drive as its stored location. With one click of a button, I can watch any of my 300 movies or listen to any of my 40GBs of music.

[SethNY]

dhoff21....If you connect the Mini to the TV, can it basicaly do everything an Apple TV can and more? My computer is on the fritz and I'm looking for a cheap way to buy and store music/movies and play on my TV/stereo. I had hoped you could sync an ipod with an Apple TV but it looks like no such luck.

[ndurantz]

To SethNY,
To answer your question, yes. There isn't anything the Apple TV can do that the MacMini can't. At least to my knowledge. If you have the need for a new computer and want to hook it up to your HDTV, the MacMini is a great choice.

[MacDellMan]

Here's what I'd like to see (just sayin'):
Keep it simple. Sell it for what it is...50% small. Intel Atom processor. 16GB or 32GB solid state drive. No CD/DVD drive. 2 GBs RAM. 2 USB ports. Ethernet port. Internal 802.11 g/n. Create a Mac "Webtop" and drive heavily the online service available through MobileMe as well as Google. Sell it for $299.00. Similar idea to a Netbook, but Apple could execute it better.

Market: School-aged kids. Adults. Those wanting to "taste" the Mac experience. Those looking to simply surf the Web, email, and do general word processing via Google Docs, etc.

I think this would be a far better sell than just updating the existing MacMini (putting lipstick on the pig.) People are looking for something new. This would be new...and something people can talk about. Maybe message as a companion to iTune, you iPod, etc...something to keep it interesting and take it out of the boring desktop market.

[danielgrant612]

thats the worst idea ever (just my opinion)

[David Turner]

Got to say I agree with danielgrant612

[dredgerie]

they already did that. It's called an iphone.

[tappy727]

The current mini sells for $599 and $799. For $999 I can get a Macbook, a better computer that comes with a screen, keyboard, trackpad and is much more portable.

[solitare_pax]

Face it - the Mac Mini is as close as a computer is going to get to a toaster in terms of simplicity. Dell and a couple others have imitated it, but having something not much larger than a stack of seven music CD jewel boxes which doesn't require a constantly running cooling fan is pretty darned clever.

I'm using a Mac Mini right now - hooked into a KVM switch so I can go between the Windows Box and an ancient Mac tower. The only thing keeping me from considering the upgrade right now is that after two years it is still running pretty darned well with 2gb ram / 80 GB hard drive (I have 3 external hard drives from the previous macs to provide project, photo & backup storage) and the Adobe CS 2 Suite runs better than I expected when I installed it way back when. But, there's Spore (which apparently won't run on the hardware - bummer) and the new Adobe CS Suite looks pretty good, but it might overwhelm the machine - so if Apple gives it a decent upgrade, I'll seriously consider getting a new one.

As always - wait and see if they come through.

[patrick_i]

The Mac Mini is my favorite desktop model. It's plenty powerful for at least 90% of my daily tasks (I'm still using a PPC 1.5Ghz 1GB RAM 80GB HD SD model) which is Email/Word/Excel/Browsing/Remote Administration of other computers and listening to music and watching movies. The only time it has difficulty is when I try to edit a video or graphics. It is a very flexible computer.. use any keyboard/display mouse, it has bluetooth and wireless and it is smaller than ANY comparable computer I have seen and more reliable too. Remember that the costs of miniaturization is very high. Sure we pay an "Apple Tax", but we do in everything else don't we? Is a can of Del Monte Corn really that much better than a can of generic corn. Is a tarted up Lexus really that much better than a tarted up Toyota? Maybe Yes Maybe No but if someone is willing to pay.....

[Vegaman_Dan]

Steve Jobs said earlier this week that Apple couldn't make any computer product for less than $500 that wasn't a piece of junk. This means the Mini will have to be $500 or more alone.

[n0th3r3]

I love my mini. Its a great gateway computer to get mac into more homes. I plugged it into a TV and use it as a media hub.

[iConquered]

The Mac Mini is actually my next Apple related purchase. I currently own a MacBook (BlackBook), but I feel I would benefit from having a system specifically for home and one for classes and travel. I would like to conserve my battery (since I currently charge it daily because of frequent class and dorm use), and I find the Mac Mini to be the perfect solution to that. It would also provide me with a storage hub for things that I want to back up for my iPod and my MacBook.

People constantly complain about wanting lower priced Apple products, but I feel that Apple has done a fantastic job of offering such products with the MacBook and the Mac Mini. Both are very useful machines with a slick UI and a plethora of useful software. It certainly isn't as cheap as other offerings in the same field, but by Apple standards, the MacBook and the Mac Mini are bargains for Apple curious consumers. You wouldn't expect Ferrari to roll out a $15,000 economy car, so why do people constantly expect Apple to produce net books and bargain bin PC towers?

[marknichelson]

The problem is, Mac's are more akin to a Honda Civic at Mercedes prices. Sure, they are well built and reliable, but they don't provide the performance and flexibility of a PC of comparable price, which will usually have FAR better hardware.

[iConquered]

An Apple computer is more than the sum of its hardware. It is also about the stability of a unified platform (there are never more than five variants of the Mac in one given Mac cycle). Rather than being unable to test for the thousands of configurations that may exist in the Windows market, software developers need to only configure Mac software for a very small range of systems. That is part of the reason why Mac OSX is so stable.

Mac OSX itself is also another attribute, that contributes to the higher pricing of a Mac machine. Though Windows is no slouch in usefulness, Mac OSX is rife with subtle nuances that create a more hospitable experience; spotlight, dictionary, spaces/expose, garage band, iphoto. I am aware that some of these tools have a comparable Windows facsimile, but they are not aspects that Windows propagated.

I can't count the number of times i've been on my XP system and forgot that there is no cover flow, built in dictionary or expose. Hardware is merely a vehicle for the most important aspect of a computer; its software. Not that I am downplaying the significance of hardware, but a computer is about user experience as conveyed through the software and interface. Powerful hardware is indeed welcome, but it is not paramount.

[man290663]

Please can we merge the Mac Mini and Apple TV to make a true media centre to kill the others then we'll all get what we want but please 250GB hard drive as a minimum !! HDMI and proper digital Audio autputs would help (coax and optical) too.

This is what people need!!! one Mac for the desk, one for the travel bag(laptop) and one for the home/TV..

[haub123]

apple, the media centric company (with the Ipod, Itunes, and all the video editing software ect.) should make a media centric device. they half did it with apple tv, but they should make a mac mini with
a) a mini display port with a converter cable to hdmi (if they want to stay propriatary)
b) a blu-ray drive
c) keep the same price.

[tipoo_]

if it was sold for 500, it might be worth it.