the whole desktop line is in serious need of a refresh. at least some new Mac Mini units. it's been over two years now. I bought the mid-range Mac Mini, and it's identical to what's in the Store today.
That whole line needs more RAM, newer CPUs, and SSD across the board. :|
But don't actually LIKE the mac mini. It's not something I particularly want.
I do kind of want the huge cinema displays. But they're expensive.
I do kind of want the cylindrical mac pro. But it's expensive.
Apple's laptops are the sweet spot. I want them. The price is right. And they have performed. Tablets and touchscreens suck compared to a solid laptop.
Mac minis are borderline indistinguishable from any other mac during use. But they've always been coasters. Lazy susans. Arm rests. Furniture.
The only time you think about it being a mac mini is when you cycle power, or when you imagine opening it up, and adding more power because multi-tasking.
Providing the mac pro at closer to mini prices would be cool. The polished metal cyclinder is kind of cool. But it's hard to find fetish items that endure six months these days. The death march of cell phone upgrades has seen to that.
Once they started soldering and epoxying internals, well... I start to feel guilty about polluting the environment with electronics waste, and I start googling recycling programs.
"Apple's laptops are the sweet spot. I want them. The price is right."
Is it, though? After evaluating the 2016 13" (and having owned a 2012, 2014 and early 2015), I now have the Kaby Lake XPS 13".
$1799 for a _similarly_ (because yes, I know it doesn't have Touch ID, or the display - but build quality is similar, the display is better - 3200x1800, more connectivity options) specced model that costs $2499 from Apple.
$700 is a decent chunk of change, and yes, over the course of a couple of years life, for a developer, it's not earth shattering. But it is nearly 40% more expensive, for questionable value.
Oh, definitely true. Apple is always a higher price in general, just as a brand name. It's their intended marketing strategy.
Even within Apple's own product line though, compare what you get with the cylindrical desktop Mac Pro for the price, and stand it next to one of their own laptops.
Then stand the Mac Mini next to them. It's a lower price, but it's uncharismatic.
A game changer for the mac mini might be improved methods of environmental integration. Most of the time I think about better ways to hide it, out of sight, out of mind.
The only thing I want within immediate reach is a power button, and a wall switch (any variety of toggle) would be ideal. Hard wired. An actual button. I press button, it goes on. I press button, it goes off. Not an animated skeuomorphic 16 million color display depicting one. No wi-fi tether. No analytics. No GPS. No chipset. No thunderbolt. No USB. No IP address. No internet of things. Just a god damned switch. On/off. The end.
Mac Pros were hugely disappointing for professionals:
- The big boxes were highly upgradeable, which is what a professional needs.
- The trashcans are a nice concept but traded the main perk of Mac Pros for design.
I don't think anyone really wants the mac mini. What I want is a stackable, modular mac desktop. On top goes the core unit, with the CPU, Ram and integrated graphics. Below that, you can attach a graphics module if you want graphics, Storage modules, expansions etc. It's very possible with today's connectors and it feels like a very Apple thing to do. They don't seem to have an interest in really pushing desktops though.
I absolutely want a Mac mini. I want a Mac to develop software, run Adobe Illustrator, and do all the day-to-day stuff like email. I have monitors already so don't need an iMac, and the Mac Pro is more power than I need. The Mac mini is spot on.
I would buy a new mac mini immediately, should they manufacture one that was worth buying. I still have the original PowerPC G4 mini, and upgraded the RAM and HDD in that. For a modern equivalent, I'd like to be able to replace the RAM and SSD at a minimum. But apart from that, I'm actually OK with the limitations; I have a beefy PC for the big stuff, but I do need a mac around for mac-specific stuff, and one with good enough graphics and CPU would suit me fine. It's a shame that they no longer make a suitable system.
I very much want another Mac Mini. For what I need at home, it's the perfect little machine. I don't need much for graphics or onboard storage, and the Mac Pro is wicked overkill. I love the iMac line, but I like being able to use my own monitor as well and just upgrade. The Mac Mini physically fits in my life better too.
