“Consumers who buy a Mac Mini this week may or may not end up with a machine that’s faster than the desktop Apple Computer was selling in prior weeks,” Ina Fried reports for CNET News. “The company confirmed to CNET News.com that it has started offering machines that in some cases have improved processing powers and other enhancements. However, Apple is not labeling the new machines in any special way, so buyers have no way of knowing if they are getting the more capable models.”
“‘Some Mac Mini systems may contain components that slightly exceed the published specifications,’ Apple said in a statement. ‘There are no changes to the published specifications or part numbers,'” Fried reports. “Industry watchers were confounded by Apple’s decision not to explicitly label the upgraded models. ‘It doesn’t make sense to me why they would do this,’ said Technology Business Research analyst Tim Deal, who added that Apple’s tactic creates something akin to a ‘grab bag.’ An Apple representative was not immediately able to say why the company decided to handle things as it has.”
More details in the full article here.
Think Secret reports, “One source reported receiving a 1.5GHz Mac mini Tuesday, although the box still featured the old 1.42GHz label… The SuperDrive equipped Mac mini features a new 8x dual-layer SuperDrive from Matshita (Panasonic)… The Mac mini’s graphics card remains an ATI Radeon 9200 but now features double the VRAM at 64MB. The video card remains incapable of supporting Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger’s Core Image technology. The hard drives have also been upgraded to 5,400-rpm models… the new Mac mini features Bluetooth 2.0+EDR support.”
Think Secret reports, “Sources have informed Think Secret that Mac mini box labels will continue to list the older specifications with no indication of whether the newer or older systems are contained within. The motivation behind this is to help clear current inventory without lowering prices. Essentially, customers are promised that the Mac mini they purchase will have specifications “at least” equal to the label, but that their system may exceed those. Customers who purchase a new Mac mini to find they ended up with the older configuration will not be able to return the system in the hopes of getting the newer configuration without paying a restocking fee.”
More details in the full article here.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Report: significant Apple Mac mini update imminent – September 27, 2005
RUMOR: Apple to introduce faster Mac mini models soon – September 21, 2005
This will be a non-issue in a couple of weeks. Wait if it bothers you. No one is forcing you to buy right NOW.
Thank you Jack A,
Took the words right out – oh wait – took the words right off my keyboard!
Dudes, just wait a little longer check the AppleStore online now and again to see if the minis are listed as 1.5Ghz.
Chance is a fickle thing and as Forrest Gump said ‘Life is like a box of chocolates – you never know what you are gonna get’, pity he didn’t look unde the lid to see the printed description of each candy inside.
Sounds like a crap shoot to me. Get a Dell.
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Just kidding. I wish Apple would say one way or another. One would think that Apple would want to tout the very modest speed gain.
Nobody’s getting shafted here. You get _at least_ what you paid for and _at least_ what it says on the box.
Read just about any spec sheet around on a product- the fine print will read “specifications subject to change without notice”.
In this case, the specs got BETTER.
If Apple announced this new version and created new packaging, people would start complaining that the Mac mini they just bought is now “obsolete”, which is of course BS. Besides, at the inventory levels Apple carries it won’t take long at all to flush the system of the older units.
What apple is saying is that it does not matter what the GHZ is (they are so close) that it makes no difference in which one gets.
Truth is Apple probably just ran out of old chips, but had lots of boxes around because they did not sell, did not want to endure extra costs, so just stuck them in.
The mini ain´t selling too well folks.
Where is the MDN snide comment about Apple consumers complaining because they did not get the faster one?
Apple consumers are always wrong, Apple the company is always right.
Stretchpants: Save yourself the headache and buy an iMac!
Yes the iMac is a far better Mac, of course – a G5 just for starters, but you’ve gotta put the Mini into the right context.
Like would you buy a Mini to play Halo on? Or to edit your home movie on iMovie and definetly not Final Cut Pro or Express.
For me what I’d want to use a Mini for is to use it as a DVR hook it upto a 70″ Plasma/LCD and connected to a TV feed, be that cable or satellite. Eye TV have a good selection of connectivity devices for turning a Mac into a DVR, the 80Gb HD isn’t much for DVR use, but add in the Mini Mate and that’ll fix that small issue.
You’ll get what you paid for, or you’ll get MORE! It’s like saying there is a prize in some of the boxes. Interesting approack to marketing, What would you call it STEALTH MARKETING, perhaps? That’s probably why they kill the 30 day test drive offer, this is more enticing.
BTW not all companies charge a restocking fee, we take returns within 15 days with no questions asked. Of course I’m not saying who WE are.
Simple, effective. If you want the faster one, then wait a while for the old inventory to get cleared out.
The only thing Apple is clearing the inventory of is Mac Mini boxes.
I think this is a cost saving move as a result of the Macintel transition. My bet is that the Mini will be one of the first models – if not THE first – to be x86’d. Apple, knowing this isn’t too far off, probably doesn’t want to invest the bucks in printing new boxes, until a] the old ones are completely cleared out, a nd b] they have a better idea of how many they will need before all G4 labeled Mini boxes have to become PentiumM labeled Mini boxes.
The cost savings may seem inconsequential, but bean counters count even the smallest of beans. Regardless, I think this is a heads up regarding which model is going to get the Intel treatment.
We’ll see.
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Correction:
“I think this is a heads up regarding which model is first going to get the Intel treatment.”
Sorry.
If Apple had announced this as an upgrade to Mac mini, everyone will be complaining about the small upgrade. They quietly upgrade it and save money on new packaging and many people are still complaining. Apple cannot win. This upgrade was probably was caused by the suppliers. Freescale changed the spec to 1.5GHz and the DVD vendors replaced their DVD drives with 8x version.
I’d be more willing to bet that someone in the Logistics Dept shipped out the wrong palatte of mac mini’s. “OH SH**…those were supposed to go out next month!!!” “I’m gonna get Steve’d.”
Welllll, I was going to buy a Mac Mini today but I changed my mind until this gets sorted out.
Does anyone know, roughly, what the serial number range of the faster mini is?
The old specs might be on the box, but the serial number is there also. It’d be a good easy check to see what you’ve got without even opening the box.
You idiot zealots don’t get it. It’s not about x vs x+ . It’s about serving up inequality to consumers paying an identical price.
And for the apologists that say it doesn’t make a difference, show me a disk benchmark in which there is not an improvement in I/O between a 4200 vs. 5400 drive.
I’d be pissed, and you would too if you were on the short end of this deal. It’s easy to be philisophical when YOU’RE not the one being bent over.
I can see where Apple is coming from: If there is no official update to the Mac Mini then no-one can say that they got ripped off. The only people who lose are those who are well informed about the new specifications, pay for one and receive the last-generation Mini instead. Best to wait a few weeks chaps. Inventory of last-generation Minis should be out of the system by then.
I ordered a refurbished PB 12″ 867 from apple.com. It was supposed to have 256 MB and a 30gb HD. Instead, it came with 786 MB and 60 GB HD. I had no complaints about that, and I would have no right to complain if I got what I thought I was paying for.
You don’t seem to be in Apple’s demographic anyway with a name like that, so why the f*ck would you care anyway? I don’t care what M$ or Dell are doing and I’m certainly not frequenting their boards for damn sure. Get a life.
So everytime a company adds features, they must also increase the price?
You must live in a world of Microsoft logic.
wow… i am always amazed at the people that post. “I’d be pissed, and you would too if you were on the short end of this deal. It’s easy to be philisophical when YOU’RE not the one being bent over.” well… i walk into compusa and look at the mini. it says 1.42 or whatever.. i buy it knowing what i paid for… i don’t buy the mini cause it might have the 1.5. i can understand being pissed if it came with a 1.25 instead.. but the box and markings say 1.42. that’s what i wanted and what i’m paying for. now if my friend get’s the 1.5 how did i get screwed cause i got what i knew i was paying for?
If you want the better Mac mini, because you really need the 5400 RPM HD or the 64 MB VRAM, simply hold out a little while longer until old stock clears out. It’s that simple! Or simple check serial numbers on the box. For the normal consumer, they will just get what they wanted, and needed, or something better. Okay, there’s the slight possibility that a neighbour will have a better Mac mini than you have. And when you have the opportunity to check out the difference in speed, you might feel a little screwed. But others will just be happy with their purchase. And I’ve read that this is normal practice with PC manufacturers: they guarantee at least the specs that the consumers thinks s/he’s buying.
The actual differences from a user standpoint is completely imperceivable. Apple probably has a problem with existing parts supplies, and they have the right to make substitutions and offer a better product.
In fact, all products, especially electronic devices and components, are rated lower than there actual specs. Electronics is NOT an exact science. All components have tolerances and margins of error.
The differences within the Mac mini is far less perceivable than the variations and inaccuracies from your…
… household thermostat
… car’s speedometer
… oven’s dial
… all rechargeable batteries
… all home medical devices
… etc.
… but I don’t hear anyone bitching about those!
In short, GET A LIFE!!!
I think its cool. Why ballyhoo such a small upgrade in processor speed.
I think its a cool way of saying who cares about processor speed–On the
other hand Im disappointed to learn that the graphics card does not support certain features of Tiger. Let me tell you what I would do–Id put those new IBM dual core chips in these things and Id make a hub that allowed people to link or combine up to 8 mac mini’s for super power.
Id keep the mac mini price low but charge for the dock or hub. Id also buy Apple records and the Mj portion of the Beatles portfolio. Apple is cool. Powered by International Business Machines.