“Apple will launch an upgrade to its low-end desktop, the Mac Mini, at January’s Macworld Expo in San Francisco, according to an Apple corporate employee who contacted Wired.com,” Brian X. Chen blogs for Wired.
“The source, who wished to remain anonymous (to keep his job), could not disclose details about the Mac Mini other than its upcoming announcement at Macworld Expo, which begins Jan. 5. That’s where CEO Steve Jobs traditionally launches major products during his famous keynotes (assuming he does indeed show up),” Chen reports.
“Although Apple has been quiet about Mac Mini sales numbers, the diminutive desktop appears to be selling quite well. For example, the Mac Mini has been among the top 5 of Amazon’s best selling desktops; it currently stands at No. 3,” Chen reports. “Though our source confirms there will be a new Mac Mini announced January, it’s unlikely this will be Apple’s big product launch at the show.”
Chen reports some of what to expect of the new Mac mini, including:
• Aluminum Unibody contruction
• “Greenest Mac ever.”
• Video output will utilize DisplayPort
• Super Drive (no Blu-ray)
• 2 GB of RAM, expandable to 4 GB (double current levels)
• 2.0-GHz Core 2 Duo and a 2.3-GHz Core 2 Duo (up from 1.83 GHz and 2.0 GHz)
• Nvidia inside
• $499 and $699 prices
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Lee” for the heads up.]
Wow! First post…
nice wish list, hope it’s true.
i never experienced a quieter rumor mill before a macworld. where are all the crazy rumors? heck the keynote isn’t even confirmed at this time. strange, very strange.
@Marc
And your comment was so pithy too! May I quote you?
“• Nvidia inside”
dammit…
Wow- who gives a crap
Did Mr. Chen forget to ask the “Apple corporate employee who contacted Wired.com” about any other product announcements?
No blu-ray. What’s up with Apple? We should have blu-ray BURNERS by now and touch screens on the new laptops as well, at least as an option like the overpriced SSD on the Air.
For the most innovative computer company in the world, they sure are holding back these days.
I guess when you’re swimming in billions of dollars of cash, you can do dang well what you please… you know, like donating six figures to political causes, etc.
BTW, I really want a mini for my home entertainment system.
It better not be glossy, or I am going to bitch and moan like you wouldn’t believe!
Granted even this is all rumor. But I, for one, hope for 3-1/2″ drives rather than the slower notebook drives and an integrated power supply (I hate bricks). Access to the innards for upgrades should also be easier than is the case with today’s Mini.
But Apple would be making a mistake going with Display Port as people don’t want to be restricted in choice of displays. This is especially the case in the business sector.
This better not be a rumor. No one wants to buy a mac mini right now. Either they drop the whole line up or upgrade it in January.
I really like the Mac mini, my friend just bought one for his Mum. She had been ripped off online and her PC (a 12 month old Dell) was literally crawling along, with viruses, spyware, all you could imagine on it.
She bought a Mac mini, I set it up for her (took me 25 mins) and she now loves surfing the web.
They are the perfect computer for the silver surfer.
about fckn time! BTW, We’re using one as a small server here (intranet/10 people) and aside from one update it has been a 24/7 machine for 2+ yrs now: not one glitch, nothing. Very impressive for that kind of money.
@Raymond in DC, $29 gets you VGA or DVI. I think those are both standard enough for the business sectors monitors.
Ralph,
No doubt..it’s mighty quiet…but then the economy might have something to do with that.
Still… in the spirit of good rumor mongering I predict the following:
1. A stripped down iphone, set to sell for $129. 4 GB capacity and smaller screen.
2. A tablet Mac…
3. The long awaited arrival of an outboard audio box…whatever it will be called.
4. The return of an Apple branded digital camera that shoots stills and video but also has WiFi.
5. New Mac Pro configurations
I’d be happy if any of these appeared.
Far from being the perfect computer for the ‘silver surfer’ – as a member of this fraternity, I use my 1.42Ghz Mini loaded with Dreamweaver, Flash Pro, Fireworks, Sibelius, Cubase, Logic Express, Final Cut Express HD, and the ubiquitous Office Mac 2008 – so I see the Mini as a serious piece of kit.
Subsequently, the potential evolutionary arrival of an all-new ‘Mini’ will boost my personal productivity even further.
My wallet is open and ready, Mr. Jobs.
@spinaltap,
Apologies, I was not criticizing the mini for not being powerful, far from it. I used to have a G4 mini and used Photoshop and InDesign on it daily (hooked up to a 20″ Cinema Display).
But for the price, you can easily persuade Grandpa Jo to buy one.
Long live the Mac mini!!!
Please, PLEASE FIREWIRE!!!
The big announcement will be a new iMac with quad processor and LED Display.
@Jamie
I’ve been thinking about that sort of thing, and I’ve come to that conclusion too. Hypothetically, though.
It’s good to hear such things!
@ Ratty.
Yeah, I hope Apple keep firewire in the Mini, too.
But if certainly wouldn’t surprize me if they don’t and then you’ll have Stockholme syndrome afflicted fanbois complaining every time you complain about it.
bring the price down another $100 before I bite.
I really, REALLY want a new Mac next year and a new Mini would really fit the bill. However, I just gotta have FireWire. I wanted a new MacBook but they took FireWire out of that. So I pined for a new Mac Mini. If Apple crushes me a second time, I am hosed bit time. I dont want an all in one iMac and simply cant afford a Mac Pro.
I have really come to depend on FireWire and cant believe Apple is just dropping it like that.
@pr
Just wondering, what would the “outboard audio box” do?
Hmmmm, I think it’s time to upgrade. This new mini sounds more powerful than my “high-end G5 workstation”
Arrghh… when it has blu-ray I will buy 20 of them, until then, nada.