Apple today updated Mac mini with the latest technologies and a new lower starting price, making Apple’s most affordable Mac an even better value. Mac mini now features fourth generation Intel Core processors, integrated graphics that are up to 90 percent faster,* 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Thunderbolt 2 and is still the world’s most energy efficient desktop.**
“People love Mac mini. It’s a great first Mac or addition to your home network, and the new Mac mini is a nice upgrade packed into an incredibly compact design,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “With the latest CPU and graphics, faster Wi-Fi, two Thunderbolt 2 ports, OS X Yosemite, and starting at just $499, the new Mac mini is the best value ever.”
The new Mac mini delivers new levels of graphics performance, expandability and connectivity. New integrated Intel HD Graphics 5000 and Intel Iris Graphics deliver up to 90 percent faster graphics performance than the previous generation.* Mac mini now includes two Thunderbolt 2 ports, each delivering up to 20Gbps of bandwidth to each port, as well as next-generation 802.11ac Wi-Fi that is up to three times faster when connected to an 802.11ac base station. Mac mini is still the world’s most energy efficient desktop, exceeding Energy Star 6.1 requirements by seven times the standard and consuming as few as 6 watts of power at idle.**
Every new Mac comes with Mac OS® X Yosemite, a powerful new version of OS X®, redesigned and refined with a fresh, modern look, powerful new apps and amazing new Continuity features that make working across your Mac and iOS devices more fluid than ever.
iMovie®, GarageBand® and the suite of iWork® apps come free with every new Mac. iMovie lets you easily create beautiful movies, and you can use GarageBand to make new music or learn to play piano or guitar. iWork productivity apps, Pages®, Numbers® and Keynote®, make it easy to create, edit and share stunning documents, spreadsheets and presentations. iWork has been redesigned with a new look, support for iCloud Drive℠ and a host of new features, including a new comments view in Pages. iWork for iCloud® beta lets you create your document on iPad®, edit it on your Mac and collaborate with friends, even if they’re on a PC.
Pricing & Availability
Mac mini begins shipping today. Mac mini comes in three standard models: a 1.4 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 with Turbo Boost speeds up to 2.7 GHz, 4GB of memory, Intel HD Graphics 5000 and a 500GB hard drive starting at a suggested retail price of $499 (US); a 2.6 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.1 GHz, 8GB of memory, Intel Iris Graphics and a 1TB hard drive starting at suggested retail price of $699 (US); and a 2.8 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.3 GHz, 8GB of memory, Intel Iris Graphics and a 1TB Fusion Drive starting at a suggested retail price of $999 (US). Customers can order Mac mini through the Apple Online Store.
Customers can choose to configure their Mac mini with up to a 3.0 GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 processor, up to 16GB of memory, and up to a 1TB PCIe-based flash drive. Additional technical specifications, configure-to-order options and accessories are available online at www.apple.com/mac-mini.
*Testing conducted by Apple in October 2014 using preproduction Mac mini configurations. For more information visit www.apple.com/macmini/features.html.
**Claim based on energy efficiency categories and products listed within the EPA ENERGY STAR 6.1 energy database. EPEAT is an independent organization that helps customers compare the environmental performance of notebooks and desktops. For more information visit www.epeat.net.
Source: Apple Inc.
Crazy low price. I like it!!!!
But the one I want, the middle tier mini, by the time I add Apple Care, storage, and a super drive, etc. runs more like $900. Still, I’ll be buying one as soon as I can. The old Mac Pro, even with maxed memory and 2 TB of storage is just too slow. It’s quickly approaching being 10 years old. Time to make it a headless file server on the home network.
Will it be in the stores today or just shipping online today?
Adding one to the Stack of Devices connected to the TV. Why not? It’s certainly cheap enough.
I agree.
Let’s say hypothetically that one already has an older Mac mini and display in another room of the house. Why exactly would one want to hook up a Mac mini to a television? If you still want to do desktop work, how would you network the two machines? Apple still hasn’t solved that hassle. Where’s the personal iCloud device, Apple?
for what you get, this thing has incredible value. if only they’d release a new thunderbolt display though
Yes. Absolutely. They don’t have enough good display options for the Mini. That’s the only reason I don’t buy one.
So they killed the quad core i7 for $799?
Nope…
2.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 ….
Configurable to 3.0GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 (Turbo Boost up to 3.5GHz) with 4MB on-chip shared L3 cache.
let me double check that
Mac mini: 3.50GHz dual core i7
$2,199.00
3.0GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i7 (Turbo Boost up to 3.5GHz)
16GB 1600MHz LPDDR3 SDRAM
1TB PCIe-based Flash Storage
Intel Iris Graphics
User’s Guide (English)
Accessory Kit
iMac 27-inch: 3.5GHz quad core i5 with Retina 5K display
3.5GHz quad-core Intel Core i5
Turbo Boost up to 3.9GHz
8GB (two 4GB) memory
1TB Fusion Drive1
AMD Radeon R9 M290X with 2GB video memory
$2,499.00
… about? The faster Mac mini sports a 3.0GHz Quad Core i7. Yes, it offers “Turbo Boost”. Extra RAM may be too expensive, but not THAT expensive. And the Flash Storage is a mere $200 extra. Total package price of ~$1,400. The closest iMac comparison comes to $2,599! Of course, you get that honking great screen in that price! Give the mini the 27″ Thunderbolt screen and the price jumps by $999 – still below the iMac price, but the iMac has some extra goodies hidden away.
What are YOU babbling about? The 3.0GHz i7 option is dual-core only. Read before contradicting.
… of $599 is hardly worth the loss of the Quad-core i7! And, while the new i7 upgrade is … 25%? … faster than yesterday’s model, it costs $300 more! OK … mixed in there you have twice the RAM and a significant boost in graphics capability, but that’s, potentially, quite a trade-off.
yes it was killed – but you can get dual core i7 and pay more
Regarding the older quad- vs. newer dual-core i7 processors, there are design differences. The older quad-core (i7-3720QM) has 1.4 billion transistors, while the newer quad-core (i7-4578U) has 1.3 billion. Granted, that’s 100K fewer transistors than the older processor, so I guess we’ll have to wait until the Geekbench results are published for a fair comparison. (When I get my machine, I’ll post those results here…if I remember to do so.)
Also, mainly due to having 2- rather than 4-cores, the newer i7 draws less TDP (Thermal Design Power), from 45 watts down to 28 watts. And at idle, the newer Mac mini is reported to draw only 6 watts, which is less than many AC adapters I own. Since I use Mac minis as ‘always on’ servers, the lower current draw is appealing.
Then you add the better graphics (HD 4000 vs. Iris 5100), faster Wi-Fi (N vs. AC), and more Thunderbolt options (one Thunderbolt 1 port vs. two Thunderbolt 2 ports), and I feel like it’s a good upgrade. It may not be the ‘Mini Mac Pro’ we’d been hoping for, lest we forget that the Mac mini is still the least expensive Mac you can buy. And since the CPU is usually the single-most expensive component of a computer, Apple had to keep the Mac mini affordable AND profitable.
Finally Finally Finally broke the $500 price point. I’ve been hooting and hollering about this for years.
This is now a true “Switch” machine…
The old G4 minis were $499
Sweet. I’m in.
No quad-core option anymore? Also, does anyone know if RAM is user-upgradeable or does it have to be determined at the time of order?
agreed Quad Core i7 PLEASE !!!
poor update for the Mac Mini – boooooo
Sadly, Apple screwed over the DIY crowd. The new iMac has soldered-in RAM, so you now have to pay the Apple ransom at time of order. The sealed box also means that the user can’t do future internal drive updates either. What was Apple thinking? Now instead of being simple inexpensive drive updates, every new mac user who wants more hard drive space needs to go out shopping for overpriced external hard drives and deal with the bundles of wire on the desk. Thanks for nothing Apple.
While I just ordered a 3.0GHz, 16GB model to replace my aging 2010 model, I would like to say: Long live the Mac mini Server twin drive bays, and long live the built-in FireWire port.
Mac Mini Server terminated.
No Mac Mini called a server is no loss. It was always priced to high anyway.
In any case, you can still easily use a Mini as a server. Simply download the Yosemite server software which rides on top of Yosemite. Then get a multi hard drive device and connect it to your Mini. Presto, you have yourself a good server for home or a small business. Plus, you can run RAID 1 storage so your data is redundant. The old Mini server, even with two hard drives, never could do RAID 1 very well, if at all.
Server has gone. No dual drive option. That is a turn off for me. The sw. raid has saved my server more than once. I have two Mac mini servers. Running for years. With out a mirrored system disk it is a no go for me. Yes I can by all kinds of add on’s. But the idea of a small mac mini just sitting there without having to attach all kinds of gadgets is gone. Pretty silent and power efficient. That type of server no longer exist in the Apple product line. Sad!.
The Mac Mini was my first Mac, just as Phil said it’s been for many. That’s why it’s good to see Apple has continued and improved the line.
The great value of the Mini, though, turned out to be OS X. Once I used it, there was no point in returning to Windows 98. Maybe that’s why I’ve kept the tiny machine. It still runs 8 or 9 years later, too. Sentimental value these days.
; ) max ing out on mac — thats why apple rules
Shipping has already slipped to 1-3 business days.
So disappointed in the lack of a four-core model. For those doing video work on the cheap (e.g., ripping DVDs and the like), missing four-core CPUs is an issue. Decent iMac to do the job is $3400, Mac Pro is $4500, for what a $2000 Mac Mini could’ve done. Granted, those machines are more powerful, but when a Mac Mini 4-core would have been perfect…
Oh well, for $2,000 more the new 5K iMac looks interesting.
($1,700 Mac Mini versus $3,500 iMac with appropriate additions like more memory, SSDs, etc).
You call ripping DVD’s, “video work?”
So disappointed about loss of 4 core i7 and memory is no longer user upgradeable. Basically a notebook without a screen or keyboard/trackpad. It is not powerful enough for me, yet the Mac Pro is way too expensive. That leaves the iMac, which still uses mobile parts, and includes a screen I do not want. Why can’t apple put out a real desktop that Is not filled with mobile CPUs or GPUs that isn’t a Mac Pro?
The memory is still upgradable! Head to the macrumors where someone chatted with a specialist to find out whats what
http://www.macrumors.com/2014/10/16/new-mac-mini-2014/
Looks like the base model is on the “Configurable to 8GB or 16GB, only at the Apple Online Store” option. I’d be curious to see how they would prevent users from popping the bottom. If this guy in chat starts off by saying “I have no idea” and finds the same RAM specs, did he check and see if it is still user upgradeable? It’s pretty distinguishable that the base 1.4GHz model has the “Configurable to 8GB or 16GB, only at the Apple Online Store” line, but the other 2 say its user upgradeable…
I took the “Configurable to 8GB or 16GB, only at the Apple Online Store” option to mean it was only upgradable when you purchase the computer – like their notebooks. I will wait and see what ifixit.com shows when they do their great teardown.
I just read the iFixit. soldered RAM!!!!!! Bummer
About time! Way to go Timber I’ll be ordering shortly.
New lower starting price of $619 in AU. That’s a difference that can’t be attributed to exchange rate. As usual.
This is a horrible update….I was building a small mac mini render farm. this kills that idea, for now at least. hopefully the option will come back.
Glad to see they kept all the interfaces (except the FW800), and kept it user RAM upgradeable with a removable bottom.
In removing the quad-core option, Apple has effectively eliminated the only budget pro machine in the lineup. 2D graphics pros already have high-end displays, don’t want an iMac, and don’t need a Mac Pro. Apple, goddammit, get off yer high horse and give photographers and other 2D pros a non-iMac option in the form of either a quad-core Mini or a new headless iMac. Sheesh!
Cheaper than an HP thin client……….
The $499 model has a 1.4GHz Core i5 CPU, whereas the late-2012 model had a 2.5GHz Core i5 for $599. To get back in the 2.5GHz range, you need to spend $699 for a 2.6GHz Core i5 model. Looks like another costly shell game from our friends at Apple Inc.
Looks like memory is NOT user upgradeable. Ugh.
I wish Cook would stop screwing Mac buyers with the cost of RAM. Is there any legitimate reason for such insane price jumps for more RAM? Apple just sealed up another computer to prevent anyone from ever upgrading the hardware. Why don’t you put THAT on your environmental checklist with a big fat red X on it, Apple? You hand out free OS upgrades that suck up increasing amounts of RAM with each version, but then you stop allowing users to insert their own RAM. NOT HAPPY. Hackintosh here we come.