An earlier article that expressed some users’ disappointment with Apple’s Mac mini’s soldered RAM and lack of quad-core CPU options has prompted us to write a brief open note to Apple:
You are missing something between the Mac mini and the Mac Pro. A Mac minitower — a really short “tower,” let’s call it the “Mac mini Pro” — with user-swappable RAM more processor options starting at $799 would go a looong way here (especially with the Mac’s rejuvenated growth). You are leaving money on the table.
Are we right or wrong? More specifically, is there a significant enough market out there to justify and support Apple’s investment (seems like a minimal bit of R&D to us – most of it is already there in the Mac mini) in a new “Mac mini Pro?”
So, is there a market for a ‘Mac mini Pro’ starting at $799?
Yes. It’s called a Mac Mini Render Farm. Several people have made them, I am starting my own. 4 -cores is pivotal to make this efficient and easy. Getting rid of the 4-core just blows!
YES, my older Mac Mini is all decked out.
Here’s what Apple should do instead…
Make a basic mini that can operate as a stand alone or in parallel with other mini’s through a fast serial link.
A single Mini for $300
A single mini to compete against the cheapest.
Two mini’s linked together to compete as a base iMac.
A 4 mini (2X2 grid)(quad Core) to compete as a $1200 iMac
A 9 mini (3 X 3 grid)(9 Core) to put any PC to shame
Dare to go 16 mini’s…….or more! Just keep adding more year to year!
Absolutely! That’s exactly what I was hoping for with the Mac mini. Apple’s current Macintosh roadmap is making me consider going the Hackintosh.
I would love a MacMini Pro. Something with faster HDD option, more (and swappable) memory options (or eve a swappable HDD option). I would gladly pay $800 – $1,000 for a MacMini that that has all the horsepower and features of the iMac without the built in screen (although it would be nice for them to include a keyboard and trackpad).
I have a mid-2011 Mac mini that I’ve upgraded with more memory and a DIY FusionDrive set-up. Basically, all Apple should do is re-introduce a version of the existing box that allowed stacked 2.5 inch drives (and maybe came with the SATA connector so you didn’t have to buy one from OWC) and had at least two RAM slots. Also offer i7 quad-core and Iris graphics.
Absolutely- a great idea!
Stlill loving aftr all these years.
Rack-mounted please (for musicians and photo pros).
Unless someone wants to over spend and buy a Mac Pro, there really is no server option from Apple anymore. The Mac mini server tricked out with 80-16GB of RAM and a quad core i7 made a great server for small offices, or a server dedicated to some specific tasks. Now what do we have? There’s no supported way to upgrade the new Mac mini. Why doesn’t Apple just stop producing OS X Server now instead of delaying it? Their server product has been going down hill since they killed off the Xserve, and then consumerized their server technology. I have fond memories of Snow Leopard Server, back when Apple actually seemed to give a damn about customers who wanted an all Mac office including their servers.
I meant 8-16GB of RAM. It would be great to have a Mac mini with 80GB of RAM too 🙂
I definitely want one. I’m close to building it as a Hackintosh, but I’d much rather have it be a real Mac. Just a small tower with accessible HD, RAM, and GPU.
With the gutting of the i7 on the mini Apple left a gaping hole in the small server market, and the server hole still remains to be filled in general.
The new Pro is basically useless as a server – both the form factor and the graphics capabilities are wrong for a machine that sits there doing headless work in a business. A server also need a minimum of redundancy built in.
I think so & I would buy it in a heartbeat over an iMac.
But Apple doesn’t even need to build a separate Mini Pro. All they have to do is bring back the upgradability of the older Mini, bring back a Quad core CPU, a server model, & GPU options ( Keep it with integrated Iris Pro graphics with 4K support ). With such specs, I don’t believe it would eat away iMac or Mac Pro.
The only reason I bought my iMac in 2011 was because I still wasn’t satisfied with specs of the 2011 Mini at the time. But if it had the 2012 Mini specs, I probably would’ve bought it instead. I gave my parents a 2010 2.66Ghz mini I used before my iMac & it still works beautifully. And why? Because I installed 8GB of Ram & installed a 7200 RPM Hybrid drive after the 1st year which brought it new life. Now 4 years later and it still runs everything thrown at it. I might very well give it an SSD & Max its Ram to 16GB so it would serve for another 3-5 years. Try that on a disposable 2014 Mini!
Come on CLUSTER!
How about mini blades with A8, A9… we could chain together to create our own personal super computers.
a few weeks ago I put in a new 3 GB video card, extra 2 TB HD and more ram into my old Cheese Grater Mac Pro. The PC vid card only cost me a $100+ . The ability to upgrade extends the life and the flexibility of a machine. This is the second time I upgraded the video card , first time I was surprised the boost it gave the machine.
The New Mac Pro is wonderful but with the small flash HD it comes standard with (256 GB) to get more storage the price easily goes over $4000. Big gap between that an a mac mini.
The iMacs are great too but I already have big monitors . Also monitors tend to fade faster than CPUs and having a monitor stuck to the CPU is an issue for pro graphics as perfect monitor quality is important.
so yeah I want a mid tower between the current mini and the Pro.
I am going back and forth on either building a Hackintosh, or picking up a last gen Mac Pro.
For this very reason.
I have the old G5 PowerMac and I personally love the case, and do not care about it being bulky.
I feel a Quad version of the current mini – like before – with an option to put 32G of Ram would do it. I own 20 at 1500$ a pop of the last generation just to render and serve, they are great ! I was waiting for the upgrade to buy more, Now I don’t know what to do . . . They render slower with multi treads software then before. Just very disappointing .
I am running a Mac Pro 2.66 Quad Core as my desktop and there is no headless option for an upgrade other than the ridiculous, overpriced, black trash can. No way am I spending damn near 3 Grand on an iMac – nice computer, but a niche product.
Even when Apple was offering Quad core i7 minis, they crippled it with lowbrow graphics. The new Machine just screams cheap, cheap, cheap with soldered in memory and low spec integrated graphics. There is not as much money to be made selling minis as selling iPads, but there is money to be made.
The original concept at Apple was getting computers out to the masses- not being a high end trendy toy for rich kids. Woz and Jobs were not the cool kids at school and would not be today. The Mac mini is the heart of the market that Apple was founded to serve- not making foo foo watches for the hipster set.
As a shareholder and customer since before the Mac, please do not fuck over the Mac users as you chase new products. Without the Mac there would be no iOS and no Apple to make it.
Abso-friggin-LUTELY!
I have been in the market for this kind of mini tower for about 5 years, when I was forced to switch from a Mac Pro to an iMac due to the crazy expensive nature of the Mac Pro. I would far rather sure up a small tower with best-in-class parts (which would still run around $2,000 I’m sure), and then have a separate monitor that I could keep. This solution is much, much more amenable to a tiny, one person shop like me (part time work), than trying to justify around $3,000 every 2-3 years for a new computer.
Please, Apple, listen to this and make one! Pretty please!
Yes, there definitely is a market!!
In fact, I wrote Apple earlier last month and urged them to reconsider their practice of soldering the RAM, which prevents users from being able to upgrade their systems. Think of it like this — it’s like buying a superb car only to discover that there’s no way to “change” the tire in case a roadside issue arises. Seriously, who would want to buy a machine that requires you to throw it out if the hard drive gets damaged, the laptop battery dies, or if you just need to increase the RAM in the system? To me, they didn’t think this issue through too well when it comes to their consumers.
Si. Oui. Hai. Ni hau, and all that other mess – dagnabbit – YES! Apple takes all this minimalism mess too far. A huge gap between the iMac, mini, and Mac Pro now. I’d even settle for just upgrade able RAM and hard drives. Place for two internal drives would work.
Count me in for a headless mac with a quad core i7 + 32G of RAM + good GPU + 2 hard drives. Perhaps revive the old mac mini server with extra ram and good GPU.
Yes please on the Mini Pro and very big well done for listening to your readers.
Apple has needed a “hobbyist” Mac for a long, long time. Can’t they get the hint? There is a whole ecosystem that has evolved for adding ram, modifying various Apple products (AppleTV, etc.) and so forth. A Mac Mini Pro would be a fantastic machine for those who just want to “mess with” their Mac.
I know a lot of people who desperately wanted to buy the new Mac Mini but did not. Why? Income. Most students have limited income but they don’t want to settle for a clunker computer. Instead they buy a PC and slowly upgrade it over time.
Apple by not having a “hobbyist” or upgradeable Mac is missing out on a large market of not only customers but future developers.
As Mac’s have become less upgradeable, the percentage of Mac users logging onto the local college servers has been declining. In 2008, over 30% of the local college students were using Mac’s. Now it is around 10%. (SOURCE: summary stats available from local college servers.)
I used to regularly sell and recommend the server version of the Mac mini of the past. It had dual hard drives which could be mirrored and decent performance. More than enough for a small business, particularly those wanting to move away from a Microsoft SBS Server setup. The Mac mini server in combination with Kerio Mail server software was a complete replacement. Clearly these 2014 model are no longer suitable for this situation, so I would no longer be recommending them.
So yes, I higher powered product that sat in between a Mac mini and a Mac Pro that was configurable in terms of RAM and had decent hard drive options would be great.