As the rumor mill expects an updated Mac mini with M4 and M4 Pro chip is in the works, CIRP is out with its latest report on Apple’s most affordable personal computer. With Mac mini market share as low as <1% of total Mac sales, CIRP’s new data looks to answer the question, “Who buys a Mac mini?”
Michael Levin and Josh Lowitz for CIRP:
We’ve long wondered why Apple continues to make this thing. Apple introduced the Mac mini in 2005, before iPhone and iPad, when Apple competed hard against Windows/Intel PCs…
Almost twenty years later, Apple continues to produce and even upgrade Mac mini. The base model costs $599, much less than other Apple desktops and competitive with Windows-based PCs. Apple continues to promote it as an easy point of entry to the Apple operating system.
It remains a slow seller compared to other models, however, with under 1% of total Mac sales. What do we know about this tiny group of customers?
As it turns out, the very youngest and oldest buy Mac mini more… It seems Mac mini’s original purpose continues to work: offer a cheaper way into Apple computing, especially for younger buyers who can’t afford much, or older ones looking for an economical Mac desktop option.
MacDailyNews Take: Perhaps sales will go up if the rumors of an Apple TV-sized M4 Mac mini are true?
Please help support MacDailyNews — and enjoy subscriber-only articles, comments, chat, and more — by subscribing to our Substack: macdailynews.substack.com. Thank you!
Support MacDailyNews at no extra cost to you by using this link to shop at Amazon.
Some of us need basic computing at home, and would rather not have to replace the entire unit (monitor, keyboard, etc each time. Switching to the latest mini is a cost effective way to stay ahead.
I’ve also heard of mac mini’s being used as servers.
Agreed. I already have a nice monitor, keyboard, mouse, and eGPU (which I won’t be able to use with an M4, but it’s served me well until now). Why be limited to Apple’s choice of monitor size with an iMac, or pay more than I need to for a Studio?
And yes, I used to run a Mini as a server back when MacOS Server was still a thing. It was quiet, low-power, and did everything I needed it to.
I want a 32″ screen so am planing to make it my next Mac.
If Apple adopted a policy where the lowest selling item were no longer made, then the second worst selling item would become the worst selling item and would have to be cancelled too. Then the third worst selling item would become the worst selling item ……
Somebody hasn’t thought this proposal through.
Apart from any other consideration, the Mac Mini must be one of the simplest Macs to build, which would make it more profitable. So long as Apple makes good profits from selling them, they will want to keep making them.
One further point is that entry level devices often lead to further purchases from Apple’s product line.