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New Mac Mini Coming by End of February According to Belgian Retailer

Wednesday January 22, 2014 7:38 am PST by Eric Slivka
While nearly all of Apple's Mac lines have transitioned to Intel's latest Haswell chip platform, one notable exception is the Mac mini, which has not been updated since October 2012 and is ripe for an update.

As noted in our forums, major Belgian retailer Computerstore.be has now posted placeholder listings for new Haswell Mac minis in Core i5 and Core i7 variations.

mac_mini_haswell_be
Retailer placeholders are typically unreliable indicators of new product launches, although they have on occasion been accurate. One forum poster did, however, contact the store and was told that the information "comes from apple or reliable sources". The store representative also noted that a release date is not yet available but that they expect a launch by the end of February based on availability of the placeholder listings.

While the listings include images of the current Mac mini, they are likely placeholders for the time being and it is unknown whether there will be a change to the machine's appearance or if it will be an entirely internal upgrade. The listings do, however, come with product descriptions that differ from the current models (translated via Google).
The Apple Mac mini features a sturdy and above all very compact aluminum housing. Despite its small size, the Apple Mac mini comes with powerful hardware. The Mac mini is equipped with the latest Intel Core i7 processor from Haswell series. This processor is obviously faster than its predecessor, but also uses the powerful Intel Iris graphics. The latest Apple operating system, OS X Mavericks, works very user friendly and communicates seamlessly with other Apple products. So for example you can just get iMessages on your Mac mini. In addition, OS X Mavericks a very secure operating system, you have (almost) not suffer from nasty viruses. The Apple Mac mini with the latest WiFi standard 802.11ac. This will make use of a high speed Gigabit LAN. You are here obviously compatible 802.11ac equipment needed. If you ever want to expand the memory of the Mac Mini, this is easily done by turning the black plate on the bottom and then add additional memory. The Mac Mini has many connections. He is equipped with HDMI, USB 3.0, FireWire and high-speed Thunderbolt connection.
Beyond Haswell, the description includes several other expected updates such as Iris integrated graphics and 802.11ac Wi-Fi, although it does not specify whether the new Mac mini would adopt the new Thunderbolt 2 standard seen on the Mac Pro and Retina MacBook Pro.

Update: Computerstore.be has removed the listings.

Related Roundup: Mac mini
Buyer's Guide: Mac Mini (Buy Now)
[ 254 comments ]


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Lapidus
65 months ago
lol, I live in Belgium and they definitely don't know what their talking about :)
Rating: 26 Votes
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decimortis
65 months ago

Nice: still hoping for the Mac Pro case design for the Mac Mini, but that will probably stay a dream. Haswell with Iris Pro 5200 would be nice though!


Mmmmmm. Mac Doughnut.



D.
Rating: 19 Votes
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Traverse
65 months ago
I have always wondered why the Mac Mini isn't more popular.

People always complain that Mac's are too expensive yet you never hear anyone mention the Mac Mini. Isn't that the basic consumer Mac?
Rating: 13 Votes
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Sky Blue
65 months ago
"In addition, OS X Mavericks a very secure operating system, you have (almost) not suffer from nasty viruses."

There's a winning endorsement...
Rating: 12 Votes
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76ShovelHead
65 months ago
Lets see a cylindrical mac mini with quad i5s and i7s, half as many ports and a dedicated gpu on higher end models.
Rating: 10 Votes
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Ropie
65 months ago
FINALLY!! Some Macrumors rather than the usual cloud/ios/courtroom nonsense! Shame I bought a new mini 6 months ago though..
Rating: 10 Votes
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shaunp
65 months ago

Lets see a cylindrical mac mini with quad i5s and i7s, half as many ports and a dedicated gpu on higher end models.


I would buy one of these yesterday if it existed. It's too logical though and too many people want it so Apple won't make it. They only make that they think you need. ;)
Rating: 9 Votes
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kalsta
65 months ago

Lets see a cylindrical mac mini …


Now that there's no need to accommodate an optical disk, I'd like to see them make it a little cube. It would be a fitting tribute to the beautiful (albeit commercially unsuccessful) Mac G4 Cube, and to a lesser extent the NeXT Cube before it.

… half as many ports and a dedicated gpu on higher end models.


Wait, half as many ports? Why is this a good thing? My USB ports are full up as it is on the old mini.
Rating: 7 Votes
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Santabean2000
65 months ago

:rolleyes: at all of the stupid comments wishing for better graphics in the mini. The mini never has and never will be the gaming machine you want. It's not about graphics at all. It's about a base machine that can do web browsing, email, and word processing. It's a basic machine to get people onto the OS X platform. That's it. Anyone thinking they're going to add higher-end features is an idiot yet every time they refresh, people cry about graphics and lack of higher end features.


Ummm, no. I'm not a gamer at all in the sense you are describing, but I am looking for better graphics.

I'm probably an 'average user' for the most part, but I do dable in FCP X/Motion (non-pro) projects and I am looking toward a new 4K display too. So yes, a decent GPU option please. [And no, I can't afford a MP, and no I don't want my machine to be locked/glued into a screen iMac style.]

Now if you Sir, could take your old school thinking elsewhere we'd be much the happier for it.
Rating: 7 Votes
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melendezest
65 months ago

And that's something they should never fear. Isn't this the same company that made the iPod Nano when the iPod Mini was at the height of its popularity? Things change. If the iMac is vulnerable to having its sales absorbed by something else, then maybe that's a sign that it's overstayed its welcome.

Regardless, Apple missed the boat with this big time. I knew soooooooo many Windows users about 5-6 years ago who were very interested in OS X but couldn't find a Mac they were comfortable buying. And that's not just anecdotal. You can see it in the rise of the "hackintosh" movement. The desire to own a Mac is there in the PC world but not many PC buyers want an all-in-one iMac. They also don't want something with little to no expansion and they don't want to spend >$2K for a Mac Pro. There's a middle ground there that Apple has neglected for #$@% knows whatever reason. Prior to Windows 7, I suspect such a machine could have converted a lot of Windows users. But now, Microsoft has more or less caught up with OS X and it's far less compelling a move.

Still, I'd buy one. If only Apple would figure this out and discontinue the iMac and move on already.


Well, not discontinue the iMac, but improve the mini, or better yet, add another line for enthusiasts like us.

I really, really DO NOT WANT TO RETURN TO WINDOWS!

Setting up a hackingtosh, while it could be fun, would be too time consuming initially for me.

So here I am, stuck in Apple wish-land, sad to see that the company I once adored, died (somewhat) with Steve.

I mean, come on! YOU HAVE ENOUGH MONEY ALREADY APPLE!! Give us something we want for a change. Just one thing!!!
Rating: 6 Votes

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