Apple Says Mac Mini is 'Important' But Remains Tight-Lipped About Future Updates

Apple today introduced reshuffled Mac Pro configurations and pricing, and revealed that it's working on a "completely rethought" Mac Pro alongside an Apple-branded pro display that will launch beyond 2017. However, Apple remained tight lipped about the Mac mini, beyond noting that it's an "important" product in its lineup.

Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller via Daring Fireball:

"On that I'll say the Mac Mini is an important product in our lineup and we weren't bringing it up because it's more of a mix of consumer with some pro use. … The Mac Mini remains a product in our lineup, but nothing more to say about it today."

Apple last updated the Mac mini in October 2014, a span of over 900 days, according to the MacRumors Buyer's Guide.

The current Mac mini models, which are designed to be connected to a display and peripherals purchased separately, range in price from $499 to $999. The base model is equipped with a 1.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with 4GB of RAM, a 500GB hard drive, and integrated Intel HD Graphics 5000.

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Top Rated Comments

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Centris 650

19 months ago

I love my Mac mini but what was great about it they destroyed. Upgrading the ram and putting in 2 HD (one SSD) was what sold me on the mini. Over 5 years running it's still a great machine.

Rating: 33 Votes

Zedcars

19 months ago

This is what happened when most people started getting maxed out Mac Minis for half the price of the iMacs with the same specs/performance. Remember those Quad core I7 processor and that RAM replacement? This is why they decided to kill this line. Basically the Mac Mini is just a "toy" for people who never used a Mac and want to try it (these people get MacBooks anyway).

My 2011 Mac Mini i7 Quad Core 16GB Server is anything but a "toy" as you put it. I use it to run Logic and Cubase and they are quite demanding apps.

Prior to that I had a Quad G5 tower, and a Dual G4 tower before that.

It's great to have all that power in a small form factor.

It's just a shame they killed the Quad server MM.

Rating: 18 Votes

Boatboy24

19 months ago

While Mac mini isn't on the top of their priorities for the Mac, I don't think we will see it be dropped from the lineup as many people have been suggesting. I'm sure pricing, along with other reasons, makes it a very hard product to update.

It's a $500 desktop computer with no display. Plenty of room for profit in there.

Rating: 12 Votes

ILuvEggplant

19 months ago

Phil you're so full of it.

If the mac mini is important then the apple iphone is life?

Rating: 12 Votes

icanhazapple

19 months ago

$700 billion dollar company can't be bothered to make an aluminum chassis for an Intel NUC. That's all you need to know right there folks.

Let me do the product planning for Apple - you take the Intel U (15W dual core) series chips for a $600 mac mini . Take the 'H' series chips for a $1200 (35W quad core Kaby Lake). Make two separate chassis, as they are two different thermal envelopes. Mac mini and Mac mini Pro.

You can make the U series based mac mini stupid thin for your own industrial designer ego, but no actual consumer will buy it. Give me the H series mac mini that has the 15' Macbook Pro internals in a NUC sized chassis.

Rating: 11 Votes