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Re: quad core Mac minis, I vaguely recall there being some technical reason for that not being a thing anymore, at least with the same other hardware. But can't find it now. Alas.
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Jan 15, 2016 21:27
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Binary Badger posted:If Intel offers it to Apple *and* gives them a good deal price wise, it could happen. If Apple doesn't think it's worth it or doesn't get a deal, the next gen of Minis will forever be dual core. smackfu posted:Re: quad core Mac minis, I vaguely recall there being some technical reason for that not being a thing anymore, at least with the same other hardware. But can't find it now. Alas. There's probably nothing stopping them from a technical standpoint, a second board is technically feasible, it's a matter of whether they think it's worth making that second board in the first place.
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Jan 15, 2016 22:10
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With the impending full retinafication of the iMac, I suppose Apple sees the high-power (4 core) mini user as a progressively smaller and less compelling market. I think that Apple reckons that the 4k and 5k screens are enough of a draw to entice people who otherwise may not have considered a Mac with a display or may not have wanted to spend the extra money. It's definitely way easier now to tell aspiring power users to "just get the iMac" than it used to be. trilobite terror fucked around with this message at 23:52 on Jan 15, 2016 |
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Jan 15, 2016 23:45
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Mac Minis weren't ever considered anything but a cash cow and a 'gateway drug' for PC users to dip their toe in Mac waters; people wind up getting it as a media center or home server because of its size. Apple likely devotes as little R&D as possible to the Mini. AppleTV is on the threshold of yanking away the media center part, though, which muddies the future of the Mini. Apple will never want to give the Mini anything that would make someone prefer it over an iMac or laptop other than the size IMHO. If Apple discontinued it, which IMHO is very likely, they'd handle it just like every other EOL product they've had; one day it will no longer be on the Store, third party suppliers will see their inventories dry up, and it'll never be mentioned again, with the Retina MacBook being the sole exception to that rule.
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Jan 16, 2016 00:29
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I know the current lowest tier Mac Mini is pretty lackluster in terms of performance, but how would one handle serving as a file/backup/caching server with the occasional videos played at 1080P on a TV? The video playback will be the most demanding use.
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Jan 16, 2016 04:29
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It'd be just fine, but there are PCs you can buy in the $200 range that will do it fine, too. I mean I used a 2009 Mac Mini with a spinning platter drive to do iOS development in 2014, it wasn't great but it worked. There are these little PCs on a stick you can buy that run Windows, cost like $150, connect directly into an HDMI port, have hardware accelerated decoding, etc. Apple has nothing in that price range.
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Jan 16, 2016 04:33
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Pivo posted:It'd be just fine, but there are PCs you can buy in the $200 range that will do it fine, too. I mean I used a 2009 Mac Mini with a spinning platter drive to do iOS development in 2014, it wasn't great but it worked. Hell, if you want to be as dirt cheap and DIY as possible, you can turn a Raspberry Pi into a solid HTPC. You can even put Windows on it now too. There isn't much on the market these days that can't competently pipe 1080p video to a screen.
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Jan 16, 2016 04:44
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Electric Bugaloo posted:Hell, if you want to be as dirt cheap and DIY as possible, you can turn a Raspberry Pi into a solid HTPC. Likely a more solid HTPC than any of Apple's offerings, to be honest. The HDMI stick PCs I'm talking about though have like, ac wireless and things like that. If I were looking to buy a general purpose computer that plugs into my TV but doesn't play games, that's what I would get, at this point in time anyway. Not sure OS X is really well suited to a TV anyway. Pivo fucked around with this message at 04:51 on Jan 16, 2016 |
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Jan 16, 2016 04:49
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The computer won't actually be anywhere near a TV, it'll be living by the router in a rack hooked up to the TV via HDMI over ethernet. At this stage I really don't know which route I'll go - to give some background I'm starting to piece together a fancy new network setup for my parents' new house that they're building 200 miles away. I want something that plays nice with the rest of their Apple products, and that I can remote in to at any time to make sure things are working properly, particularly to make sure their stuff is getting backed up automatically. I know OSX Server takes care of a lot of the stuff I want to implement and I'm familiar with it, so it was my first thought. We'll see. My mom will probably see the total for my ideal setup and ask me to pare it down. The computer will be the first to go, probably.
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Jan 16, 2016 05:05
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You could always set up VNC not accessible to the world, connect to VNC over a VPN. If you REALLY need to take control over a box. OS X Server is overkill IMO. I guess the question becomes where do they plan to get their video content? I doubt they're downloading mkvs off Usenet, so what, do they use Netflix? Or do they buy stuff off iTunes? Apple TV is a decent enough solution for the "Apple people want Apple stuff on their TV", you can offload the NAS duties to something else. Still not sure a Mini is what you want, but hell, if you don't know what you want either... ;-)
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Jan 16, 2016 05:10
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Pivo posted:Apple TV is a decent enough solution for the "Apple people want Apple stuff on their TV", you can offload the NAS duties to something else. You can offload NAS duties to the Apple TV. Plex, VLC, and a bunch of other established 'networked media' players already have apps on the platform. You could get your parents a Mac Mini specifically for the living room- or you could get your parents an Apple TV that could handle all of their media streaming/playback needs and also serve as a wireless display for the Macs and other Apple products that they already own. Frankly, I think the Mini's totally superfluous in this scenario but that's just me.
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Jan 16, 2016 05:29
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Electric Bugaloo posted:You can offload NAS duties to the Apple TV. Plex, VLC, and a bunch of other established 'networked media' players already have apps on the platform. I mean NAS duties as in literal NAS duties. Like, he wants a server to do file storage and backup. Not just connecting to a NAS.
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Jan 16, 2016 05:43
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IuniusBrutus posted:I have a 2015 13" MBP with 8gb of ram and an i5. How boned am I going to be now that I am starting CS classes? I'm trying to decide if I should sell it before the Skylake models drop and resale value starts to tank, or if the 8gb of RAM won't kill me before it's time to upgrade anyways. Your MBP is the same configuration we give out to developers as the standard laptop at work. We have a few folks that use a 15" but its because they do design work or do some intense tasks that need the extra CPU and RAM.
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Jan 16, 2016 07:50
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Electric Bugaloo posted:You can offload NAS duties to the Apple TV. Plex, VLC, and a bunch of other established 'networked media' players already have apps on the platform. I highly doubt they're going to actually use streaming or anything like that. What I do need is something that is always on to act as a file server and to make sure they have backups. Is Apple support for backing up Macs to a Windows share even a thing? I think I remember seeing workarounds, but would you be able to set that up in a way that would be reliable? If the computer is going to be used to put something up on screen, I'll probably be in control remotely. I'm imagining the main use would be me uploading a video file or photos to the server, calling them up to tell them to go turn on the TV, and showing them things from 200 miles away.
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Jan 16, 2016 13:05
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I think that's trying to fit a round Apple Mini into a square shaped hole. If you want a NAS, get a NAS. We have a $139 WD Mycloud. 2TB of storage split between a time machine partition for backup and a second one for audio/video streaming (it has a built in DLNA server). We use a Roku as a client because Vizio's DLNA doesn't like some mp4s. The NAS offers remote access, so you could download stuff at your location and upload to their server through a web interface. Synology is even more full featured, but a little more expensive.
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Jan 16, 2016 15:41
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IuniusBrutus posted:I have a 2015 13" MBP with 8gb of ram and an i5. How boned am I going to be now that I am starting CS classes? I'm trying to decide if I should sell it before the Skylake models drop and resale value starts to tank, or if the 8gb of RAM won't kill me before it's time to upgrade anyways. I believe that's the exact model that the department of engineering at my alma matter requires freshman engineering students to get.
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Jan 16, 2016 16:43
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smax posted:I know the current lowest tier Mac Mini is pretty lackluster in terms of performance, but how would one handle serving as a file/backup/caching server with the occasional videos played at 1080P on a TV? The video playback will be the most demanding use. I have a 2011 Mac mini doing this job. Video transcoding is typically the most demanding thing, but you always have the option to pre-convert everything into MP4 format, so you don't need to transcode-on-demand.
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Jan 16, 2016 18:58
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IuniusBrutus posted:I have a 2015 13" MBP with 8gb of ram and an i5. How boned am I going to be now that I am starting CS classes? I'm trying to decide if I should sell it before the Skylake models drop and resale value starts to tank, or if the 8gb of RAM won't kill me before it's time to upgrade anyways. compiling a 2 line hello world application and running the java virtual machine isn't going to choke a 2015 dual core and 8gb of ram. also mac resale value isn't going to tank as much as smoothly slide down a gentle incline over the course of a few years. keep it and enjoy it - it's a lovely machine and basically part of the default CS student starter pack along with like a blue hoodie and those gross wire frame eyeglasses smax posted:The computer won't actually be anywhere near a TV, it'll be living by the router in a rack hooked up to the TV via HDMI over ethernet. there's this strange compulsion among the mac community to try and shoehorn them into backend type tasks that don't really suit them. maybe it's a residual collective grief over the death of xserve or something. at any rate you're really better off buying a NAS unit or like an HP microserver for a fifth of the price and forgoing the hdmi over ethernet thing, just using an apple tv instead. more polished functional and cheaper experience overall Generic Monk fucked around with this message at 22:56 on Jan 16, 2016 |
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Jan 16, 2016 22:37
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Bob Morales posted:No they aren't. Weird. Anyway, Apple needs to update their MacBook lineup. I try to keep my work stuff separate from my personal life but I only have one laptop. Not to mention, I want to keep in sync with the Apple ecosystem.
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Jan 16, 2016 23:03
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Just buy, keep your poo poo in nice shape, and resell it. Incremental upgrades every cycle are a couple hundred, at most.
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Jan 16, 2016 23:14
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What's the ETA on the new MacBooks anyway? Finally will have the scratch in March to replace an aluminum-body MacBook that's on its last legs, but I'm guessing I should try to stick it out for the new Skylake stuff?
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Jan 16, 2016 23:40
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Argali posted:What's the ETA on the new MacBooks anyway? Finally will have the scratch in March to replace an aluminum-body MacBook that's on its last legs, but I'm guessing I should try to stick it out for the new Skylake stuff? MacBook or MacBook Pro?
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Jan 16, 2016 23:41
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Argali posted:What's the ETA on the new MacBooks anyway? Finally will have the scratch in March to replace an aluminum-body MacBook that's on its last legs, but I'm guessing I should try to stick it out for the new Skylake stuff? I'd guess a few months at most.
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Jan 16, 2016 23:45
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Bob Morales posted:MacBook or MacBook Pro? Pro.
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Jan 16, 2016 23:55
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Argali posted:What's the ETA on the new MacBooks anyway? Finally will have the scratch in March to replace an aluminum-body MacBook that's on its last legs, but I'm guessing I should try to stick it out for the new Skylake stuff? New stuff is typically released at the big Apple conferences. WWDC is typically held in June-July. That's a while and I wonder if Intel will even have Kaby Lake by then too.
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Jan 17, 2016 00:00
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Argali posted:Pro. Updates are coming - http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#Retina_MacBook_Pro If it's just a refresh there won't be much press about it
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Jan 17, 2016 00:14
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Generic Monk posted:it's a lovely machine and basically part of the default CS student starter pack along with like a blue hoodie and those gross wire frame eyeglasses You're forgetting a crucial staple: a pure Android phone with Reddit burned into the display.
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Jan 17, 2016 00:45
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Tab8715 posted:New stuff is typically released at the big Apple conferences. WWDC is typically held in June-July. Yeah, that's weird timing for me. Probably won't be able to wait that long to replace my dinosaur.
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Jan 17, 2016 12:41
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Bob Morales posted:Updates are coming - http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#Retina_MacBook_Pro It's going to be complete overhaul. The combination of MicroUSB, MiniUSB and other propriety connectors wasn't only bad for consumers but also manufactures. It's pain to have to produce so many dongles and USB-C is specifically designed with a big collaboration between the big three (Google, Apple, Microsoft) alleviate this but it's also a replacement for even video. We'll see the elimination of MagSafe/Lighting Connectors and USB-C used for everything. What's odd is having the Macbook Air and new Macbook. It seems likely these two products line will somehow merge and you'll still have a large Macbook Pro with additional ports and a dGPU. With WWDC in June-July I think this may be the expected launch of Intel's Kaby Lake and I'm sure Apple wouldn't mind having USB 3.1 on-board instead of a separate chip either.
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Jan 18, 2016 01:20
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Electric Bugaloo posted:That doesn't make any sense at all. They're just going to leave the Air alone and merely throw in Skylake? That doesn't makes sense for two reasons the first being nearly every Apple product now sporting a 4k display right out of the box. Second, not that Apple has cared what's going on in the PC World CES has shown us that every PC Laptop display is going to be starting with a 4k display.
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Jan 18, 2016 01:36
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1.) Did you mean thunderbolt instead of lightning? I don't think lightning is going away anytime soon. 2.) Only the iMacs have a 4k display.
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Jan 18, 2016 03:03
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I think USB-C is a huge step back from the Magsafe.
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Jan 18, 2016 05:28
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I don't. Well, it might be a step back from the original Magsafe, but whatever is on my 15-inch rmbp (Magsafe 2, or whatever?) is loving INFURIATING. I shouldn't have to spend twenty bucks on a little piece of metal just to prevent my laptop from unplugging itself every time I put it on my laptop. My older 11-inch Air was wonderful and I desperately wish they'd never switched. I'm actually sort of pro the USB-C switch (if it even comes to the bigger notebooks, which I'm not sold it will) because it means we could get cheaper 3rd party external batteries.
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Jan 18, 2016 05:32
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If they push USB-C for charging I'd hope they'd come up with a magsafe breakout cable
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Jan 18, 2016 05:35
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Whatever Magsafe is on my 2012 Macbook Air has worked flawlessly. Do you just throw the powerbrick in your bag? I carefully wrap mine every time and treat it like something that costs over $100.
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Jan 18, 2016 05:36
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Tab8715 posted:It's going to be complete overhaul. the macbook air is probably going to get slowly phased out and become a legacy product a la the old macbook pro, with the rmbp continuing on its current tragectory most likely. lightning isn't going anywhere; it's smaller than USB-C and apple isn't going to make people move to a different plug for their iphone peripherals unless they absolutely need to. it's essentially inviting the press to dogpile them for little gain. also they released new peripherals with lightning connections really recently. if kaby lake debuts near wwdc I'll be incredibly surprised considering it won't even have been a year since skylake started shipping in volume, and it's meant to be a stopgap until cannonlake which (judging by the broadwell delay and their recalibrating of the schedule) is going to be a looooong while off. i just don't see them blowing their wad that early. Tab8715 posted:They're just going to leave the Air alone and merely throw in Skylake? the segment in their product line taken up by the air is now being filled by the new macbook, which given a few revisions will more or less completely take over duties as the lower end model relative to the mbp. the airs will stick around for a good few years as the value oriented models and they might even keep getting internals updates, but I doubt they're going to get a redesign or anything like that. because of their popularity they'll probably be in a similar situation to the ipad 2 and old macbook pro; just slowly floating out to sea until they're no longer viable. also only the imacs have 4k+ displays, and for good reason. apple thankfully seems to have settled on PPI counts which make the pixels invisible without the kind of unhinged fuckery that causes other manufacturers to put a 4k screen in a 13" laptop with integrated graphics or a loving smartphone. there's little noticeable visual benefit and it compromises UI smoothness and battery life, all so they can increment a number on the box only the imacs have 4k+ displays. Generic Monk fucked around with this message at 05:46 on Jan 18, 2016 |
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Jan 18, 2016 05:36
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mediaphage posted:1.) Did you mean thunderbolt instead of lightning? I don't think lightning is going away anytime soon. 1. Yes 2. Blurp. Should have specified Retina although with new PC Laptops starting to bring out 4k Standard especially in the higher-end models it only makes sense to merge the Air and Macbook lines.
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Jan 18, 2016 06:16
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Generic Monk posted:the macbook air is probably going to get slowly phased out and become a legacy product a la the old macbook pro, with the rmbp continuing on its current tragectory most likely. USB-C and The lighting connector are roughly the same size. What peripherals have Apple release that have lighting connectors? Sure, new iPhones/iPads have come out with them but with USB-C doing nearly everything it just doesn't make sense to have it.
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Jan 18, 2016 06:20
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Generic Monk posted:the segment in their product line taken up by the air is now being filled by the new macbook, which given a few revisions will more or less completely take over duties as the lower end model relative to the mbp. the airs will stick around for a good few years as the value oriented models and they might even keep getting internals updates, but I doubt they're going to get a redesign or anything like that. because of their popularity they'll probably be in a similar situation to the ipad 2 and old macbook pro; just slowly floating out to sea until they're no longer viable. I know Apple doesn't give much of a poo poo about business but the new Macbook just doesn't cut it for most folks where I work. It's just a little too slow, and the screen size a little too small. The Airs on the other hand are amazing in price, size, performance, and reliability. We buy those fuckers in bulk and we've never seen one break outside of a water spill or fall damage. For our business the Air gets a huge thumbs up for every position outside of designers and developers. I don't doubt you that the Air will go away but I do hope that a slightly larger and faster Macbook will replace it. I also kind of hope that the 13" MBP gets a configuration that is a little more.. pro. I know that it's cramped in there as it is but the rift between the 13" and 15" in performance is getting fairly large. It's possible to really hop up a 13" with a custom configuration but at that point you're looking at spending the same as the 15" for something that is still slower.
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Jan 18, 2016 07:05
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Tab8715 posted:What peripherals have Apple release that have lighting connectors? The new Apple TV remote? Maybe. I think.
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Jan 18, 2016 07:37
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