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Looking at these config prices... wow: https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-mac/mac-mini/3.6ghz-quad-core-processor-128gb# https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-mac/mac-mini

Looking at these config prices... wow: https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-mac/mac-mini/3.6ghz-quad-core-processor-128gb# https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-mac/mac-mini/3.6ghz-quad-core... 128GB SSD base, +800 USD to go to 1TB? +600 USD to go from 8GB to 32GB? +300USD to go to the six core CPU? brutal. I was considering this for a moment instead of building a PC rig at home because I really like macOS, but that's just too much.

collias 8y ago
Same. I primarily use a desktop for gaming these days, but also do iOS development. My dream machine would be a Mac Mini with an eGPU. I'm looking to do a gaming rig rebuild soon, and was excited to see a new Mac Mini before I made my decision. These prices though....I'll just build a mini-ATX myself.
- mseidl 8y ago
  I have a mini atx build for Linux(I'm just a 100% linux guy), but I was considering a used mac mini or something for music stuff. I currently have to use a windows vm for a couple of instruments. But the state of music software on Linux isn't the best.
- singularity2001 8y ago
  don't they even show a eGpu in the demo?
cwyers 8y ago
I mean, Apple always charges Apple prices. I'm more surprised that the base price is so high. They couldn't do a 4gb/64gb version with a lower-end CPU?
- xvector 8y ago
  > They couldn't do a 4gb/64gb version with a lower-end CPU? The PR would be far, far worse.
mamcx 8y ago
Yeah, I almost cry in joy when I see the base config and naively forget about how big are the prices for upgrading with apple. And 128 GB? Not even iphones start at that.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- placatedmayhem 8y ago
  iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR base models are 64 GB.
  - sscotth 8y ago
    As are the newest iPad Pros
  - mamcx 8y ago
    I stand corrected. I was so sad in how costly could be the model I wish that I do a bad comparision from thin air. (ie: The Iphones I have)
LgWoodenBadger 8y ago
I agree. I have a 2011 Mac Mini Server (quad-core, dual-drive) that I've upgraded to 16gb of ram and 1TB of solid-state storage. To get the equivalent in this new Mac Mini would be ridiculously expensive. Thanks, but no thanks. 128gb of storage was too small for a PC 5 years ago, let alone in 2018.
jimbokun 8y ago
If Apple just made the parts user replaceable, it wouldn't be a problem. I used to always just get the lowest configuration Powerbook or Macbook Pro, and place an order for a RAM upgrade simultaneously from another vendor. And eventually max out the RAM, upgrade to SSD, etc. Made the upfront purchase price less of an issue as a longer term investment. Apple is nickle and diming customers by locking down and soldering everything on Macs, when they should look at the Mac as a gesture of goodwill to the professionals and developers who contribute to the Apple ecosystem and help drive sales of Apple's iOS cash cow.
- dep_b 8y ago
  The RAM is user serviceable on the new Mini. The drive might be soldered this time but even the 2014 still allowed you to replace it so I am cautiously optimistic that the iFixit teardown will reveal it to also be replaceable. Which makes the i7 Mac Mini with base specs quite attractive. If not you can use an external SSD since it's a desktop computer and doesn't move. An external 1TB Samsung for everything besides applications and OS isn't bad at all.
  - jimbokun 8y ago
    Just over a year ago, I bought an iMac, specifically because it was the only model (besides the Pro) that I could upgrade the memory after I bought it (which I've done twice already, nice to have 32GB when you have 4 family members constantly logged in). If this Mini with up-gradable RAM had come out before then, I would have bought it instead.
  - sixothree 8y ago
    Chances they use M.2 sata..... doubtful.
  - intopieces 8y ago
    >An external 1TB Samsung for everything besides applications and OS isn't bad at all. Yep. 4x TB3 means I don't care at all about the internal storage. I'll take the 128GB internal drive for the OS and be on my way.
joshvm 8y ago
This is life for high end systems though. I have a Dell Lattitude 7390, 8th Gen i5, 256GB SSD and 8GB RAM. Cost about £850 (edu discount). The upgrade to 512GB SSD and 16GB RAM would have been an extra £500. Admittedly you also get an i7, but if Dell actually offered 1TB and 32GB RAM, I would bet it'd be at least £1k on top of the base. On the plus side, despite Dell's warning, both the SO-DIMM and the M.2 SSD are user serviceable and easily accessible. The chassis even has retaining screws!
tootie 8y ago
$800 for the base unit (i3/8GB/128GB SSD) is frankly ridiculous. Their price is roughly double what you'd pay for an equivalent NUC.
- copperx 8y ago
  I just built a 32GB, 8 core/16 thread, NVidia 1050ti discrete GPU, 480GB m.2 NVME machine with a premium power supply and case for exactly $800. I always expect 80-100% markup on a Mac, and I've accepted it, given the integration and beautiful design; but this time they went way over the top, especially with the upgrade prices. To get an equivalent Mac Mini (ignoring that it's impossible to get 8 cores and discrete GPU), I would have to spend about $2100. That's about 160% markup on comparable components. That's a first in Apple history, as far as I can tell.
  - m_mueller 8y ago
    A comparable system would be rhe 1600 hackish-mac mini I outlined in my last post if you add a 700 USD eGPU on top. Even if you deduct 400 for the additional casings required, it’s just so far from competitive. As you wrote, up to 100% markup for macOS and all the Apple benefits is acceptable, but it has gotten a really hard pill to swallow now.
    - newman314 8y ago
      I've been considering going down the hackintosh route but now I'm considering something more extreme. ESX system with MacOS VM and GPU passthrough. If this works, then I could have a standardized MacOS VM build that will keep working as I upgrade the underlying hardware. Still mulling this over...
      - copperx 8y ago
        I've heard that your proposed setup works great. Do it!
      - mmmpie 8y ago
kbd 8y ago
I totally expected I'd be buying this right away, but the prices just seem outrageous. And I had no problem plunking down $1150 for an iPhone XS recently.

collias 8y ago

Same. I primarily use a desktop for gaming these days, but also do iOS development. My dream machine would be a Mac Mini with an eGPU. I'm looking to do a gaming rig rebuild soon, and was excited to see a new Mac Mini before I made my decision. These prices though....I'll just build a mini-ATX myself.

mseidl 8y ago
I have a mini atx build for Linux(I'm just a 100% linux guy), but I was considering a used mac mini or something for music stuff. I currently have to use a windows vm for a couple of instruments. But the state of music software on Linux isn't the best.
singularity2001 8y ago
don't they even show a eGpu in the demo?

cwyers 8y ago

I mean, Apple always charges Apple prices. I'm more surprised that the base price is so high. They couldn't do a 4gb/64gb version with a lower-end CPU?

xvector 8y ago
> They couldn't do a 4gb/64gb version with a lower-end CPU? The PR would be far, far worse.

mamcx 8y ago

Yeah, I almost cry in joy when I see the base config and naively forget about how big are the prices for upgrading with apple. And 128 GB? Not even iphones start at that.

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
placatedmayhem 8y ago
iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR base models are 64 GB.
- sscotth 8y ago
  As are the newest iPad Pros
- mamcx 8y ago
  I stand corrected. I was so sad in how costly could be the model I wish that I do a bad comparision from thin air. (ie: The Iphones I have)

LgWoodenBadger 8y ago

I agree. I have a 2011 Mac Mini Server (quad-core, dual-drive) that I've upgraded to 16gb of ram and 1TB of solid-state storage. To get the equivalent in this new Mac Mini would be ridiculously expensive. Thanks, but no thanks. 128gb of storage was too small for a PC 5 years ago, let alone in 2018.

jimbokun 8y ago

If Apple just made the parts user replaceable, it wouldn't be a problem. I used to always just get the lowest configuration Powerbook or Macbook Pro, and place an order for a RAM upgrade simultaneously from another vendor. And eventually max out the RAM, upgrade to SSD, etc. Made the upfront purchase price less of an issue as a longer term investment. Apple is nickle and diming customers by locking down and soldering everything on Macs, when they should look at the Mac as a gesture of goodwill to the professionals and developers who contribute to the Apple ecosystem and help drive sales of Apple's iOS cash cow.

dep_b 8y ago
The RAM is user serviceable on the new Mini. The drive might be soldered this time but even the 2014 still allowed you to replace it so I am cautiously optimistic that the iFixit teardown will reveal it to also be replaceable. Which makes the i7 Mac Mini with base specs quite attractive. If not you can use an external SSD since it's a desktop computer and doesn't move. An external 1TB Samsung for everything besides applications and OS isn't bad at all.
- jimbokun 8y ago
  Just over a year ago, I bought an iMac, specifically because it was the only model (besides the Pro) that I could upgrade the memory after I bought it (which I've done twice already, nice to have 32GB when you have 4 family members constantly logged in). If this Mini with up-gradable RAM had come out before then, I would have bought it instead.
- sixothree 8y ago
  Chances they use M.2 sata..... doubtful.
- intopieces 8y ago
  >An external 1TB Samsung for everything besides applications and OS isn't bad at all. Yep. 4x TB3 means I don't care at all about the internal storage. I'll take the 128GB internal drive for the OS and be on my way.

joshvm 8y ago

This is life for high end systems though. I have a Dell Lattitude 7390, 8th Gen i5, 256GB SSD and 8GB RAM. Cost about £850 (edu discount). The upgrade to 512GB SSD and 16GB RAM would have been an extra £500. Admittedly you also get an i7, but if Dell actually offered 1TB and 32GB RAM, I would bet it'd be at least £1k on top of the base. On the plus side, despite Dell's warning, both the SO-DIMM and the M.2 SSD are user serviceable and easily accessible. The chassis even has retaining screws!

tootie 8y ago

$800 for the base unit (i3/8GB/128GB SSD) is frankly ridiculous. Their price is roughly double what you'd pay for an equivalent NUC.

copperx 8y ago
I just built a 32GB, 8 core/16 thread, NVidia 1050ti discrete GPU, 480GB m.2 NVME machine with a premium power supply and case for exactly $800. I always expect 80-100% markup on a Mac, and I've accepted it, given the integration and beautiful design; but this time they went way over the top, especially with the upgrade prices. To get an equivalent Mac Mini (ignoring that it's impossible to get 8 cores and discrete GPU), I would have to spend about $2100. That's about 160% markup on comparable components. That's a first in Apple history, as far as I can tell.
- m_mueller 8y ago
  A comparable system would be rhe 1600 hackish-mac mini I outlined in my last post if you add a 700 USD eGPU on top. Even if you deduct 400 for the additional casings required, it’s just so far from competitive. As you wrote, up to 100% markup for macOS and all the Apple benefits is acceptable, but it has gotten a really hard pill to swallow now.
  - newman314 8y ago
    I've been considering going down the hackintosh route but now I'm considering something more extreme. ESX system with MacOS VM and GPU passthrough. If this works, then I could have a standardized MacOS VM build that will keep working as I upgrade the underlying hardware. Still mulling this over...
    - copperx 8y ago
      I've heard that your proposed setup works great. Do it!
    - mmmpie 8y ago

kbd 8y ago

I totally expected I'd be buying this right away, but the prices just seem outrageous. And I had no problem plunking down $1150 for an iPhone XS recently.