Mac mini to be discontinued?

Stephen Withers
Monday, 28 May 2007 13:47

Your IT - Home IT

The latest Apple rumour has it that the Mac mini's days are numbered. There might be one more speed bump, but after that it's "goodnight Irene" - or so the story goes.

The trails all seem to lead back to AppleInsider's claim that respected sources "are now pointing to the mini's impending demise."

The Mac mini is a misfit in Apple's range, being neither an all-in-one like the iMac or internally expandable like the Mac Pro. While it was positioned primarily as a low-cost Mac for 'switchers' (defecting Windows users) who already owned a suitable keyboard, mouse and monitor, anecdotal reports suggest it was actually more popular as a additional Mac.

And there's the rub. The mini, when equipped with a TV tuner makes a good media centre computer (or home theatre personal computer - HTPC - if you prefer that terminology): it's small, attractive and virtually silent. The problem is that the Apple TV is supposed to occupy that niche - no matter that it makes no provision for a tuner.

Other applications include a low-cost platform for software developers, an inexpensive second system for a MacBook owner, an in-car computer, web or mail servers, and a way of wringing the maximum number of computers out of a limited budget for pro-Mac schools and businesses.

The latter category is probably the biggest risk associated with dropping the mini. Without getting into arguments about the relative prices and specifications of Macs and PCs, abandoning the mini and dropping the 17in iMac could shake loose a number of customers. They might not be high value customers, but each time Apple loses an education account it makes life harder for those that are left to withstand pressure from the Windows zealots within their communities.

Given the previous failure of the Cube, the demise of the mini could mark the end of small form factor general purpose computers from Apple. Unless, of course, it was replaced my a new model that combined the best features of the Apple TV (simple out-of-the box experience for people who just want to play digital media that's stored on their main computer) with the flexibility of a full-blown Mac.

Mac bloggers generally reacted negatively to the suggestion that the mini's days are numbered.