Apple to mini fans: “Be patient.”

Apple to mini fans: “Be patient.” – The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW):


….an unnamed guy who claims to have spoken to an unspecified Apple representative who may have overheard some unclear plans for an unspoken time in the future, then the Mac mini may be getting a revamp soon.

By “soon”, it should be read as “at Macworld”.

And honestly, that the Mini isn’t being updated now is interesting on a number of levels. A Mini update now would be a refresh. Bigger disk, faster CPU, yada yada. boring.

But wait until January? that makes it interesting. that’s when the fun stuff comes out.

I’ve long felt that the Mini and the Apple TV need to be merged into a “living room computer”. Could that be coming? I sure hope so. (for some of my previous thoughts on this space, see here and here.. Frankly, I think I’ve done a hell of a lot better than a lot of the so-called analysts, especially the ones I rag on in the first piece. But I digress…)

It’s interesting that neither the Apple TV or the Mini have been updated “in a while”. Yet neither has been end of lifed, and when rumors pop up that they’re going away, Apple seems to poke that balloon and make it go away. It clearly isn’t “done” with either product.

So there’s something up.

So why not a couple of new boxes? A low end upgraded Apple TV that tethers to a computer like the current Apple TV does today, but has 5.1 sound built in, HD via HDMI to the TV, and because I’ll never shut up until Apple does it, Netflix streaming support. Hell, the XBOX will have it in two weeks, so here’s hoping Apple announces it in January. Apple TV + iTunes + iTunes video store + NetFlix is a killer box.

Then there’s a second box:

Apple TV with full mini capabilities. Take an Apple TV. Add in an upgraded Mini, with LOTS of disk, wireless keyboard and mouse, etc. Basically migrate the iTunes parts to the Apple TV, so it stands alone and acts as a computer as well as a video box.

Oh, with these new video systems in the Macpros? Stuff one in a Mini, a mini with HD and 5.1 sound and iTunes? And you have a pretty damn nice gaming box. Hmm. At least in theory.

Imagine a box for, say, $800 that runs a Mac, uses your TV for the screen, supports HD video from iTunes, replaces that 5.1 box under your TV and does your audio for you, and supports streaming. Plus has kick-butt video to allow you to run Worlds of Warcraft on your 42″ LCD from your couch.

For that, I’d be patient for a bit, no?

(and please, don’t start rumoring this. it’s not what I’m saying they’re doing — I have no idea, but I’ll sign an NDA and beta test tomorrow if you ask nicely enough — but it sure is what I’d do if I was running the project. And damn, don’t you think it could give the Xbox or PS3 a run at it?)

By the way, with Netflix streaming coming to the Xbox, I’ve finally decided to mainstream my xbox. It’s always lived on my monitor on my desk, so I could play games without taking over the TV. This weekend, it gets wired to the main TV, and the DVD player gets retired.

I’m still leaving a spot for when I get an Apple TV. Or whatever it becomes in January. Something tells me when Apple finally shifts out of “this is a hobby product for us” mode it’ll be worth the wait. And it sounds like it’s getting closer.

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  • Tedious

    “Unfortunately Apple need to support more open codecs such as DIVX.”
    Divx is not an open standard. Hell, it’s not even a standard. It’s just a very-widely-used hack of MS’s failed entry to a standards body.
    DiVx themselves have given up on the codec and have gone MPEG-4 inside the free-to-use AVI container.
    However, MPEG-4 can also fin in many other containers, including the ones Apple uses.

  • rattyuk

    “And damn, don’t you think it could give the Xbox or PS3 a run at it?”
    Unfortunately Apple need to support more open codecs such as DIVX. I have both the Apple TV and the PS3 and the PS3 streams DIVX files from my Mac so it gets used far more. It is sad but true. I love the Apple TV but they need to take it out of the hobby zone. Also fix the goddamned HDMI bug which means it’s a crapshoot every time I try switching to it as to whether my TV will actually see the signal (without rebooting the AppleTV or the TV)

  • jb

    Personally, I’d love a “refreshed” mini, with an updated (“like AppleTV 2.0″) FrontRow, and a 3.5″ drive.
    I think Apple’s biggest (only?) mistake with the Mini model form factor is that it can only take notebook hard drives, making hard drive capacity a bigger issue.
    This would make a great living room computer, and would (with the addition of a third party monitor) be the answer to iMac customers who don’t want glossy displays.