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anselm · May 30, 2008, 02:59 AM

Would the delay of the next generation Intel chips which has been reported recently be able to delay the next revision of the Mac mini?
I don`t know if that`s the chipset planned for this machine but since the mini is based on mobile hardware I suppose it might.

Simon · May 30, 2008, 06:08 AM

No. The Mm lags behind other Macs in terms of CPU and chipset. It actually always has. The Mm will likely move to Crestline and socket P Penryns whenever it suits Apple. It's the MBP (if any Mac) that will be stalled by the Calistoga delay. The Mm will get Calistoga and socket B Penryns in a year from now at the earliest.

mduell · May 30, 2008, 12:26 PM

I could see the mini even going another refresh with Merom; the 2.2Ghz part has 7 year manufacturing availability along with 945GME or GME965.

anselm · May 31, 2008, 04:16 AM

945GME or GME965 chipset would mean it will have a maximum RAM of 2GB?

Simon · 02:48 AM

They are embedded chipsets. 945GME and GME965 both support up to 4 GB. Just like the regular 945GM and GM965 (now).

It's quite obvious the Mac mini will receive a Crestline and Socket P Penryn this year. The T8100 at 2.1 GHz is cheap and cool. And it's not faster than any other Mac's CPU (except for the MBA's that is). Perfect candidate.

mduell · May 31, 2008, 01:33 PM

Originally Posted by Simon

It's quite obvious the Mac mini will receive a Crestline and Socket P Merom this year. The T8100 at 2.1 GHz is cheap and cool. And it's not faster than any other Mac's CPU (except for the MBA's that is). Perfect candidate.

Huh? T8100 is not a Socket P Merom.

Given how long Apple has clung on to the 945 chipset (GMA950 is over 3 years old!), I wouldn't be surprised to see them use 965 and Merom for the next release.

Simon · 03:01 AM

Yep, typo. It's a socket P Penryn. As opposed to the soon to be released socket B Penryns.

Anyway, this is it for Merom/Calistoga on the Mac mini. Apple can get the low-end P Penryn for less than the T7500 and it will run cooler. Better yet, they can buy the cheaper Crestline and leave Calistoga to the other companies who like to sell Intel's vintage sets. Sometime during this year the Mac mini will go Penryn/Crestline. In the usual Mac mini stay behind cycle. Just wait and you'll see.

P · Jun 1, 2008, 03:58 AM

At some point, Penryns (at least lower end models) will be cheaper than Meroms because there are more on each sheet. Having 7 year support does not mean that it will be the bet value for 7 years - Intel kept making the original Pentium until after the Pentium 4 was released, but it cost more than more modern, much faster CPUs.

Simon · Jun 1, 2008, 06:13 AM

The T8100 is already now cheaper than the T7500. And the difference will become even more pronounced with time.

mduell · Jun 1, 2008, 11:18 AM

Originally Posted by Simon

Anyway, this is it for Merom/Calistoga on the Mac mini. Apple can get the low-end P Penryn for less than the T7500 and it will run cooler. Better yet, they can buy the cheaper Crestline and leave Calistoga to the other companies who like to sell Intel's vintage sets. Sometime during this year the Mac mini will go Penryn/Crestline. In the usual Mac mini stay behind cycle. Just wait and you'll see.

Originally Posted by Simon

The T8100 is already now cheaper than the T7500. And the difference will become even more pronounced with time.

There's more than just unit price to consider; IIRC with the last Mac mini update they went with the older/more expensive chipset (based on 1Ku price), presumably because it avoids the overhead of redesigning/validating the logic board for the mini's production volumes.

Simon · Jun 2, 2008, 04:36 AM

With a difference in unit price this large it's a no brainer for Apple. Design work will be minimal as well since they can basically rework what was done for the MB. The mini will go Penryn/Crestline with the next revision. It's only a matter of when. Sometime during the second half of this year.

chichow · Jun 6, 2008, 05:44 PM

Simon:

Any prediction on 3Q vs 4Q...mac mini is probably not targeted to the Back to School crowd.

No chance at WWDC, right?

mduell · Jun 6, 2008, 06:16 PM

It can happen whenever Apple wants it to happen.

Upgrading from 1.83Ghz Merom/945GM to 2.1Ghz Penryn/GM965 would give them about $25 margin expansion.

Simon · Jun 7, 2008, 03:16 AM

Originally Posted by chichow

Simon:

Any prediction on 3Q vs 4Q...mac mini is probably not targeted to the Back to School crowd.

No chance at WWDC, right?

The Mac mini is about the last thing that I expect to see at WWDC. The Mac mini update will likely come by means of a press release an a smaller ad on Apple's front page. Don't expect Apple to use actual show time for it. I also doubt Apple would try to time the update to the back to school buying crowd. The mini update will happen when Apple finds the time to get it finished and has managed to clear out sufficient inventory. My guess would be somewhere between the back to school buying season and November. But it could be really just any time.

anselm · Jun 10, 2008, 05:36 AM

I wonder if the next revision will be smaller or made less attractive in any other way.

Don`t take this too seriously guys. It`s just that from my standpoint Apple always makes sure they got serious deal breakers in everything they offer, to prevent me from buying one.

Simon · Jun 10, 2008, 05:51 AM

A less attractive mini would be a good thing. Opens up even more room between it and the MP for the to be announced HEM.