New Mac mini loses optical drive, gains Bluetooth 4.0 (updated)
Summary: Apple today announced a new Mac mini with a Sandy Bridge processor, Thunderbolt high-speed I/O port (like the MacBook Air) and no optical drive (like the MacBook Air).
Apple today announced a new Mac mini alongside new MacBook Airs and Mac OS 10.7 Lion.
Like the 3G MacBook Air, the updated Mac mini ships with Intel's Sandy Bridge processor and a Thunderbolt high-speed I/O port. According to Apple's press release the new Mac mini delivers up to twice the processor and graphics performance of the previous generation.
The new Mac mini comes in two desktop configurations and one server configuration:
Desktop configurations
- 2.3GHz Intel Core i5, 500GB hard drive, 2GB RAM - $599
- 2.5GHz Intel Core i5, 500GB hard drive, 4GB RAM - $799
Server configuration
- 2.0GHz, dual 500GB hard drives, 4GB RAM - $999
Perhaps the most interesting development is that Apple has dropped the optical drive completely from the new mini. (Something I recommended two years ago.)
...if an app you need isn’t available from the Mac App Store, you can use DVD or CD Sharing. This convenient feature of OS X lets you wirelessly “borrow” the optical drive of a nearby Mac or PC. So you can install applications from a DVD or CD and have full access to an optical drive without having to carry one around.
The other option is to purchase Apple's external SuperDrive ($79) which works with both the Mac mini and the MacBook Air.
The new Mac mini server configuration includes a 2.0GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor, Lion Server, 4GB RAM and dual 500GB hard drives for $999 (US). Configure-to-order options include adding up to 8GB RAM, two 750GB hard drives, or up to two 256GB solid state drives.
Update: MacRumors notes that the new Mac mini and MacBook Air support Bluetooth 4.0 and Bluetooth low energy:
...a new specification that offers ultra low-power data transfer and has been touted as opening the door to a host of new wireless peripheral devices.
The new Mac mini is the first to support discrete graphics:
The new Mac mini also makes a transition to discrete graphics on the high-end model, utilizing the AMD Radeon HD 6630M and offering up to twice the graphics performance of the previous generation. The low-end and server Mac mini models continue to utilize integrated graphics in the form of Intel HD Graphics 3000.
What do you like/dislike about the new Mac mini?
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Talkback
RE: New Mac mini ditches the optical drive
This way you can't load store bought software on it.
so you'll have to go to the Mac store online.
RE: New Mac mini ditches the optical drive
RE: New Mac mini ditches the optical drive
RE: New Mac mini ditches the optical drive
Not a lot of use Apple TV and stream... cd's dvd's and blu ray need to go!
RE: New Mac mini ditches the optical drive
Lol yeah right at this time cd and dvds and blu ray ar still needed as apple tv is useless and you have to pay over and over. then they add the pointless thunderbolt port instead of the usb 3.0 port which is the standard so now you have a useless port like firewire was and no drive but a higher price. Apple really does fancy it's buyers as retarded lol
RE: New Mac mini ditches the optical drive
RE: New Mac mini ditches the optical drive
RE: New Mac mini ditches the optical drive
Sure you can rip it on another computer, but then you have to have a second computer (with a DVD drive). You might as well just run an HDMI from that second computer and skip the Mini altogether. I use a mac mini for my home entertainment center. I specifically use the mini to play region 2 DVDs while my regular DVD player plays the region 1 DVDs.
What's more, what if you need to reinstall the OS? Is Apple going to release Lion on an SD card?
Bad move, Apple... or smart move if it sells more $80 external DVD drives - but that's a d*ck move in my opinion.
RE: New Mac mini ditches the optical drive
RE: New Mac mini ditches the optical drive
RE: New Mac mini ditches the optical drive
RE: New Mac mini ditches the optical drive
My TV plays movies - without an HTPC.
It can read these straight from my Mac - or from a USB stick - it did not occur to Samsung that the TV would be useless without a DVD drive - maybe Samsung are mad??? I don't know.
RE: New Mac mini ditches the optical drive
Purchase a SuperDrive?
From Apple's web site
Yes a SuperDrive will work as will CD/DVD sharing from another Mac or PC.
RE: New Mac mini ditches the optical drive
He asked if a regular external optical drive will work or not, not if the Apple Superdrive will.
Any Optical Drive
It depends upon what you mean "work with..." It will probably work with any USB/Firewire external optical drive, as in reading, writing, playing a movie or CD, but the computer won't boot from any USB Drive--thus, no booting from a system DVD or CD. I happen to have a Firewire LightScribe optical drive, but I've never tried booting from it. As I can boot from Firewire hard drives, it wouldn't surprise me if it would boot from a Firewire system DVD as well. Too bad there aren't a lot of Firewire optical drives out there.
RE: New Mac mini ditches the optical drive
Firewired died alongtime ago and the new thunderbolt port is on the same path or limited use and then extinction. If your not running a music production studio then firewire was a useless port.
RE: New Mac mini ditches the optical drive
Also, USB2 had nothing on FW800 for external drives, just like how USB3 has nothing on Thunderbolt (which has Intel's support, meaning it's going to be around for a while).