Mac Mini 2014 Release: Reviews, Specs, RAM, Price & Where to Buy
The Mac mini finally got a refresh after a good couple of years. The device made it in to Apple's Oct. 16 event at Cupertino, California.
"People love Mac mini. It's a great first Mac or addition to your home network, and the new Mac mini is a nice upgrade packed into an incredibly compact design," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing as quoted by MacRumors in an earlier report.
"With the latest CPU and graphics, faster Wi-Fi, two Thunderbolt 2 ports, OS X Yosemite, and starting at just $499, the new Mac mini is the best value ever," he added.
Indeed, the lower end of the Mac mini 2014 comes with 1.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i5, 4GB memory, 500GB hard drive and Intel HD Graphics 5000. The price is $499, with option to upgrade to 8GB memory for $100 or 16GB for $300.
The middle tier Mac mini 2014 with 2.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5, 8GB memory, 1TB hard drive and Intel Iris graphics ships for $699. The high end Mac mini model comes with the same 8GB memory and Intel Iris graphics but with 2.8GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 and 1TB Fusion Drive. Price is $999.
For both 2.6GHz and 2.8GHz Mac mini 2014 models, upgrade to 16GB memory will cost $200. All Mac mini 2014 models ship with OS X Yosemite, Apple's latest Mac operating system.
All orders for the Mac mini 2014 ship within 2 to 3 days so reviews also made their way out quite early. Among those who were able to get their hands on Apple's upgrade Mac mini is Brian Stucki of Macminicolo.
According to him, the new Mac mini has "good CPU/graphics boost" provided that users "order the way [they] want it." But what really had Mac mini users shaking their heads is the news that they won't be able to upgrade the RAM by themselves.
"Confirmed: RAM in the new Mac mini is not user accessible. Hard drive can be replaced/upgraded, though not keeping warranty," said Stucki in a tweet.
"Past generations of Mac Minis allowed the user to crack open the case and install RAM they'd sourced themselves (generally at a price quite a bit cheaper than what Apple offered it for)," noted Tech Crunch.
But a soldered RAM isn't the only thing disappointing Mac mini users.
"If people didn't like to hear the confirmation of soldered RAM, wait until they see the foot of the Mac mini with tamper-proof screws," Stucki said in another tweet.
It looks like Apple is bent on keeping users out of the 7-inch by 7-inch box this time around.
"The memory for Mac mini (Late 2014) computers isn't user accessible and is integrated into the main logic board. You can configure your computer's memory at the time of purchase," said Apple in a support page.
Are you upgrading or keeping your Mac mini 2012 model? Order the Mac mini 2014 here.