could it be?
 

could it be, could it REALLY REALLY be?

http://www.macrumors.com/2011/07/26/...n-15-notebook/

The puzzling thing about the Mac Mini is that they don't even offer an option for an optical drive. Weird. Once again, Steve-O has decreed that you don't need it and shouldn't even have a choice about it.

You cant plug a USB one in? They dont try to make machines for everyone, but they try to make them coherent. With the Apple Cloud coming I suspect that is part of the coherent solution they plan to offer. And that is the key to their success. Commodity hardware makers are discovering this pretty quickly.

yes
 

yes, you can plug in the external just like the mba, it's 79$ and can be purchased directly on the mac mini webstore page, or there are third party ones that work fine too.

Meh. I don't buy the party line. The Mini is ALMOST a perfect dream HTPC. Throw in a $30 Blu-Ray drive (probably $10 for Apple to buy :D) and it's absolutely perfect. It's a puzzling choice. Streaming is the future, but the vast majority of people still have significant physical libraries they'd like to play from time to time. It's true that you can add a separate Blu-Ray player to your rig pretty easily, but it's not nearly as elegant as having everything in one little box. What makes it most puzzling of all is the fact that there's still enough empty space inside for the drive.

As an HTPC, the Mini is now only marginally more substantial than the $99 Apple TV (which I have an love, by the way, I'm no Apple hater).

Maybe they want you to buy both. It is pretty clear that they have decided to do things differently than say Dell. There was an interesting article in the Financial Times a few months ago on the 100th anniversary of IBM and it discussed how IBM has managed to do so well over a century compared to a lot of tech companies. It pointed out that they provide more than hardware, but rather solutions. It noted Apple did the same. A Mac Mini isnt designed to be an everything box for people. It is designed to be part of a solution that includes the Apple Cloud, and maybe Apple TV as I see it. Oh and iPods etc. But the solution aspect lets them sell to some people at a premium price rather than more people at a lower price. Different, and at least at this point, very successful business model as I see it.

The mac mini is also for many a second pc in the house, maybe for a kid, maybe for an HTPC, maybe for a kitchen, etc. with the remote disk feature on all macs one can easily make use of the CD/DVD drive on another mac in the household. This doesn't work for dvd MOVIE streaming, but works for everything else, software loads, data transfers, etc.

I know that Apple knows a thing or two about marketing. ;) :D

I just don't see how a Blu-Ray drive waters down the product, and I see how it makes it the absolute perfect HTPC, in addition to just more flexibility in general. Apple, IMHO, has always been about elegant solutions.

Well, Apple will likely never have Blu-Ray drives in any of their products because Jobs won't pay Sony the licensing fees.

The lack of a DVD drive however...

A Blu-ray drive is more expensive than a DVD drive, and both are more expensive than nothing. For most of us who don't care to use Blu-rays in our computers, having nothing is elegant and cheaper.

Actually it is an Epson 2400 - I just corrected that - but when I got it USB 2.0 was on v.1 so 1394 was still faster.

Yeah, I am not sure that having a complete array of ports like RJ-45, 1394 and HDMI really add much to the overall weight - maybe 1/4 of an ounce [?].

No, it means that Sony is abandoning it's premium, no compromise base. Many of the reviews of the new Z [ e.g. engadget] point this out as well.

Yeah, call me cynical but I think that both you and I know that the real reason Apple [and others to follow I am sure] is abandoning ports and drives is to force their customers into buying their cloud and other online/storage services.

:rolleyes:

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I don't think it is at all cynical. Of course it is the reason

A very well-reasoned response. ^ :rolleyes:

cnet: Apple's Mac Refresh Plays into Download Strategy

"At first blush, today's changes would seem to be business as usual for the technology giant, which has built massive success off cyclical updates to its products. But behind the scenes the changes represent a carefully crafted strategy in how the company presents its products to customers, as well as getting its machines more tightly connected to its various digital storefronts.

Why did Apple nix the disc drive, you might be wondering? With Lion shipping with the Mac App Store from the get go, that drive represents an escape route for buyers to get music, movies, and software from somewhere other than Apple, which offers all three in iTunes and the Mac App Store."

Time: A Super Thin 15-inch MacBook Pro Means Apple's Going Cloud or Bust

"But in shedding the optical drive from all their laptop lines, it essentially means Apple's going all in on the cloud. MacRumors stated, "Apple has had no problem leaving physical media behind," and they're right. It makes sense: When Apple announced their coming iCloud just last month (doesn't it feel like an eternity ago?), they outlined the strategy behind all upcoming hardware from the iPod on up.

PC World: R.I.P. DVD: Six Reasons It's Time for Discs to Die

"Many were shocked to find out, though, that Apple has now also removed the DVD drive from the Mac Mini. But, Apple shouldn't stop there, and the revolution shouldn't be limited to Apple, or even just to PCs for that matter. It's time for discs to die...Why deal with having to get or wait for a physical disc when the software can be delivered over the Internet in a few minutes?"

Yep, and a bigger frame, more aluminum, etc.

Here's a non scientific study: on my DL flight from LAX to DTW yesterday, I noticed that of the 24 people in first, every single person in first that had a laptop out, had a mac. 6 people in total (including myself); 5 MBP's and my MBA. The other BYO electronics people had ipads (5 or so). No one showed any sign of using physical media during the flight.

I think physical media has a place, but again my point is that such use is tied to home or office setting, and for that a fixed firewire or usb dvd/blu ray drive is sufficient. When the vast majority of people move (travel, work remotely), they don't use or need that DVD drive. So why carry it around?

On that we agree, and its a good thing in the long run. But like with the paper dollar vs the dollar coin, people hate change and will only move when they are forced. Henry Ford said it best: "If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses."