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dumb. As an 'informed' buyer this would drive me nuts. Doesn't feel right to me.

A grab bag. Oh what fun!

JohnE,

I kind of like it. You know what you're buying upfront, but you have the chance to get a "Super Mac mini," if you're lucky. This probably won't last more than a week or two and then all of the Mac mini units will be the new ones.

JohnE: As an informed buyer (of which there are relatively few of us, btw), all you have to do is wait a month or so, and buy from a popular, fast moving channel (like maybe Apple’s on-line store). Most customers will never know the difference.

Fred, if you and I went together to the store today and we each put down the same amount of money to buy a mini and I got the better one...how can you not feel a little bit like you got shafted?

Seems like a dumb way to handle inventory issues, especially since Apple is proud of maintaining a low number of days of product in the chain. Best approach would be to discount the limited quantity of "version 1" Mac mini inventory and release the new version with updated packaging.

On the other hand, perhaps this is just an interim step in the mini upgrade path. If so, then it might be smart to avoid the cost of updating the packaging, etc. until a significant revision is released.

The risk is that some uninformed purchasers of Mac minis will feel cheated and start a website complaining about it (outdatedmacmini.com).

...and it's not a good practice to assume that your customers either don't care or are just dumb uninformed buyers (especially, in the Mac community where any little scratch can create a firestorm)

Apple is shooting itself in the foot with this decision, which is unprecedented. The differences in specs are very significant, starting with the faster hard drive. This is going to harm the company's reputation: from now on, who is going to believe the specs on the box of future products? Just having to handle consumer complaints is going to cost more money than taking a hit on outdated mini stock, not to mention negative advertising. The big question for me is: Who made this decision? Will we ever find out???

Apple is abusing our loyalty. What a stupid move. Class was one of the attributes that distinguished Apple. Too bad!

This is probably being caused by Freescale cleaning out its inventory of processors.

The actual performance differences between these CPUs is barely measureable. It will only matter to the more anal customer. Thankfully there are very, VERY, very few of them.

Honestly, with such meager improvements, no one is going to notice the difference - at least, not the target market of Mac minis. Why both with relabeling a box? Plus, the old inventory will probably be cleared out within a couple weeks as was mentioned earlier. Just wait a few if you do plan on buying one.

Dudes,

Get a grip. Apple is selling X for a listed price. If you get lucky, you get X+ for that price. If not, you knew what you were buying anyway.

I see no harm. It's a nice little bonus surprise.

The average Windows-only schlub buying a Mac mini to use with his/her Gateway monitor, keyboard, and mouse just recently began to become informed, but probably not informed enough yet even know if they got the upgraded Mac mini or not.

Either way, they paid for X and they received exactly what they paid for (or more if they were lucky).

How can you possibly be whining about this? You're not losing anything, you're gaining. They didn't raise prices, so it's not as though you're being screwed on the deal.

If cnet's take on the what and why of this mini-upgrade is correct, Jobs recent rank against the record companies was particularly hypocritical. How greedy is it to squeeze out a little more profit by keeping your customers ignorant of the computer's specs?

I got one of the new Mac minis! I ordered it for my parents - I finally convinced them to give up the Windows ghost. 1.5GHz G4, 64MB Radeon 9200, 5400rpm HD, 8x dual-layer SuperDrive, etc. It came in a box with the old specs. Ordered from Apple Store last week.

What a nice surprise! I wouldn't have been too disappointed if I got the "old" mini, though - that's what I ordered, after all.

If I've learned anything, it's that some people just have got to have something to bitch about, even if it's bitching about getting something extra for nothing. Apple could sneak a free iPod into every Mac box and someone would find a fault with that too I'm sure...

to get MORE than you paid for?

You're only getting shafted if Apple is TELLING people they MIGHT get a newer model. But they're not--the rumor sites are.

Shipping two versions at once, overlapping, is a good way to prevent a dead time in the middle with no availability. And it keeps things simpler for inventory control. It's a standard practice that many companies have used, and it's to your BENEFIT as a buyer.

This transition will last what, a week? Change your panties and get over it.

This feels wrong to me. Bad decission off the heels of the nano screen problem that recently caused some bad publicity................

"Fred, if you and I went together to the store today and we each put down the same amount of money to buy a mini and I got the better one...how can you not feel a little bit like you got shafted?"

Nope, I'd just exchange it for another one in a few days if it was really that important to me. And before you say it...I don't buy direct from Apple, so no, I wouldn't have to pay a restocking fee either.

If my powerbook was shipped with 1gb of RAM instead of 512mb hell if I would complain as long as I wasn't charged for it... now downgrading is a different story obviously

<sarcasm>I am so pissed off! I ordered a Mac mini with a 1.42GHz G4, ATI Radeon 9200 32MB, 4200RPM HD, and a 4x speed SuperDrive and Apple sent me a Mac mini with 1.5GHz G4, ATI Radeon 9200 64MB, 5400RPM HD, and a 8x speed dual-layer SuperDrive for no extra charge!

What am I going to do with a faster Mac mini with more capabilities? This isn't what I signed for - I am so pissed!</sarcasm>

MW: "costs" - as in, "costs" the same, but you get more for free!

A crackerjack marketing idea if ever I heard one.

I can just picture the kids on the schoolyard comparing the prizes they got:

"Mine came with a whistle!"
"Mine came with a magnifying glass!"
"Mine came with an 8x dual-layer SuperDrive!"

Save yourself the headache and buy an iMac!

This would tend to explain that aborted-after-one-day test drive program. If this is the reason they cancelled that - to prevent people from returning machines that weren't "better than advertised" I think we can expect to see the test drive program come back once all the older machines are gone and the new specs are "official"

A less likely alternative explanation: This was a normal planned upgrade already in manufacture that was cancelled and they don't want to spend the money updating the packaging, only to change it again to either revert or reflect yet another variant that's coming down the pipe.

I think this isn't very likely, since this appears to be a semi-decent upgrade.

This will be a non-issue in a couple of weeks. Wait if it bothers you. No one is forcing you to buy right NOW.

Thank you Jack A,

Took the words right out - oh wait - took the words right off my keyboard!

Dudes, just wait a little longer check the AppleStore online now and again to see if the minis are listed as 1.5Ghz.

Chance is a fickle thing and as Forrest Gump said 'Life is like a box of chocolates - you never know what you are gonna get', pity he didn't look unde the lid to see the printed description of each candy inside.

Sounds like a crap shoot to me. Get a Dell.

Just kidding. I wish Apple would say one way or another. One would think that Apple would want to tout the very modest speed gain.

Nobody's getting shafted here. You get _at least_ what you paid for and _at least_ what it says on the box.

Read just about any spec sheet around on a product- the fine print will read "specifications subject to change without notice".

In this case, the specs got BETTER.

If Apple announced this new version and created new packaging, people would start complaining that the Mac mini they just bought is now "obsolete", which is of course BS. Besides, at the inventory levels Apple carries it won't take long at all to flush the system of the older units.

What apple is saying is that it does not matter what the GHZ is (they are so close) that it makes no difference in which one gets.

Truth is Apple probably just ran out of old chips, but had lots of boxes around because they did not sell, did not want to endure extra costs, so just stuck them in.

The mini ain´t selling too well folks.

Where is the MDN snide comment about Apple consumers complaining because they did not get the faster one?
Apple consumers are always wrong, Apple the company is always right.

Stretchpants: Save yourself the headache and buy an iMac!

Yes the iMac is a far better Mac, of course - a G5 just for starters, but you've gotta put the Mini into the right context.

Like would you buy a Mini to play Halo on? Or to edit your home movie on iMovie and definetly not Final Cut Pro or Express.

For me what I'd want to use a Mini for is to use it as a DVR hook it upto a 70" Plasma/LCD and connected to a TV feed, be that cable or satellite. Eye TV have a good selection of connectivity devices for turning a Mac into a DVR, the 80Gb HD isn't much for DVR use, but add in the Mini Mate and that'll fix that small issue.

You'll get what you paid for, or you'll get MORE! It's like saying there is a prize in some of the boxes. Interesting approack to marketing, What would you call it STEALTH MARKETING, perhaps? That's probably why they kill the 30 day test drive offer, this is more enticing.

BTW not all companies charge a restocking fee, we take returns within 15 days with no questions asked. Of course I'm not saying who WE are.

Simple, effective. If you want the faster one, then wait a while for the old inventory to get cleared out.

The only thing Apple is clearing the inventory of is Mac Mini boxes.

I think this is a cost saving move as a result of the Macintel transition. My bet is that the Mini will be one of the first models - if not THE first - to be x86'd. Apple, knowing this isn't too far off, probably doesn't want to invest the bucks in printing new boxes, until a] the old ones are completely cleared out, a nd b] they have a better idea of how many they will need before all G4 labeled Mini boxes have to become PentiumM labeled Mini boxes.

The cost savings may seem inconsequential, but bean counters count even the smallest of beans. Regardless, I think this is a heads up regarding which model is going to get the Intel treatment.

We'll see.

Correction:
"I think this is a heads up regarding which model is first going to get the Intel treatment."

Sorry.

If Apple had announced this as an upgrade to Mac mini, everyone will be complaining about the small upgrade. They quietly upgrade it and save money on new packaging and many people are still complaining. Apple cannot win. This upgrade was probably was caused by the suppliers. Freescale changed the spec to 1.5GHz and the DVD vendors replaced their DVD drives with 8x version.

I'd be more willing to bet that someone in the Logistics Dept shipped out the wrong palatte of mac mini's. "OH SH**...those were supposed to go out next month!!!" "I'm gonna get Steve'd."

Welllll, I was going to buy a Mac Mini today but I changed my mind until this gets sorted out.

Does anyone know, roughly, what the serial number range of the faster mini is?

The old specs might be on the box, but the serial number is there also. It'd be a good easy check to see what you've got without even opening the box.

You idiot zealots don't get it. It's not about x vs x+ . It's about serving up inequality to consumers paying an identical price.

And for the apologists that say it doesn't make a difference, show me a disk benchmark in which there is not an improvement in I/O between a 4200 vs. 5400 drive.

I'd be pissed, and you would too if you were on the short end of this deal. It's easy to be philisophical when YOU'RE not the one being bent over.

I can see where Apple is coming from: If there is no official update to the Mac Mini then no-one can say that they got ripped off. The only people who lose are those who are well informed about the new specifications, pay for one and receive the last-generation Mini instead. Best to wait a few weeks chaps. Inventory of last-generation Minis should be out of the system by then.

I ordered a refurbished PB 12" 867 from apple.com. It was supposed to have 256 MB and a 30gb HD. Instead, it came with 786 MB and 60 GB HD. I had no complaints about that, and I would have no right to complain if I got what I thought I was paying for.

You don't seem to be in Apple's demographic anyway with a name like that, so why the f*ck would you care anyway? I don't care what M$ or Dell are doing and I'm certainly not frequenting their boards for damn sure. Get a life.

So everytime a company adds features, they must also increase the price?

You must live in a world of Microsoft logic.

wow... i am always amazed at the people that post. "I'd be pissed, and you would too if you were on the short end of this deal. It's easy to be philisophical when YOU'RE not the one being bent over." well... i walk into compusa and look at the mini. it says 1.42 or whatever.. i buy it knowing what i paid for... i don't buy the mini cause it might have the 1.5. i can understand being pissed if it came with a 1.25 instead.. but the box and markings say 1.42. that's what i wanted and what i'm paying for. now if my friend get's the 1.5 how did i get screwed cause i got what i knew i was paying for?

If you want the better Mac mini, because you really need the 5400 RPM HD or the 64 MB VRAM, simply hold out a little while longer until old stock clears out. It's that simple! Or simple check serial numbers on the box. For the normal consumer, they will just get what they wanted, and needed, or something better. Okay, there's the slight possibility that a neighbour will have a better Mac mini than you have. And when you have the opportunity to check out the difference in speed, you might feel a little screwed. But others will just be happy with their purchase. And I've read that this is normal practice with PC manufacturers: they guarantee at least the specs that the consumers thinks s/he's buying.

The actual differences from a user standpoint is completely imperceivable. Apple probably has a problem with existing parts supplies, and they have the right to make substitutions and offer a better product.

In fact, all products, especially electronic devices and components, are rated lower than there actual specs. Electronics is NOT an exact science. All components have tolerances and margins of error.

The differences within the Mac mini is far less perceivable than the variations and inaccuracies from your...

... household thermostat
... car's speedometer
... oven's dial
... all rechargeable batteries
... all home medical devices
... etc.

... but I don't hear anyone bitching about those!


In short, GET A LIFE!!!

I think its cool. Why ballyhoo such a small upgrade in processor speed.
I think its a cool way of saying who cares about processor speed--On the
other hand Im disappointed to learn that the graphics card does not support certain features of Tiger. Let me tell you what I would do--Id put those new IBM dual core chips in these things and Id make a hub that allowed people to link or combine up to 8 mac mini's for super power.
Id keep the mac mini price low but charge for the dock or hub. Id also buy Apple records and the Mj portion of the Beatles portfolio. Apple is cool. Powered by International Business Machines.

This is insane. They are asking for yet another lawsuit from disgruntled customers and I cannot say I'd blame them. At any rate, I am putting off my planned purchase of a new Mac mini until I know exactly what I will get in the box for my money.