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See the original image at techthoughts.org

Open letter to Steve Jobs. Re: Mac Mini Pro

techthoughts.org — Dear Steve, The MacBook Air is cute. The iMacs are cute.The Mini is cute. iPods, cute again. But the Mac Pro is an expensive behemoth.You see, I ’m one of those “Pros” that you target your $1300 software to… I’m not looking for “cute.” Nor am I looking to get screwed. So, I’d like you to make a Mac Mini Pro.This shouldn’t be news to you. Really.

Bury
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  • cybergoat, on 05/17/2008, -3/+7Whine whine whine
  • colincornaby, on 05/17/2008, -1/+7Did they miss that Apple makes a quad core Mac Pro at $2000?. It's still not as cheap as a Mac Mini Pro would be, but sounds much more in line with what they're looking for.
    Perhaps, given that the article wastes so much time talking about FCP rendering times, an eight core machine might actually be better for what you're doing anyway.
  • BrendanSheehan, on 05/17/2008, -3/+1They are not making a tablet? That's news to me.
  • dyranios2, on 05/17/2008, -1/+5I wish I could buy something as powerful as the iMac with the same specs, without being forced to buy a screen as well. Something I could keep replacing whilst still keeping my Dell over the years.
    • withinavoid, on 05/17/2008, -1/+3I've owned many Macs and I agree. They need a Mac Mini with dedicated video memory or a iMac without the screen that is around $1000.
      • dyranios2, on 05/17/2008, -0/+1not just dedicated video, the Mac min currently, cant get anywhere near 3ghz, 500gb HDD either, its just like a Mac Lite so anyone wanting a dedicated box is forced between a mac mini and a Mac Pro
    • estvir, on 05/18/2008, -0/+1That's something I've always wanted and then I realised, it wasn't worth it. It would have a slow GPU, be over-priced, etc and all for what, Mac OS and Applecare? Not worth it at all.

      Still, it would be nice for Apple to cater to that market.
  • cartman005, on 05/17/2008, -2/+4Hardware is the reason I don't use Leopard. Why can't I just install it on my own machine without having to hack it?
  • theblueprint, on 05/18/2008, -1/+6In other words, he wants Mac Pro hardware in a smaller case for $1500.
  • vault, on 05/18/2008, -1/+6But the guy owns a G4 tower...the G4 came out in 1999. It's time to upgrade...it's not like he hasn't gotten his money's worth over the years if 9 year old technology was enough to support his supposedly professional needs.

    And you can buy the Mac Pro refurb, used, or finance it. Not to mention you save $$$ on RAM if you buy it from OWC or Crucial.
  • ajmanx, on 05/18/2008, -0/+1The iMac 24" 3.06 gHz with the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS with 4GB of RAM and a Firewire 800 External RAID could work perfectly for the writer's needs. He can even use his current Cinema Display with the built in port for a second display. If you are running Final Cut Studio 2, and only doing DV and HDV work, this setup works very well, and it will (or should) last just as long as the G4 has.

    I have the same setup as the writer (6 year-old G4), and have no problem with the prospect of spending more for an 8-core Mac Pro that may seem like overkill now, but will continue to suit my needs for at least six to eight years. Get the best your budget can handle now if you absolutely need to or wait and save up so that the workstation you purchase is, in a sense, future-proofed from obsolescence for much longer than a "Mac Mini Pro" or iMac would be.

    As for unnecessary expansion slots, you might not think they are unnecessary when you need to get a USB 3, SATA III, or fibre channel card to keep you running fast with the latest accessories.
  • monospaced, on 05/18/2008, -0/+2I'm not quite on-board with the whole Mac Mini Pro thing, but I understand that there is a glaring gap between the iMac and the Mac Pro. Wait, I have an idea, it should be called...a Mac. But seriously, an upgradeable computer with consumer level performance is overdue.
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