AppleInsider Staff
An early assessment of Apple's late-2014 Mac mini found that the headless desktop does not come with user-replaceable RAM, but does include user-serviceable hard drives.
According to Mac mini-based datacenter Macminicolo, the Apple's latest mini model does not feature user-replaceable memory as it did in the previous version introduced in 2012. The firm's owner, Brian Stucki, posted his findings to Twitter and the company's blog on Friday.
It is not yet clear why Apple chose to incorporate permanently built-in RAM modules, but the new cheaper memory upgrade options may provide some respite for buyers. Apple's entry-level $499 Mac mini ships with 4GB of RAM and can be upgraded to 8GB or 16GB for an extra $100 or $300, respectively. The mid- and top-tier minis come with 8GB of memory standard, which can be configured to 16GB for $200.
Along with the memory findings, Stucki said the internal hard drive can be replaced or upgraded by the user, but believes it will void Apple's warranty. Prior to 2014, the Mac mini was offered in a two-HDD configuration that ran OS X Server. With its hardware refresh, Apple has discontinued the server option and limited internal storage to 1TB, but does include the faster Fusion Drive as a standard feature for the top-end model.
Apple unveiled the long-awaited Mac mini refresh at a special media event on Thursday, bringing faster fourth-generation Intel CPUs and a price cut to $499.
Christine McKee
Andrew Orr
Charles Martin
Marko Zivkovic
Wesley Hilliard
161 Comments
Well, Phil Schiller did say that the Mac Mini was an entry-level Mac for switchers. This is what they planned this computer for all along but got carried away a little with the 2011 and 2012 high-end Mac Minis. They are back where they wanted Mac Mini to be. I'm glad I got two 2012 i7 2.6 GHz quad-core CPU Mac Minis two years ago. I will be keeping them for some time until 27" retina iMacs get under $2000.
If you read the specs, it lists the RAM as being LPDDR3, which is what the 2013 MBA and cell phones use. There isn't a DIMM for LPDDR because the extra drive strength and signal integrity requirements would consume much more power and is unnecessary for things like phones.
Neutering the specs might have been acceptable if they had moved to an ultra-small form factor like the NUC, but as a 2012 Mini Quad owner I have to say this is extremely disappointing. My computing needs are greater than this, but I don't want an iMac.
$300 to upgrade to 16 Gig of memory? I upgraded mine (prior version) from third-parties for under $100. Apple is getting sleazy here, putting in too little RAM (4 gig), making it not upgradable, and charging over twice the market price for that necessary upgrade. Do they really think we're this stupid? They shouldn't forget that, even those who're trapped in Apple's ecosystem can still get even for this by discouraging others. That's precisely what I do with AT&T. I can do it with Apple if it doesn't get its act together. I can also make my high-end Mac mini last long enough to make a used Mac Pro reasonable. And I'll spare you the contempt I have for Phil Schiller if he thinks the only options Apple ought to offer us is an underpowered Mac mini or an iMac that forces us to deal with the double-trouble woes of having the computer and display in the same device. When one fails, the other is worthless. He's rich enough not to care. I'm not.
Lower the price $100 and double the price of the RAM.