Buying a MacMini

[RideForever]

After long procrastination, it is time to upgrade from the 27" iMac I bought from the now closed Esquimalt store that was principally an Apple product retailer. What I did not know or understand until a couple of years after the purchase was that the build when purchased was already two years old. Which meant that the O/S upgrades became limited sooner.

So, now in purchasing a new machine, how do I avoid the same from occurring whether buying from say, Simply Computing, London Drugs etc or online via Apple Canada?

I would buy a new iMac but have gotten quite used to the 27" screen rather than go to the 24" screen now provided. Any recommendations on an equivalent (or close) to the quality of the current 4.5K Retina display would be welcomed and appreciated (or not to buy if one has had that negative experience).

Thank you

 

[chas_m]

An M4 Mac mini would be an excellent choice, paired with a 27-inch (or larger if desired) monitor (and speakers, if needed).

That said, a little bird suggests that there will be another Apple event next month with more hardware as part of it, and a new M5 Mac mini COULD be unveiled there (and perhaps a new iMac as well, who knows?). So if you can, I'd wait a month or so and see what happens on that front.

 

[DaveWT]

Chas' advice to wait a bit is no doubt sound. But after waiting until new stuff is announced if you still need some prodding... I went from my 27" iMac to a Mac Mini (mine is an M2 and way faster than anything I will ever need so if you get an M4 version or hold out for an M5 version, you will never look back.) I still wanted a very good 27" monitor so went for an Asus PA279CV model that has all sorts of inputs and features and I haven't regretted it. (Of course, that model has no doubt been replaced now wth something even better.)
The one thing I didn't think of until later was that this monitor has no camera so I had to also spring for a webcam but that isn't a big deal.

 

[RideForever]

An M4 Mac mini would be an excellent choice, paired with a 27-inch (or larger if desired) monitor (and speakers, if needed).

That said, a little bird suggests that there will be another Apple event next month with more hardware as part of it, and a new M5 Mac mini COULD be unveiled there (and perhaps a new iMac as well, who knows?). So if you can, I'd wait a month or so and see what happens on that front.

Thanks much for that advice. Back into a holding pattern.

 

[RideForever]

Chas' advice to wait a bit is no doubt sound. But after waiting until new stuff is announced if you still need some prodding... I went from my 27" iMac to a Mac Mini (mine is an M2 and way faster than anything I will ever need so if you get an M4 version or hold out for an M5 version, you will never look back.) I still wanted a very good 27" monitor so went for an Asus PA279CV model that has all sorts of inputs and features and I haven't regretted it. (Of course, that model has no doubt been replaced now wth something even better.)
The one thing I didn't think of until later was that this monitor has no camera so I had to also spring for a webcam but that isn't a big deal.

Thanks Dave, would love to chat with you about your experience.

Thanks much for that advice. Back into a holding pattern.

So the event has come and gone and if there was a M5 announcement for a MacMini, I did not see it. Not being one then, I would think the likelihood of such an upgrade must be low, at least for the foreseeable future. That being said, my concern still would be paying $$$$ in late 2025 and receive a M4 MacMini with a build date that is, say from pre-2025. How do I avoid this?

 

[chas_m]

Mac minis you would buy now are from 2025 and not before then. That said, they are still M4 (as are a few other Mac products like the iMac).

I don't expect another Apple event or product announcement until the spring, which is their traditional time to update things. It is likely but not guaranteed that any remaining M4 products will acquire the M5 chip, but probably not much else in the way of new features.

Apple has reached a plateau where the M-series is now much faster (in terms of chips) than anything Intel or AMD is producing at the moment. The M4 and its variants is no slouch, and so as I write this the ONLY Mac product that has an M5 option is the MacBook Pro.

This will certainly change over the course of 2026, but the M4 may stick around for a while yet as Apple doesn't update all products every year (just the really top-selling ones like the iPhone, iPad, and portables). For anyone like me who is still using an Intel Mac, any of the M-series is going to be a big step up, so I'm hoping to find a good deal on an M3 or M4 refurb to replace this MBP I'm using now and save some bucks while I'm at it.

 

[RideForever]

Mac minis you would buy now are from 2025 and not before then. That said, they are still M4 (as are a few other Mac products like the iMac).

I don't expect another Apple event or product announcement until the spring, which is their traditional time to update things. It is likely but not guaranteed that any remaining M4 products will acquire the M5 chip, but probably not much else in the way of new features.

Apple has reached a plateau where the M-series is now much faster (in terms of chips) than anything Intel or AMD is producing at the moment. The M4 and its variants is no slouch, and so as I write this the ONLY Mac product that has an M5 option is the MacBook Pro.

This will certainly change over the course of 2026, but the M4 may stick around for a while yet as Apple doesn't update all products every year (just the really top-selling ones like the iPhone, iPad, and portables). For anyone like me who is still using an Intel Mac, any of the M-series is going to be a big step up, so I'm hoping to find a good deal on an M3 or M4 refurb to replace this MBP I'm using now and save some bucks while I'm at it.

Thank you Charles. XMAS may now come a lot sooner !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[chas_m]

PS. Santa brought my M4 MacBook Pro a bit early! Wheeeee.

First impressions: I have yet to hear the fans come on! I can work with it in my lap directly! This is a BIG change from my i9 Intel MBP!