Is Apple done with Mac mini?

It is exactly three years since Apple launched the last upgrade of the Mac mini which is by far Apple's most affordable and compact desktop computer. The last upgrade to the product line up was introduced on October 16, 2014.

The Mac mini runs Haswell processor and an integrated Intel HD 5000/Intel Iris Graphics. The price for the Mac mini starts at $499 (approx. Rs. 33,000) for the entry level configuration. The desktop CPU is more affordable than Apple's very own iMACs that retail for a price starting at $1,099 (approx. Rs. 72,000).

The 2014 upgrade came much as a disappointment to users since the support for dual hard drive and quad-core processor options were pulled back from Apple. This also gave room to speculations that the machine will return with some note worthy upgrades which it hasn't. The Mac mini was updated in 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014. It has never been more than three years when Apple did not upgrade it.

When Apple announced the possibility of a new Mac Pro, Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller had mentioned that the Mac mini is an important product in the company's lineup. This clearly suggests that Apple has no plans on quitting on this small yet handy device. None the less, Schiller did not give out any further details.

There are rumors that a new, high-end version of the Mac mini in in the making and the design of the gizmo won't be so compact anymore.

There is no word on the release of the device this year which means that 2018 may be the year of the Mac mini.