This game really shouldn’t be that surprising anymore. It’s that time of year when Apple announces new models anyway. Plus there have been rumors circulating ’round the ‘tubes about updated iMacs and plastic MacBook, but this is the first we’ve heard anything about new Mac Minis. It makes sense though as the last update was in March. That model is past outdated. It needs a new GPU, larger hard drive, and more memory to be considered current. 120GB and 1GB doesn’t cut it for $599 these days – even for Apple.

The new iMacs and MacBooks however might get a complete makeover instead of just a hardware bump. They have been sporting the same overall look since 2007 and 2006. Hopefully price drops aren’t out of the question either. But at this point all we know is the current models are going to be very hard to purchase. It’s not like you would buy one of those anyway knowing that new models are imminent.

The latest Mac mini is barely a day old and already we are getting the first look inside the updated computer. Apple kept to the original design though which still requires the use of a putty knife and a bit of patience to open her up. It would be nice if Apple adapted a similar easy swap-out design that the new notebooks sport, but whatya going to do. Inside, there isn’t that much different besides the obvious new parts. Click through for a bit of circuit board pr0n.

The Mini follows Apple’s recent stance on going green too. It meets Energy Star requirements, comes with BFR- free internal components and PVC-free internal cables. Got to love this movement.

First up, the new iMac which is suppose to come in one 20-inch model and three 24-inch options:

• Intel Core 2 Duo (not a quad core): 2.66 Ghz, 2.93 Ghz and 3.06 Ghz
• 1x Display port
• 20″ 2 GB DDR3 memory, 24″ 4 GB DDR3 memory (max 8 GB)
• 5x USB
• 1x FireWire 800
• 1x mini DVI
• 1x Display poort
• Nvidia chipset (like the newest MacBook)
• starting at Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0 Ghz
• 1 of 2 GB DDR3 memory (max 4 GB)
• 120 GB hard disk (max 320 GB)
• MB417: Entry level model
• MB418: “Mass market” model
• MB419: high-end model
• MB420: ultimate model

And for the Mac mini:

• Intel Core 2 Duo (not a quad core): 2.66 Ghz, 2.93 Ghz and 3.06 Ghz
• 1x Display port
• 20″ 2 GB DDR3 memory, 24″ 4 GB DDR3 memory (max 8 GB)
• MB463: entry-level model
• MB464 high-end model

Bets on whether these rumors will come true tomorrow? I got ten bucks that says they are fake.

The Mac Mini rumors are flying like toasters in System 7 these days, and this one is particularly robust. Although some image analysis on the original picture has shown it to be likely a fake, that hasn’t stopped the rumor mill from churning out video of this crytogadget.

We know the new Mini will be using Nvidia’s Ion platform, but beyond that it’s mostly guesswork. This little box is small, sure, but I’m expecting something even smaller, or with a different form factor. This one looks like it was manufactured by Nestle Toll House. There’s a “giga bite” joke here somewhere, but it’s just not coming to me.

[via CNET]

You know it’s fake, right? Just want to make sure.

Interesting bit of speculation surrounding the Mac Mini. Tom’s Hardware, one of the oldest, bestest hardware-focused sites out there, says that the upcoming Mac Mini speed bump will feature Nvidia’s new Ion platform. Among other things, that can lead to an even smaller Mac Mini.

The Ion is basically two Intel Atom 330 processors slapped together along with an Nvidia GPU, the same kind used in the new MacBook. That is, the Nvidia 9400M. The processors run at 1.6GHz. A single Atom at that speed isn’t so great, but Tom’s Hardware says that they work much better as part of the Ion.

That horrendously butchered paragraph aside, the Ion, if it indeed makes it into the next gen Mac Mini, would enable Apple to shrink the size of the Mac Mini while keeping the price right around the $500 mark. March is the date currently being bandied about.

It looks as if this update isn’t going to be about power, but size and specific capabilities. At 1.6GHz and two cores with a 533MHz FSB, the Atom 330 is more than powerful enough to run OS X, although I wouldn’t expect to do any real HD video editing or RAW editing. You’ll have web, iPhoto, and hardware HD decoding — great for iTunes movie downloads.

I’d be afraid that the old Core2 Duo will actually outperform the new Mini, even taking architecture improvements into account, but I’m also guessing that the new Mini is going to be about the size of a 2.5″ hard drive.

My goodness. If the Mac Mini doesn’t recieve an update next week at Macworld, there will be some disappointed MacHeads. We’ve heard dual core CPUs, NVIDIA GPU power, SATA optical drive interface, and a new chassis. But wait! There is more!

The latest Mac Mini rumor states that the smallest Mac in the lineup will sport both DisplayPort and a Mini DVI outputs. This addition, along with the aforementioned specs, would make the Mini a formidable player in the budget computing realm. It certainly would shrink the gap between the Mini and the high-end Mac Pro. Only a few more days until Macworld until we find out what Jobs & Co. have in store for the new year.

Time to throw away your old Mac Minis, friends, because new ones are coming next week. TUAW has on good authority (read “some guy told them”) that the new minis will have SATA optical drives that can be replaced with hard drives and that they will look more like the MacBooks with sexier styling.

I’d give this a 90% probability of happening. The fact that the Mini hasn’t been update nor has it been phased out makes me optimistic that my first and favorite Mac desktop could be getting an update.

The SATA drive rumor makes it clear that someone is also thinking of these as server cells similar to the current colocation services available for Minis.

Apple is tapping Auras Technology for the cooling system; Auras makes many parts but has produced original cooling solutions like this one (looks cool) and may even be putting together a liquid cooling system for the new iMacs.

Macenstein got a hot tip from some mysterious stranger claiming to have found the newest Mac Mini design with the Apple-esque tagline “The world’s smallest desktop computer.”

It appears to be little more than a shrunken MacBook design with a slot-loading drive pasted onto the front-facing edge. Or – OR! – maybe it’s the newest in a hot line of Apple scanners with built-in optical drives. Or – OR! – maybe it’s actually the newest Mac Mini and that lid flips up to reveal a 4.3-inch LCD touchscreen! And it doubles as a portable DVD player! But not for Blu-ray, for Apple’s secret new iDisc format that they haven’t announced! Maybe it’s also a netbook! This is absolute, undeniable proof of Bigfoot!

Chances are that Apple will still announce new products at the event just without all the hoopla and festivities. We’re still going to send people to the event and so will other sites. That one keynote tends to be over publicized and extorted by gadget blogs anyway. It will be nice to simply get a feel for the new Apple wares without suffering through mind-numbing live blogging events.

Apple still needs a venue to announce new products. This keynote always tended to be where Apple announced the important products, but maybe Apple is tired of being tied down to these events. Without having this keynote, the company is now free to announce major products when the time is right; no matter when during the year.

Only time will tell what Apple’s departure from Macworld will bring. Good thing or bad, the company will still march on.

This is more like it! Apple events always spur rumors, but the build-up to Macworld ‘09 has been uncharacteristically quite – except for the iPhone Nano rumor from yesterday.  So here we go with some real Apple rumors.

First up is the tireless rumor about Apple producing a low cost netbook. This time around, the analyst isn’t claiming any insider information, just good ‘ol fashion speculation based on the current market and economic conditions. 

That’s why he believes Apple will introduce netbooks next year that, like the company’s iPhone, will exist in an Apple-controlled “closed system” where software is delivered via the App Store, device restore is done from iTunes, backup is available through an optional online service, most likely MobileMe, and peripheral and add-on choices will be limited.

If Apple produces another netbook – they already have the Air – the scenario described above seems most likely. Apple wouldn’t want to erode MacBook sales with a diluted notebook, and anyway to capitalize on the App Store’s success would be a plus, as well.

The second rumor involves an updated Mac Mini debuting at Macworld which, to me at least, seems more likely than an Apple netbook. There was a time when the Mac Mini was declared dead, but those rumors were brushed aside. Just like the netbook rumor above, Apple needs a more tasty, low price computer and the Mac Mini might be the direction Jobs’ will take. This rumor, however, comes via an Apple corporate employee who sent the tip to Wired.

Basically, expect the new Mini to be modeled after the latest Apple notebooks. The tipster claims it will have an enclosure constructed of aluminum, eco-friendly components, and DisplayPort connectivity. Plus, it will sport Core 2 Duo options and the same GPU found in the new MacBook. Sounds like a MacBook encased in a box, really.

Hanging onto any Apple rumor is a great way to set one up for a large disappointment, but the Mac Mini claims seem most likely. The truth isn’t that far away as Macworld starts right before CES on January 5, 2009. We can’t wait.

A concerned blog-reader emailed Apple’s hardware engineering chief Bob Mansfield about the Mac Mini, worried that the diminutive computer would be phased out by a cold, heartless Apple. The reply came loud and clear through Apple’s executive care saying there is no plans in the near term for an update but that the Mac Mini is not dead but just resting and updates should come soon.

The Mini, it seems, is popular with hospitality, security, and entertainment industries as a small, cheap Mac that doesn’t take up much desk space. Expectations include multiple hard drives and improved, low-power processors. AppleInsider expects updates to the Mac Pro and Mini to come next January at the Macworld Expo and no sooner as Apple has no expectations for hardware updates this year.

MacWorld via BBG