Mac Mini

The new products Apple could announce this month

For those patiently awaiting the arrival of a new iPad Pro or next-generation Mac, the first nine months of 2018 have been disappointing. Except for the lightly updated MacBook Pro announced in July, Apple hasn't released any new products in either lineup this year. That could soon change, however.

The next Mac mini won’t be so mini anymore

Apple's most affordable Mac starts at just $499. Described as a BYODKM desktop computer (Bring Your Own Display, Keyboard and Mouse), it's just an inch and a half tall and weighs 2.6 pounds.

They're calling it Mac mini and it comes with four USB 3 ports, two Thunderbolt 2 ports, HDMI video output, Gigabit Ethernet, an SD card slot and more.

The next Mac mini “won't be so mini anymore.”

That's according to a source, cited by the Pike's Universe blog, that's usually “pretty accurate”. The comment suggests that Apple's next flagship Mac mini model could feature a taller chassis in order to accommodate for more powerful hardware.

Apple is “sorry” about “a pause” in Mac upgrades

A quick look at MacRumors' Buyers Guide is all it takes to realize Apple's neglected its Mac fans with slow upgrades. Part of the problem lies in Apple's heavy reliance on Intel. Making matters worse, the chip maker abandoned its tick-tock release schedule as it's become economically unsustainable.

Perhaps that's why Apple summoned its senior executives Phil Schiller, Craig Federighi and John Ternus for “a small roundtable discussion about Mac” with five journalists (Matthew Panzarino, Lance Ulanoff, Ina Fried, John Paczkowski and John Gruber).

Mac mini is “important” and shall remain a product in Apple’s lineup for the time being

Mac mini is an “important” model in Apple's family of computers and will remain a product in the company's lineup for the time being, said Apple's Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller when BuzzFeed's reporter John Paczkowski asked him about the state of the most affordable Mac desktop. He did not say, however, when the small computer might receive a hardware refresh.

Simple tips for safely cleaning your Mac and other Apple devices

Cleaning Mac keyboard

Your Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and/or any other other fancy high-tech devices you have are fun to use, but they'll easily get dirty and collect dust, sneeze splatter, and bacteria from your fingers over time, whether they're used frequently or not.

To combat grime, you can clean your devices every so often, but like anything else, there's a right and a wrong way to do this.

In this piece, we'll share with you some handy tips for cleaning your Mac and other Apple devices safely so you don't accidentally damage them.

The different Mac startup tones and the problems they indicate

The infamous startup tone that the Mac is known for when you turn it on isn't just a sound, but is actually a very important part of your Mac's boot up process.

Unless your volume is turned all the way down, not hearing your startup tone at the time you power on your Mac may indicate a problem with your machine. Additionally, unusual startup tone sequences are also indicative of a problem with your Mac and will require troubleshooting to resolve.

In this piece, we'll attempt to outline what all the different scenarios of the Mac startup sounds mean to give you better understanding of what to do should you ever end up in a situation where your Mac's startup tone doesn't sound right.

Apple updates Mac mini, lowers price to $499

In addition to the new 5K iMac, Apple announced an update to its aging Mac mini line today. The new desktop computer has been outfitted with Intel's 4th-gen Core processor, and now supports PCIe-based flash storage and 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and the faster Thunderbolt 2 ports.

But the Mac mini has never really been about performance; it's been about the price. As Apple's least expensive Mac machine offered, the mini gave more people access to the popular OS X ecosystem. And today, the computer gets even more accessible with a  $100 price drop.