Mac mini update with dual display support, banner unfurling rumored for Macworld festivities

We've got less than 48 hours until Apple's last Macworld keynote, and the rumor mill keeps hinting that Phil's gonna announce new Mac minis, which so far are purported to have the Macbook's NVIDIA chipset, aluminum casing, and an SATA optical drive that can be swapped out for a second HDD. Go ahead and add dual display support to that list, which is what Apple Insider is speculating based on their sources saying the new minis will sport both a mini DisplayPort and a mini DVI connector. Additionally, the site has managed to snap some shots from the Moscone Center of the expo being set up. There's a picture of a monitor showing what's presumed to be a live feed of the keynote rehearsal with a blurred figure that kind of looks like Al Gore, and inside the south hall there are several mysterious banners concealed in white cloth. So pretty much status quo, though is it just us or do the banners seem to look a little tired and thin this year?

[Via Boy Genius Report]

Read - Apple's next-gen Mac mini to get dual display support
Read - Macworld site rife with concealed banners

[Paul Chapel @ Jan 4th 2009 8:24PM]

Apple needs to set the Mac Mini free, give it a real video card and a dual display, combine the AppleTV functions, along with some DVR action. Oh, yeah, gadget porn.

[Kris120890 @ Jan 4th 2009 8:26PM]

They're no covered they're just folded over.

Mac Mini yes
iMac no
Mac pro Possibly
iPhone possibly.
Some sort of tablet ipod touch device (Like archos 5 and 7 media internet tablets) Possibly.
Macbook pro 17 inch update yes

[Leon @ Jan 4th 2009 8:49PM]

No iMac!?!?

I hoping to god that you're just an idiot. There's been a lot of rumours about the iMac update, and i've been holding out on buying one since november. It's about the right time, and with it being their flagship desktop they have to update it regularly.

One more thing... (how cliched :P) I highly doubt they will introduce a mac mini with mini DVI (which they are adding to all their products) before they add it to the iMac. Well theres my two cents :)

[Leon @ Jan 4th 2009 8:52PM]

Oh, and "possibly" a tablet ipod touch device? Oh yes, they are far more likely to introduce a limited market tablet device at an event they are pulling out of, where steve jobs isnt giving the keynote than update their flasgship desktop which they update regularly, and is due for an update.

[Kris120890 @ Jan 4th 2009 9:09PM]

They were predictions. If anyone is an idiot its you. The last time the imac was updated was last spring therefore I predict new imacs in spring. Just because they are leaving macworld doesn't mean they can't release a brand new product. When I say tablet device I'm talking about and ipod touch with a larger screen. Get over yourself seriously.

[EI8HT @ Jan 4th 2009 9:31PM]

rarely does apple take a year to update their imacs. there will be an imac update in 2 days!

[Mr. S. @ Jan 4th 2009 9:43PM]

Apple IV Yes
Newton 3100 No

[Gavin @ Jan 4th 2009 9:44PM]

How do you mean "set it free?" Is it a political prisoner?

[Ryan @ Jan 4th 2009 9:50PM]

News about a 28" iMac and Mac Pro

[Ryan @ Jan 4th 2009 9:52PM]

Forgot the link:

http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=654

[Shugg @ Jan 4th 2009 10:03PM]

Archos 5,.?u need to stfu!!!!I thought u were happy carrying instinct in 1 pocket n iPod in the other ,. STFU!

[Kris120890 @ Jan 4th 2009 10:09PM]

Shugg go back to school and what point did I say I owned an instinct or an iPhone. Oh yeah thats right. You're a troll.

[Marcus @ Jan 5th 2009 8:11AM]

Pretty sure the folders are gonna say something about the new Snow Leopard, which I really think is gonna be awesome.

[Patrick @ Jan 4th 2009 8:27PM]

banner unfurling?
I AM THERE
now we'll have banner fanboys, as opposed to those stupid poster$

[James @ Jan 4th 2009 10:00PM]

Someone please use an x-ray camera on those banners!!!!

you know that high tech shite exists!!!

[raj @ Jan 4th 2009 8:28PM]

Dual Display? AWESOME, but it better have a good graphics card to drive them :)

[KAIKAI @ Jan 4th 2009 8:30PM]

what about the 9200 from mbp ??

[Patriks7 @ Jan 4th 2009 8:38PM]

9200? What have you been smoking?

[deyanimay @ Jan 4th 2009 8:43PM]

Its over 9000!!!!!

Sorry i had to say it.

[KAIKAI @ Jan 4th 2009 8:44PM]

@patriks7
some baby dro with spots why ??

[Patriks7 @ Jan 4th 2009 9:07PM]

Just wondering.. cause you're 400 off with the card :p

[drumdbeat @ Jan 4th 2009 9:21PM]

@ Ben J-Strike

That was awesome. I would like to hire you to read me fresh stories to help me sleep at night.

[drumdbeat @ Jan 4th 2009 9:22PM]

Oh Feck. Guess where that was supposed to be. Not Here..... EDIT button please.

[morganvachon @ Jan 4th 2009 11:05PM]

Chances are it has the 9400M that's in the new MacBooks. While there are some (mostly gamers) who would disagree, this puts the mini on a level playing field with Windows based SFF desktops. I built a system not long ago for a friend, with an Nvidia 8100 MCP onboard, and it's got more than enough video horsepower for light gaming. I'd love to see what the 9400M can do, especially in a Mac.

[Boards of Canada @ Jan 5th 2009 3:24AM]

A minimum for play last year games is at least a 9600GT (or 8600GT)...

[L @ Jan 4th 2009 8:28PM]

Great! First post too

[broli @ Jan 4th 2009 8:30PM]

First douchebag too.

[chris @ Jan 4th 2009 8:31PM]

you obviously failed the counting part of kindergarten, didn't you

[L @ Jan 4th 2009 8:32PM]

Oh no my iPhone mail took too long to send. Man, my first post turned out to be lame. My babes fault for calling Me.

[Les @ Jan 4th 2009 8:36PM]

really L...
Don't hate me I have an iPhone, and a girlfriend! Love ME!

[Kris120890 @ Jan 4th 2009 8:39PM]

First it doesn't matter how long it takes to send it to you mail account its when you press the add comment button. EG I pressed add comment button before you.

Secondly you're a frigging idiot.

[Ben J-Strike @ Jan 4th 2009 9:10PM]

I work in Buckingham Palace as the her majesty the Queen of England's personal advisor, this is why I know the following information:

At precisely 08:00 tommorow, Monday the 12th of October, a black car will pull up outside your residence, and a man will step out, with two armed guards.

This man has no name, no identity. All I know is that he carries a box. He walks up and knocks on your door. You open the door and he presents the box, an alluring black velevet, gold trimmed box and leaves without saying a single word.

You open the box with rembling hands. What you see shocks you to your very core.

The most glorious medal, you have ever seen in your life, glimmers with the most amazing glow that any mere mortal has ever layed eyes upon.

On it is engraved "For services thus rendered to the world, and all of mankind, for your tremendous accomplishment of 'First'. We, the people of the world salute you and are forever in your debt"

Speechless, you fall to your knees and weep, weep with joy, with the tremendous sense of accomplishment you have achieved.

The world, my good Sir, is your oyster.

And you are its pearl....

/descriptive sarcasm.

[aYe aye @ Jan 4th 2009 10:36PM]

"My babes fault"

Cool, what's his name?

[swingin' dick hero @ Jan 5th 2009 4:33AM]

@ aYe aye
Mr. Hand. Right Hand.

[Esat Dedezade @ Jan 5th 2009 7:39AM]

Hey Ben-J thanks for totally copy and pasting my original writing without giving me credit ;)

A little recognition would be nice!!!!!!

http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/27/seiko-slimstick-keeps-tabs-on-your-exercise-routines/

[broli @ Jan 4th 2009 8:29PM]

The last time Jobs will be feeding the annual mac livestock in person...

[Kris120890 @ Jan 4th 2009 8:33PM]

He's not going to be there.

[d0mth0ma5 @ Jan 4th 2009 8:40PM]

Unless he returns by WWDC.

[Knee to the Groin @ Jan 4th 2009 10:29PM]

Oh! And 1 more thing... Phil!

[L @ Jan 4th 2009 11:02PM]

Anyway les is just he lost the starring roles in milk. If you are going to flame somebody, he's used to it..

[Wolfticket @ Jan 4th 2009 8:30PM]

Wait. The Mac Mini doesn't support dual displays?

[morganvachon @ Jan 4th 2009 11:19PM]

Not at present, probably because that would have been competition for the Mac Pro (I don't see it that way, but perhaps someone at Apple did). Either way, it would have made the mini more than just the entry-level Mac it is supposed to be. The mini was always the epitome of simplicity and minimalism in design.

As an aside, I'd love to see them keep FireWire and Ethernet, though realistically FireWire is probably gone. I'd also like to see an upgrade to 802.11n and unrestricted two-way IR (IrDA is useful for old-school serial connections without having to buy a USB-to-DB9 adapter). I'm not that enthusiastic about the dual HDD rumor; that's a little too much modularity for me to believe.

Honestly though, I'd beg, borrow and steal to buy the new mini if it turns out to be a resurrected Cube. I've always wanted a Cube but by the time I could afford a good used one I couldn't justify the slow processor and limited video options. I'm fine with a 400MHz Pismo laptop since all I do is word processing and web browsing with it, but a desktop should be more robust. A new mini that is the same form factor and is as easy to upgrade as a Cube would be a godsend.

[Game_playa @ Jan 4th 2009 8:33PM]

Why nVidia? When ATi is clearly better at lower price points(IMO), while still having one of the top cards around

[Mahrroh @ Jan 4th 2009 8:47PM]

Well, your statement is false(IMO) as ATI has more powerful cards in raw benchmarks, but fall behind Nvidia in application testing. Second, you would know that ATi cards come with AMD chipsets and not Intel chipsets.
Or possibly it is due to the odd drivers that ATi never likes to release in a timely manner.

and no, I'm not pulling tricks from a hat. You can go look up the benchmarks if ya don't believe me.

[chispito @ Jan 4th 2009 8:50PM]

Why don't they just put a plain old HDMI port as the second display port?

[Aaquib @ Jan 4th 2009 9:38PM]

@chis

1. It directly competes with Apple TV sales(even though I don't see why Apple would mind)

2. They make $30 if you have to buy a converter from them.

[Game_playa @ Jan 4th 2009 9:54PM]

I guess the P45 board I use came out of nowhere eh?

[Eric @ Jan 4th 2009 10:32PM]

Assuming you go through retail stores, it's actually cheaper to buy a 6-foot DVI-HDMI cable than it is to buy a 6-foot HDMI cable. The audio is the only inconvenience.

[omnicloud @ Jan 4th 2009 11:55PM]

@Mahrroh:

Intel chipsets do support ATI cards. Also, if an NVIDIA mGPU is to be used with HybridSLI etc. as is in the unibody MacBooks (and in extension, the speculated Mac mini), then it would have to have an NVIDIA chipset, not an Intel one.

[omnicloud @ Jan 5th 2009 12:00AM]

@Mahrroh:

Forgot to mention:
"Or possibly it is due to the odd drivers that ATi never likes to release in a timely manner. "

Doesn't ATI release updated Catalyst drivers every single month? NVIDIA doesn't always update that often.