Apple have been having some trouble with their innovation lately. They used to be the icon for progress, the one company on the market that always cared for delivering something new and fresh to their customers. And lately, this trend has seen some changes, as people have been criticizing Apple for relying too much on the same technology in their new releases. The new Mac Mini 2014 is a good example of that, as even though the device was received overall okay, it still gathered a lot of criticism over some of its features.
Old Mac Minis had an annoying feature which was the subject of constant criticism – the lack of options for upgrading the RAM. This was due to the fact that the RAM sticks were actually soldered directly to the board, making their replacement impossible. Apple fixed this problem recently, but it seems that now they’re back to the old style. The computer’s RAM is once again non-upgradable, so users will have to be very careful with what they’re picking.
On the other hand, the Mac Mini 2014 features improved hardware compared to its predecessor, and a lower price point to go with it. This is not much like Apple, who like to either keep their products at a fixed price point, or drive the price up. It’s interesting that the company is willing to offer the last Mac Mini at a better price now, though some critics have been questioning whether this will be enough to help people ignore the hardware issues.
The main source of criticism have been systems administrators. The Mac is traditionally seen as a good solution for office environments, in particular for companies that do design work. The upgrade-related issues have been a cause of concern for administrators looking to invest in Macs for their companies’ offices, as it’s not rare that a company would have to replace their entire line of computers just to get a specific component upgraded, when they work with Apple. It seems that the new Mac Mini has brought these issues back to the surface.
If Apple manage to fix their approach to upgradability and customization, the Mac Mini still has the potential to retain a good position on the market. Otherwise, Apple might have to throw in the towel, as the market for desktop computers has become quite saturated, and other companies have some fantastic offers in their stores. Offers that give customers a much better choice of options regarding their purchase, and better long-term prospects. This is the one factor that Apple will have to address most strongly in their next release.