Apple announcements week starting October 28

More Cowbell

Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Joined
Mar 25, 2023
Messages
1,223
I have come to prefer desktops to laptops, so I am looking forward to the Mac mini with smaller form factor and M4 chip. My Intel Mac mini is at the end of the upgrade path. Don’t need the power of a Mac Studio anymore, not producing compute/graphics-intensive content like I did on my PC before RE. Also waiting to see what iOS 18.1 brings to the table, won’t be the first to try it out though!
 
Mac Mini converging nicely to the Mac Studio. I have two Mac Studios, both working overtime. Cool thing is they are both running high duty cycle and generate almost no significant heat footprint compared to Intel. Simply amazing.
 
@More Cowbell , I noticed a big difference when I went from an Intel mini to an M1 mini. Going to a M4 mini should be awesome.

I too am getting an M4 (Pro) mini, since the M1 mini is getting old-ish.
 
Mac Mini converging nicely to the Mac Studio. I have two Mac Studios, both working overtime. Cool thing is they are both running high duty cycle and generate almost no significant heat footprint compared to Intel. Simply amazing.
So tempted by Mac Studio, especially when I consider the audio and photo gear currently on my Win10 PC which can’t go to 11!
 
@More Cowbell , I noticed a big difference when I went from an Intel mini to an M1 mini. Going to a M4 mini should be awesome.

I too am getting an M4 (Pro) mini, since the M1 mini is getting old-ish.
Apple should hurry up with that Mac Mini announcement already. Not feeling those tangerine and blueberry M4 iMacs! Didn’t care for the original fruity iMacs either, just not my aesthetic.
 
I plan to wait a week before installing iOS 18.1 on my iPhone 13 mini, but DH updated all his devices. I had him try the new features on the AirPod Pro 2:

  • First DH had to run an assessment on his APP2s, which advised him to change the tips for a better seal.
  • DH took the hearing test and did quite well. Results get logged to Health. So if DH doesn’t respond when I’m talking to him, it’s not a hearing problem, it’s an attention issue!
  • Then he enabled the new gestures feature for answering calls: Nod up-and-down (yes) to accept, nod side-to-side (no) to reject. First the gestures needed to be calibrated, then we tested. It worked! In the rejection part of the test, my call went to voicemail.
 
I’m very happy with my iMac even though it’s an M1. The mini would be a similar choice with more flexibility. DW has a MacBook, but I prefer desktops too.
 
I'm in the middle of upgrade season for some of my Apple devices.

I ordered a iPhone 16 Pro to replace my 14 Pro Max and got it last week. I was worried I would not like the smaller size of the Pro compared to the Pro Max, but I've gotten used to it already. I doubt I'll go back up in size. The smaller one is just easier to deal with. And it charges on my car's wireless charger when my larger ProMax would not.

I ordered a new Apple Watch at the same time and it is not scheduled to get here for another 2 weeks. So I'm looking forward to that.

Yesterday, I was of course eager to upgrade the operating system software on all my devices to check out the new Apple Intelligence features. It's nothing that I "need", but I like to tinker with new stuff. I updated my iPhone and MacBook and tinkered a little with the new stuff. But come to find out, my iPad isn't modern enough to support Apple Intelligence. Yikes! So off I went driving 90 minutes each way to purchase a new iPad. My old one was purchased in 2017, which was longer than I realized.

So it's been a bit of a BTD time the last month or so. The trade in values help lessen the sting a little. I'm getting $500 for my old phone, $135 for my old watch, and $315 for my old iPad.

My MacBook is only a couple years old, so I'll be keeping it for another cycle or two.
 
Mac Mini M4 Pro is on pre-order for pickup in store. Trading in the 2018 I7 Mac Mini to avoid more electronics clutter around the house. By the time I ordered, delivery time slipped to the day before Thanksgiving! Oh well, it’ll give me time to pare down files.
 
I’m very happy with my iMac even though it’s an M1. The mini would be a similar choice with more flexibility. DW has a MacBook, but I prefer desktops too.
The iMac is certainly a simpler complete desktop solution that appeals to more folks than the Mac Mini. I switch between Mac and PC at my desk, and only have space for one keyboard, mouse and monitor.
 
I'm in the middle of upgrade season for some of my Apple devices.

I ordered a iPhone 16 Pro to replace my 14 Pro Max and got it last week. I was worried I would not like the smaller size of the Pro compared to the Pro Max, but I've gotten used to it already. I doubt I'll go back up in size. The smaller one is just easier to deal with. And it charges on my car's wireless charger when my larger ProMax would not.

I ordered a new Apple Watch at the same time and it is not scheduled to get here for another 2 weeks. So I'm looking forward to that.

Yesterday, I was of course eager to upgrade the operating system software on all my devices to check out the new Apple Intelligence features. It's nothing that I "need", but I like to tinker with new stuff. I updated my iPhone and MacBook and tinkered a little with the new stuff. But come to find out, my iPad isn't modern enough to support Apple Intelligence. Yikes! So off I went driving 90 minutes each way to purchase a new iPad. My old one was purchased in 2017, which was longer than I realized.

So it's been a bit of a BTD time the last month or so. The trade in values help lessen the sting a little. I'm getting $500 for my old phone, $135 for my old watch, and $315 for my old iPad.

My MacBook is only a couple years old, so I'll be keeping it for another cycle or two.

I updated my iPad Pro to iPadOS 18.1 but haven’t tried any Apple Intelligence stuff yet. Still hanging onto the iPhone 13 mini for the form factor!

I’ve heard the M4 MacBook Pro is supposed to be introduced this week. DH is not planning to update his M1 MBP because he’s retired now and doesn’t need to haul it around anymore. But he did preorder an M4 Mac Mini to replace his own I7 Mac Mini.
 
I updated my iPad Pro to iPadOS 18.1 but haven’t tried any Apple Intelligence stuff yet. Still hanging onto the iPhone 13 mini for the form factor!

I’ve heard the M4 MacBook Pro is supposed to be introduced this week. DH is not planning to update his M1 MBP because he’s retired now and doesn’t need to haul it around anymore. But he did preorder an M4 Mac Mini to replace his own I7 Mac Mini.
I think I might give up my M1 MacBook Pro at some point and switch to using a MacMini for my office at home. I already use an external monitor, keyboard and mouse, so that's covered. When I bought the MacBook, I figured I would take it with me when traveling. But, I've found that taking my lighter iPad is all I need when I travel. I've always had a laptop and giving that up will be different. But sensibility says I no longer need it.
 
Last edited:
Mac Mini M4 Pro is on pre-order for pickup in store. Trading in the 2018 I7 Mac Mini to avoid more electronics clutter around the house. By the time I ordered, delivery time slipped to the day before Thanksgiving! Oh well, it’ll give me time to pare down files.
I'm curious as to what kind and size of monitor you use with you Mac Mini?
 
^^^ I use dual 24" monitors myself. Pre-ordered a Mac mini M4 Pro with 24GB RAM, 512GB SSD, and 10Gb ethernet port. What a 5" square beast! Trading in my M1 Mac mini.
 
I just gave in to temptation and traded in my M1 MacBook Pro laptop on the new M4 Mac mini. I went with the regular M4 chip with 24gb memory and 512gb SSD. My laptop hasn't left my desk in well over a year, so I think I'll be safe to do without one and just keep using my new iPad for travel like I have been doing recently.

I currently use a 27" Dell 4k monitor and a full-size Logitech keyboard and mouse at my desk and I don't think any of those need updating.
 
I'm curious as to what kind and size of monitor you use with you Mac Mini?
I had a 27” photograde NEC that started to have problems but I couldn’t replace it due to supply chain issues at the time so I got a 27” Gigabyte (not 4K), wider is a problem for my vision issues. DH has a 4K 32” LG monitor, with 3 small computers at his desk as video input (Mac Mini, homebuilt Win11 NUC and a homebuilt Linux box).
 
^^^ I use dual 24" monitors myself. Pre-ordered a Mac mini M4 Pro with 24GB RAM, 512GB SSD, and 10Gb ethernet port. What a 5" square beast! Trading in my M1 Mac mini.
Similar maxed out specs here except 2 TB SSD. Power button location at the bottom of the unit a bit inconvenient if it will live on top of the desk. I mount my current Mac Mini under the desktop, and plan to the same with the new one, so it should be easier to access the power button. Too bad I can’t reuse the current mounting case because of the increased height of the new Mac Mini M4.
 
I just gave in to temptation and traded in my M1 MacBook Pro laptop on the new M4 Mac mini. I went with the regular M4 chip with 24gb memory and 512gb SSD. My laptop hasn't left my desk in well over a year, so I think I'll be safe to do without one and just keep using my new iPad for travel like I have been doing recently.

I currently use a 27" Dell 4k monitor and a full-size Logitech keyboard and mouse at my desk and I don't think any of those need updating.
When’s your delivery date? DH ordered earlier in the day and his delivery date is a week before mine.

I’m sure you got a better trade in deal with your M1 MBP than I did with my I7 Mac Mini! I’m currently decluttering archaic electronics, so spending extra time and effort to find better deal is not worth it to me.
 
When’s your delivery date? DH ordered earlier in the day and his delivery date is a week before mine.

I’m sure you got a better trade in deal with your M1 MBP than I did with my I7 Mac Mini! I’m currently decluttering archaic electronics, so spending extra time and effort to find better deal is not worth it to me.
I'm having my new mini delivered to the closest Apple Store (85 miles away). It shows as available to pick up on November 8th, which is the first day of availability. I figured I'd drive and get it and have a nice lunch somewhere in the big city.

My new one priced at $999 and my laptop trade-in was valued at $755. So assuming they agree with my laptop's condition, the new mini should only cost me $244 plus tax. Not bad.
 
My M4 Mac Mini order shipped a couple weeks earlier than promised. Just picked it up today within an hour of getting the notice that it had arrived in store. Not much on my I5 internal drive as most files get stored on a NAS, but I also have to clean off my actual top of my desk while I temporarily have the M4 Mini on top until my new underdesk mount arrives:


This shop gets high ratings on all their 3D printed brackets.
 
My 2024 technology upgrade is now complete, I think. As mentioned above, in the last couple months, I've upgraded my iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch to the latest releases. I also traded in my M1 MacBook Pro for a Mac mini. Today, I just added the very nice (and not inexpensive) Apple Studio Display monitor to my desktop. I've been wanting one for quite a while, but have been "making do" with my 4K Dell monitor. So today I took advantage of the $300 off Black Friday sale at Best Buy and got the new monitor. At $1299, it cost more than my Mac mini did. But boy, is it a nice screen. It also solves my problem of not having a webcam and the speakers are better than what the mini provides. I decided to keep my Dell monitor and I now have the 2 monitors set up side-by-side to work as one extended desktop.

The Dell monitor is nice. And the Apple monitor is really nice. In reality, the noticeable difference between the two is not that all that significant for my uses. But I'm very happy with my new office setup. I also put my HP All-in-One Windows 11 computer in the closet. I rarely used it, and I'm going to see if I really want it at all by banishing it to closet storage for a while. With the HP out of the way, I moved my new Brother laser printer to my large desk so that I no longer have to wheel my chair across the room to pick up a print out. Luxury!

Additionally, I also just ordered an EcoBee Premium Thermostat (Black Friday sale) to upgrade my Nest thermostat. I've been having problems getting the Nest app to control my thermostat in a timely manner. Sometimes, I'd use the phone to change temperature and it didn't respond immediately like it used to do. Sometimes it would take minutes before the furnace would kick in. Honestly, this problem started when I got the new iPhone and had to re-install the Nest app. It's possible the issue is really with my iPhone or iOS 18.x. But I decided I was going to go big and upgrade to the Ecobee.

Oh, and I also ordered 14 solar-powered post cap lights for my deck. I've been wanting to add some lighting out there and saw these at my nieces house recently and decided to give them a try. I was surprised how expensive these were to get ones that fit on my 3"x3" metal posts. But they were slightly on sale for Black Friday as well, so I nabbed them.

Blow that dough!
 
^^^^ LOL, like-minded. Updated DW's Apple Watch and MacBook Air M3 earlier this year. Updated my WiFi to a WiFi 7 router, and using the old WiFi 5 router as a separated IoT network. Updated my 2016 65" Samsung TV to the new 75" Sony Bravia 9. Just updated my Mac Mini to an M4 Pro, with new pair of Dell 27" monitors, and a new speakers.

This does not count a re-do of our kitchen that we did this Spring. Oh, and the microwave just died, so changed it out today.

I *think* we are done for 2024!
 
My 2024 technology upgrade is now complete, I think. As mentioned above, in the last couple months, I've upgraded my iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch to the latest releases. I also traded in my M1 MacBook Pro for a Mac mini. Today, I just added the very nice (and not inexpensive) Apple Studio Display monitor to my desktop. I've been wanting one for quite a while, but have been "making do" with my 4K Dell monitor. So today I took advantage of the $300 off Black Friday sale at Best Buy and got the new monitor. At $1299, it cost more than my Mac mini did. But boy, is it a nice screen. It also solves my problem of not having a webcam and the speakers are better than what the mini provides. I decided to keep my Dell monitor and I now have the 2 monitors set up side-by-side to work as one extended desktop.

The Dell monitor is nice. And the Apple monitor is really nice. In reality, the noticeable difference between the two is not that all that significant for my uses. But I'm very happy with my new office setup. I also put my HP All-in-One Windows 11 computer in the closet. I rarely used it, and I'm going to see if I really want it at all by banishing it to closet storage for a while. With the HP out of the way, I moved my new Brother laser printer to my large desk so that I no longer have to wheel my chair across the room to pick up a print out. Luxury!

Additionally, I also just ordered an EcoBee Premium Thermostat (Black Friday sale) to upgrade my Nest thermostat. I've been having problems getting the Nest app to control my thermostat in a timely manner. Sometimes, I'd use the phone to change temperature and it didn't respond immediately like it used to do. Sometimes it would take minutes before the furnace would kick in. Honestly, this problem started when I got the new iPhone and had to re-install the Nest app. It's possible the issue is really with my iPhone or iOS 18.x. But I decided I was going to go big and upgrade to the Ecobee.

Oh, and I also ordered 14 solar-powered post cap lights for my deck. I've been wanting to add some lighting out there and saw these at my nieces house recently and decided to give them a try. I was surprised how expensive these were to get ones that fit on my 3"x3" metal posts. But they were slightly on sale for Black Friday as well, so I nabbed them.

Blow that dough!
Sounds like a sweet setup! I'm in the Black Friday apps and software acquisition phase:
  • Microsoft Office Home 2024 from Costco online - one-time purchase (BF $40 off + $25 Vanilla virtual credit card)
  • PCalc calculator (50% off through Mac App store. I also bought the iOS version on BF sale.)
Other software:

I reinstalled BetterTouchTool utility to configure Logitech mouse buttons as Logitech software was annoying. I bought a lifetime license 6 years ago for the same reason on my I7 Mac Mini. BTT is on BF sale too, 50% off.

I will move an Elgato Stream Deck off my PC and will probably use BTT to customize buttons instead of the Stream Deck software.

DH switched out our Honeywell wifi thermostats for Ecobee a few years ago. App interface is much nicer! Haven't messed with them much, so they're working fine AFAIK. All those devices are on their own network. If latency was your problem, maybe the Nest was connecting to an incorrect wireless access point and needed to time out before connecting to the correct one. Hope your Ecobee behaves better!
 
Back
Top Bottom