For long, Mac Mini was the most affordable Mac anybody could buy. If somebody already had an old monitor, keyboard and mouse, all that was required was connecting them together by spending just $499. Yes, the Mac Mini used to cost just $499 before Apple updated the machine and now it sells with a starting price of $799.
Is the 60% increase in price justifiable? Maybe yes, as the machine packs more power but it does not justify Apple doing so as people used to look at the Mac Mini for buying a machine without shelling a lot of bucks. Also, majority of the users of the Mac Mini were casual users, people starting to looking forward to entering the iOS/Mac development with Xcode which is available only on the Mac.
Bring back the $499 price tag
The Mac Mini was also popular in the server business as the tiny machines could easily be stacked in the server racks. However, all of it changed when Apple increased the price; people did not see it with the same eyes, it turned into a pricey machine which was hard to digest. So the cheapest way to enter the Mac ecosystem is to spend a minimum of $799 if you have a monitor, keyboard and mouse ready.
The current generation Mac Minis are definitely powerful but its price is just not justifiable. As the base model which sells for $799 packs an i3 processor which is not exactly a powerhouse. There are a lot of people looking to invest in Macs but Apple is slapping them right in their faces by focussing on making more expensive products.
Will Apple ever create another cheap Mac mini? I’d like to hope if the company’s move to reduce the price of the base iPhone model by $50 is any sign. We would be happy to see a lot of Macs floating around.
