Macworld rumours begin: Apple to update Mac Mini

Apple will announce a long-overdue upgrade to its Mac Mini during the Macworld Expo next month, according to a Wired.com report.

The report was attributed to a corporate employee at Apple who wished to remain anonymous -- "to keep his job," Wired noted. While he was apparently comfortable disclosing that a new desktop would be announced in January, he balked at disclosing any other details.

Rumours have been circulating for more than a year that Apple was getting ready to kill the little cube, and Gizmodo speculated that the end was near when it reported in October that two European retailers were told they can no longer order the Mini box from Apple. However, it's possible Apple was simply gearing up to update the internal hardware in the Mac Mini, which has languished for quite a while with outdated chips.

The Mac Mini was an experiment in affordability and minimalism on Apple's part back in 2005. The small desktop was initially a hit with critics and consumers, but as the world's PC preferences tilted strongly in favour of laptops over the last few years, Apple spent more time updating and promoting the MacBook and iMac all-in-one desktops than the cute little cube.

The Mini could desperately use a hardware boost, but Apple has made it clear that it considers mobile computing the future of its business, and the Mac Mini simply doesn't fit in to that strategy.