8 ms·

it's only because you can send texts via imessage on a macmini. that's it.

by _glass 2mo ago

wiether 2mo ago
Buying a new computer at +$500 just to have iMessage access feels insane to me. OpenClaw supports all the mainstream (and free) chat apps like Discord, WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram... None of them requiring a MacOS machine. Is it a lack of knowledge from the users or do they really value iMessage integration that much?
- hypercube33 2mo ago
  What I don't get is where is the Mac Mini Neo at like $350? Neos tiny motherboard in a box with some more ports would be awesome.
  - api 2mo ago
    A Pi running macOS more or less. Not dissing it though. Killer machine for those who don’t need a lot of power locally. Also a great kiosk for some things.
  - officeplant 2mo ago
    With how apple seemed to be caught by surprise when it came to Macbook Neo demand, I'm not sure they have the quantities of SoC's around to handle the demand a Mini Neo could drive. Especially if they could do it for $299.
  - runako 2mo ago
    I will go out on a limb and say that's not going to be an Apple product, period. It doesn't fit anywhere in the value envelope. The relevant questions here are: will the person using this machine also conceivably be wearing a pair of $549 AirPod Max? Or a $399 base Apple Watch? Does that person expect to pay more or less for their largest-screen computing device than their headphones? Framing that way points toward a $350 price point being a laptop for young children (younger than Apple Watch age, so lower elementary). That's a whole different software experience beyond just the hardware.
  - robotresearcher 2mo ago
    Apart from the ports, that’s roughly the AppleTV hardware. A macOS or Linux port to that would be a cute thin client. Not gonna happen, but cute.
- ramijames 2mo ago
  And configuring a bot for Telegram is incredibly easy.
- moduspol 2mo ago
  It's anecdotal but the kind of people I know that bought Mac Minis for this purpose are what I'd call "light techies." They definitely know how to use an iPhone or a Mac but would struggle on the CLI of a Linux box. Anyone who wanted the OpenClaw use case that is comfortable with Linux probably already has several Linux machines (including a few Raspberry Pis) on-hand.
- xienze 2mo ago
  > Is it a lack of knowledge from the users or do they really value iMessage integration that much? My understanding is that the barrier to entry to using iMessage makes iMessage a LOT more secure from spam. If you want to do mass iMessages you have to register as a business with Apple, go through all sorts of checks and attestations, etc. At any rate, iMessages are a lot more trustworthy than SMS. So being able to spam people via iMessage is very desirable. I recall a few months ago a guy posting his little spam-iMessage-as-a-Service product here on HN. You could build your little iMessage spam army using a bunch of Mac Minis...
adi_kurian 2mo ago
Not even. It's literally "yeah bro, you gotta get a Mac Mini".

it's only because you can send texts via imessage on a macmini. that's it.

by _glass 2mo ago

it's only because you can send texts via imessage on a macmini. that's it.

Buying a new computer at +$500 just to have iMessage access feels insane to me. OpenClaw supports all the mainstream (and free) chat apps like Discord, WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram... None of them requiring a MacOS machine. Is it a lack of knowledge from the users or do they really value iMessage integration that much?

hypercube33 2mo ago
What I don't get is where is the Mac Mini Neo at like $350? Neos tiny motherboard in a box with some more ports would be awesome.
- api 2mo ago
  A Pi running macOS more or less. Not dissing it though. Killer machine for those who don’t need a lot of power locally. Also a great kiosk for some things.
- officeplant 2mo ago
  With how apple seemed to be caught by surprise when it came to Macbook Neo demand, I'm not sure they have the quantities of SoC's around to handle the demand a Mini Neo could drive. Especially if they could do it for $299.
- runako 2mo ago
  I will go out on a limb and say that's not going to be an Apple product, period. It doesn't fit anywhere in the value envelope. The relevant questions here are: will the person using this machine also conceivably be wearing a pair of $549 AirPod Max? Or a $399 base Apple Watch? Does that person expect to pay more or less for their largest-screen computing device than their headphones? Framing that way points toward a $350 price point being a laptop for young children (younger than Apple Watch age, so lower elementary). That's a whole different software experience beyond just the hardware.
- robotresearcher 2mo ago
  Apart from the ports, that’s roughly the AppleTV hardware. A macOS or Linux port to that would be a cute thin client. Not gonna happen, but cute.
ramijames 2mo ago
And configuring a bot for Telegram is incredibly easy.
moduspol 2mo ago
It's anecdotal but the kind of people I know that bought Mac Minis for this purpose are what I'd call "light techies." They definitely know how to use an iPhone or a Mac but would struggle on the CLI of a Linux box. Anyone who wanted the OpenClaw use case that is comfortable with Linux probably already has several Linux machines (including a few Raspberry Pis) on-hand.
xienze 2mo ago
> Is it a lack of knowledge from the users or do they really value iMessage integration that much? My understanding is that the barrier to entry to using iMessage makes iMessage a LOT more secure from spam. If you want to do mass iMessages you have to register as a business with Apple, go through all sorts of checks and attestations, etc. At any rate, iMessages are a lot more trustworthy than SMS. So being able to spam people via iMessage is very desirable. I recall a few months ago a guy posting his little spam-iMessage-as-a-Service product here on HN. You could build your little iMessage spam army using a bunch of Mac Minis...

adi_kurian 2mo ago

Not even. It's literally "yeah bro, you gotta get a Mac Mini".