Apple's Mac mini will be reborn as the digital hub centerpiece it was originally conceived to be, sources have disclosed. The new Mac mini project, code-named Kaleidoscope, will feature an Intel processor and include both Front Row 2.0 and TiVo-like DVR functionality. While the specific model and speed of the Intel processor in the new Mac mini is unknown, sources are confident the system will be ready for roll-out at Macworld Expo San Francisco, in line with other reports Think Secret has received that Intel-based Macs will be ready some six months sooner than originally expected.
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Once the new mini mac is out...
How long will it take to someone to install windows XP on the mac mini...
Bear in mind this is no attempt on trolling, I just want to see how well does XP stand against MacOS X on resource constrained hardware.
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Considering that the rumors are that Apple is developing some sort of VMWare application (or even better: Red Box, for us old-timers), I think that Apple will not prevent anyone from installing BSD, LInux, Windows, or whatever other x86 OS runs on the hardware, what I foresee happening is refusing troubleshooting support. I can imagine phone calls coming into apple tech support about not being able to configure windows networking on their new mac mini -- lol
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"Apple said that it will not restrict Windows installations."
Yeah, and they don't restrict Linux installations now, but because of closed specs on some of the hardware some things don't work in Linux.
It might be like this with Windows as well.
But maybe Apple will reason that if they make it so all the hardware works with Windows they will get more Windows people to buy it. It would be seen as no-risk to a Windows user as long as they know they can put Windows on it. But if they hear reports of the wireless or sound not working with Windows they might not take the risk.
Member since:2005-10-02
Why would you assume that Apple would make it so that Windows would not work. It will be a full fledged PC. Apple has every insentive to make these things as well as any other PC.
The insentive in buying one of these things is that it will be able to do everything that a x86 PC had been able to do in the past... but then also run OS X and all the OS X specific software.
Personally, I think that Apple is going to make a Wine-like solution that allows native Windows or Linux apps to be run on OS X without x11 or without running Windows. A Windows install would probably be required for that functionality... no need to referse enginneer the API like Wine and play that rat race. The only difference is that all Windows applications would run as if they were Mac applications... only difference is that they have OS X's interface... and (hopefully) not all of Windows exploits.
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personally, I think that Apple is going to make a Wine-like solution that allows native Windows or Linux apps to be run on OS X without x11 or without running Windows
Or more likely they will grab the wine code tweak it and make it better and recontibute back to the community in a way that is not particularly useful to the developers.
Member since:2005-07-11
What makes you think that just because some of the hardware doesn't work with linux that it doesn't already have windows drivers? Its not like the airport extreme card's chipset is something made just for apple.
And do you really think it matters whatever the specs are open or closed if you are talking about drivers for windows and/or macos x? I don't.
The simple truth is that windows is an operating system with support for almost all hardware, while linux is not. That i as a linux user find this annoying is a totally different story.
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"Bear in mind this is no attempt on trolling, I just want to see how well does XP stand against MacOS X on resource constrained hardware."
Well, I don't personally belive that the mac mini is too constrained on resouces; except for the video card. I think the 32 megs of ram is a little low.
On a side note; does anyone know if the video card is intergrated into the mini? Can it be replaced?
FYI: I am not a OS X user; I am just curious about possible replacement of the video card. This is the only thing holding me back from picking up a mini. Any thoughts or opinions?
Member since:2005-07-06
The video card on the Rev. A mini cannot be replaced and I assume the same is true on the current Rev. B. The upcoming Rev. C...who knows?
I would think that installing Windows XP on a mini would take no longer than it would on a PC with equivalent processor, etc, unless there were problems getting the installation started for some reason or other.
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The main Apple has in this digital hub arena over MS is that they own the H/W (something I get the impression MS wants more and more of).
If Apple play their cards right, you should be able to buy a Mini, plug it in, and off you go, TV, photos, music and movies (including simple access to trailers). But the best bit (and one MS needs to add to their offerings) is iLife (they have some of the various pieces, but not all - yet... rumor is they will). Your digital hub will also be your one stop shop for digital creation too, something that gives Apple the edge over most of the players. Now it's up to Apple to sell it at a good price.
The only area Apple really lacks in all this is in gaming, but in some ways, that may help.
BTW - you can't replace the video on the current models, you're stuck with 32Mb :-( As far as I know, it's only on the PowerMac that you have the option to swap this, so if you're a serious gamer, stick with the PC for now.
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2005-07-06
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I dont know what people complain about :-)
My Powerbook will be 2 years old this January - it still kicks behind, I can run Front Row on it, I use Salling Clicker for remote operation, I use it as my defacto DVD player, and I run windows on it (be it sluuuugishly).
I think it will be a long time before I replace this puppy 
I know people STILL using pre-titanium powerbooks (with OS 9) in their regular day-to-day lives.
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Same here except I need the faster HDD. I do hope they put a better video chip in the new mini. There are all kinds of screen tearing issues with many of the current crop (especially mine) when running through a KVM.
Oh yea, stay away from the Belkin DVI/USB KVM if you have a mini. I had mine replaced by Belkin and it still wouldn't stop tearing. I got a Gefen KVM and it works fine.
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Does Apple have a DRM tough/secure to distribute h.264 MOV files featuring the likes of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie? I don't think they do??? However Movielink and Cinema Now will soon be showing the Smith's via my MCE remote control... Can the same be said for FrontRow?
Heck just to rub it into Steve, Even Disney/Pixar (Monsters Inc. and The Incredibles) films were made available for download within Windows Media Center before FrontRow...
Microsoft has something Apple doesn't. A DRM scheme consumers are weary of. Content providers love. And a load of manufacturers that have embedded it into every device under the sun.
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2005-07-06
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Apple has upgraded the Mac Mini but does not advertise it or mark the boxes.
The "new" high end mini has 64MB video ram instead of 32MB.
I purchased a 1.25ghz model, and it has a 1.33ghz G4 as well as a 7200RPM hard drive (versus the 'normal' 4200 or 5400rpm).
As for future upgrades the mezzanine slot in the original iMac was used to sport a Voodoo upgrade. It's only a matter of time before someone pulls a similar trick with the mini.
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Apple has upgraded the Mac Mini but does not advertise it or mark the boxes.
The "new" high end mini has 64MB video ram instead of 32MB.
I purchased a 1.25ghz model, and it has a 1.33ghz G4 as well as a 7200RPM hard drive (versus the 'normal' 4200 or 5400rpm).
As for future upgrades the mezzanine slot in the original iMac was used to sport a Voodoo upgrade. It's only a matter of time before someone pulls a similar trick with the mini.
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Personally, I'm hoping for the following upgrades as standard:
Radeon 9600 or better w/ 64+ MB
512M DDR2 standard
7200 RPM HDD
The good news is that If they're using the newer pentium-Ms, they support DDR2 which is cheaper than DDR in quantity so I think thats pretty likely. Hopefully, they won't bork this thing by relying on an Intel Integrated graphics solution like many Pentium-M laptops do (as well as AOpen's P-M Mini clone.)
Personally, I wouldn't mind a size increase, a little taller, a little deeper and (moreso) wider would be fine. Then it'd look like how I thought the original Mini would turn out.
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2005-07-06
I for one am looking forward to the x86 machines coming out early. Why? It'll drive down the price of the PPC machines that much quicker, meaning I'll finally be able to afford one of the new PPC Macs. I'm just waiting for the bottom of the market to fall out on the PPCs, then I'll snap up a couple cheap.
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I've kinda seen the TIVO interface here and there and I know MCE 2005's interface. I'd haft to say that MCE 2005's interface is just about the closest thing I know of to TIVO's. No other PVR programs seem to come as close yet. The only reason I would ever use FrontRow is if it surpassed MCE in content and if you could control the majority of your Mac from the comfort of your couch. They should embed the iTunes Music Store within FontRow so you could purchase/play music within FrontRow. If they would actually do the subscription model then you could stream/download music within FrontRow On-Demand.
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...but am i the only one feeling a bit uneasy about Intel CPU's in Macs?
I know Intel's finest will probably give a Mac a welcome boost to catch-up lost ground performance-wise, but i don't know...a Mac 'should mean' PowerPC.
Ah well, that's from a person who would use said machine just for play.
Anyway, i think i'll buy my own iMac pretty soon now, before the Intel-based models roll-out...
Member since:2005-11-15
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a Mac 'should mean' PowerPC
Lots of people seem to feel this. Feel, rather than think.
But why, is a complete mystery. What difference does it make what processor they have in them? And what is so special about PPC? Why not 68x? Why not AMD64? Why not P3?
Guess you had to be there....
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If one sets up a dual boot OS X and Win XP system on an Intel based Mac, won't there still be problems because Win XP uses NTFS? I'm not sure that OS X would be able to read and write natively to an NTFS partition or that Win XP can do the same to Apple's filesystem. I know this is one of the annoying things about my Linux/Win2K dual boot system -- I wound up having to set up a shared data partition so that both OS's could read and write the same data files.
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2005-11-30
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Back when NEXTSTEP 3.x ran on Motorola 68K and x86, the Intel 486 variant was quite a bit faster than the 040.
We were used to shared quad fat binaries on teh network. Great for a systems administrator. One instance of a licensed app shared in /LocalApps via NFS. A user could open a word processing app for example, regardless of whether they were on a Sun, Intel, NeXT M68K black hardware or HP.
Anyone who used to run NEXTSTEP/OpenStep knows how this transition will go, since we were there before. Don't worry, it's all good and known.
I'm looking forward to buying my first new Apple since 2001 (my TiBook 550 is still cranking along just fine). Once the new WXGA iBook is released on Yonah and the Mini gets some good AV capabilities, I may buy both.
NEXTSTEP was always the best environment to do systems administration in the enterprise. OS X dumbed it down a lot. But, this new switch to fat apps will be easy for the veterans, and good for everyone.
