Microsoft has released an interim build of Windows Vista, Build 5342, today to a select group of testers. This is the first build to come with the 'real' Aero Glass: fully scalable vector based transparencies that take advantage of pixel shading. The previous builds contained Aero Express and Aero Express with transparancy, not the real Aero Glass. Other notable improvements: a complete firewall, support for Pocket PC 2000, 2002, and 2003 synchronization, and more. Flexbeta has screenshots, but Flexbeta seems pretty down to me at the moment.
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Member since:2005-11-10
And you can get a *lot* of PC for $700
I'm really interested in the new mini because I've already been using an old G4 mini as my primary machine for more than a year. The new mini with a dual core processor, front row with remote, audio in, gigabit ethernet, more USB ports, and support for 2GB ram sounds really good to me. It would significantly improve the performance of all the applications I'm using now. Plus the new mini can run all the Pro apps. The G4 mini couldn't run Logic.
Yes, you can get a PC that weighs a *lot* more, is a *lot* bigger, and is susceptible to a *lot* more viruses and spyware for $700, but it will be a *lot* uglier, a *lot* louder, and it will run an OS that is a *lot* more stodgy and outdated.
FrontRow, GarageBand, iMovie, iDVD, Final Cut Pro, DVD Studio Pro, iPhoto, Aperture and Logic only run on a Mac. That makes the choice of whether to buy a Mac or a PC a no brainer for me. Even if I were just buying something to hook up the the TV to play DVDs, I'd still get a mini.
Member since:2005-11-13
Yes, you can get a PC that weighs a *lot* more, is a *lot* bigger, and is susceptible to a *lot* more viruses and spyware for $700, but it will be a *lot* uglier, a *lot* louder
It will be bigger and heavier, but not necessarily louder. My two PCs are both ultra quiet. The degree to which they are susceptible to viruses and such depends on the end user. For me, it's highly unlikely 
As for being uglier, I have a theory that Mac users are the only ones who care about this sort of thing. I have to admit that I do like the style and the form factor for the Mini, but I'd gladly give it up for a faster hard drive and better expanadability via PCI slots.
and it will run an OS that is a *lot* more stodgy and outdated.
Of course, you could probably run OSX on it, if you wanted to go that route
FrontRow, GarageBand, iMovie, iDVD, Final Cut Pro, DVD Studio Pro, iPhoto, Aperture and Logic only run on a Mac. That makes the choice of whether to buy a Mac or a PC a no brainer for me. Even if I were just buying something to hook up the the TV to play DVDs, I'd still get a mini.
Yeah, there are definitely some high-quality professional apps on the Mac, but you're not going to want to run many of them on the Mac Mini, especially if you don't have at least 1GB of RAM.
Member since:
2005-11-13
Ya know, I was looking for a semi-lightweight PC for the bedroom so I could hook it up to my Triton Extreme synth. Looked at the new Mac Minis ... was interested at first, but the one with the dual core is $700. And you can get a *lot* of PC for $700
For my purposes, most if the iLife apps would've been pretty useless, except for maybe Garageband. And even its MIDI capabilities are pretty limited. Conversely, I've already got a legal copy of Adobe Audition I could install on a Windows PC. To do that on a Mac Mini, I'd either have to get a Mac binary, or else purchase a copy of WinXP to run on it, and that would've been 200 bones in addition to the $700 for the Mini.