Along with the iWork productivity suite (“Pages”, a word processor with style) and the Shuffle Flash-based iPod, Apple introduced the Mac Mini: a small Mac Cube: 1.25/1.42 GHz G4, combo drive, 40/80 GB drive, fw/usb/ethernet/modem ports. This is the most affordable Mac ever, starting at $499. My Take: Very nice product, but I am dissapointed because it does not have Line-In and Mic connectors! The Mac Mini web pages advertise the product in conjuction to iLife big time but GarageBand feels pretty useless without such connectors! There is always the iMic of course, but hey.
Apple Introduces the Mac Mini
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
Follow me on Twitter @EugeniaLoli
As a ‘ high end ‘ pc user (which means i at least don’t have rollinghills.bmp as my background wallpaper) I am astounded by what apple has managed to cram in such a small box. And I have a good couple of weeks to raise the money to get mine.
Just a question. I currently have a dlink wireless g router and a small home network, would an airport card in this box be able to speak to that device or would i need to toss it for an airport router?
man o man.. I am getting one of these
Since you can get it equipped Airport Extreme it will work just fine with that dlink 802.11g router. It’s also backwards compatible with 802.11b.
It uses a power brick just like the iBooks and PowerBooks do I believe.
>For the price of a new powerbook I could buy six of >these, for everywhere I might concievably want one and >toss in a portable firewire drive.
For the price zealots in the build your own department, i have built my own, and yeah its fast – but with 5 fans and a 400 watt psu it sounds like a 747.
What type of ram does this take?
It blows my mind that anyone would see a computer WITHOUT a keyboard and mouse. By the time you add a reasonable amount of memory, keyboard and mouse you’re at $1,000. The eMac is a better deal
Griffin iMIC $39.99
http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/imic/
Guys, I do not agree. Not everyone is a pro! There are other uses to Garageband too.
>if garage band is really your thing, you can always pick one of these audio interfaces for about $60
But what if I am an amateur musician, or I want to simply convert my cassette’s or LPs, or simply connect my HiFi system to the MacMini? I can’t! And WHY do I have to pay an extra $40 or $60 bucks to get this (standard everywhere else) feature, when it would have costed Apple ONLY TWO BUCKS to include them in the first place?? Their sound card supports it, it’s just that Apple decided to not include the connectors!
I am telling you people, not having the LineIn/Mic connectors on the Mac Mini is a TERRIBLE OVERSIGHT on Apple’s part for many people, mostly because these connectors are dirt cheap, while useful to many many people.
> Use any monitor.
… except my Apple-built 21 studio flatscreen, which has the now-abandoned ADC plug. Supports a $99 Wal-Mart special, but not a $1k+ Apple monitor bought scarcely a year ago.
Apple sell DVI to ADC convertors.
I dunno about the lack of line-in .. I use that on my computer extensively, especially for my XMPCR (XM Radio) – couldn’t do without it.
As for the new iPod, what’s the big draw – a shuffle mode?
From the apple store 512 meg for $100 (can get it else where cheaper) keyboard and mouse $58. That only makes the $499 mini come out to $658. Cheaper if you buy your add ons elsewhere.
It blows my mind that anyone would see a computer WITHOUT a keyboard and mouse. By the time you add a reasonable amount of memory, keyboard and mouse you’re at $1,000. The eMac is a better deal
Who cares about line-in?
It’s not important.
I want one.
All I know is this would be perfect replacement for my mom & dad to replace there win98 machine. All they need is TurboTzx, and Quicken, both of which are available for OS-X. Then I won’t have to worry so much about viruses, spyware, etc, on there machine.
@Mike Matheson:
$1000? What do you consider a “reasonable amount” of memory?
Trendy Apple keyboards and mice are $30 apiece, so lacking a keyboard and mouse can’t set you back more than $60. How much memory are you planning to add to account for the other $340? ($1000 – $599 (price of the high-end miniMac) – $60 (overpriced OEM Apple input devices) = $341)
I agree this will be a little disappointing for some people. Fortunately I have an external sound card that gives excellent low latency, and will be ideal for GarageBand. As mentioned an imic can be bought. Or for a mere $99 you can get this little beauty
http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/Transit-main.html
Clearly Apple want to make money on accessories. More silly is the lack of an inbuilt mic though. Having neither mic-in or built in mic is not good. Maybe the next version….
Well, I’ve been a Mac naysayer in the past, but I do like the looks of this thing. I’m going to get one.
It comes with Quicken 2005
Don’t have the money right now, but as soon as I do I’m getting one!
In the tech specs it says nothing about having even an integrated mic. So, I guess they’re counting on 3rd party products like the iMic.
The QuickTime VR animation of the Mini Mac looks like there is a power brick sort of like the Cube’s, except much smaller.
<Mr. Burns> Excelent </Mr. Burns>
To all the people who are confused…a built-in mic isn’t a solution. Line-in isn’t for microphones. mic-in is for microphones. Line-in is for connecting your hi-fi system, so you can record old records. Or some component of your HTPC system. Or any of the other millions of bits of audio equipment with a line-out which you may wish to use for any number of reasons.
I think that with the way the iPod took off, and the reactions I’m seeing from everyone online about the Mac Mini.. Apple is really going to make some inroads this year and become more than the what 2% of users there are now.
As more and more people get fed up with the spyware and viruses on their WinTel machines they now have a viable alternative. Sure.. people posting here and at Slashdot might be more of the poweruser type but for the average computer user this is a GREAT machine.
Since the iPod, people now recognize Apple as a company that makes great products for the consumer. I bet a lot of frustrated Windows users will buy one of these because of the popularity of the iPod and the great stuff they’ll hear about OS X and the lack of viruses and spyware.
“For the price zealots in the build your own department, i have built my own, and yeah its fast – but with 5 fans and a 400 watt psu it sounds like a 747.”
I built a microATX box in an Antec Aria case last month for $450 (birthday present) – it’s got two fans (CPU fan and the big, 120mm fan on the rear of the Aria which acts as PSU fan and case fan). Very quiet – not as quiet as my HTPC box, as I was too lazy to bother replacing the stock AMD boxed HSF, but about as load as a PS2. Not saying it’s an alternative to this box, which as has already been pointed out isn’t aimed primarily at build-your-own people, but just wanted to point out that it’s trivial to build a _reasonably_ quiet box yourself.
>”Go buy whatever USB keyboard and mouse you want.
With the added problem of having the CNTRL/Apple keys reverted, for some stupid Apple reason that was decided a long time ago when Apple did not want PC keyboards to be sold instead of their own. And now, they sell the Mac Mini with no Apple keyboard included. They better fix the reverted control keys then, it’s a silly software problem anyway, not a hardware one.
Just a question. I currently have a dlink wireless g router and a small home network, would an airport card in this box be able to speak to that device or would i need to toss it for an airport router?
man o man.. I am getting one of these
Nope you can keep your Dlink. I use a Dlink at home and it serves My Macs, my TiVo, my Palm Tungsten C.
Been wanting Mac since 1984, I think! Basically since the Sinclair QL was out, and I could not afford a Mac so went with that 68xxx machine instead
memories!
Trip to London’s Apple store is on the cards for next week, assuming they have the kit in store. I imagine it’s going to sell like hot cakes for the next few weeks though, so I’ll need to check – the disappointment of the train journey down (business trip, of course – I need to find some excuse now).
Are Apple usually good at having their stock rooms full of product when they launch?
I have a dell PC keyboard hooked up to my mac right now. The Windows key is the apple key, control and alt are the correct keys also. Everything works fine; maybe apple fixed it already?
I meant to say that the disappointment would be too great if it was not in stock!!!
With the added problem of having the CNTRL/Apple keys reverted, for some stupid Apple reason that was decided a long time ago when Apple did not want PC keyboards to be sold instead of their own. And now, they sell the Mac Mini with no Apple keyboard included. They better fix the reverted control keys then, it’s a silly software problem anyway, not a hardware one.
Eugenia, I am using a PS/2 SGI graphite keyboard on my Mac and have for some time. There are keyboard remappers you can get if you really want to go that route.
I noticed that the shuffle is $99 and when you need a new battery it is another $99, why not just buy a new shuffle? quote:iPod Owners
Your one year warranty includes replacement coverage for a defective battery. You can extend your warranty to two years with AppleCare. During the second year, Apple will replace the battery if it drops below 50% of its original capacity. If it is out of warranty, Apple offers a battery replacement for $99. Apple disposes your battery in an environmentally-friendly manner.
http://stream.apple.akadns.net/
Good luck getting a connection though.
Yes, I agree with the key mappings 100%!
The first thing I did when I got my iBook was to download software to remap the keys. CTRL+C is so much easier to hit than CMD+C.. it’s just physically easier.
Dont forget about taking the online survey and getting the $10 coupon from apple. Heck that makes the new ipod only $90 =)
http://www.apple.com/retail/feedback/
-adolobe
🙂
thing is if you are going to use garage band or use your computer to record audio then you really don’t want to do that through the included sound card or integrated audio chip set that might come with the mini mac or any other computer.
Those products really really really really suck. They sound like garbage and are barely usable beyond simple dictation. Apple is doing the amateur musician a huge favor by not exposing them to such horid gear. Really, they suck and anyone savy enough to use garage band is savy enough to get a $60 usb audio device.
Plus how many people will actually use garage band? 10%? 20% I’d bet its no more than 10% to 15% of mini mac users.
wasn’t asteroid supposed to be an apple product that makes life tolerable for musicians? I’m not a musician, so I don’t know, but it seems like apples is just making sure you aren’t tempted with a line-in port.
“Are Apple usually good at having their stock rooms full of product when they launch?”
No, there is usually a desperate shortage for the first few months.
Strongly advise phoning before travelling.
Dlink is going to work fine with your Mac. It does with mine
All due respect for guys who have the egg head of planting Linux on an XBox – PS2 [I can’t do it], but how many people are there who can do that? If you counted the man hours to get everything up and running, how long would it be before the counter said $500?
This product is marketed at a certain crowd, /. people are not that crowd.
This is a machine, barely larger than the CD that it can take. It has a full system in it and comes with apps that I would like to have myself. The two sockets: ever thought that maybe they could just not fit them into the case anymore [and from there on the motherboard]? This puppy is 16*16*5 centimeter. I’ve drawn an outline. Do you realise just how small that is? And it’s got connectors at the back like crazy. So, they couldn’t fit in these extra two. And you needed those. Too bad.
Tell you what though. I have a hard time believing there does not exist somewhere a nice little trinket that will take care of that problem without too much of a hassle. And hey, you’re one of the people who can hook up the dishwasher with the hairdrier and run Debian on it, right? Hooking up two puny sockets extra is small potatoes to you, my friend.
Just get yourself one. You know you want it.
Heck, I don’t need one and I still think I might get one. Or if not that, el-cheapo-iPod is most definitely coming my way.
And Tiger. Stuff Longhorn, baby. By the time that cow gets out of the barn people will think of windows as something they use to look through walls.
I *so* want one! However, given the amount of interrest this thing will generate I guess I’d have to wait quite a while even if I ordered one today… Oh well, I guess my trusty iBook will have to serve me for a while longer. Hmm, maybe I could get one as soon as it ships with Tiger. If I can afford another computer. But. I. Must. Have. One. ARGH!!!
Does this signal yet another disruptive movement similar to the rise of Mozilla Firefox eating away at IE’s market share? It very well could be.
And btw: Mini Mac + PS3/Revolution/Xbox2 = Better computing experience + better gaming experience than a Wintel PC. And at a price point lower than anyone could’ve imagined just two years ago. Simply awesome!
… yyyeesss, after a long period, the Home Computer was reborn today 🙂
Now, I can answer to this question: where do you want to go today?
I want to go to Apple, iGet a Mac Mini!
I admit this is the best mac I’ve ever seen.
Heheh
Best Linux box too.
I personally don’t think this spec is good enough for OS X tiger.
But good for linux.
That is good for me.
Ooohh Don’t get airport extreme it is not linux compatible.
But rest of them is good enough. I am happy.
I’ve never even considered getting a Mac until now. This will make for excellent, secure, virus-free surfing, mail, and general use. Wintel will finally be put to strict gaming or “jacking with another linux distro” use.
Yea.
How easy is this going to be to connect to my home linux server?
At first glance I’m really tempted and it’s a very reasonable price. But as I expected it’s rather crippled and limited in a lot of ways.
The basic audio would stop me from using it as a media centre. At the moment I use a 500Mhz Celeron with passive cooling and a high quality 8 channel sound card. The Mac Mini is smaller and more attractive, but sound quality is much more important.
The lack of support for multiple displays means that I wouldn’t want to use it for web design, programming, graphics or DTP. My extremely cheap FX5200 graphics card has both VGA and DVI, it’s a shame this Mac doesn’t have the option. I’m far too used to working with two monitors to be happy using a system with only one.
I’d consider getting one for my kids, but they’re heavily into games. Even if all their favourites ran on Mac OS X; a G4 with a 32Mb Radeon 9200 would be a big downgrade from their current computer.
Even though I’m tempted, I don’t really see what I’d use it for. If I feel like replacing my aging 300Mhz G3, I’ll probably get a used G4 tower.
My ideal budget Mac would have at least one PCI slot so that I could add the features I require. But I can’t see Apple producing that; obviously they want more demanding users to buy a G5 tower.
Having said all that, I have a feeling that this will be a big success. I know quite a few people who’ve said that they’d buy a Mac if they were cheaper. I’m sure plenty of them would be happy with the Mac Mini despite it’s limitations.
Relatively slow bus but more importantly apparently only 1 memory slot meaning that upgrading your memory to anything above 512Mb will cost a hell of lot of money.
That said I think apple has created what appears to be the perfect SOHO machine. Not to mention probably the cheapest *nix workstation ever.
This is a great step for Apple. I’m not a Macintosh user, but this is a great machine combining Apple’s great hardware with a reasonable price. Finally!
I understand that an Xbox running Linux (I’ve got one here) is cheaper and more powerful, but it’s NOT Mac hardware. This machine is beautiful. I’m having a bit of a hard time wrapping my head around having a full-featured computer that would easily fit in my lunchbox.
My only gripe is really a personal one: I’d have loved to see an Nvidia card on there, so that running Linux on it would be more of a pleasure. I vote with my dollars (very few dollars), and I avoid ATI like the plague. I hope they support Linux better in the future.
Most Mac users I know use it for audio, running DP.
Leaving off an audio in is silly as you need all the IO you can get. Even if it’s low quality, it will come in handy some day, just for getting ideas down when you don’t have your firewire interface, or speech to text apps.
Forgot to mention : a modem ? Very last century. 🙂
Probably came with the laptop motherboard.
quote: I understand that an Xbox running Linux (I’ve got one here) is cheaper and more powerful, but it’s NOT Mac hardware.
well an xbox running linux, is a p3 733 with 64MB ram runnin linux, how is that faster to a G4 1.2ghz with 256MB ram?
ok but no nitpicking this IS an excellent home user machine, perfect desktop for home users almost everyone readin here are powerusers. But for home normal use its perfect, give it 512MB ram (easily bought in a normal store since its DDR333) and a cheap 17″ TFT with a cheap USB keyboard/mouse, you have a perfect home machine for 800 Euros (this is finland prices counting here) 500 for the mac mini, 250 for the TFT, and 50 for the RAM (the ram costs 60 ok…) anyway, i would say this is a really good investment considering that these users get the full ilife suit, an OS (which on a do it yourself box you dont by default) and some Games AND they wont need all the firewall etc crap. Kudos to apple, this is a Mac i would recommnd for my family members..
Well, my iBook is a 933MHz G4 with 640MB of RAM and the same graphocs card. I usually have Safari open with 5 to 30 tabs open, iTunes playing, a few Terminals open with writing and compiling apps, iChat, Direct Connect, Mail and some other apps as well and it’s quite snappy. Even if I’m encoding video on top of this the system doesn’t lag much. Exposé doesn’t lag at all unless I’ve got something crazy like 50 windows open.
Then you’ve got a very strange idea of what “snappy” is. My iBook 1Ghz is quite chunky with barely 1/4 that load.
This Mac mini will handle just fine. I thought that with this cheap yet perfectly powerful Mac, the nay-sayers would be eating their words but then they come on saying that even this is a rip off and that they can mod their PS2 of XBox to run Linux on it for cheaper… I don’t think there are words strong enough to describe how mornic these people are.
It should have been a G5. It *should* have been a headless iMac, just like people have been clamouring for for the last 5-odd years. Even if it was a relatively slow G5 (even at those clockspeeds of 1.25 and 1.42Ghz) it would still be faster than this machine. That and it should have had a better video card. A 32MB Radeon 9200 is a joke (although at least they didn’t go completely poverty-pack and used a DVI adapter). This is an iBook without a screen (dollars to doughnuts it’s using an iBook logic board). The rest of the specs are reasoanble, though – a 40GB hard disk is heaps, as is 100Mb ethernet and FW400.
It’s expensive for what it is hardware-wise (but then again, Apple stuff generally is). I might get one for my mum, however.
“woot! I’ve never had a mac before, I’m going to buy one as soon as i can get the australian apple store website to load >_<”
You’ll be disappointed to find the machine is $150 dearer than the exchange rate can justify.
a G4 a P3?? wow… my powerbook must run like a biotch then… i have 512MB ram on my powerbook and i have yet to see os x run sluggish on a G4 1ghz… you must have been using a) a machine with next to no ram or B) a broken Mac. Any Mac that has 32MB Video ram and 256MB ram rns OSX fine, no problems. The G3 for my mother in law has 16MB Ati Rage and 800MB ram its 400mhz and she does desktop publishing with it, so no OS is not running sluggish.
every time apple is discussed someone brings this up, stop it already sheesh… OS X runs FINE on G4’s with NO problems whatsoever!!!!
I mean video memory and main memory are not shared. It’s all about words, as you mentioned, and I could have been clearer. Even video on a card is integrated in the sense that its included with the system. All I am saying, is this machine has a dedicated graphics process with its own memory, and that is much better than the el-cheapo boxes with their shared memory schemes.
This is largely a matter of semantics. The 9200 is so old and slow a shared memory onboard card is not really any worse from a practical perspective.
Overall, it’s a winner.
But Mac mini isn’t as mini as Apple’s pitch.
Each one comes with quite a large external power brick.
Sony’s music box is bigger than Mac mini…
http://www.sony.co.uk/ShowProduct.do?site=odw_en_GB&category=HFS+CD…
…but maybe that because it includes a power converter?
Nice job apple – but I’d have made it taller and incorporated the power brick
Physics can be a killer though.
“499.00 USD is about 265.649 GBP according to xe.com
Why then does it show the price as £339 on the apple Uk ebsite (www.apple.com/uk)
This seems like a con!!!
It is about $140 dollors more expensive than the US.
What a joke!!!!
Apple, what a rip off!!!!”
No actually this is a result of our governments letting the Euro get so high. It’s so bad right now a 100 dollar item would cost 75 euros. So to make the same money apple has to charge about 100 more plus 40vat I would suppose to make up on the costs.
If you dont agree wiht it then encourage your government to even up the exchange rate.
Once one has converted from US$ to UKP one needs to add in UK tax (VAT) at 17.5%
Using your figure of £265.649 one gets £312.14
Allow Apple a little to allow for currency movements and that may account for the “extra 27 quid”.
this is the best Apple UK price conversion I’ve ever seen.
“No actually this is a result of our governments letting the Euro get so high. It’s so bad right now a 100 dollar item would cost 75 euros. So to make the same money apple has to charge about 100 more plus 40vat I would suppose to make up on the costs.
If you dont agree wiht it then encourage your government to even up the exchange rate.”
What a load of horseshit. Apple Europe (and Australia) is little more than an import operation and the high value of the pound, euro or AUD leads directly to lower costs for them. Those savings should be passed on. I’d be willing to wager they’d immediately raise their prices if those currencies weaken. There’s absolutely no excuse for charging people outside the us $US100-150 more for this mac.
I’ve seen items being sold in the UK that are twice as expensive as they are in America. Often something that’s $500 in America will be £500 in Britain. Apple’s price conversion seems very reasonable to me.
Yeah and an XBOX running linux is very LARGE and heavy unlike this! Not sure why some one brought up an xbox earlier to compare it with this. lol
for the vast majority, a USB keyboard (the kind w/the black and white keys) is what is used w/ garage band.
A guitarist is going to use a usb or firewire device to plug in.
I think your criticism is valid to a point, but the seeming anger connected to it seems a bit harsh.
well an xbox running linux, is a p3 733 with 64MB ram runnin linux, how is that faster to a G4 1.2ghz with 256MB ram?
Hehe…you’re right. I had my wires crossed. My comment was in favor of the mac, though. So on that we agree.
its about the same size as a nintendo gamecube
and the fact that it have to option to come with bluetooth and wifi as options is ineresting (alltho it hints that they basicly repackaged one of their laptops as a desktop solution).
how long will it take before they ship a addon package that contains a firewire based tv i/o unit with remote and pvr software? that would turn this little unit into the digital hub that jobs have been on about for some time now.
still, they need to make it visible for consumers, and im not just talking commersials. they need to get it out there for people to see it in action…
oh, and i noticed that they have a picture of the box it will be shipping in in their gallery
nice response to those fake ihome pics 
This is largely a matter of semantics. The 9200 is so old and slow a shared memory onboard card is not really any worse from a practical perspective.>>
Huh?
No mac that I know of has “vampire video”. It’s dedicated Vram.
And back to your other coment, OS X works just fine on my vintage iBook 600 so either you don’t have enough ram, or something’s wrong with your hardware.
People really do have to realize that this is really like an eMac with no screen and fewer ports. It is not a very powerful Mac at all. It will run OS X, iLife, Safari, Mail, iChat, iWork, etc. just fine, but not more than that really. That’s what it’s for. It seems to me it’s a good machine for the ordinary home user or for those who have always wanted a Mac or who want to use OS X, but haven’t had the chance before. It’s certainly not a headless Mac with lots of expandibility and power that I’m sure many had hoped for.
That’s a compliment to the G4. The P3 is known for high instructions-per-clock, it’s much faster per MHz than the P4. If smithy had said G4 was about as fast as a P4 clock-for-clock, that would be an insult to the G4.
But what if I am an amateur musician, or I want to simply convert my cassette’s or LPs, or simply connect my HiFi system to the MacMini? I can’t! And WHY do I have to pay an extra $40 or $60 bucks to get this (standard everywhere else) feature, when it would have costed Apple ONLY TWO BUCKS to include them in the first place?? Their sound card supports it, it’s just that Apple decided to not include the connectors!
How do you know it would cost Apple only two “bucks” as you put it? Do you have internal cost analysis sheets? Do you have an inside line with the designer? Not to be mean. But, it would be ok to say “I don’t think it would have cost them much to include a line-in jack. I wish they had.” Instead of ranting and raving about it being this impossible oversight on their part.
Do you know the the hardware in fact supports recording? So, maybe it wasn’t just the line in jack that’s missing, maybe the hardware also lacks the ability.
Adding a jack to a product doesn’t just add $2, even supposing for a moment that the jack alone costs $2. By adding a jack, you’ve added complexity to the case design, which does somewhat increase the cost. By adding a jack, you increase QA costs, by adding another component to test. By adding a jack, you add freight costs by adding another component that has to be shipped to your manufacturing plant. By adding a jack, you’ve added to QA costs for software, by making sure that the special hardware on the system works.
Ignorning all of the above let’s suppose for argument’s sake, that a line-in jack cost them $5 total additional for each machine to add the ability to record and the line in jack, QA testing, etc.
Let’s suppose Apple’s target goal it ship 1 million of these systems. Congratulations, you’ve just added $5 million to the cost of target sales.
Somehow, I doubt that a system that probably millions of dollars probably spent on it in designing and marketing had such an incredibly “large oversight” as you put it. If anything, this was a marketing or design decision intended to get people to buy accessories to record differently with iLife (FireWire, USB). Additionally, you’ll note that iLife recording was done and advertised with firewire from what I recall.
I am telling you people, not having the LineIn/Mic connectors on the Mac Mini is a TERRIBLE OVERSIGHT on Apple’s part for many people, mostly because these connectors are dirt cheap, while useful to many many people.
Well, you know, until you or I are running our own multi-billion dollar companies, we’re nothing more than armchair critics. I don’t believe for a moment that they didn’t purposefully leave one out of the design. Really, less of a knee-jerk criticism from you is expected. We understand you’re angry or upset, but I expect better from a site asking for subscriptions.
No pc can touch this, especally on the HD front. For 499.00 one can edit HD on the new mini with iMovie HD or spend a few hundred dollars mroe and get Final Cut Express HD……………………….no one can beat that!
This will be the machine of the year…..easily!
Many of you have taken the PS2 and XBOX comparison too literally. It is certainly not suitable for a direct market comparsion. that was not the point, but rather it is one of ROI. The Mac mini will gain Apple some new converts, no doubt, but by general comparison it does not come out all that well. I can still buy a more powerful (ableit bigger) entry-level PC computer PLUS an XBox or PS2 for the about the same price as the Mac mini.
And I won’t even speculate on the likely poor comparison to a PS3 or an XBox2, which are only months away.
The point is this. If Apple took a little more care to bolster the capabilities of the system, and broadened the market of this mini Mac as a unversal device: game machine, office work station, and family media station, they could have easily offered a better product at a better price.
No mac that I know of has “vampire video”. It’s dedicated Vram.
Well, they existed, but you’ve got to go back to the Mac II days.
However, I never said the Mac lacked dedicated VRAM, I said that because the video card they do have is so old and crappy, the practical difference between it and an integrated card that is using system RAM is not particularly big.
And back to your other coment, OS X works just fine on my vintage iBook 600 so either you don’t have enough ram, or something’s wrong with your hardware.
I have heaps of RAM (768MB) and the machine is fine. It’s just slow (although no slower than I expected it to be). Evidently, I just have higher standards of what I refer to as “snappy”.
a G4 a P3?? wow… my powerbook must run like a biotch then… i have 512MB ram on my powerbook and i have yet to see os x run sluggish on a G4 1ghz… you must have been using a) a machine with next to no ram or B) a broken Mac.
I must be something special. Always when I sit behind (my) G5, I feel so unproductive (slugich interface is one of the reasons). Must’ve been that G5-2GB was a mistake, I should buy G4 or even better G3. I always hear how your machines run great while mine is really lazy crap full of bugs that get reinvented with every system update.
Again comparing miniMac (price-performance) against my nx7010 I get a feeling how good and cheap it was that I bought 7010.
Where where where can I buy this in Norway??? At last a Mac at an affordable price. I will definitly get one of these!
When the Cube was released it was at performance parity with the PowerMacs of the day – just smaller, cooler looking and more expensive. It was, basically, a PowerMac.
The miniMac isn’t even as fast as the current consumer machines (iMacs).
It’s not a new “Cube”, by any stretch.
”
The P3 is known for high instructions-per-clock, it’s much faster per MHz than the P4.
”
Remnember INtel Centrio is absed on P3s.
Honestly all P4 machines I’ve used haven’t measured up..
http://www4.macnn.com/macnn/shows/05mwsf/gallery1/IMG_0887.jpg
WOW
the compliment to their succesful iPod this is such an incredibly wise move especially when you consider all the people who have computers but have been thinking of replacing it, now they can do so cheaply, use their existing monitor thanks to the vga adaptor and add other peripherals they may want later as their budget allows. This type of rig is one I’ve designed on graph paper many times.
This machine is destined to be the VW Beetle of home computers.
Jules.
It’s certainly not a headless Mac with lots of expandibility and power that I’m sure many had hoped for.
I don’t think anyone seriously hoped for a cheap Mac with expandability and power – that’s the PowerMac you can already buy. There’s no way Apple would make something so obviously and completely in conflict with an existing product.
I do imagine a lot of people were hoping for a headless iMac, however, and I don’t think that was unreasonable.
256MB DDR SDRAM
This is ridiculous nowadays. Unless people want to use this to read e-mail only and to use Safari, this is fine. This computer that I bought in 1999 came with 256MB. It writes on the disk all the time because of low RAM memory.
Really sweet product I must say.
However IMHO 2 usb ports seems not enough. I mean, connect keyboard and mouse and that’s it. What about printer, pen, iPod…
Also I don’t understand why apple still ships macs with 256 RAM. I mean, come on, these days, minimum should be 512MB. And I think this is even more important for portables.
Anyway, sweet product
Oh and that iPod shuffle… must get me one.
they are’t even shipping the mac mini and i think the mic plugin things will be fixed.. i mean what kinda computer doesn’t have those plugins?? LOL
I’m sure its just not included in the display thing. not shipping yet.
Ha HA. I still see the same old whiners saying the same old thing. Apple addresses price and they still whine about price and how the PS3 running hacked Linux unsupported by Sony is GOING to to be better than the MacMini which is engineered with the home user in mind.
Then you have people saying stuff like, I can build a better system that is smaller and doesn’t put out any heat for less but I have to steal a corporate version of XP. Good stuff, have fun with that kid.
This is also going to be a great machine. I have no problem with it being a G4. I know plenty of government installations using G4s now that are very happy with the systems. A home user will be plenty happy with its form factor, speed and value and added on top of that you are running MacOSX which those other $399 PCs will never be able to run. This is gonna be a hard day for the PC fanboiz to ruin. Good stuff all around.
256Mb isn’t that terrible for a low end system aimed at users with simple needs. Apple do offer larger RAM configurations for people who need it.
Having said that, $425 for the 1Gb option seems overpriced.
YOu know how much low volume powerPC hardware costs over x86 high volume hardware??
I think it’s very reasonable. i mean compare it to other PPC vendors.
Audio In == USB
I believe some of these products fit the bill the bill quite nicely.
<http://www.apple.com/ilife/garageband/accessories.html>
The mini isn’t supposed to be the do-all catch-all you want it to be.
For cripes sake, buy an iMic if you want mic/line in. Or, any of the numerous firewire/USB audio interfaces.
GREAT VALUE, REMEMBER EDUCATION DISCOUNT $479 HEY ITS STILL 20 BUCKS SAVINGS.
Ask your HR if your company has a discount program with Apple I know my company has an online apple store. Cost of entry model 469.00 next level up 563.00. I don’t even work for a tech company I work for a major finance company. Doesn’t hurt to ask.
I buy my computer ram from one place: crucial. They’ve got great customer service and their ram works with finicky machines. (I’ve had hit & miss quality with other, cheaper vendors)
Apple’s charge for the upgrade to 512 ($67) beats Crucial ($80)
Crucial, however, beats Apple if you want to drop in a 1gig stick: $299 vs. $317
—
And yes, the idea of a stick of ram costing almost exactly 1/2 the cost of the computer has me giggling.
167MHz system bus? …my PDA has a faster system bus 😉
Built in speaker? …mono? …how 80s 🙂
No keyboard, no monitor…. hmm…. it’s cheap but it’s not THAT cheap. Apple are now using their OS and Badge to sell out-dated hardware? (ironic? – when it used to be the other way around).
So what does it cost with keyboard, mouse, monitor and that all important 2nd speaker?
Well, sure it’s cute, sure it’s clever, but it’s merely a “lifestyle” product. The “mini” will be the new Coldplay, you mark my words 😉
I’ll recommend them to folks wanting something secure and easy to use, it’s a hell of a lot nicer than yer average virus-riddled-in-20-minutes PC – but I’ll stick with my two noisy old G4 macs until something more suitable comes along.
I’m quoting the prices off the education store.
no keyboard or mouse for $500… hate to say it, but its still overpriced for what you are getting.
i just got my iMac G5……..! anyway……i am getting this one too!
This is great. A small box that runs Mac OSX out of the box [needs a mouse, kbd, and monitor, of course]. It is possible to make a PC for less that $500 that’s much faster, and it’s possible to make one from an ITX mobo that’s as small as Mini-Mac, but they also would require monitors, mice and keybaords, and they would still need to be built by hand. This is ready to go out of the box.
It’s too bad I have a G4 400 already. For a bit less I can get a processor upgrade to a 1.2 Ghz G4 from Sonnet.
HybriD:”History repeats its self: so what is ms about to steal?”
A: Windows Longhorn 1.5 on MS Xenix [tm]
Buy the time you spec it up for decent operation (general home/office work) it will cost you $$$$
Also what is with Apple and sub standard Graphics Adaptors?
9200 with 32 Meg ram, come on, I hope they have a Candy stripped version of OS-X to run on this machine or it will be another glorified Mac Door Stop.
NEXT!
are out in full force.
The iPod Shuffle is gonna kill the competition. I want one badly.
The thing I have notice most people forget is all the software that is included. You get iPhoto, iMovieHD, iDVD, Garage Band, OS X, etc.
If you build a mini-ITX system close ot the MAC specs, and then buy Windows XP, and software that handles the tasks above, I bet you are at or above the price Apple is charging. Plus your system will not be as small as the Apple system. If you want to match the power consumption and heat, then you better look at getting one of those new mini-ITX Pentium M boards, which in the end will cost the same or more than the Apple (most likely more, the Pentium M cpus are not cheap).
People are not looking at the whole package Apple is offering (small formfactor, quiet, lower powered, and all the software included). When you look at the whole package, this is a very good deal for most people and is not overpriced.
Bascule wrote:
So I see Apple has released iWork:
http://www.apple.com/iwork/
What’s funny is this name was already in use by two different other products:
IGG Software’s iWork (now iBiz):
http://www.iggsoftware.com/iwork/
And Sun’s iWork:
http://www.sun.com/aboutsun/iwork/
I smell a lawsuit at some point…
Start researching Trademarks and Patents. You’ll find the information explaining why this thought won’t emerge. IGG renamed their product after Apple negotiated with them.
Sun’s iWork is not a productivity office suite.
I miss editing on a mac. I really liked final cut and im still using meastro on my xp box. i want one of these so i can move back to dvd studio pro. and if you look on the apple page, it looks like it takes a standard ddr stick of ram. so i think leaving it at 256 and buying a 1gig stick at microcenter is an option.
“I am telling you people, not having the LineIn/Mic connectors on the Mac Mini is a TERRIBLE OVERSIGHT”
Give is a rest, Eugenia. This is not an oversight. Do you think the Apple engineers, upon seeing the realization of their glorious creation, said, “Oops, we forgot the mic input.”?
Quit your cryin’ and go buy an iMic.
I don’t know about anyone else but having three or four of these boys around to do distributed compiles and much much more is a small footprint in the development world.
When I want to optimize for 64Bit I’ll use a G5.
Sorry but use the Mac Mini as your second or more machine for distributed compiling. Have a PowerMac with dual displays if you really need to have dual monitors.
And if you can’t do web development or programming without dual monitors you must not be able to walk and chew gum at the same time.
All I was saying, was that even for a modest musician, an apple laptop should have a line in, mic in, and audio out. ALL 3; plus an integrated mic like every other damn x86 notebook.