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Intel Flaunts Mac mini Knock-off
Rollie Hawk writes "Remember how the Mac mini was designed by Apple to steal PC customers? Now Intel wants to steal them back. Adopting a shockingly similar lunch box shape and light-weight design, Intel's upcoming Mini PC features all the sleekness and portability (physical, that is) of the Mac mini with none of the Mac benefits. Well, at least it will probably have a faster processor. Now if only someone would make a Cobalt Qube knock-off for me."
Now I remember why I buy AMD.
they haven't done anything but stick a clock on the face of an empty stylish plastic box yet.
apple is shipping....
every day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
Get one off ebay, and stuff it w/ a mini or nano-itx board. A bit more work then just buying something from a manufacturer, but you've got more freedom in what you put in it, and you keep the small form factor and really cool lookin' case.
i was all like, yeah whatever, new small computer - horray. Then, i looked at this shot and now i kinda really want one :)
...so long as it can pull its weight doing the media junk in the house.
From the second paragraph of the article: " It's unlikely that Intel itself would build such a device."
Then, the article clearly goes on to say that this is a empty plastic shell, designed merely to inspire Intel's partners, not an example of any upcoming Intel product. I guess that doesn't sound as exciting and inflamatory, though.
Sam
Intel has a habit of showing off empty shell concepts and hoping that some manufacturer will pick it up. It's highly likely that this was the case here - no new product yet, just a plastic case that looks kinda like a Mac Mini.
It's cool and all, but its just not a Mac -------- http://onticfusion.sytes.net/
http://onticfusion.sytes.net/
Intel can make whatever shaped/sized box they want, but it's still going to ship with Windows for Joe Consumer. A box that can get easily 0wned is what people are growing weary of. Mac Mini targets those folks as well as iPod users (not necessarily separate groups there). This knock-off once again misses the point.
What makes this interesting is how well it runs Linux. Otherwise.... pfffft!
They always seem to want to copy what Apple does... but they muck it up and end up going nowhere with it. I would think that they would have learned after everyone and their mother tried to copy the iMac with no success.
Get Paid to search
Why would anyone want a computer that could aptly be described as looking like a lunchbox?
Way to go there, Intel. Suprisingly, it's about as functional as any XP machine once it's been let onto the Internet(s).
You have two hands and one brain, so always code twice as much as you think!
If Intel is truly the industrial leader (true)and innovator (questionable), then they should come up with a radically different concept PC to compete with Mac mini, and yet can target the same audience. Having a carbon-copy of Mac mini is the same as saying :
their design is superior, the only thing special about ours....we use a x86 cpu!!
Reminds me of Creative Zen looking awfully similar to the iPod mini, but much uglier colors.
"Thus far, the concept PC is just a piece of plastic, literally, although its design showed a clock display and optical drive in front, with ports such as USB, optical audio and FireWire in the back."
Apparently the CPU, motherboard, and all the other stuff that comprises a computer.I'm no Mac bigot. In fact I don't care what OS people use but I must say that Macs do have benefits over PCs, ease of use and lack of spyware for a start. However, PCs have benefits over macs as well. And SHOCK HORROR macs and pcs have advantages over linux while linux has advantages over both.
My favorite computer is my PS2 and my second favorite is my Cheap-n-crappy DVD player.
99 bottles of beer in 175 characte
Define "good software". Are you referring to business and graphic design software? Or, are you just worried about the most recent FPS?
That case looks JUST like a Mac Mini. Almost identical. It reminds me of the iMac knockoffs (I'm talking about the original iMacs which came in one colour (Bondi blue) and looked vaguely like a gumdrop) that came out shortly after the launch of that product.
With spending like this, exactly what are "conservatives" conserving?
No good software? You mean those overpriced games? Anything else is in one way or another availible for the mac, you might need VirtualPC though.
Being overpriced? How in * name can you call the mini overprized? If you want comparible performance with a commercial OS you will at least pay the same if not more.
The benefit of a mac is that most things work the way it supposed to do instead of not working or working but not the way it supposed to.
But anyway it's a nice wrapped up troll, you fooled me.
Why does this or the Mac Mini qualify as news?
Mini-ITX boards and their tiny cases have been around for years. Nano-ITX, while relatively new, was announced many months before the Mac Mini or this empty box from Intel.
Getting excited because certain manufacturers suddenly uses an existing technology does nothing more than show bias toward a company. At the very least, the post could fake some credibility by talking about trends towards smaller computers.
http://www.barefeats.com/macvpc.html
I always love to hear from people who equate MHz with speed and and power.
CS: It is all sink or swim...oh and did I mention there are sharks in that water?
Let me see if I have this right...
Apple creates something beautiful again, and everybody says "Wow, it's perfect, but it's an Apple".
Then within a few months {"Intel", "Dell", "Microsoft", "Compaq"} tells the rest of the world "it's alright, go ahead and start copying Apple".
So everybody does, and tells {"Intel", "Dell", "Microsoft", "Compaq"} how great they are.
again.
Never ask for directions from a two-headed tourist! -Big Bird
The whole poing of the Mac Mini is that it's a small affordable system that comes preinstalled with; an OS, a Photo Editor, Movie Editor, Music Player, DVD/VCD designer, and Music Composition software. Additionally most Macs comes pre-installed with Apple Works and World Book Encyclopedia.
Not to mention the splendor of no Adware or a major risk of viruses.
There's a world of original ideas in the universe, but the PC world repeatedly chooses to steal Apple's designs.
The only reason there's PC cases in colors other than beige is because Apple created the iMac. The only reason there's a Windows "XP" is because there was a Mac OS "X". The only reason you can import and organize music with Windows Media Player is because Apple created iTunes. The only reason there's a Windows Movie Maker is because Apple created iMovie. The only reason there's slim lightweight Pentium M class laptops is because Apple created the PowerBook. And now, the only reason Intel is floating this mini PC is because Apple created the Mac mini.
Apple takes all the creative risks. Thank goodness for the innovations of companies like Apple, Google, and those Linux rebels. Or we'd all be using big beige boxes and Windows 95. (Heck! There wouldn't even be a Windows 95 if it wasn't for OS/2 and Geoworks!)
Sam
Um last I checked a PC of equal capabilitys with the software that Apple bundles was found to be 700 dollars, well over the asking price of a Mac mini and even a shuttle PC cant come close to the size of it (or the price since the smaller form stuff is more money)
Likewise in a typical wintel fashon you completely glossed over OS X relitivly bug free and virus free workspace. Likewise just about everyone forgets that more software doesnt mean more quality. Everyone bitches that macs dont have any software when the REAL truth is
Macs dont have any games
Well hate to break it to you but I use Vectorworks and Office at work, and I honestly couldnt tell you the last time I had the time to play counterstrike.
"Slashdot, where telling the truth is overrated but lying is insightful."
So far, Intel has enforced market segmentation: You could get a laptop *or* a space-heater. This model is an indication that laptop processors will now be allowed to trickle into the general market. Ipod sized servers and child-pizza sized desktop comps are well within Intel's ability - just look at the size of the "computer" in your laptop.
Microsoft will doubtless resist the move: if it's not a "PC" then clients might not want "Windows", that clunky 19th century command center for a steam-powered computing box. Dell etc will also resist, because clients might get into the nasty habit of upgrading their CPUs only; even worse, some might dump laptops in favor of just taking their company "mini desktop" home in the backpack.
Summary - the Mac mini has broken Apple's hi-price policy, but it has also broken many of the unwritten laws of the PC cartel. Clearly, a form factor who's time has come !
This is not a signature.
I was a Dos/Windows (then to some extent Linux) user my entire life. I now am the proud owner of a Mac Mini. I haven't booted into windows once since I got it. I got sick of all the viruses/spyware/malware in windows and the fact that , althought windows gets the job done, it's not enjoyable to use.
I would have NEVER bought a mac had they not released the mini because I was not about to pay a premium for hardware when I don't do any graphic design work or play many games. So all these companies that are trying to release a Mac Mini killer are barking up the wrong tree when they just release a traditional pc with a small footprint. It's the operating system, stupid! I don't have an answer for them because I just don't think linux is ready for prime time yet, but I am evidence that people are ready for an alternative, but it has nothing to do with the fact that our computers are too big now. If apple had released a $499 machine that was the size of a G5 tower, I would have bought that as well.
Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur
...Mini Me Too?
Lesbian Nazi Hookers Abducted by UFOs and Forced Into Weight Loss Programs - -all next week on Town Talk.
That seems to be more disturbing than Intel trying to get manufacturers to compete with a mini-esque PC.
Sadly, it does seem to me that Apple is the only one out there that innovates and inspires.
At one time, Compaq, Dell, and even Microsoft could be expected to innovate. Just look at the original Armada. Visual Basic 3.0. the Pre-inspiron laptops. Ya, they weren't the best products ever, but they were very innovative, industry-changing ideas at the time.
Now they're just a slow evolution of an old idea. For people who don't like the press that Apple gets, and would like to see others garner some press time - well, what the hell has ANYONE in the industry done in the past 5 years?
Intel does not need to inspire the industry with a Mac clone. The industry has seen it - and is merely betting that people won't switch.
That's a good bet, but it shows me how much the PC industry has totally lost it's spark of innovation, despite loads of inspiration from a non-competitor.
Yes, a hunk of plastic has more OS flexibility than a PowerPC processor. Yeah, really flexible.
It's only functionality is a clock. That's all it can do. There's no CPU, no motherboard, nothing. It's a mockup of a PC designed to compete with the Mac mini.
GPL Deconstructed
is that the maketing position for the Mac Mini is to convert Windows iPod users who are sold on the Apple brand but think even the iMacs are too expensive.
Who, exactly, is the target market for the x86 Mini? PC's are already dirt cheap, and we know that shrinking down the form factor like that will only raise the price over existing desktop PC's. They aren't going to convert Mac users, because Mac users a) don't buy on price alone, and b) already have a Mac option in that category, so they will buy the Mac Mini.
Logically, for Intel to compete against the Mac Mini, they need to develop an iPod killer, not another desktop system.
What the hell is happening to the PC industry? It used to be all about making better faster machines with more features and now the trend is to make smaller machines with less features?????
What happened was that people got fed up with big ugly boxes that used a lot of power to make a lot of noise and heat. Especially since few people apart from gamers need the processing power of new machines. Being small, unobtrusive, less energy hungry, cool and quiet are also features you know, stuff that a lot of people are obviously willing to pay for. Hardly marketing spin.
Being bitter is drinking poison and hoping someone else will die
Maybe it's shifting towards adequetly powered machines with features that actually work all of the time.
computer is a tool, not a toy, when did we see a shift from functionality to marketing spin?
As soon as Joe Consumer wanted one in the living room instead of just the home office. Why is this a bad thing? Miniaturization will just increase the pervasiveness of computer hardware in general. There *needs* to be a paradigm shift in the PC industry. These things need to go from tempremental monsters that need more attention than my two year old, to appliances on par with my Tivo. To an extent, Mac is successfully in this transition state already. (no - I'm no fanboy, don't even own one, but I think they're well made)
Because we all know that the only OS a PowerPC can run is OSX...*rolls eyes*
I'll turn into a supernova and burn up everything. Well I'll turn into a black little hole and you'll turn into string.
Have a look at the Mac G4 Cube here:p hoto/674/sort/2/cat/501/page/1
http://www.cubeowner.com/photopost/showphoto.php/
If you stuff an upgrade card into one of these, you'll have a neat looking machine with plenty of power. This site is the place to go to learn about about the G4 Cube.
SourceHosting.net, LLC
Ready. Set. Code.
http://www.sourcehosting.net/
This is exactly the same as when Intel unveiled the Aztec prototypes right after the introduction of the original iMac...
I'll turn into a supernova and burn up everything. Well I'll turn into a black little hole and you'll turn into string.
That was NOT Intels new "mini" computer, only the new heatsink required for the next generation of Intel processors.
1) Imitation the sencerest form of flattery.
9 78&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312/
2) Its not the power brick, powering this unit. But the cooling tower you also need to hang off of it! With the earplugs included in the box!
3) Intel been doing this "odd shape case thing" for years and no one has coppied them yet. Remember the Aztec pyrimid? Uggly shape and colors.
4) But Microsoft want to go to the "Teddybear" form factor case!
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=545
5) The "low heat" and also "low power" micro/Pico-ITX form factor MB are not made by Intel but are being driven by VIA CPU's and chipset!
6) And is this from the same Intel that was hyping so much bleeding edge stuff, over the last few years. That after X months usually said we can't do it?
Has the PC industry really gotten that bad so that they don't do anything but copy Apple?
As any Apple-watcher will tell you, this has been SOP with the Wintel world for decades now.
The only thing dumber than the folks surprised at Intel's shameless copycat effort are the ones who mistake that empty plastic box for a fully-functional, shipping, ready-to-go-on-your-desk computer.
--R.J.
Electric-Escape.net
Newsflash: Intel launches empty grey plastic box! Film at eleven.
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"A computer is a tool, not a toy, when did we see a shift from functionality to marketing spin?"
Actually this is a shift to functionality. The Mac Mini comes with everything the average person needs. FireWire for dumping video and hooking up your iPod. Ethernet for networking. A good but not great video card. USB for hooking up mice, keyboards, scanners, memory drives and game controllers. You can add an airport to the Mini as an option. The only thing I see missing from the Mac Mini is a video in.
As a tool these new computers are complete and simple. They are more functional for most people.
You see I have been in computers a long time. I can remeber when you had many players in the market each one very different. Back in the 8 bit days you had Commodore. Atari, Tandy, Ti, Apple, and Sinclair. Each had it's own OS if you want to call it an OS. You had many different types of CPUs z80, 6502, 6809, and the TI chip. Even fast forward to the late 80s and you had Amiga, Atari ST, and Mac pushing to innovate. The PC you have now SUCKED compared to the Amiga, Atari ST, and Mac. The PC only won because of marketing spin. Look at a PC from 85 and look at the Amiga. The Amiga was cheaper, had better graphics, stereo sound, would multi task, could have a hard drive partition bigger then 33 megs and access more than 640k of ram with out doing all sorts of strangeness. A pc at the time was a 286 running at maybe 16 mhz and ran DOS 3.3, maybe windows 1 but no one really used that. The idea that PC industry has gone from technically driven to marketing drive just now is very very funny. It has been all marketing for the last 20+years.
See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
Clue train: Windows != x86/PC. We have Linux (which works on Macs too).
The Mac Mini's ridiculously small case design is only possible because of the low power consumption of the PPC74xx/G4.
Even companies other than Apple have done similar things with the G4 a loong time ago, does anyone here remember the YellowDog Linux Briq
This is not just an x86 issue, even Apple will have a hard time putting a G5 in it's current Mac Mini Case.
Its the result of deeply pipelined processor designs. More latches, more stuff to clock, more power consumption and heat dissapation.
Ah, the good old days of 4 stage processors.
Fetch, decode, execute, commit/writeback. That was it.
Check out vprMatrix. These x86 laptops are fairly decent in quality (my ~3 year old laptop still works great), and they're designed by F. A. Porsche GmbH. The thing has style.
IWARS.
People, in general, disappoint me. Politicians even more so.
The only reason there's PC cases in colors other than beige is because Apple created the iMac.
Sorry, I was buying non beige PC cases way back in 1996.
The only reason there's a Windows "XP" is because there was a Mac OS "X".
If thats true, what about the AthlonXP?
The only reason you can import and organize music with Windows Media Player is because Apple created iTunes.
You do realise iTunes origionally started out as a third party player that Apple bought?
The only reason there's a Windows Movie Maker is because Apple created iMovie.
And MS couldnt have gotten the idea from the hundreds of other Movie creation software packages out there? And the fact that firewire capable home movie cameras were becoming highly popular, so something in the end was bound to happen?
The only reason there's slim lightweight Pentium M class laptops is because Apple created the PowerBook.
Now that really is just fanboiism. Thin and lightweight laptops have been available for years - well before the PentiumM, and as long as, if not longer than, thin Powerbooks. I recall owning a thin and lightweight Sony Vaio back in 1998 - based on a PII chip!
And now, the only reason Intel is floating this mini PC is because Apple created the Mac mini.
Intel have floated such concept devices beforehand - and dont even THINK that Apple created the mini PC market - as many have pointed out, see the Cappachino PC - hell, even Mini ITX systems.
I own two Macs myself - a Mac Mini and an Ibook, so Im in no way anti Apple. But everything you just said is nothing but blatant fanboiism pure and simple. Apple is NOT the be all end all of computing - and surprisingly enough it doesnt innovate as much as you would like to think.
A plastic box the size of the Mini to inspire partners. Heck it is not even a prototype, just a plastic mock up.
Intel would be a lot more inspirational if they showed up with a circuit board prototype for a small form factor that comes in with a reasonable dollar cost and heat envelope.
A hunk of plastic when intel doesn't really offer a solution that fits in the plastic seems kind of pointless. Does intel offer any explanation of What processor/chipset would power their partners? A prescot would melt anything that size unless that was the heatsink.
Only really leaves Dothan solutions, which intel doesn't really sanction or price for desktop usage.
The only PC form factors close to this are micro-itx (non intel but shipping/working) and nano-itx (also non intel and maybe non shipping).
Maybe Intel is inspiring it's partners to think about using Via Epia solutions.
How much does design cost? Pulling a few numbers out of my ass, let's say that this took a team of 20 people to design, test, fabricate, etc. this design. Let's say it took them a year, at $100k. (Engineers make more, secretaries make less). That's two million bucks.
According to some news sources, Apple plans to sell around a million of the things. The cost of the design comes out to two bucks a unit.
Supposing I'm off by an order of magnitude, we're still talking about $20 per unit paid to the designers. So I really don't think that it's the design driving the price of the units.
I think that the price of Apple computers is generally driven by basic economics: how much are people willing to pay for them? If that number is greater than the cost to manufacture (including the $2 to $20 for the fancy design), then they do it; otherwise, they don't. The manufacturing cost only sets a lower limit on the price, but it doesn't set it.
People are willing to pay more for Apples, because they like the design and reliability. Some of that comes from spending more on designers; some comes from more expensive components (Apple for years insisted on using pricey SCSI before finally joining the rest of the world in IDE, for example).
A lot of it comes from the price of alternatives; Apple almost certainly looks at the price of a Dell marketed to the same audience and adds 20% or so. People are willing to pay a premium because they're getting a better piece of equipment. Apple has a tendency to tell people that they want a better computer than the one Dell is marketing to them.
Dell will happily sell you the cheapest machine they think you'll buy; Apple would rather sell you a computer that would make you happy. That gives them only a portion of the market, but it's a very cheerful market segment.
Design is the reason they can charge more, but it's not to pay the designers. Designers are cheap compared to the rest of the process. There might be some room for a competitor to Dell to arise with the same philosophy in the Wintel platform, but they'll be stuck with the same small market share Apple gets from seeking the high end, and they'll still be stuck with Windows as the OS, which will limit how much users like the product no matter how spiffy the physical design.
Every product could use a little more refinement. But before you say the Mac Mini needs refinement, I challenge you to try out. Get it in the original box, open it up, and try it out. It's a very smooth package.
Compare iMovie to MS Movie Maker and iPhoto to MS Photo Editor and you'll see that Apple has already done a lot of this "refinement" you speak of.
Personally I love the Mac Mini, but I know it's not for me. What I really want is a single processor G5 cube with graphics on an AGP or PCI-E card. I'd pay $900 - $1200 for it.
In our church, a busines donated fairly new G4 Apple computers. Some were still in the boxes, unopened. They were running the new OSX. I was very eager to set them up. However, from the very beginning they all seemed slow. Everyone complained that the browser would take a long time to open. Initially I thought the ethernet interface was throttled down, but then others said opening office applications was a lot slower than what they were used to with the Windows XP machines. We still have the apple computers, but only kids seem to use them for educational programs that we also received as a donation from another business. Why would apple computers be so much slower than PC computers? I understand there is some heated arguments over this, but I am really looking for an answer. Do you think I need to update to the latest version of OS X?
As if the all-in-one iMac form factor computer was something that Apple invented. I distinctly remember Compaq Prolinea (sp?) 486 all-in-one computers, which crammed a CD-Rom, Floppy(!), and all the other needed parts into an oversized 14"-15" monitor. Picture here.
Likewise, a computer the size of a Mac Mini is hardly original - people have imagined stuff like that for years. Apple is just the first company to pull it off on such a large scale.
The main difference in the Mini compared to other small form factors is that the took the tactic of pulling the power supply out into an AC adapter and they don't have slots for PCI cards. This means the mini is about 1/3 the height of of even a shuttle.
So, yeah, when Intel announces that they are pulling the power supply and removing the PCI slots, and puts it in a chrome box about the size of a CD drive - they're ripping off Apple's design.
Clear, Dark Skies
(Note: I took the idea for the "Subject" field from the second Star Wars Movie).
Yes we all know that there is a big problem with cloning out there in the world: Cloning sheep, cloning computers, cloning other animals, maybe cloning people, cloning movies, cloning characters in movies, and don't forget cloning subprocessors, whatever that might mean (I will leave it up for you to decide).
But let us look at the benefits of copying!
-It is inexpensive (relative to paying someone with a new idea).
-It is enjoyable to use a copy machine.
-Kinko's is open past midnight where I live, which can be very convenient if I am up late.
-Sometimes it is nice to have a copy of something (like a worksheet) you can "give" to other people
-It was used on Star Trek to great effect (Think TRIBBLES!)
Okay, I am being cheap bringing up tribbles because they weren't really cloned and they were very adorable. But it is not so bad to copy or clone something if it is good and it happens all the time. It makes things that are expensive become less expensive so more people get good things. And what is good for the goose is often good for the gander! HA HA HA! Just make sure they are wearing a friendly smile!!!
If Microsoft installed a full version of Win2K on the X-box and installed several standard USB ports and a VGA plug, and sold them at cost($300?), they could flood the market. As long as it still played X-box games just think of the multimedia possibilities.
Science is the Real TRUTH!
Ives likely makes more like three to five hundred thousand a year. He drives a Bentley...
But custom as opposed to commodity parts cost quite a bit of coin. Of course, not the amount that would make up for a large cost diference, perhaps fifty bucks per. I remember going to the plant that produced the NeXT cube and well as Linn tonearms, and the mold was pretty amazing. The final piece also required custom finishing, as molds have seams, and Steve wanted a seamless design. The stuff is more costly than you think. Which is exactly why so few companies invest in the processes, people, and long term commitments to producing excellent design.
I'm sure I'll regret voicing this, but I'm curious why there's such a strong reaction from such a pro-Linux community. Wouldn't this enable you to create a myriad of products, gadgets, etc. that ran Linux, looked more elegant, and carried a much lower price point than custom system builds? It seems like a boon to the Linux hacking community.
Getting another cheap piece of commodity PC hardware out into the markey isn't the point. The point is that this is a small, cheap multi-media piece of hardware.
FTA: Intel on Wednesday showed off its living room PC of the future--and it looks a lot like the Mac Mini.
This can easily play DVDs, mp3s, record TV (think tivo or myth for that matter). How long until either Apple releases the software for running your own Tivo, or importing TV directly into iMovie. This is meant to be the digital jukebox that you use when you're not "working", but instead enjoying life.
- passion
As a state gets corrupt, its laws multiply; the most corrupt states have the most numerous laws. (Tacitus, Annales 3:27)
The thing that irks me is that however wonderful the Apple Mini is, Intel is also doing a concept design of something that has been done on the PC side of things already.
As if someone would proudly show a concept car of a new Mini or Smart, almost ten years after the fact...
This lack of imagination is almost insulting to PC brands that try to do entertainment designs or small form factors. I'm generally totally unimpressed by PC design, but one has to acknowledge the fact that there is already enough on the market to surpass Intel's revolutionary concept.
Never mind Apple, I don't think Intel can do anything design-wise to insult them. Apple's actual products are way above and beyond these concepts.
I think, therefore I am...I think.
That's what Nanode must have thought when they first saw the new Mac.
http://www.mini-itx.com/news/nanode/ These pics, based on a box using a nano-ITX board are from a year ago.
Yes, they aren't out yet. There may ultimately be critisisms of it's size, features, what not. But with the specs and pics announced 9 months before the Mac Mini, you can't call it the copy
You have to be careful - the "Macs are slow" flame war has a long history.
But, a lot of people have complained about the speed of the OS X Finder compared to Windows Explorer. Generally the complaint is what you've mentioned - slow app loading speeds, rather than slow performance once they're loaded.
10.3 should help a lot with that. Another trick is that if these machines really are used rather than new-in-box they might need to be "optimized". Check sites like MacOSXHints for references to "update_prebinding".
Also, look for a tool called "MacJanitor" which can help clean up the grunge on older systems.
Clear, Dark Skies
Actually, Apple didn't copy XEROX PARC's research at all. They flat out used it as it and improved upon it. XEROX didn't see a use for either mouse or GUI technology, so they gave Apple permission to use it.
Pooty tweet
I've seen a number of post blasting Intel for constantly ripping off Apple's innovative ideas. I guess I'd like to know, how is making a gumball of a computer that matches your eyes and complements your shoes innovation? I'm not say Intel is any less of a ripoff artist, just that is sounds more like fashion than innovation to me.
if this is true, why is the technology used in the mac becoming ever more like that used in the wintel world [ram, ide, usb, etc].
You seem to confuse invention with innovation. Using the latest standard of PCI or DDR does not make you an innovator, coming out with stuff like the Mac Cube and the iPod does.
Ah, slight nitpick... the Hard Drive is 40GB. You're off by 20GB. This is more than enough space for a Macintosh that would be used by someone who is focusing on reading email, writing documents and a few basic issues of why you'd by a small PC in the first place. You're not buying it to crunch numbers, you're buying it to be 'basically useful' to you.
Personally, I think Apple's done the right thing at exactly the right time. There are so many viruses, trojans, etc on the PC side of the house and virtually none on the mac side by comparison -that makes a lot of PC users and the media stand up and take notice. Finally Apple simplicity and anonymity pays off, and you really don't need to do much at all, just plunk down $499 and cannibalize the PC garbage lying around the house to escape the MS-Insanity.
The $499 version specs:
1.25GHz PowerPC G4
256MB DDR333 SDRAM
ATI Radeon 9200 with 32MB DDR video memory
40GB Ultra ATA hard drive
Combo drive
DVI or VGA video output
AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth optional
"Love is like pi - natural, irrational, and very important." (Lisa Hoffman)