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Updated Mac Mini Aims For the Living Room
WrongSizeGlass noted that besides the pre-order of the new iPhone appearing on the Apple store today, Apple has revved the Mac Mini and started selling those too. "PC World is reporting on the latest version of Apple's Mac Mini. At only 1.4-inches tall the unibody aluminium enclosure includes an HDMI port, an SD card reader, and more graphics and processing power. Even the power supply is inside now. The base model comes with 2.4-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB of RAM and a 320GB hard disk — for $699. Graphics power comes from an NVIDIA GeForce 320M GPU (as found in lower-end MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops). Apple appears to be aiming for living rooms by including the HDMI port and eliminating the external power brick."
Thanks Apple. I really needed yet another device to want to buy, especially given that I've just bought myself an iPad and my girlfriend an iPod Touch. This really seems like an Apple TV-on-steroids that I'd love to have. Thanks.
My bank account thanks you too.
Signed, an unabashed Apple Fanboi.
The Mini was always aimed at people who already had a screen and keyboard.
"I use a Mac because I'm just better than you are."
A home theater system with no Blu-Ray. Might as well buy a PS3.
Looks good, but sacrificing a frontal USB port just for aesthetics? .... meh.
I don't quite see it fitting into the living room. For that price I would expect a mac mini which works as a media box and has a natal/kninect interface. THAT would be killer! IMHO.
I thought the iMac was the entry point.
So with the current mini you're looking at doubling the ram like you always have to for a stock machine and it's a proprietary case not meant for user fiddling so you have to pay the mac store to install the ram
They actually designed the case so the RAM is user upgradable, just scroll down http://www.apple.com/macmini/design.html
I disagree with the notion that the new Mini is aimed at the living room, because this $699 box is $300-$400 more than the Boxee Box, Popcorn Hour and other less-expensive media players. It's more likely that the Mini's primary market is education and home users who want a desktop Mac for under $1K.
Unless I'm missing something, this seems like a really stupid mistake that would be a deal breaker for any use in the living room.
"and if you have a separate sound system, you can use the audio out 3.5mm jack (no real surround sound here, unfortunately) for your home cinema."
load "linux",8,1
A Mac Mini sized Dell Zino with HDMI starts at $249.99.
I liked more the external power brick, because it's a component that generates lots of heat and it was passively cooled. If you put it inside the Mac Mini it will inevitably cause more fan noise than a similar solution with external power supply.
There's a hidden treasure in Python 3.x: __prepare__()
I don't know about you, but the internal power supply would make me really concerned that this thing would run hot.
Also, I had some high hopes when I read they were revving the mini - I was hoping it would have an i5 (and maybe even an i7 option).
Basically, I want an iMac, but I've got my own screens - just never gonna convince me to buy an all-in-one like that, but the Pros are overkill.
Better graphics: yay
Unibody (unopenable) case: BOO
Still Core2 instead of i5/i7: BOO
HDMI: MEH
I guess my MacBookPro will have to be an only Mac for a while longer.
The Digital Sorceress
I've never bought an Apple product, but presumably they sell keyboards and mice in the Apple store. That way you can choose between a standard one, and a wireless one, or whatever.
I'd prefer PCs in normal stores to come with no keyboard and mouse, the provided ones are typically crap anyway.
I'm glad I waited; I was going to buy the previous version in the server configuration. Say what you will about HDMI ports, no blu-ray, etc., but the mini makes for a great server. I run Jira, Subversion, Postgres, and Tomcat for a dev team on one mini and it hasn't given me a minute of problems. If anything, I forget where it lives because it's so small. That said, I'd like to replace our existing one with a new one for the increased disk space (currently the db is on an external disk) and to possibly use the built-in Jabber server than the one we've got now.
Without a BluRay player, even as an option, its a deal breaker. If the only way they expect me to get content onto the device is to go through iTunes, then I'm not buying.
Even something like EyeTV for recording television seems like a half assed solution, when Apple has the opportunity to do it right.
The 3.5mm audiojack has mini-Toslink built in.
In terms of being an HTPC...
The mini didn't need to be any smaller. It didn't need a more powerful GPU. It also didn't need a price increase.
It already had to deal with competitors 1/3rd it's price.
Allowing for "more" in the mini itself would have been a better idea.
Also, moving the power supply into the main case is a DUMB idea because it
complicates cooling issues. There was really no problem with it being on the
outside. In back of a TV stand, it really won't matter if there's a power
brick back there too.
It's nice that Apple has finally decided to acknowledge HDMI though.
A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
This thing would make a pretty nice little HTPC, for approximately 4x the price you could build an equivalent with Newegg parts.
My other sig is clever.
No kidding.
The new Mac Mini is about the same size as Apple's Time Machine which also has an internal power supply and a well-earned reputation for suffering heat-induced death after an average of about 18 months http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2009/nov/04/apple-time-capsule-failures-early
so you have to pay the mac store to install the ram
It's not easy to replace the RAM as in other cases, but there are a number of guides online how to do it. The only unique tool you will need is a putty knife.
then you have to get the mouse and keyboard which will be wireless and thus more expensive, plus any other accessories you might pick up.
You don't have to get a wireless keyboard and mouse. You can use USB ones. Or if you already have one like from Logitech it will work.
Oh, and let's no forget the mandatory service plan since Apple gives you a flat one month warranty, that's it. My mini's hard drive took a shit at one year plus two months. They told me I was SOL.
The warranty is one year not one month. One year is fairly standard. And no one is forcing you to buy a service plan.
In your case the HD failed, not the MB so I don't see how your are SOL. HDs fail and the HD isn't a part that Apple manufactures so they don't have control over the quality of it. Replace it and you still have a computer. You'll lose all your data if you didn't perform regular backups
Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
Blu-Ray is dead, it just doesn't know it yet.
Remember, Apple doesn't plan a couple quarters ahead, it plans years ahead. And it knows that you can already stream an HD movie or TV show faster than you could get up off your couch and go buy or rent it physically.
Also, there's nothing to stop you buying an external BD player. Newegg has 'em under $150.
Linux, you magnificent bastard, I read the fucking manual!
It is worth noting that the cheapest dual-core model of the Zino is $499, still cheaper than the Mini, but it also has the trendy-retro-60s-ugliness-fit-for-goodwill type look which the Mini lacks.
What changed under Obama? Nothing Good
I'm not overwhelmed by the specs myself but it appears that Apple is positioning the Mac mini to be a replacement computer and not an entry-level. If you already have a PC/Mac and want to upgrade/switch, this is the machine.
Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
I think $1000 for the server configuration with two 500GB drives that you can RAID is pretty darned compelling. They claim it draws 10W at idle, which makes the operating cost almost negligble. And it comes with the server OS, which is normally $500 alone.
Look at the UK prices. Once you take off VAT at 17.5%, and then convert to US$, it is 17% more expensive.
Also, the Mac Mini first started at £399 when it was introduced, and affordable computer, it now starts at £649, with mediocre hardware.
It's a rip off, for sure!
Agreed. I like apple products - they're pretty slick. But for half the price you could get about the same by buying a Dell laptop and keeping the lid closed. For the extra cash a keyboard, mouse, display, and Blue-Ray drive would cost, why wouldn't you?
I like apple, but GOD DAMN, do they need to look at reality once in awhile. I might buy this if it was $300-$350. That would be a pretty good deal, I think. I could build better for that price, but not in that small a form factor. A little realism in their pricing might be a very good thing for them.
Velociraptor = Distiraptor / Timeraptor
Cue the Mac Tax complaints in 3...2...1...
I got an Acer Revo with the Nvidia Ion GPU for about that price ($250) about a year ago.
I connected a 1 TB external drive via the eSATA port and the thing works great. It is not speedy but the ION allows it to play just about any HD video with only a slight increase in CPU load. It is pretty close to silent.
I guess this mac must have better specs, but I can't imagine what would justify such a high price. Small, silent computers were expensive several years ago, but now they are cheap.
At only 1.4-inches tall the unibody aluminium enclosure includes an HDMI port, an SD card reader, and more graphics and processing power.
The new Mac Mini doesn't pack more processing power, it's actually slower than one of the previous models. The old line up included two models, one with an Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.26 GHz and one at 2.53 GHz, both with the option to upgrade to 2.66 GHz. Now the new line up includes only one model, clocked at 2.4 GHz, also with the option to upgrade to 2.66 GHz.
So all in all, the new model is faster than the entry model of the previous version, but the old line up also included a model faster than what's available now.
Pretty good is actually pretty bad.
you can already stream an HD movie or TV show faster than you could get up off your couch and go buy or rent it physically
Wally-world is 3 minutes from my house. I can be there and back in 15 minutes from when I decide to go. They actually have a decent selection of Blu-Ray movies these days, including a number in the cheap bins. Blu-Ray supports up to 36 megabits per second, which is faster than the Internet access at the vast majority of homes in the US. For example, to get Blu-Ray quality video on my 6 meg DSL, for a 2 hour movie I'd have to wait for up to 10 hours of "buffering" before I could "stream" the video. If you only did half the max quality level of Blu-Ray (18 meg) and your Internet connection was twice as fast (12 meg), you'd still have to wait an hour before starting to watch a 2 hour movie. And that assumes there's a server farm somewhere that can feed a whole bunch of 18-36 meg streams simultaneously.
Also, there's nothing to stop you buying an external BD player. Newegg has 'em under $150.
Does Apple include Blu-Ray player software (complete with all the necessary DRM support so you can actually get 1080p)? A drive is useless without the software, and the software included with the drive will be for Windows, not Mac OS X.
> Oh, and let's no forget the mandatory service plan since Apple gives you a flat one month warranty, that's it.
In what God-forsaken country do you live ? In all of the EU all the Apple products have a two-year national warranty (including a one year international warranty coverage) by default.
Also: no other company would have replaced a component they don't manufacture (the hdd) after the warranty expired.
You're a troll.
1% APY, No fees, Online Bank https://captl1.co/2uIErYq Don't let your $$$ sit in a no-interest acct.
Oh, and let's no forget the mandatory service plan since Apple gives you a flat one month warranty, that's it. My mini's hard drive took a shit at one year plus two months. They told me I was SOL.
AFAIK this is totally wrong? I thought all Apple products come with a one year warranty (90 days of phone support).
You could also have bought a 3 year warranty (Which I never do on something this cheap) for like $150 iirc.
Sucks that the drive broke, but surely a slashdotter could open a mac mini and replace the drive easily enough? I've done so on many models of iMac (even back it was hard!)
The RAM is user upgradeable, the warranty is for a year, not a month, and there’s nothing that prevents you from using a ten-year old USB keyboard/mouse. Don’t know why you wasted your money paying for all that... I’m sure most slashdotters have a few keyboards and mice lying around, I know I do.
The statement about the RAM was only wrong because Apple finally decided to fix the problem.
It wasn't so much "wrong" as it was OUTDATED.
That doesn't make it a troll exactly.
A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
The thing is, if non techy people have their box die on them, they're not going to switch to a Mac Mini that probably costs more than their original complete system did.
To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
"A desktop OS will, and never will, be suited for anything other than a Desktop... it will never work on the Living Room."
Based upon what? Right now I run a Windows 7 system via my 50" Samsung in my living room. I use two bluetooth mice and keyboard. The keyboard is rarely used. My system works perfectly.
To get to a movie or TV show you double click My Computer and double click the mapped drives to the movies or shows. Using the scroll wheel you whip through hundreds of movies or subfolders with the shows. You want to instantly get to the end of the list, use the scroll bar. Double click on the one you want.
Media Player Classic opens and you can use the mouse to instantly zip through the movie or show via the seek bar without using the slow "fast" forward or rewind buttons you get with a remote. You don't realize how much fast forward and rewind buttons suck until you start using a mouse to traverse through videos. You want to go half way into the movie, one click and you're half way into the movie. Want to skip to the end, one click and you're at the end. Instantly.
You want to turn up the volume? Scroll up on the mouse. You want to turn it down? Scroll down. You want to pause, click the mouse. Want to unpause, click again.
Tired of watching TV shows or movies on your TV? Double click a short cut to your "rock" play-list on your desktop and the music instantly starts. Want to find a specific song. Double click on the Winamp library, get the song you want, and listen to it.
I have friends who use their PS3s and 360s to access content. That works. You can even buy remotes for them. But I can get to my content much quicker and with more ease than they ever could.
And one more thing, I don't have to wait for some manufacturer to play catch-up. If some new video codec or wrapper is released, I can instantly watch it in my living room. I don't have to wait a few months in hopes that Sony or someone else will play catch-up and include support for it.
If someone says he and his monkey have nothing to hide, they almost certainly do.
Atom's integrated graphic chipset doesn't "pull" 1080p.
but the big box stores and consumer hardware creators seem to not notice. Outside of Apple and Netflix I know of very little in this direct delivery market other than what the consumer is exposed too, namely cable. Yet for all the years of Cable and Satellite a good amount of DVD sales occur because many still want something the can put their hands on.
The problem I see the new mini having other than lack of blu-ray is the fact it cost even more overseas, the prices are scary high for what you get.
No blu-ray means its just a toy to me, something that does not replace another device but instead requires to find accommodation for it.
* Winners compare their achievements to their goals, losers compare theirs to that of others.
custom motherboard, custom case, custom cooling, small size, ability to run OSX and not violate the terms, are all things that add markup. Look at shuttle.
All of the above was encrypted with a Quad ROT-13 method. Unauthorized decryption is in violation of the DMCA.
The real concern is that a (portable, screen-and-keyboard-provided, generally well regarded) macbook laptop now costs only slightly more than does the mini. In fact, the cost of a mini + decent monitor and adequate peripherals is pretty much identical, without the battery.
If you already have a $1,000+ HDTV, the mini is certainly elegant looking, and a hell of a lot punchier than any of the atom-based HTPCs in similar size classes(albeit 1/2 to 1/3 the price); but I'm not sure how much of a virtue that will end up being. If you plan on gaming on an HDTV, the mini's graphics are going to be a serious issue. If you are just doing video, pretty much any CPU will be fast enough, with hardware decode assistance.
If you want a general-purpose mac, the modest premium for a laptop, that can be toted around or attached to external peripherals, seems much more compelling.
I wonder if Apple are becoming complacent, or are focusing far too much on their mobile products. Their current product line is an illogical, uncompetitive mess (moreso than usual).
Apart from the usual "Mac Tax, no mid-level desktop blah blah blah" argument, the current product line is decidedly unappealing to a veteran mac user. I have a 2005-era Mac Mini (Core Duo 1.6GHz), and a 12" PowerBook (1.5GHz G4). If it weren't already obvious to you, I'd like to replace both, but don't have gobs of cash to do it, and would also like to get a tangible improvement for my money, and 5 years of "evolution."
We're used to paying 20% more for several intangibles (build quality, form factor, aesthetics) as well as several "tangibles" (OSX, generally top-of-the-line hardware). Right now, many macs cost double what their PC counterparts do, and although Dell and HP haven't quite gotten the memo about build quality and form factor, they're closing the gap, and Windows 7 is actually not bad at all.
Up until today, the Mac Mini hadn't seen a major redesign since the addition of a few extra USB ports around 2007. In 2010, I can pay more than my 1.6GHz machine cost in 2006 for a computer with a slightly better processor (about 2x as fast from what Passmark say), and the same (inadequate) amount of RAM. I installed a 7200RPM hard drive last year (for all of $80), which actually makes the new Mini worse in that regard. 802.11n, and the form factor improvements are nice, but the package just isn't compelling.
The 13" MacBook pro is also a baffling oddity. It's a great machine at a decent price point, and really has no peers in the PC world. However, like the Mac Mini, a C2D is inexcusable on a new machine in 2010. There's not even an expensive option for something faster or with more RAM. The 15" and 17" models are better, though, like many others, I cherish portability more than I do screen size. I'd love for Apple to bring back a 12" model, or simply sacrifice the optical drive for a bigger processor.
The iMac's got better entry level specs and pricing (which have inexplicably not trickled down to the Mini). The top-end model also has an i5, which is nice too, also considering that i7 chips too expensive to be economical for most home users. However, there's no way to get an i5 without a behemoth (but gorgeous) 27" display.
Apple's top-of-the-line workstations used to be defensible, considering that Xeon chips are seriously %*$&ing expensive, and the machines were generally rock-solid and lasted forever. Dell and HP's equivalents weren't much cheaper. However, things have changed, and the Mac Pro hasn't gotten any cheaper. Even a small bump down would be appreciated.
The RAM issue is a bit tricky too. Apple upcharges an extortionate amount on RAM upgrades, and has rather low maximums on most of its machines. Laptops are sadly rarely upgradable very far beyond the stock amount, and even the Minis and iMacs have incredibly low maximums. My G4 from 1999 has the same RAM capacity as my Mini from 2006. That's pathetic.
-- If you try to fail and succeed, which have you done? - Uli's moose
People like owning discs and there are reasons to want to. Currently Blu-ray beats any streaming service hands down. Not surprising, as a Blu-ray is often 25mbps or more for the main movie. Nothing streams at that rate yet. Also none of the streaming services I've seen include extras, which people do like. Finally there's just the concept of owning a disc, owning a movie. People want to be able to rewatch as often as they like and not be charged. May seem silly but it is the case. Also there's just simple impulse buying. People go to the store, browse the movies, see one and say "Want." They aren't specifically out to get a movie, they are just seeing what there is and decide to grab one.
Then of course there's the net issue. While we geek types tend to have connections sufficient for easy HD streaming, many people do not. If you want to stream video well you tend to need a connection at least twice as fast as the rate you wish to stream at, to deal with dropouts and so on without an excessive buffer, and you need it to be pretty stable. Many people still have low end Internet, even if it is broadband. Here cheap cable modem service starts at 3mbps. Now it's only like $10/month more to go up to 12mbps, however people still go for the cheap shit. They say "It's all I need."
Of course then you get to the problems with the streaming services themselves. Netflix is great, pay one price and watch whatever you like, whenever you like. However the selection sucks. There are only a few things you can get watch now. I can watch X-Files but not Robot Chicken, I can watch SVU but not normal Law and Order, and movie selection is the worst of all. Vudu and Cinemanow have a much better selection, you can usually find the latest titles. However that is pay per view. $4 to watch a movie from Vudu. Not hugely expensive, but not cheap either.
Finally there's the simple issue that a Blu-ray player does all this. My $150 LG player plays Blu-rays and DVDs, of course, but also streams Netflix, Cinemanow, Vudu, Pandora, MLB.tv, and Youtube. It apparently can be upgraded too since it didn't come with MLB, that appeared after the last update. So a cheap consumer device, that has an excellent interface for TV use and works with a normal remote, streams movies off the net with ease.
I don't see the Mac mini is Apple planning years ahead (also I can give you plenty examples of Apple failing to plan), it is just a fairly expensive low end computer. Yes you can hook it to your TV, big deal. You can hook any computers with a DVI or HDMI output to your TV and they all have them these days.
Blu-ray is here to stay for some time, like it or no. Streaming is cool but people want to go and buy discs and play them.
Well, it's aimed at people who already have a USB keyboard, a USB mouse and a USB microphone.
The "standard warranty" forces you to dicker around with the service department at Apple.
The "one month" is how long you have to return the device if it is defective.
If you think it's defective after that, they won't let you return it any more and they
restrict you to warranty repair service.
So do all of your torture testing early.
A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
I almost had to check the calendar to verify it wasn't April 1st. Oi!
I wonder what their thought pattern was on this move. It's got a fraction of the performance of a PC at the same price point (yeah, because I built one - a year ago - for $100 less than that, with high quality PSU/board/etc. and a Phenom II). Hell, pick up an Acer Aspire Revo similar (practical) performance for $330 - less than half the Apple cost. Granted, the Aspire Revo has a weaker CPU, but in that role (without OS X) you're not going to need a faster CPU.
Maybe they saw the mini was selling too well so they increased the price? Seems like a really silly move, considering it now costs more to get a mini than it does an iMac (after peripherals and monitor), with less performance.
~/ssh slashdot.org ssh: connect to host slashdot.org port 22: too many beers
"Oh please, I've been able to download movie rips from the internet/usenet/whathaveyou since before DVDs EXISTED"
Has your download of Titanic completed yet?
Q: If Steve told you to jump off a bridge, would you?
A: Not again.
Joke stolen from the Smothers Brothers substituting "Steve" for "CBS".
That was my thought. When the Mac Mini was originally released, I believe the low end was $499. When they moved to Intel chips, the low end moved to $599. Now the low end is up to $699. It's still the cheapest way to get Mac OSX, but it's losing its price advantage.
Comparing apples to oranges. Well, to other Apples actually, but what the heck.
The mini is a great machine for the living room, and why would you want to put a MacBook there? The form factor is different, pretty much everything else about the hardware is different. We live in an age where the old PC mantra of "one user, one machine" isn't true anymore. Today, most of us own several computers already - if I count my phone, I have 3 at home and 2 at work plus a few servers out there. Ten, even five years ago, with that count I would've been an extreme nerd. Today, that's not so unusual anymore.
Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
That laptop the GP mentioned has a custom mobo, custom case, custom cooling, and small size. If you're willing to Hackintosh it, you can even run OSX. Plus, it comes with a built-in Battery backup unit. This new mini is flat out overpriced for what it is, especially with the 3 year old specs--A C2D? Where's the i5 or at least i3? 2GB of memory? Who puts less than 4GB in anything anymore?
This smells like someone at Apple paranoid that the Mini is going to undercut some other product and turning it into a real lemon to avoid that.
I read the internet for the articles.
You can choose a dual-core Athlon for $45 more than the $250 one.
"If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you." - DM
The disk may cost very little in material cost, but that is only part of the cost of a physical disk - you also have the manufacturer's overhead (it takes more space to manufacture disks than it takes to stream media), the storage and distribution costs to get the disks to the retailer, the retailer's overhead.
Also, it has been reported that it costs Netflix under 10 cents to stream an HD movie. The biggest cost for Netflix to stream a movie to you is the licensing fee they are paying to have the right to stream it to you.
-Nick
My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi. You killed my master. Prepare to die.
Dell also sells the Hybrid for, um, some reason.
Say what you will about Steve Jobs, one of the smartest things he did when he first returned to Apple was slash the product line down to a few simple categories. There's nothing I hate more than trying to compare laptops from Dell or HP. Someone at each of those companies needs to watch this.
Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
The Mac Mini is popular with car customizers because of the size and the external power supply. It's easy to adapt to a DC-DC regulator so it works off of 12V automobile (or boat) power.
Now they'll have to resort to a inverter.
Edith Keeler Must Die
The largest problem with the Zino is that it is sold by Dell. Trying to find a real price for anything via its website is like visiting the worst caricature of a used car salesman possible.
What changed under Obama? Nothing Good
I'll be blunt: if you can afford a Mini, you can afford either a new USB keyboard or a PS/2-to-USB adapter for your old one. In the list of reasons why you might not want a Mini, this non-issue is so far down as to be nonexistent.
Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
I would seriously consider purchasing one of these as a media server if it had a blu-ray/dvd combo drive. Without blu-ray this device isn't worthy of space on my HT rack.
It's $599 for the dual-core 1.8GHz option that's closest to the Mac Mini.
Bigger hard drive (750GB) and 4GB RAM however.
Weaker graphics, weaker CPU, bigger box.
You can upgrade the graphics to the HD4330 for another $75. You can't upgrade the CPU.
I'd say the prices were comparable, but with the Mac Mini you can update the hard drive space or add it via USB or FW800, and you can increase the memory. You can't increase the CPU on the Dell.
Windows / Mac OS X is personal preference of course, but iLife has to be worth something compared to the add-on software that Dell offers in their personalisation process.
You guys are comparing apples to condoms, figuratively. Show us that magical unicorn delivered Compaq for $300 that's in a tiny form factor. Small doesn't come cheap.
But does it run Flash?
"But this one goes to 11!"
Apple does include it. The current mini comes with the DisplayPort to DVI adapter already, so no need for the adapter you mention.
As an aside, the local Fry's recently had current minis on sale for $100 off: 2GB / 2.24GHz versions for $500.
...yes. The old "you are being overcharged anyways so you might as well be content at wasting some more money" argument.
A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
Dell Zino vs Mac mini comparison:
Z & M- Gig Ethernet, 4 USB, SD card reader, 2GB RAM base - up to 8GB
Z- M-Radeon HD 3200, M-Radeon HD 4330 option (nice)
M- NVIDIA GeForce 320M (faster)
Z- max 1.8GHz Athlon dual
M- max 2.6GHz Core2Duo (alot faster)
Z- base 160GB HD, max 1TB (unless you buy your own)
M- base 320GB HD, max 500GB (unless you buy your own)
Z- VGA & HDMI
M- DP & HDMI
Z- eSATA
M- FW800
Z- analog audio I/O, mic, optional better audio upgrades available
M- analog + digital optical audio I/O
Z- external power brick
M- internal PS (new feature - I like it)
Z- flimsy tray load DVD
M- slot load DVD
Z- WiFi - optional
M- 802.11n (a/b/g/n) WiFi standard
Z- Bluetooth ?? (seems to be no option)
M- Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR standard
Z- Windows Vista OS - base (Win7 -> +$150)
M- MacOS X Snow Leopard
Z- 3.4 x 7.8 x 7.8 inch, 4lb, plastic
M- 1.4 x 7.7 x 7.7 inch, 3lb, aluminum
Z- enviro - you can BTO a tree planting - woo hoo
M- enviro responsible/recycleable if that's a big thing to you
Z- Configured to come anywhere close to base Mac mini - $503
M- Base price - $699
If you upgrade the Zino to a 320GB HD, best Athlon CPU, par up the graphics, add WiFi, and add Windows 7 to the Dell Zino, you're within $50 of the Mac mini price, and you still don't have a fast CPU, Firewire, Bluetooth, DisplayPort, digital audio I/O, or a slot load DVD drive. Plus you also don't have the build quality. Methinks the Mac mini wins hands down compared to the Zino, and probably any other SFF PC on the planet.
Power supply built in is great. Smaller size is great. Better graphics is very nice. You're such a lame anti-Apple troll that you put down all the things about the new mini that are better than the old one. The only real disappointment with the update is the increased price.
HDMI sucks as a PC display connector. It's only really good for connecting to a TV. It's interesting that the HDMI port on the mini supports higher-than-1080p resolution (1080p being the reason HDMI is so awful for desktop use). Apple has always supported HDMI on their TV-centric device, the AppleTV. It's notable that they decided to add it to the mini. Makes you wonder if it's part of a larger living-room play, or just a replacement for the old mini-DVI port (just like that replaced the DVI port before it).
I have absolutely no idea how you got moderated +5 Interesting. Almost all of what you say is wrong, except perhaps that you bought a Mac Mini and own a TV. The RAM is user upgradeable on this model. You can use any USB wired or wireless input devices; I use a logitech internet desktop 250 set; the pair cost me $7.50. That leaves me at price plus $7.50. I have a 19" Viewsonic LCD I use with the system, which can be had for around ~$100 these days. The warranty is 1 year in the US; I can't imagine where you live that you wouldn't get at least that. And of course they told you that you were SOL; a hard drive failure is (1) Expected (you did expect that, just like you would for any machine, right?) (2) Out of Apple's control (they don't manufacture them, and neither does any of the other computer manufacturers) (3) Not major. Any SATA laptop HDD will do, ~$50 will get your machine running again.
I am an ACMT, and I manage the service department of an AASP (Apple Authorized Service Provider). I in fact DO know what I'm talking about.
The 1080p trailers on Apple's site are ~10mbps, 720p is significantly less.
My connection is 30mbps, and the average internet connection is increasing.
Blu-Ray's days are numbered.
If you're buying a Mac Mini to run Windows, you're doing it wrong. There are $250 Dells and whatnot for that! The only reason to get the Mac Mini is if you specifically want Mac OS and don't want to deal with the complications (legal and otherwise) of turning that aforementioned $250 machine into a hackintosh.
"[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz
Including PS/2 connectors would have better met that goal without discouraging any customers with USB-only peripherals.
The subset of people who would want a Mini and who refuse to upgrade past PS/2 keyboards and mice is null. If you want to bitch about an adapter, bitch that it doesn't support VGA or DVI without buying the extra cable. But seriously, you just can't credibly whine that you'll have to shell out another $5 to buy a keyboard and mouse from this decade.
The Dell I'm typing this on doesn't have PS/2 jacks. The (much older) Dell it's sitting on doesn't have PS/2 jacks. My home server doesn't have PS/2 jacks. Neither of my laptops have PS/2 jacks. I suppose you think that Dell, HP, IBM, Gigabyte, and Apple are all being miserly bastards, but the truth is that you have obsolete peripherals that won't work on the majority of new systems. Either buy an adapter (as I said I did so I can keep using my Model M) or go to the Salvation Army and ask if you can have a spare USB keyboard and mouse. They're ubiquitous now.
Other topics off-limits to bitching: the lack of parallel parallel ports, serial mice ports, and ISA slots.
Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
I haven't spent any money on a Blu-Ray yet...
I have a 52" LCD HDTV, AppleTV (XBMC), DirecTV HD DVR, and a old upscaling DVD player.
Why haven't I bought a Blu-Ray yet? Because I have yet to find anything on blu-ray I'm willing to pay the "tax" for.
Why is it these articles are always filled with 'you can get the same thing for half the price from XXX' comments that then go on to list all the things that aren't actually the same which end up making the comparison wrong and retarded.
Look, when you start out and say 'but you can get an AMD processor' just fucking stop. Theres a reason intel charges more than AMD and a reason people pay it. Most of my machines are newer, higher clock speed AMD machines. My C2D macbook pretty much eats my Phenom quad core for everything I've thrown at it, including large compiles with enough threads to saturate the CPUs.
Then you start adding form factor, support, and FINALLY get down to the nub of the matter, OSX.
The simply truth is, you really can't get the same thing for a lower price ... or Apple wouldn't be able to sell them. You can pretend you can find the same for cheaper and wax on about it all day long, but it still won't be true.
If you don't want to pay for it or can't afford it, thats fine, say so, but for fucks sake stop making these retarded 'comparisons' where you have to fill it in with a bunch of 'well XXX is a little different, but it doesn't really matter!' If it doesn't matter why are you even pointing it out? Because someone will point out its not the same thing and you're trying to preempt them ... and in doing so, proving their point perfectly.
Persistent Volume manager for Kubernetes - https://github.com/dwimsey/openshift-pvmanager
That's exactly right. This price is no longer anywhere near the "hmmm, maybe I could switch" zone. And I say that as someone who really did encourage switching at the $499 price point. You could just barely justify it. No longer.
Also... bear in mind that $699 is the entry price. That machine, with 8 GB ram, 500 GB drive, and a 2.66 GHz CPU, is $1449.
It's a nice box, but like the rest of the Mac line these days, it's also a luxury box.
There's a recession, Steve. $700 isn't petty cash to most people, and that's not a feature-dependent issue.
I've fallen off your lawn, and I can't get up.
Wally-world is 3 minutes from my house. I can be there and back in 15 minutes from when I decide to go. They actually have a decent selection of Blu-Ray movies these days, including a number in the cheap bins.
You realize a lot of those "blurays" are bargains because they are simply the standard mpg2 file from the DVD release put on bluray media, right?
A few years ago I was in London and I bought a paperback science fiction novel. (Day of The Triffds, if you must know). The price was £9, or $9.50 Canadian. At the time the exchange rate was almost two dollars Canadian to one Pound. Now, the book was published, printed and distributed by a UK company and it cost almost twice as much in the UK as it did in Canada. And they had to pay to ship it to Canada.
Boobies never hurt anyone. - Sherry Glaser.
IIRC, the UK has stronger consumer protection laws that Apple must deal with. Things like being able to get an item replaced after then end of the warranty period if it breaks.
I've pointed this out myself a few times. The UK (AFAIK) always had quite good consumer laws, and the EU (if anything) strengthens that.
People in the UK might be surprised to know that the PS2 only had a 90 day warranty in the US. I've seen new laptops with as little as a 30 day warranty. Now, if you know that you're not going to have to cover repairs or replacements for anything more than a brief period after sale you're obviously going to save money on that, and be able to sell cheaper goods.
I can't remember what the exact law is, but my understanding is that goods are expected to last a reasonable amount of time; e.g. a laptop would be expected to last more than 30 days without needing repair, a PS2 more than 90, etc. At any rate, you don't see such "guarantees" in the UK, likely because they wouldn't stand up in court.
Bottom line though is that one could reasonably argue that this accounts for *some* of the general difference in prices (if not all), along with the omission of sales tax from most US prices.
I think there's also import tariffs that must be factored into the cost.
Unless the Mac Mini is made in the US *or* the EU- which I doubt- that would apply to both territories anyway.
Despite my increasing "feelbad" associations with Apple due to the obnoxious iPhone control freakery, part of me still liked the idea of buying a Mac. Until I saw the prices, that is.
I thought the original concept of the Mac Mini was as a relatively affordable (though not dirt cheap) low-powered Mac. Well, the new Mac Mini is far from high-powered, but at £649 I'm not even interested. The server version is £929. Whisky Tango Foxtrot?!
"Slashdot - News and Chat Sites Deviant". (Click "homepage" link above for details).
In the UK at least, the Mac Mini includes iLife.
If you think about what you are getting in such a small package. Now that the PSU is inside and the RAM upgrade is easy (via the removable bottom panel), it becomes quite an attractive package.
Granted that it is quite a jump from the old model but this one is even smaller and with more inside.
I'm looking at an Asus eeeBox eb1502 as I write this. This is physically larger than the Mini. IT has an exteranl PSU as well. The mini has a far more powerful CPU than the Atom in the eebox. Granted that the Mini is twice the price but for me, it is a great package.
Last month, I got my next door neighbour to buy a Mini. IT replaced a Dell Tower (some 5 years old) that was so full of malware (they have two girls who use Facebook etc...) that it was so slow. The HDD was giving up the ghost with lots of errors.
They are really pleased with the mini. iTunes & limewire works. As does FarmVille, Facebook & UTube. They have MSOffice and they are really happy with their new system.
No more AV software crippling the system and demanding reboots. No more under the cover software updates that demand a reboot.
My life is far easier now that they are using the Mini. Yeah, I'm their IT Support. Even the Parental Controls work very well OOTB. That was always hit & miss on the PC.
I am in no doubt that the Apple computing experiece is far more bounded that the Windows one but as the PC market marutes PC are becoming appliances. The best in class appliance IMHO, is the apple one and the Mini is a great lead into it of you already have a Screen, keyboars & mouse.
Just my 2p worth.
I'd rather be riding my '63 Triumph T120.
The largest problem with the Zino is that it is sold by Dell.
You'll go through two or three of them in the lifespan of one Mac Mini, in my experience. Maybe Dell's only suck if you use them at work. I've never been brave enough to try one at home.
You can choose a dual-core Athlon for $45 more than the $250 one.
Sure. You also go from 1.6 GHz down to 1.5 GHz.
Lars T.
To the guy who modded me down from perfect to terrible Karma - Apple haters still suck
Well Windows 7 doesn't really cost $200 either... more like $150.
Well.. Windows 7 OEM, which would be on an off the shelf PC doesnt really cost $150 either. More like $30-50 tops.
So I checked apple.com, and the *upgrade* is only $29, but if you're running an older 10.4 system then you need the full OS. That costs $170. That's the OS tax which is included in every Mac, same as the Windows tax is included in every PC.
Again.. OEM price. Even though the maker of the OS and the hardware are the same company. So basically, they can get it at cost.
It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his job depends on not understanding it.
>> Z- Windows Vista OS - base (Win7 -> +$150)
The $150 upgrade is for Win7-Ultimate -- they had a $30 upgrade option for Win7HomePremium
Please explain then how the Mac Mini is in any way trapped in a walled garden then. So far, both ACs have only demonstrated one or more of the following:
1) You don't know what a walled garden is.
2) You don't know anything about OSX machines.
3) You're just trolling and 1 and 2 are irrelevant.
Maybe when you're all growed up, you'll get your very own Slashdot account and get over name-calling. Now go get ready for bed little one, and don't forget to brush your teeth.
Some bring out the best in others, some the worst. Some bring out far more.
So you don't have to have two boxes?
Well, a mini also doesn't have a cable card and it doesn't make a great gaming system. You'll also need a DVR. So that's three more potential boxes...
One device is never going to suit everyone, and I've yet to see an all-in-one box that works as well as a bunch of separate boxes.
I just kind of found it funny that, of all things, lack of Blu-Ray was the complaint. Standalone Blu-Ray is the way to go.
W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
About the same form factor? Did you even look at what you linked? That Shuttle is about the size of a shoebox, not a couple of stacked CD cases. There's absolutely no comparison, other than that they're both much smaller than a full tower.
If you care about the expandability, or price/performance, then definitely go with the Shuttle. If you want a tiny, low-power-consumption, attractive system that can easily be used as a set-top box, then paying a premium for the Mini is probably a better choice. Not everyone shops only on price - value can be derived from places other than raw computing power.
How are sites slashdotted when nobody reads TFAs?
If you want to bitch about an adapter, bitch that it doesn't support VGA or DVI without buying the extra cable.
It comes with an HDMI to DVI adapter in the box. You are correct about VGA though.