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diulei
Ensign
Joined: 10 Jan 2005
Posts: 54
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 Sat Jan 15, 2005 5:15 am New Mac Minis |
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Ever since Steve Jobs saved Apple's behind back in the late 90s, I've been a fan of their designs. But I've still been a Windows only user. In fact, both my machines (laptop/desktop) are running Windows XP. Though I do have an iPod.
I was thinking since the new Mac Mini is cheap, nice looking, and small, it might make a nice addition to my desk, without sacrificing TOO much from my wallet. Not saying $500 is pocket change, but it's not a life threatening amount either. That way I can have the best of both worlds.
Thoughts? Personally, I think the price is OK, of course if you're looking for a complete new system it's not the best choice, but I'm not so I'm thinking it may look nice next to my iPod. And the size and design I can't really complain about at all.
Please no "Macs suck because they are Macs" type responses please. 
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Perfect Anomaly
Ensign
Joined: 01 Jan 2005
Posts: 58
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| Sat Jan 15, 2005 3:54 pm |
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Macs suck, because they are macs.  Sure the design is nice, but they are underpowered to what you can get for a decent pc. The Mac os thing is weird to me. Once a mac, never again is the rule I live by.
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Defiant
Fleet Admiral
Joined: 04 Jul 2001
Posts: 15946
Location: Oregon City, OR
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| Sat Jan 15, 2005 7:32 pm |
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Im with Dirk on this one. I honestly hate macs. Although its cool they did a mini thing...Oh wait...can you say laptop/mini atx?
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diulei
Ensign
Joined: 10 Jan 2005
Posts: 54
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| Sun Jan 16, 2005 12:12 am |
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I'd have to agree on the machine being underpowered. But mostly, if I do end up getting one, it will be a multimedia machine. Less viruses and spyware out for the mac, so it'll make surfing less of a headache. And plus I can throw all my music on there. 40 (or 80) gigs isn't much, but it sure is a good amount of music. I'll probably still do most of my work on the PC. For me, it would be like seeing what is so great about Macs that Mac people keep talking about.
Also, the comparison that you could get a better PC for the same price is true, but you forget you're paying for the design and size (kind of like an iPod). But I'm definitely not getting a Mac mini anytime soon. I learned my lesson when I bought my iPod not to get things right after they come out. They'll probably beef up the Mac Mini by late Spring with more impressive specs.
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Defiant
Fleet Admiral
Joined: 04 Jul 2001
Posts: 15946
Location: Oregon City, OR
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| Sun Jan 16, 2005 12:38 am |
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I would get one, but most games arent compatible for it, so no damn way.
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Perfect Anomaly
Ensign
Joined: 01 Jan 2005
Posts: 58
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| Sun Jan 16, 2005 5:03 am |
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Well, nowadays there's plenty of options to pimp out your normal desktop PC. But I agree that mac designs usually are sweet. Purely as a multimedia pc it would be ok I think, also if you're into graphical design it might be neat. Buuuuuuuuut, just picking a PC that isn't better on the specs over another one isn't my cup of thea.
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MJ
Lieutenant Commander
Joined: 17 Jan 2005
Posts: 266
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| Tue Jan 18, 2005 3:39 am |
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| Quote: | Mac mini: Flat Cube, or Honey! I Shrunk the Power Mac!
by Glenn Fleishman <[email protected]>
The latest Macintosh, the Mac mini, is hardly bigger than the CDs and DVDs that it plays, but its size is as remarkable as its tiny price: either $500 or $600, based on processor speed and hard disk storage. This is the lowest price I can ever recall seeing on any Macintosh ever shipped. Even the cheapest CRT-based iMac was at least $100 more.
<http://www.apple.com/ macmini/>
Apple achieved this price by sticking to the PowerPC G4 for its CPU and not including a monitor, keyboard, or mouse. The Mac mini does have a full complement of entry-level connectors found in the eMac, iMac, and iBook models: 10/100 Mbps Ethernet, modem, one FireWire 400 port, audio line out, and two USB 2.0 ports. It also has a DVI connector (with an included VGA adapter and an optional S-video/composite adapter available if needed), a critical addition to the usual array to make this unit stand out as a home or home entertainment device. The internal graphics card is an ATI Radeon 9200 with 32 MB of video memory.
The anodized aluminum and polycarbonate plastic case, now found across many Mac models (but rarely both materials in one product), measures 2.5 inches tall by 6.5 inches square (or 5 cm by 16.5 cm square). It weighs just 2.9 pounds (1.3 kg).
The standard optical drive is a Combo Drive that reads DVD formats and reads and writes CDs at 16x (CD-RW) and 24x (CD-R). The $500 model includes a 1.25 GHz PowerPC G4 processor and a 40 GB hard drive; the $600 model runs at 1.42 GHz with 80 GB of storage. The drives are relatively slow 4200 rpm 2.5-inch laptop mechanisms.
Apple Skimps on RAM, Again -- Both configurations ship with just 256 MB of RAM, which is a bit of a joke to run Mac OS X effectively, though that amount is enough to play iTunes, CDs, DVDs, and handle other common home duties such as exploring the Web and checking email.
Build-to-order options include adding up to 1 GB of RAM; a SuperDrive that reads and writes both CDs and DVDs ($100); and AirPort Extreme ($80) and Bluetooth ($50). The $500 model can also be equipped with an 80 GB drive for an extra $50. Apple says RAM upgrades and post-purchase wireless modules require an Apple Authorized Service Provider, though replacing the RAM yourself apparently won't void the Mac mini's warranty. However, the case isn't designed to be easily accessed - the opposite of Apple's iMac G5, where nearly every component can be replaced by the owner.
<http://www.apple.com/ macmini/ design.html>
<http://www.tuaw.com/ entry/ 1234000917027372/>
Apple's fee for 512 MB of RAM runs not quite double that of similar brand-name RAM ($75 versus about $40), but their $425 asking price for a single 1 GB DIMM is a pretty steep markup. I'd look into buying compatible 1 GB RAM elsewhere, paying an Apple dealer to swap it in for $30 to $50, and then reselling the 256 MB that comes out of the machine. It's also possible that we'll see special case-cracking tools appear shortly.
Not a Squashed Cube -- The Mac mini has a number of similarities with the doomed G4 Cube, of which I was a happy buyer and still own (it's about to become a home entertainment console.) I posted a table on my personal weblog with a head-to-head comparison of specs, and they're eerily alike.
<http://blog.glennf.com/ mtarchives/ 004679.html>
The Cube failed in promising a kind of design perfection that the manufacturing process was often unable to meet, and in having a premium price over the simultaneously introduced Power Mac models that offered more performance, expandability, and familiarity.
The Mac mini suffers from none of these defects. The 1.25 and 1.42 GHz processors are more than enough for all home tasks, and they create much less heat than the PowerPC G5, making such a small form factor possible.
People who have longed for a Mac and could neither afford a Power Mac nor wanted the compromise in design and flexibility of an eMac can now slap either a cheap CRT or an incredibly expensive digital LCD onto a Mac mini and have a perfectly excellent computer. |
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Five - seveN
Rear Admiral
Joined: 13 Jun 2004
Posts: 3567
Location: Shadow Moon
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| Tue Jan 18, 2005 11:48 am |
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Burn, Dirk. Burn. And you too, Mark.
I'd pay $500 just to look at that new Mac! OMFG! It's too damn sexy!
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MJ
Lieutenant Commander
Joined: 17 Jan 2005
Posts: 266
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| Wed Jan 19, 2005 6:26 am |
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| Five - seveN wrote: | Burn, Dirk. Burn. And you too, Mark.
I'd pay $500 just to look at that new Mac! OMFG! It's too damn sexy! |
I suppose you feel attracted to your own stuffed animals as well?
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diulei
Ensign
Joined: 10 Jan 2005
Posts: 54
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| Wed Jan 19, 2005 8:59 am |
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I think the size and design are why I like it. And I suppose everyone else too, not to mention the price tag.
A lot of people do mention you could get a PC with much better specs for a similar price, but I guess in that sense you'd be paying for the nice looks of the Mini. We'll see if I get one.
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MJ
Lieutenant Commander
Joined: 17 Jan 2005
Posts: 266
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| Wed Jan 19, 2005 9:27 am |
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Yah, but you also have to take into account you're only getting the box. Not a neat mac keyboard, mouse and screen.
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Five - seveN
Rear Admiral
Joined: 13 Jun 2004
Posts: 3567
Location: Shadow Moon
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| Wed Jan 19, 2005 11:01 am |
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But. A Mac with a 1.0 GHz processor can be (lots) faster than a normal pc with, for example, a 1.4 GHz processor. Yesh. Oe yesh. Go Apple.
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MJ
Lieutenant Commander
Joined: 17 Jan 2005
Posts: 266
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| Wed Jan 19, 2005 12:50 pm |
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It's only quicker because sh*t runs on a mac.
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