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buy macmini now or wait?
- Thread starter iWinnipegger
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I bought one for christmas a few days ago. If it gets updated, no big deal. They're already nice little machines.
If you want it for Xmas, get it now. And the Buyer's guide has it listed at "mid cycle" so it'll be a while before it gets updated.
If you want it for Xmas, get it now. And the Buyer's guide has it listed at "mid cycle" so it'll be a while before it gets updated.
If you need a computer now buy a computer now. If you don't need a computer don't buy one.
I say definitely wait till macworld and the keynote on the 8th jan its not that far. unless u really need it now i no its hard i dont need but i really want a new imac but I'm going to hold back and wait till the 8th
For some reason your title looked like "Buy macaroni now or wait" to which my answer would always be BUY NOW!! With cheese of course.
Buy it now and enjoy.
I don't really believe the C2D will make a huge difference. I have experience of the Mac Book CD and C2D and there's not much difference in performance.
Dave
If you are planning on buying a monitor with the mini I would wait to see if the rumored displays with built-in iSight are released at MWSF. Also, if you are the kind of person who would be outraged if a new mini were introduced in January, wait. Otherwise, buy and enjoy.
If you need a computer now and maybe you don't you can't beat the $479 price. Man that is cheap! If you don't need one now you should be able to do even better with a cheaper refurb when the new unit comes out. If money and need are the driving issue go now. Run don't wait.
IMO the Minis are not very good value for money.
For $799 you get a 1.83ghz machine with 512mb of ram.
For a couple hundred more you get a Core 2 Duo Macbook with 1GB of ram, and a DL DVD burner too!
For $799 you get a 1.83ghz machine with 512mb of ram.
For a couple hundred more you get a Core 2 Duo Macbook with 1GB of ram, and a DL DVD burner too!
FWIW CD vs. C2D may be a bigger deal in Leopard as CD will be 32 bit only and the C2D can go 64 bit.
B
For the record I am actually looking to sell my 1.83ghz Mac Mini, so if I am in your position I'd definitely wait.
The specs on the mini are pretty dated, and even if there is no hardware refresh at least the new iLife would make it more worthwhile.
The specs on the mini are pretty dated, and even if there is no hardware refresh at least the new iLife would make it more worthwhile.
What happened to Arcus macaroni-cheese discussion? I thought that was a much more interesting discussion, and original.
Kinda... depending on your needs in buying a computer. If you don't need or want a laptop, the MacBook's the one that's not worth it.
The mini has a DL SuperDrive, too, and 8x versus the MacBook's 6x. Plus, you can bump the mini up to 1GB RAM, giving you a pretty good starter system. Compared with a MacBook decked out with similar specs, you're talking over $350 extra for, really, only the added benefit of the Core 2 Duo at 2GHz instead of the mini's Core Duo at 1.83GHz. I know the Core 2 is better, but...
And they both suffer from the Intel GMA 950 graphics, so you still won't be getting much of a boost as far as the mac experience goes.
I say, if you just need a starter mac, the mini's pretty good. If you're looking for something with a little more staying power, better to bump up to the 2GHz iMac instead of the 2GHz MacBook. You get the same Core 2 plus Radeon 3D for $100 less of a price bump. But it's a tough choice if you already have a screen bigger than the iMac's 17-incher...
Alternatively you could bump up to the low-end MacBook Pro, but of course then you're talking about spending twice as much as the mini...
Wait
1. iLife '07 is just around the corner
2. The next version of Mac OS X is coming later in spring.
3. There's almost certain to be a hardware bump by that time.
At the very least, wait until #1. If you're not in a pickle for a computer, I'd say wait all the way until #3. Yeah, that may be all the way in June, but it'll be a sweet, sweet time to get a mini.
If you really need one now, wait a few weeks until iLife '07 and buy one then, but be prepared to sell it as soon as #2-3 happen.
1. iLife '07 is just around the corner
2. The next version of Mac OS X is coming later in spring.
3. There's almost certain to be a hardware bump by that time.
At the very least, wait until #1. If you're not in a pickle for a computer, I'd say wait all the way until #3. Yeah, that may be all the way in June, but it'll be a sweet, sweet time to get a mini.
If you really need one now, wait a few weeks until iLife '07 and buy one then, but be prepared to sell it as soon as #2-3 happen.
Actually, the best comparison would be between the $799 refurb MacBook and the $699 refurb Mini, since Apple doesn't sell Core Duo MacBooks anymore. So the $100 more in the MacBook gets you a monitor, webcam, keyboard, trackpad, AND portability. Of course, the Mini gets you a Superdrive which could be a dealmaker for people who wanna burn DVDs.
IMO, the Mini gives you the least bang for the buck among consumer Macs. The only scenario in which it's not such a bad buy is if you already have a keyboard, mouse, and monitor handy.