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Mac Mini Released
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brywalker said:I am very surpised that no one has brought up the fact that there is no audio input on this machine, a must for GarageBand IMHO.
That was the dealbreaker for me.
I was at the checkout stage before I noticed.
Other companies make Audio-In for GarageBand not a concern and so is Apple. Wonder when Apple will release theirs.
Philsy said:
A few posters have said the same thing and I think you're not looking at this the right way. Why in the world would you buy a $499 computer with a $999 monitor? Seriously?
Why compare the lowest model with n upscale machine? Would the eMac not be the better comparison? Even then, this little guy beats the eMac on price since you can get a 17" CRT, keyboard and mouse for about $150!
This is an entry level machine. (ie: cheap, barato in spanish) You buy a 17" CRT for this thing ($100), or check this $179 15" LCD with built in speakers! A 17" LCD at the very most ($200-400). But the fact is that most people DO have a monitor that can get them by for now. (I have 2 CRT's laying around.)
If you want a better, more upscale machine that's exactly what the iMac and Powermac are for.
Apple!Freak said:
I can't compare to the Audigy2, but Macs have generally had excellent sound--and some Macs (like my PowerBook) now have 24-bit audio instead of 16-bit. (Not that many apps will care.) But if you find you need more, you might consider a USB or Firewire external sound "card," like ones from m-audio.com (or maybe even the rumored "Asteroid" from Apple?) For instance:
http://m-audio.com/products/en_us/SonicaTheater-main-1.html
Or consider saving up a bit longer for a PowerMac. G5 speed AND optical digital surround-sound built in. Plus slots for other sound cards if you wish.
Barefeats.com and others will benchmark the machine soon, I'm sure, and the forums at InsideMacGames.com might be useful too. But from my experience running UT2004 on a much SLOWER Mac than the Mac Mini, I expect Halo would run just fine. BUT that's subjective, and one game is not like another. You'll be comparing to your current PC, or whatever you have played Halo on.Apple!Freak said:
It will be a decent 3D game machine for games a year or two old, like Halo, and maybe decent for newer games with the details down. And of course, non-3D games. But decent enough for your needs? Only you can say. Again, a bottom-end PowerMac with an upgraded video board is worth thinking about. They're big... but fast and quiet!
Whatever you end up with, you won't be sorry! Especially when Tiger comes along.
All you have to do is offer the low price product... customers (I've done it myself) will tend to "up sell" themselves to the next grade-higher after they stop and think.
However, I like this tiny mac... a whole lot! I'm going to get one for my little brother (he's 25) I've also started a campaign to convince my place of employment to get them. New macs are overdue. And (this time) I don't want to hear anything about how hard these will be to upgrade... they didn't update or spring for ram or new software in over 8 years as it was anyway.
I'm gonna get one for my folks too. That way I won't have to use their crappy peecee when I go to visit. Apple rocks. Thank you.
However, I like this tiny mac... a whole lot! I'm going to get one for my little brother (he's 25) I've also started a campaign to convince my place of employment to get them. New macs are overdue. And (this time) I don't want to hear anything about how hard these will be to upgrade... they didn't update or spring for ram or new software in over 8 years as it was anyway.
I'm gonna get one for my folks too. That way I won't have to use their crappy peecee when I go to visit. Apple rocks. Thank you.
im here at a boarding school in alabama and this place is really getting fed up with windows. the students here all have the little front page bestbuy/ compusa computers that were on sale in october and obsolete in november. they have great monitors, but crappy pc's that they all want to get rid of. i have been talking with several of my friends who are in this category and i have told them of the rumor of this mac mini and its price because they all look at my computer and get jelous that i have had it for 2 years and never had anything worse than the dock freeze on me. they all said that if this was true then they would buy the mac as soon as it came out. you should have seen their faces when i showed them the printout today. they could not believe that the thing was smaller than a gamecube! i believe the little apple club that i have started here on campus is about to increase its numbers. can you believe that out of 300 students we have a whopping 5 mac users! its unbelieveable!
gonenuts15792 said:
I have a sammy dlp and hooked up an old mac w/no problems. I used the vga port. I ended up taking it off since the tower made too much noise and took up too much space for the living room. I'm not sure if you can use the dvi port. Not all dvi ports are the same. For example, the ACD's are dvi but can't do tv signals.
As for the mac mini, I'm thinking I need one of these for the living room (attached to the sammy). The mini is perfect for the simple tasks(browsing, music) I'd be doing in the living room.
Now all I need to see is a G5 Powerbook from Apple, and I'd be one happy camper.
And I don't know if anyone has asked this or if the answer has been posted, but does anyone know if you can use these for clustering/grid computing??
everyone on these forums want to think they are the target audience for this release, when its PC users that have monitors and all that crap already... go to best buy and get a 15" VGA LCD for $150, or a CRT for a fraction of the price.
and for those people, and that crazy bill palmer, who think that people will blow a gasket and seizure when they find out there is no monitor, keyboard or mouse with the computer... switchers obviously know a little something about tech since they are smart enough to migrate from peecee; those that are migrating will understand that what they have will work with what they are getting. and those who are buying their first system, or want it 100% apple... the online store and people in the brick and mortar stores will guide the way.
and for those people, and that crazy bill palmer, who think that people will blow a gasket and seizure when they find out there is no monitor, keyboard or mouse with the computer... switchers obviously know a little something about tech since they are smart enough to migrate from peecee; those that are migrating will understand that what they have will work with what they are getting. and those who are buying their first system, or want it 100% apple... the online store and people in the brick and mortar stores will guide the way.
He has updated his site (billpalmer.net). Now it no longer says a million times that the headless rumors are 100% absolutely falsejbembe said:
Now, instead, he goes on for a long LONG page with this kind of thing:"Apple can take its idiot box and stick it where the sun don't shine"
"This just might turn out to be the darkest day in Macintosh history. And yeah, I'm as aware as anyone just what a bloody history it's been. But this, I think, might top all of it."
"This Mini Mac, or whatever they're calling it, isn't just stupid. it's groundbreakingly stupid. And it's far worse than anything we read about in the rumors. It's far worse than I ever could have imagined. Apple's gone and invented barriers to Switching that weren't even previously on the radar."
"This thing, though, is a train wreck right in the middle of Apple's desktop lineup. Was it just me, or did I hear Steve Jobs say this morning that the G5 iMac is currently Apple's best-selling computer? Well, you can scratch that off the list, because the Mac Mini completely illegitimizes the iMac."
"The sad twist of all of this is that now that Apple has gone ahead and made the mistake, I'm going to eventually be proven right about this being a terrible idea, but the whole time I'll be wishing like heck that I was wrong. I can't tell you how much I'd like to see the Mini Mac succeed. I could care less about being wrong or right. But as much as I'd like to be wrong about this, I know I'm not."
Well, time will tell whether he joins these folks
https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=500
He's so extreme it has to be in the Realm of the Trolls. But amusing all the same. And he's not a Mac-basher all-around, he prefers to bash Windows I think, so the trolling must be for hits I suppose. (Or a pathological inability to back away from his many rants about how there will be absolutely NO low-end headless Mac.)
mxpiazza said:
Please be advised that there are quite a few new comers on this site and new to the platform. Patience
Yvan256 said:Can I connect my headphones? Check.
Next useless high-end-only question, please.
Can I place the Mac mini to stand on its side.
m a y a said:Please be advised that there are quite a few new comers on this site and new to the platform. Patience
patience is a virtue, and so should be the practice of informed opinion
mxpiazza said:patience is a virtue, and so should be the practice of informed opinion
I am, and I have nothing I really want other than the iPod shuffle for music and data storage reasons.
ADC displays? Multiple voltage?
The Mac Mini looks like a good replacement for my old Cube, which suffers from the won't-wake-from-deep-sleep problem. However, will it work with the older ADC displays? Presumably I would have to buy one of those bulky DVI to ADC adapters:
http://www.apple.com/lae/displays/adapter/
which sort of defeats the minimalism of the Mac Mini's design.
Also, as an Australian living in Tokyo it may be cheaper to order this in Japan and take it home, but that will depend on whether the power supply accepts 110-240 volts. It says 110-240 on the specification page, but the new iMacs only accept one voltage - that of the country where you purchased it.
Anyone have any thoughts?
The Mac Mini looks like a good replacement for my old Cube, which suffers from the won't-wake-from-deep-sleep problem. However, will it work with the older ADC displays? Presumably I would have to buy one of those bulky DVI to ADC adapters:
http://www.apple.com/lae/displays/adapter/
which sort of defeats the minimalism of the Mac Mini's design.
Also, as an Australian living in Tokyo it may be cheaper to order this in Japan and take it home, but that will depend on whether the power supply accepts 110-240 volts. It says 110-240 on the specification page, but the new iMacs only accept one voltage - that of the country where you purchased it.
Anyone have any thoughts?
Stella said:
Did you read my post? I'll quote part of my final thoughts:
"For a PC user who has a monitor and wants to do things like schoolwork, organize photos/music, occasional iMovie stuff, surf the web etc. Sounds like a cheap way to switch to a Mac."
m a y a said:I am, and I have nothing I really want other than the iPod shuffle for music and data storage reasons.
that wasnt meant for you in any way, your opinions are quite informed.
some others though...
rdowns said:
Did you read my post either. Read close to the bottom: "For a PC user who has a monitor and wants to do things like schoolwork, organize photos/music, occasional iMovie stuff, surf the web etc. Sounds like a cheap way to switch to a Mac."
All I'm saying is that compared to the iMac G5 no real deal here. Just goes to show you how much you get with the iMac G5 for the cash. Of course I see the value in it. Even someone without a monitor or keyboard can pick up a 15" CRT and USB mouse keyboard for $50 total. I understand that.
digitalbiker said:You are the one making the unfair comparison. The iMac G5 comes with a 20" LCD display driven by an ADC connection. You are comparing a $300.00 15" driven by VGA or a $100.00 CRT driven by VGA. Give me a break!
Swissmann is correct! The macmini low price is misleading. I configured one the way I would want to buy one and it came to $1500.00 with Applecare before tax. This was without a monitor. Add Apple's cheapest monitor (currently a 20" LCD @ $999.00) and it comes to $2500.00.
Apple needs to offer lower ram price, low priced mouse & key
Otherwise value buyers will buy a cheap $449.00 Dell that includes monitor, keyboard, mouse, faster cpu, equivalent gpu, word perfect, and XP home media package.
Thanks for your understanding. I think Apple should have gone a bit bigger in the design and had 2 standard DIMM slots and a better video card. Cut costs by giving yourself more space. I still think this thing will sell like crazy but I don't see it being such an incredible balance of cost/features. I think the iMac G5 is better than that. Of course $500 to switch to a Mac, if I was a PC user I'd jump at the chance.
Agreed. I just priced out iMacs with edu pricing, and they come in only $200-300 more than a Mac Mini with a high-end (aka "all there is") Apple display. The current iMac and the Mac Mini really are both great values, for different buyers.swissmann said:
rdowns said:
I agree with what you are saying. There is a huge market for this thing. Doesn't mean that it is right for me or really even a great balance of features per dollar. I think per dollar you get more with the iMac G5. That's all my point is.
BillD222 said:
You make some excellent points. I'm not complaining, never was. It just isn't the right computer for me. I do think that I know of about 3 people who it is the right computer for. I just posted a comparison of value for features.
swissmann said:
All-in-ones lack flexibility that is all. The Mac mini lacks expandability and is flexible.
Expandable and Flexible 2 very different things.