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New Intel Mac mini
- Thread starter drift1492
- Start date
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You'll get more...just chillax man. They're up to the iPod stuff...although I sure do hope it gets better, as an iPod boombox is rather lame sounding. and overpriced.drift1492 said:
I hope Steve will suprise us like he did with the Nano. Pull a MacBook out of the back of his shirt. 
Why would they come out with all these new iPod accessorys if they were releasing a new iPod?
thejadedmonkey said:
Why would they come out with all these new iPod accessorys if they were releasing a new iPod?
geekologist said:I hope Steve will suprise us like he did with the Nano. Pull a MacBook out of the back of his shirt.
Hope so too. rather unlikely though.
Oh and one more thing....
"There are trash cans situated either side of the exits, please leave the auditorium in a clean and tidy condition."
"There are trash cans situated either side of the exits, please leave the auditorium in a clean and tidy condition."
New Intel Mac mini
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At the media event February 28th, Apple unveiled a revised Mac mini featuring either a 1.5Ghz Intel Core Solo or 1.66Ghz Core Duo processor, offering up to a 5x increase in overall speed from the previous model. The form factor for the machine remains unchanged.
The new mini sports the Apple Remote with Front Row, up to 2 GB memory, Intel GMA950 graphics processor, DVI connector w/ VGA out option, Slot loading optical drive, up to 120GB hard drive, built-in gigabit ethernet, analog and digital audio, USB & Firewire ports, iLife '06 and Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger.
1.5Ghz Intel Core Solo Model: $599
1.5GHz Intel Core Solo processor
2MB L2 Cache
667MHz Frontside Bus
512MB memory (667MHz DDR2 SDRAM)
60GB Serial ATA hard drive
Combo drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW)
Built-in AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth 2.0
Apple Remote
1.66Ghz Intel Core Duo Model: $799
1.66GHz Intel Core Duo processor
2MB L2 Cache
667MHz Frontside Bus
512MB memory (667MHz DDR2 SDRAM)
80GB Serial ATA hard drive
Double-layer SuperDrive (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Built-in AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth 2.0
Apple Remote
All Mac mini models also include an integrated Intel GMA950 graphics processor with 64MB of shared DDR2 SDRAM(1), 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet, four external USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 400 port, optical digital and analog audio in/out, and built-in mono speaker.
At the media event February 28th, Apple unveiled a revised Mac mini featuring either a 1.5Ghz Intel Core Solo or 1.66Ghz Core Duo processor, offering up to a 5x increase in overall speed from the previous model. The form factor for the machine remains unchanged.
The new mini sports the Apple Remote with Front Row, up to 2 GB memory, Intel GMA950 graphics processor, DVI connector w/ VGA out option, Slot loading optical drive, up to 120GB hard drive, built-in gigabit ethernet, analog and digital audio, USB & Firewire ports, iLife '06 and Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger.
1.5Ghz Intel Core Solo Model: $599
1.5GHz Intel Core Solo processor
2MB L2 Cache
667MHz Frontside Bus
512MB memory (667MHz DDR2 SDRAM)
60GB Serial ATA hard drive
Combo drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW)
Built-in AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth 2.0
Apple Remote
1.66Ghz Intel Core Duo Model: $799
1.66GHz Intel Core Duo processor
2MB L2 Cache
667MHz Frontside Bus
512MB memory (667MHz DDR2 SDRAM)
80GB Serial ATA hard drive
Double-layer SuperDrive (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Built-in AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth 2.0
Apple Remote
All Mac mini models also include an integrated Intel GMA950 graphics processor with 64MB of shared DDR2 SDRAM(1), 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet, four external USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 400 port, optical digital and analog audio in/out, and built-in mono speaker.
I like it! I'm a pro, but if I ever want a low-end machine to tide me over, I won't be sorry to grab a Mini
* The iPod was fake but the Chinese characters were real! I am shocked!
* Single core Mac Mini to keep the bottom-end price from rising too much, AND dual for maximum power in our favorite tiny package. Perfect. Duals aren't just for pros anymore! Forget the marketing numbers, Intel Core has shown its speed in plenty of real world tests. The already-good Mac Mini just became a MUCH better buy.
* Higher bottom-end price: a shame. But with those specs, WELL worth it. The same specs for $199 would have pleased me even more of course Maybe Core Solo will come down in price in future.
* Front Row across the line--good. Keeping your music on your computer is commonplace. Being able to control it from across the room should be too.
* More pro features moving down the line: gigabit ethernet--good. Digital/optical audio out is a surprise to me on the low-end, but cool! Wi-Fi and Bluetooth now standard on the low-end model. $100 seems like less and less...
* Audio IN (both analog AND digital?)--that's new to the Mini I think. Good--I like to play sources through my Mac sometimes (like listening to music while gaming), and this makes GarageBand more useful too.
* Extra USB ports--Apple listens!
* Connect to TV--every Mac for years has had that ability. Does he mean they include the required adapter in the box now, or is he just noting an optional adapter that was always available?
* Bonjour music/photo sharing--makes sense, if iTunes and iPhoto can do it, Front Row should too. Great if you've added a Mini as a second machine but want your main library to stay on your other machine. (And I'm glad the feature is being offered for free to existing Front Row users. Only fair.)
* Sharing/streaming iTunes videos and TV shows--is that something iTunes can do already? Or is that totally new with the new Front Row? (Does anyone get the feeling Front Row is kind of sneaking up on something bigger yet to come? Amazing how Apple can do something small but well--and not have it seem unfinished even though bigger things might be in store later.)
* No PVR. (PVR in Apple's low-end machine? That rumor never made sense to me.) But it sounds like Apple is acknowledging people's interest in using the Mac Mini in quasi-HT ways. Apple's not TRYING to be a media center replacement, they're just letting you do the most common things (like music and DVDs) in really easy ways. Which is all that is needed to make a computer replace a stereo component for many people. PVR would be a great option, but we've got El Gato for that if Apple doesn't go there.
* Same Mini form factor: I was thinking about whether I'd rather have a full-size non-laptop HD in there. For me, no. I'd rather keep the Mini small.
* What's the GPU? EDIT missed it: integrated. (That's OK for a low-end system--low-end PCs often have worse. Does the 64 "shared" VRAM cut into the main RAM like I'm used to with low-end PCs? I wonder what 3D games this can or cannot play.)
* If anyone told me Infrared was making a big Apple comeback in 2005-2006 I would have laughed. But hey, it's cheap and does the job. (A Bluetooth Front Row remote is an accessory I'd buy if the range was decent.)
* I'm surprised Apple still doesn't offer a low-end display. So you can't walk out of an Apple Store with a complete low-end system. (Although the power of the new Mini makes using it for higher tasks--with a 20" screen--more tempting.)
* Now it's time for endless Dell.com comparisons, looking at Dell's bottom-end dual core desktops. (Does it have optical audio I/O? DVI out? TV out? Firewire? Software bundle to rival iLife 06? Gigabit ethernet? Wireless? Combo drive? Slot-loading? Remote control? Is its integrated graphic chip higher or lower than the Mini's? Is it quiet and compact?)
* I see Apple finally updated their store's "Back Soon" graphic to the new font. Last I checked they still used Garamond. (Not the biggest news of the day.)
* Thanks to iLounge, Endgadget, MacCentral, LoopRumors, and of course MR for the coverage. (Suggestion to iLounge: may as well run some ads to help pay for it! I try to click an ad on every live coverage site.)
* The "live photo" coverage from iLounge and Engadget was a cool new twist (Even Engadget couldn't always handle the traffic! But MR did... at least until the forums get hit!)
And remember... whatever you were hoping for (like iBooks) may still be in the works soon. Pie-in-the sky guesswork from analysts doesn't mean a whole lot. Movie store? Maybe sometime, not today.
* The iPod was fake but the Chinese characters were real! I am shocked!
* Single core Mac Mini to keep the bottom-end price from rising too much, AND dual for maximum power in our favorite tiny package. Perfect. Duals aren't just for pros anymore! Forget the marketing numbers, Intel Core has shown its speed in plenty of real world tests. The already-good Mac Mini just became a MUCH better buy.
* Higher bottom-end price: a shame. But with those specs, WELL worth it. The same specs for $199 would have pleased me even more of course
Maybe Core Solo will come down in price in future.* Front Row across the line--good. Keeping your music on your computer is commonplace. Being able to control it from across the room should be too.
* More pro features moving down the line: gigabit ethernet--good. Digital/optical audio out is a surprise to me on the low-end, but cool! Wi-Fi and Bluetooth now standard on the low-end model. $100 seems like less and less...
* Audio IN (both analog AND digital?)--that's new to the Mini I think. Good--I like to play sources through my Mac sometimes (like listening to music while gaming), and this makes GarageBand more useful too.
* Extra USB ports--Apple listens!
* Connect to TV--every Mac for years has had that ability. Does he mean they include the required adapter in the box now, or is he just noting an optional adapter that was always available?
* Bonjour music/photo sharing--makes sense, if iTunes and iPhoto can do it, Front Row should too. Great if you've added a Mini as a second machine but want your main library to stay on your other machine. (And I'm glad the feature is being offered for free to existing Front Row users. Only fair.)
* Sharing/streaming iTunes videos and TV shows--is that something iTunes can do already? Or is that totally new with the new Front Row? (Does anyone get the feeling Front Row is kind of sneaking up on something bigger yet to come? Amazing how Apple can do something small but well--and not have it seem unfinished even though bigger things might be in store later.)
* No PVR. (PVR in Apple's low-end machine? That rumor never made sense to me.) But it sounds like Apple is acknowledging people's interest in using the Mac Mini in quasi-HT ways. Apple's not TRYING to be a media center replacement, they're just letting you do the most common things (like music and DVDs) in really easy ways. Which is all that is needed to make a computer replace a stereo component for many people. PVR would be a great option, but we've got El Gato for that if Apple doesn't go there.
* Same Mini form factor: I was thinking about whether I'd rather have a full-size non-laptop HD in there. For me, no. I'd rather keep the Mini small.
* What's the GPU? EDIT missed it: integrated. (That's OK for a low-end system--low-end PCs often have worse. Does the 64 "shared" VRAM cut into the main RAM like I'm used to with low-end PCs? I wonder what 3D games this can or cannot play.)
* If anyone told me Infrared was making a big Apple comeback in 2005-2006 I would have laughed. But hey, it's cheap and does the job. (A Bluetooth Front Row remote is an accessory I'd buy if the range was decent.)
* I'm surprised Apple still doesn't offer a low-end display. So you can't walk out of an Apple Store with a complete low-end system. (Although the power of the new Mini makes using it for higher tasks--with a 20" screen--more tempting.)
* Now it's time for endless Dell.com comparisons, looking at Dell's bottom-end dual core desktops. (Does it have optical audio I/O? DVI out? TV out? Firewire? Software bundle to rival iLife 06? Gigabit ethernet? Wireless? Combo drive? Slot-loading? Remote control? Is its integrated graphic chip higher or lower than the Mini's? Is it quiet and compact?)
* I see Apple finally updated their store's "Back Soon" graphic to the new font. Last I checked they still used Garamond. (Not the biggest news of the day.)
* Thanks to iLounge, Endgadget, MacCentral, LoopRumors, and of course MR for the coverage. (Suggestion to iLounge: may as well run some ads to help pay for it! I try to click an ad on every live coverage site.)
* The "live photo" coverage from iLounge and Engadget was a cool new twist
(Even Engadget couldn't always handle the traffic! But MR did... at least until the forums get hit!)And remember... whatever you were hoping for (like iBooks) may still be in the works soon. Pie-in-the sky guesswork from analysts doesn't mean a whole lot. Movie store? Maybe sometime, not today.
Ugh...
Intel Integrated Graphics -- C'mon guys -- I know there is a Core Duo in the high-end -- but Intel Integrated graphics... Ugh!
Intel Integrated Graphics -- C'mon guys -- I know there is a Core Duo in the high-end -- but Intel Integrated graphics... Ugh!
Pretty underwhelming experience. The "see you soon" might mean that they are really close on some other things (i.e. MacBook), but they weren't ready for today?
they should had left it at 499 but hey who could complain pretty good update overall altough it felt like there should have been more...
but hey who could complain pretty good update overall altough it felt like there should have been more...
NYmacAttack said:
It's not junk, it's the perfect processor for a low end, entry level machine that can also be used for a media centre. They don't expect people to be doing 3D games, or graphically intensive work with this machine. This application is what the Intel graphics processor was designed for.
integrated graphics? I suppose it might be alright if it supports Core Image extensions, but if not the mac mini is a terrible deal. Heck even if it had an ATI or nVidia GPU, the iMac is better value IMO. I'll pass
I suppose it might be alright if it supports Core Image extensions, but if not the mac mini is a terrible deal. Heck even if it had an ATI or nVidia GPU, the iMac is better value IMO. I'll pass
Not bad for the entry level. Seems like everyone is going with Intel integrated graphics on their low-end machines - not sure how I feel about it, but not being a heavy graphics user, I'm not sure I'd ever notice the difference.
Would love to compare the benchmarks on the new Minis to my iMac G5 from last year - hopefully Barefeats will get them up soon. By the time I'm ready to replace my G5 in a few more years (goodness willing, 2010), the Intel Macs should really be screaming fast.
Would love to compare the benchmarks on the new Minis to my iMac G5 from last year - hopefully Barefeats will get them up soon. By the time I'm ready to replace my G5 in a few more years (goodness willing, 2010), the Intel Macs should really be screaming fast.
