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New Intel Mac mini
- Thread starter drift1492
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Romanesq
macrumors 6502a
Hmmm
Well I'll say it one more time. I just ordered this because it has the optical audio out. That was exactly what I was looking for with a new intel chip.
Many, many stereo users are going to be ditching their CD players, some of them costing $3K or thereabouts to have the ability to have all their music at their fingertips for as good or better sound on their existing stereo setups.
For many of those folks, they'll more than recoup the cost of the "upgrade" when they sell their CD players. Perhaps to some of the gamer whiners on this thread. 😎
In fact I have two CD players. One is a Sony 555ES 300 CD changer. Anyone interested. 😀
Yvan256 said:
Well I'll say it one more time. I just ordered this because it has the optical audio out. That was exactly what I was looking for with a new intel chip.
Many, many stereo users are going to be ditching their CD players, some of them costing $3K or thereabouts to have the ability to have all their music at their fingertips for as good or better sound on their existing stereo setups.
For many of those folks, they'll more than recoup the cost of the "upgrade" when they sell their CD players. Perhaps to some of the gamer whiners on this thread. 😎
In fact I have two CD players. One is a Sony 555ES 300 CD changer. Anyone interested. 😀
http://www.tomshardware.com/2005/09/15/are_intel/ has a review of integrated Intel graphics. Doesn't seem as bad as everything makes out. Relax, take a breath, and remember this is a Mac Mini...not a PowerMac.
Intel Mini, not Apple PVR
First, an aside, to vincenwewmacg4,
Exactly, I will gladly sell you (my kids) 1.4 Ghz PowerPC based Mac Mini, if you are interested.
The only spec I am not digging, is the Intel graphics, and possibly the hope of a full 3.5" 7200 rpm hard drive.
Curious to see how Core Solo bench marks stack against Core Duo, if it isn't that dramatic, they may sell more Core Solos.
4 USB, Gig Ethernet, digital audio in, etc., these are very good specs to be included on a consumer computer / Mac.
My take on the PVR?
News Flash: this is not the Apple PVR. It is the Intel Mac Mini, that's it.
A reminder that I got from a Apple engineer I work with. A while back, Apple hired one of the main engineers from El Gato? Why? I wonder why?, hmmm?
People are forgetting this, what could this mean, that Apple is NOT going to do a PVR? It is coming but, it is NOT the Mac Mini.
This is a consumer based Mac that is good bang for the buck, not a PVR.
heck I could not figure out why people were purchasing Power PC mini macs (I got mine as a gift).
If they were a value, then these Intels certainly are.
So once again this is a Mini Mac that fills a line in Apple's offerings, that could be used with other gear to make it a PVR, but NOT Apple's PVR.
That will most certainly will be a separate, set top box, that will do everything a Tivo does and better, like HD, digital connections, and a better codec (H.264), even at best quality a Tivo picture quality is horrible (even with excellent cables, etc.)
Just remember the El Gato engineer now works for Apple, what is he doing?
Stop the PVR / Mac Mini combo stuff, it's not here yet. The true / pure Apple PVR will eventually be revealed.
First, an aside, to vincenwewmacg4,
Exactly, I will gladly sell you (my kids) 1.4 Ghz PowerPC based Mac Mini, if you are interested.
The only spec I am not digging, is the Intel graphics, and possibly the hope of a full 3.5" 7200 rpm hard drive.
Curious to see how Core Solo bench marks stack against Core Duo, if it isn't that dramatic, they may sell more Core Solos.
4 USB, Gig Ethernet, digital audio in, etc., these are very good specs to be included on a consumer computer / Mac.
My take on the PVR?
News Flash: this is not the Apple PVR. It is the Intel Mac Mini, that's it.
A reminder that I got from a Apple engineer I work with. A while back, Apple hired one of the main engineers from El Gato? Why? I wonder why?, hmmm?
People are forgetting this, what could this mean, that Apple is NOT going to do a PVR? It is coming but, it is NOT the Mac Mini.
This is a consumer based Mac that is good bang for the buck, not a PVR.
heck I could not figure out why people were purchasing Power PC mini macs (I got mine as a gift).
If they were a value, then these Intels certainly are.
So once again this is a Mini Mac that fills a line in Apple's offerings, that could be used with other gear to make it a PVR, but NOT Apple's PVR.
That will most certainly will be a separate, set top box, that will do everything a Tivo does and better, like HD, digital connections, and a better codec (H.264), even at best quality a Tivo picture quality is horrible (even with excellent cables, etc.)
Just remember the El Gato engineer now works for Apple, what is he doing?
Stop the PVR / Mac Mini combo stuff, it's not here yet. The true / pure Apple PVR will eventually be revealed.
MonkeyClaw
macrumors regular
Stella said:
Bingo. I mean integrated graphics looks bad on the surface, but face it, a person getting a Mac mini are not going to be using photoshop that often, neither final cut pro, or doom 3. Just not going to happen. For that, get a macbook pro or a power mac. This little thing has a bit of power under the hood, and I really think its kinda cool. I would like one in my living room if i had the money, lol.
mrgreen4242
macrumors 601
dietcokevanilla said:
So the new mini is $787/1050 in the UK vs. $599/799 in the US compared to the old mini at $629 vs $499? Ya you guys are getting the screw over there, sorry about that.
Anyways, I'm pretty tempted by this... I don't game much at all, and the 950 with the Core Duo will probably smoke my existing mini when it comes to HD playback and encoding. The faster drive will be nice as well.
I'll wait for some benchmarks, but I'm definitely looking at it...
I don't think the 'budget Mac' idea really provoked mass switching as Apple hoped it would. They have had a better return from the premium priced iPod and probably more switching down to the 'halo' effect than people turning to the Mini when looking out for a low priced computer.
The key is to make the product desirable rather than just trying to compete on price. They'll never undercut the budget producers. The key to the Mac mini's success will be the way it integrates into the home. And part of this will be the anticipated movie service. Looking at the specs and features it's clearly the sort of thing this system was designed for.
Besides, with the phasing out of the eMac maybe there's a new lower priced Mac on the horizon. Apple have a long term strategy and somehow this system will fit perfectly into it. Some foresight may be required sure, but you can be sure that Apple are looking ahead too.
At the moment we have a system that is better than the one it replaces and costs a little more. But without the bigger picture I think its too early to gauge the worth of this system because I have a strong feeling there is more to come. They've made it clear today they're aiming for the home entertainment market, this clearly isn't the end of the story. As I said before its the Apple supplied hardware + the Apple supplied content that go to make up the end product. In fact, if they do things the right way (as they did so spectacularly with iTunes/iPod) then it may very well change the way you access your music, movies and TV for good.
And the Mini is still a very capable desktop computer as well 😉
The key is to make the product desirable rather than just trying to compete on price. They'll never undercut the budget producers. The key to the Mac mini's success will be the way it integrates into the home. And part of this will be the anticipated movie service. Looking at the specs and features it's clearly the sort of thing this system was designed for.
Besides, with the phasing out of the eMac maybe there's a new lower priced Mac on the horizon. Apple have a long term strategy and somehow this system will fit perfectly into it. Some foresight may be required sure, but you can be sure that Apple are looking ahead too.
At the moment we have a system that is better than the one it replaces and costs a little more. But without the bigger picture I think its too early to gauge the worth of this system because I have a strong feeling there is more to come. They've made it clear today they're aiming for the home entertainment market, this clearly isn't the end of the story. As I said before its the Apple supplied hardware + the Apple supplied content that go to make up the end product. In fact, if they do things the right way (as they did so spectacularly with iTunes/iPod) then it may very well change the way you access your music, movies and TV for good.
And the Mini is still a very capable desktop computer as well 😉
Erendiox said:
Hum, how do I give feedback on the G4 Mac mini I've been using for almost a year, then? 🙄
Whotheheck said:
You forgot the better CPU and the dual core model, very good upgrade indeed.
Except the GPU, which is what people are complaining about.
And the price, of course (500$US to 600$US... A 20% price increase for the entry level Mac - a bad thing for potential switchers, especially with that GMA950).
iHeartTheApple
macrumors 6502
Alright, for what it's worth...On my way home from the office tonight, I stopped by my local Apple Store in hopes that the new mini was there (I know, wishful thinking...) so that I could play with it a bit.
After having inquired about the new mini, the associate told me that they are on their way; however, he also said that they are continuing to market the G4 minis alongside the intel minis. He then went on to tell me that it gives the consumer the best set of options yet, since the mini line now carries starting price points at $499(1.25 G4), $599(1.42 G4 & 1.5 Core Solo), $699(G4+SD), $799(Core Duo). When I told him about the G4 being pulled from the online store, he said that it doesn't apply to the retail stores.
So in conclusion, for those of you who are still die-hard PPC fans *or* for those of you that can't justify getting one of the new minis (for whatever reason🙄 ), you can still pick yourself up a G4 mini in either 1.25 or 1.42 flavor...but perhaps for only a little while longer. 🙂
After having inquired about the new mini, the associate told me that they are on their way; however, he also said that they are continuing to market the G4 minis alongside the intel minis. He then went on to tell me that it gives the consumer the best set of options yet, since the mini line now carries starting price points at $499(1.25 G4), $599(1.42 G4 & 1.5 Core Solo), $699(G4+SD), $799(Core Duo). When I told him about the G4 being pulled from the online store, he said that it doesn't apply to the retail stores.
So in conclusion, for those of you who are still die-hard PPC fans *or* for those of you that can't justify getting one of the new minis (for whatever reason🙄 ), you can still pick yourself up a G4 mini in either 1.25 or 1.42 flavor...but perhaps for only a little while longer. 🙂
ezekielrage_99
macrumors 68040
mmmcheese said:
All jokes aside Intergrated Graphics aren't as nearly as bad as they used to be, the GMA950 is a fair leap ahead from the Ati Radeon 9200.
It's still way better than the "Celeron D with the Intergrated Graphics" Dell is offering at the moment.
An Intel Core Duo with Intergrated Graphics will still out-perfom a G4 Mac Mini with an Ati Radeon 9200 by a long shot.
It also seems as though Apple has gone with Intel's new audio chipset which is mies ahead of the previous Audio components of the G4 Mac Mini, audio in/out it's about time
mrgreen4242
macrumors 601
iHeartTheApple said:
That's cool... I'm glad to hear that. I think the sub $500 price is an important mental barrier to get people into the stores looking. They should drop the 1.25ghz G4 version even further... down to $449 or so as a loss leader. People will go in to try they $500 (out the door with tax) Mac and leave with a Core Duo or an iMac more often than the base mini...
Well, Apple had to use integrated graphics in order to keep the price down. The Intel chip was probably more expensive than the G4, so they had to balance the prices somehow. The first thing that went away was the graphics card.
The thing is, it really isn't that bad. The average Mac Mini user won't be running graphics-intensive tasks or games. It's sufficient for streaming video and other purposes. Sure, I don't like integrated graphics, but it is decent enough.
The thing is, it really isn't that bad. The average Mac Mini user won't be running graphics-intensive tasks or games. It's sufficient for streaming video and other purposes. Sure, I don't like integrated graphics, but it is decent enough.
topgunn
macrumors 68000
That doesnt make sense to me. Why would anyone buy a 1.42Ghz G4 mini for the same as a 1.5Ghz Intel. I know there will be a few but its hard to market one computer as 4x faster than another and expect to sell the slower computer at the same price.iHeartTheApple said:
I am disappointed in the new mini specs but the silver lining for me was reduced prices on the existing mini's. That may or may not come to be. I called my local Apple Store and asked what would become of the pricing for G4 minis and his response was that maybe we will know tomorrow. I, for one, will be watching the Apple refurb and clearance sections like a hawk over the next few days looking to snag a deal on a G4 mini.
FF_productions
macrumors 68030
Damn, they are using the same crappy 5400 rpm hard drives!!
Whatever, it's a consumer machine...
Whatever, it's a consumer machine...
kugino
macrumors 65816
someone who has a $3K CD player is probably very knowledgeable about why that CD player is good. and it has to do with how great the CD player is as both a transport and a DAC...i highly doubt that this mac mini is as good in either role as a dedicated CD player. while i love the optical audio out capabilities of this mac mini, i do not think it will replace high end CD players of the audiophiles out there.Romanesq said:
ezekielrage_99
macrumors 68040
Yvan256 said:
I bought a Mac Mini about 8 months ago and I'm seriously considering the upgrade to the Mac Mini with the Duo.
It's a little more expensive however Apple has put a far superious processor inside, better memory, frontrow, more USB and new software. I see intergrated graphics as a fair trade off.
Ok, I haven't read through the whole thread, but what I want to know is if the mac mini can handle a 2.0Ghz Core Duo dropped in it (heat and hardware).
kugino
macrumors 65816
double true. so many whiners here...yeah, the mini doesn't do this or do that...but that's not the biggest complaint...the biggest complaint around here is that the mini doesn't do what THEY want, as if apple should cater to each individual whim. 🙄 it is much better than previous minis, regardless of how much you guys want to gripe about it.mmmcheese said:
Stridder44
macrumors 68040
matticus008
macrumors 68040
It really bears repeating that the graphics hardware does NOT impact Photoshop, Final Cut, or iMovie.
The video card has absolutely nothing to do with these tasks. Photoshop performance on a 2MB PCI card from 1995, a Radeon 9500, and a GeForce 6800GT is exactly the same.