New Mac Mini Announced! [MERGED]

[Mainyehc]

Something's missing!!

It looks great, especially for classrooms... or so I thought, until I noticed the Kensington Security Slot is missing!! That's a terrible omission, for such a small and nearly "pocketable" machine... That a Mac Pro doesn't have one, I can understand, but this is just plain absurd.

What gives?

 

[Speedy2]

It would look bad on the front... please don't forget Apple's form over function policy.

They'd better come up with a way to make it look good on the front then!! The way they did it now is really, really silly for actual use. Especially when you use the Mini as an HTPC and put it in a shelf so that you can't access the back anymore.
I'd expect more for that 100 USD price hike!

 

[0098386]

Looks fantastic!
Hmmm specs.
How much?!

£650 is not a reasonable price for a 320M, 500gb drive, 2gb ram , 2.4ghz C2D and a DVD drive.

 

[soph]

Let's compare prices (basic model).

US = 699$ (572€)
Europe (Spain) = 951,2$ (779€)

Normally, Apple's excuse to difference in price between Europe and US is that US prices don't include tax. Adding a VAT of 18% to 699$ we get 824,82$ (675€). So after taxes, there's still a difference of 124$ (104€). I dont see Apple selling too many of them if we also consider that this computer used to cost 670$ (549€) here.

Mathematics shows Apple is ripping us off =)

Looks like Apple hasn't got too much faith in EUR's strength (vs USD) for the next few months.

 

[B Gallagher]

Support for Apple iPhone headset with microphone

Is this new??

 

[kalsta]

To add to that list and comment on some of the items…

Solipsism, I appreciate you quoting my list, but um… where did you get this point from…?

No IR port (It may be old tech but it's still universal and useful)

Not moi.

 

[imacdaddy]

Any noticeable difference between 2.40GHz vs 2.66GHz? Please?

2.40GHz ships in 24hrs
2.66GHz (BTO option) ships in 4 days

 

[robogobo]

This may answer one of my all-time biggest needs for a portable.

So, now that the power supply is integrated into the mini, here's my idea.

First off, I hate laptops. They're the ultimate compromise. They're slow, expensive, heavy, bulky and the battery life dictates carrying a power supply anyway. But when I'm on the road, I often need a portable computer to setup in a hotel or whatever to import, review and edit the day's work. I thought of a mini, but they were always way too slow, still needed a power supply and of course the most obvious problem is the lack of a monitor.

Second part, I love the iPad, sort of. In itself it's not powerful enough to do any serious work, but it's great for everything else. It also happens to run one of the best VNC apps out there, iTeleport (formerly Jaadu), as does the iPhone. Its battery life and ease of charging make it a great ultraportable for lightweight work.

So now, I'm thinking I may have the solution. Maybe, but I need it tested first. The cheapest iPad and the cheapest Mini together connected via VNC over Internet sharing could solve the whole problem for me. Portable power computing when needed, and ultraportable tablet when not. And it still has firewire, unlike the smaller macbooks. The only issue I can think of is the resolution problem of a headless mini- in the past you needed a monitor plugged in for the video card to output anything over 800x600 (I know the resolution of the iPad is quite low, but scaling is a no-brainer with iTeleport). Heck, in some case the hdmi port would allow me to use the hotel's tv as a montior.

Any input here?

 

[Hilmi Hamidi]

Sorry to break it to you, but these people are well-informed and see the 320M as what it is: just another slow ass GPU. Any current cheap dedicated GPU is way, way faster. I wonder who the douche is here...

The original Mac Mini had a dedicated GPU, so has the Apple TV. If you really believe that Apple couldn't put one in a 100 USD more expensive, non-portable Mac, for which power consumption doesn't matter that much, you'd better get away from that KoolAid, you're drinking.

It's obvious who's the douche here. The GPU is fine to play casual games and even high bitrate 1080p movies.
Honestly even the old 9400m is good enough for your movie watching needs.
The inclusion of dedicated GPU will result in more heat and power requirement.

 

[solipsism]

Totally agree.

However, my patience is starting to wear thin as I've got my dad's old Rev-A White Mac Core Duo, and it's really slow, laboured and failing (Airport is bust). And I need a decent machine for Aperture and pix of my new daughter!

And then they go and screw the UK customer base by adding £150 to the price. So, when does $100 = £150???

If they wanna use the "you guys have VAT added, blah, blah, blah"
£150 = £127.66 + VAT @ 17.5%

£127.66 DOES NOT = $100.

According to XE.com, $100 = £67.97

Steve et al, you're thieving gypsies!

You didn't account for economy of scale in the US for the same exact product. You didn't account for import tariffs. You didn't account for UK or EU regulatory testing as averaged per unit compared to the US. You didn't account for the projected value of the pound compared to the dollar over the next several months or years.

Sorry to break it to you, but these people are well-informed and see the 320M as what it is: just another slow ass GPU. Any current cheap dedicated GPU is way, way faster. I wonder who the douche is here...

The original Mac Mini had a dedicated GPU, so has the Apple TV. If you really believe that Apple couldn't put one in a 100 USD more expensive, non-portable Mac, for which power consumption doesn't matter that much, you'd better get away from that KoolAid, you're drinking.

The original Mac Mini had it so this Mac Mini should also be able to have it. Yet you have completely ignored the PS being internal and the internal space being nearly halved.

Why don't you look at the 13" MBP internals on iFixit and report back to us on exactly where a dGPU and additional fan could possibly go, since that also uses the C2D+320M combo.

 

[designgeek]

Why is the Store down again?

 

[OS X Dude]

Thumbs up for unibody, diy memory, integrated psu and hdmi

but, still no i3/i5, why is apple sooo far behind. no usb 3.0, no bluetooth 3.0, no blu-ray.

The design is excellent and i wouldn't mind paying the premium but the specs should be comparable to the market. Apple's supposed to be ahead not behind!

Seems like the apple tv might soon disappear, Jobs wasn't too interested in talking about it at d8 either.

There's no iX processor because of the nVidia/Intel dispute, IMO. Like with the MacBook, had they gone with an i3/5 processor, they couldn't have used nVidia graphics as nVidia now aren't licensed to make chipsets for the new processors. They are licensed for the Core 2, and so that's why Apple stuck with them.

USB 3.0 wasn't included because Apple will want to push Light Peak I imagine, but yes it is sad to not have USB 3.0 on it. Same for Bluetooth 3.0, that would've been nice too.

And let's not get into why they didn't include Blu-Ray

 

[mgridgaway]

I would've been amazed had the price stayed the same. Instead, I'm looking at a computer that has roughly the same power as my 2 year old iMac, costs the equivalent of a decent non-apple laptop, and doesn't include a screen.

 

[solipsism]

Solipsism, I appreciate you quoting my list, but um… where did you get this point from…?

Not moi.

That would fall under the "add to that list" part that I started my post with.

 

[Marx55]

Same here in Germany. They raised ALL prices and new MacMini is 809 Euro!!! WTF. Not a option any more... For that money you get an much better spec'd Notebook...

To make it clear:
700 USD = 570 Euro

809 Euro = 990 USD

Usually prices in the states do NOT include taxes, whereas the contrary happens for European prices (with VAT). That explains it and has been explained over and over again for years now. Hope it helps.

 

[iEdd]

Any noticeable difference between 2.40GHz vs 2.66GHz? Please?

2.40GHz ships in 24hrs
2.66 ships in 4 days

The 2.66GHz is a server (lol?) and has a 2nd HDD in lieu of an optical drive.

 

[Speedy2]

Entry level mac, my ass. I'd be ten times happier if they dropped the price to $499 and made the savings by using a plastic enclosure. Comparatively spec'd Dell computers start at under $300!

You are forgetting that the form factor is the reason for the price. If you consider a random, bulk, huge PC as a competitor then the Mac Mini is probably not the product for you.

Anyway, still I agree that the new Mini is too expensive. They should have made it cheaper, not more expensive. They are moving it into a somewhat dubious super-pricey HTPC niche that doesn't really exist. Also it needs to be pointed out that the iMac and Macbooks are not that far away now and offer much, much more value if you look at the Mini as a regular computer.

 

[Hilmi Hamidi]

Next week, iMac update!

 

[imacdaddy]

The 2.66GHz is a server (lol?) and has a 2nd HDD in lieu of an optical drive.

I meant the non-server model BTO option on regular mac mini.

 

[Darkroom]

nice looking machine. although apple's sudden belief in SD Card readers and now HDMI years after they have been standard on so-called "inferior PCs" is pathetic.

 

[teme]

It's obvious who's the douche here. The GPU is fine to play casual games and even high bitrate 1080p movies.
Honestly even the old 9400m is good enough for your movie watching needs.
The inclusion of dedicated GPU will result in more heat and power requirement.

Yes, the GPU is good enough for casual games and HD movies and it's probably the best solution for a computer like Mac Mini. However, Apple advertises that GPU like it can play latest 3D games. About a year ago my friend (who plays games but doesn't understand technology) went to Apple Store to buy a computer which can play latest 3D games at good settings. Apple Store personnel recommended Mac Mini and he trusted their knowledge... at home he noticed that Mac Mini barely can play those latest 3D games at lowest settings and lowest resolutions.

 

[MathijsDelva]

Why is the Store down again?

to fix all the problems..

 

[thebez]

This may answer one of my all-time biggest needs for a portable.

So, now that the power supply is integrated into the mini, here's my idea.

First off, I hate laptops. They're the ultimate compromise. They're slow, expensive, heavy, bulky and the battery life dictates carrying a power supply anyway. But when I'm on the road, I often need a portable computer to setup in a hotel or whatever to import, review and edit the day's work. I thought of a mini, but they were always way too slow, still needed a power supply and of course the most obvious problem is the lack of a monitor.

Second part, I love the iPad, sort of. In itself it's not powerful enough to do any serious work, but it's great for everything else. It also happens to run one of the best VNC apps out there, iTeleport (formerly Jaadu), as does the iPhone. Its battery life and ease of charging make it a great ultraportable for lightweight work.

So now, I'm thinking I may have the solution. Maybe, but I need it tested first. The cheapest iPad and the cheapest Mini together connected via VNC over Internet sharing could solve the whole problem for me. Portable power computing when needed, and ultraportable tablet when not. And it still has firewire, unlike the smaller macbooks. The only issue I can think of is the resolution problem of a headless mini- in the past you needed a monitor plugged in for the video card to output anything over 800x600.

Any input here?

If you compare the specs of the Mini and of the Macbook then your attitude about laptops might change. In other words, a Mini is a laptop without the screen, battery, and keyboard.

 

[odedia]

I will likely replace my aging Apple TV with this, if only front row wasn't such a turd compared to the apple tv menu...

But a full computer and everyone in the home owning an iPhone means there's little reason not to use this for all the streaming media, even if it's not quite the "10 foot" interface ideal.

Plex is your friend.

www.plexapp.com

 

[Techhie]

Great, now every computer Apple produces has more GPU power than the base-line Mac Pro. Just great.

And we wait.