Mini Mac

[scotth_uk]

I got one on release day. Works well, working out how to make it a media centre under the TV. Remember that it is an entry level machine, aimed at atttracting the loose ends of the PC crowd.

Feels like a laptop for speed. Does everything it should. Beautiful unit.

OSX is very nice.

NOTE: You cannot add internal wireless yourself, as the part from apple does NOT include the aerial. Needs to be done at a service centre, as the kit is only available to them.

[evoWALO]

Part numbers of the Airport WiFi "card" and Bluetooth module can be found at http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/feedback/...r_reports.html

[TVR_Fan]

I am not a fan of Mac's the only thing they aimed at are Grapich Editing People and Vid Editing people most of the time.

[scotth_uk]

TVR Fan,

You are missing the point of the Mini Mac, it's to encourage "everyone else" to buy one. I am a PC head through and through since my first compatible in 1986, but the mini mac tempted me to try something new.

It's been really good so far. Really happy with the purchase. I use it for just about everything now.

[andyhui01]

yea... if apple keeps making computers to target graphics users... tbh... they are never going to get anywhere... this is their best chance to eat into the PC market as all the Windows iPod users (e.g. Me) are tempted to try out Mac since iPods are so great

[scotth_uk]

My computers are on the dining table (small flat).... I have been showing the mini mac to all the guests recently and they are all going home via the apple store to buy one. Lower power drain (28 watts while watching DVDs) than most laptops and quiet as a mouse. Suitable for a cupboard based unix server at the very worst.

[jasonchiu]

yeah i really wanna tech up my house. the coolest thing will be to plant in to the wall like 17" LCD screen without pannels. then i could like plant a mini mac in to the wall as well and the screen can play photos all day!!!!

[Likwid]

Mac Mini Lexus...

http://www.digitalgiant.com/blulex5s...ior/index.html

[Kip_6666]

Heres a article about useing one as a htpc.

http://www.anandtech.com/mac/showdoc.aspx?i=2349&p=1




(it doesn't do that well)

[jasonchiu]

thats quite sad putting it in a is300, imo if he needs to type he has to pull this big ass keyboard out. he should by a flexy keyboard. i seen it in HK and its like 14 USD in hk. rolls up like a mat

[evoWALO]

I would've opt for a touch screen LCD.

[jasonchiu]

i think the worst thing to have is a color head unit lol. u never look at it and its so small ne ways. the sony one can play pictures, why would u need that lol

[Leopold Porkstacker]

I'll be buying a Mac Mini once Tiger 10.4 OSX is released. Yes, a tiger, which is a large predatory cat, whereas "Longhorn" is a bull that will be turned into hamburgers! Redmond, start your photocopiers!!!

[hokiethang]

Originally Posted by Leopold Porkstacker

I'll be buying a Mac Mini once Tiger 10.4 OSX is released. Yes, a tiger, which is a large predatory cat, whereas "Longhorn" is a bull that will be turned into hamburgers! Redmond, start your photocopiers!!!

Redmond's photocopiers are still busy with Jaguar (10.2). They wont get around to copying 10.4 for another 4 or 5 years. 10.4 should be very nice, I am planning on getting a PowerMac G5 by the time 10.4 becomes standard on them (i'm too prone to upgrade stuff, so a mac mini isn't right for me). Right now I have a Titanium Powerbook, and I must say its the best laptop I have ever owned, and I will probably never go back to PC laptops.

[Null]

I'd buy one if I had the money Even though I'm not a huge fan of Macs, the Mini is definantly tempting...

[monkeymax]

Well, I'm still running my 7 year old Powerbook G3 (Wallstreet edition to those who know)!!! I 'inherited' it from my Dad when he moved over to PCs a couple of years back, and for a poor student it's turned out ideal. I've got my desktop PC which I use for games and watching DivXs and DVDs - basically entertainment - plus work which involves programming for PC or serious processor time...
But whenever I can I try to use the old Mac, even on OS9 it's extremely stable compared to Windoze and amazingly Word is faster on the Mac (266MHz G3 chip compared to my 2.4GHz AMD chip)!!! Not to mention more reliable.

Have been drooling over the Ti Powerbooks since they came out (have really wanted one of the models with the lit up keyboards - still disappointed these haven't yet made it to the smaller screened versions) and am really hoping I'll be able to afford one when I graduate this year. Whether I'll still need it as much as I use the current one is another matter...! And this will unfortunately mean that I won't be able to use the student discount for it...

So, in short, if I wasn't planning to get a Powerbook instead, I'd probably buy a Mac Mini, but instead I'm saving my money for something much better (in my opinion!).

(BTW: Here's another argument for Macs, among everything else that's been put up here (yes you can tell I'm a Mac fan, have used them almost all my life) - Total cost of ownership for my 2 year old PC has almost matched that of total cost of ownership of my 7 year old Mac Powerbook. Okay, I have bought more stuff for PC, but I've had to replace DVD/CD drive 3 times in two years, as well as replace a dead hard drive, still on original parts on Mac.)

(BTW 2: Got the Mac hooked up wirelessly to home Windows network easier than we got housemate's XP laptop hooked up wirelessly to Windows network. Plus USB items I bought for PC developed years after Mac was built, work fine without drivers in teh Mac, even though my Mac doesn't even have built-in USB ports - I use a PCMCIA USB card. And example of one of these peripherals... graphics tablet! )

Yeah, in case you didn't get it already... in my opinion, Mac's rule. They just do what they do better!


Sorry, just realised I've started rambling again. I'd say that was just my 2p, but it's turned out to be more my 10p worth...

[lben]

Just moved up from a G3 Pismo (upgraded to a 500mhz G4) to a 1.33 aiBook and I am in heaven. Everything works like a dream and is significantly faster. I don't think a mac mini fits for me but it's a great conversion tool, especially with all the strengths of OSX

A little rant aside from the mac mini
My school is a bit paranoid (actually, more like fascist) about kids bringing in laptops and plugging into the network. One recent day, I was approached by the IT tsar and he told me that I had to stop plugging into the network (to print and work on an independent study project, completely legit tasks). I find it a bit annoying that their excuse for not letting kids on the network is "viruses" when I have ZERO on my machine! It pisses me off when I am hindered by problems that are mostly unique to Windows!

PS. I do sympathize with the IT guy, it's a pain in the ass to keep a school system running with 400+ PC's. But I've known this guy for four years and it seems like more of a power trip than a safety concern for him to not let me on the network.

[monkeymax]

Originally Posted by lben

A little rant aside from the mac mini
My school is a bit paranoid (actually, more like fascist) about kids bringing in laptops and plugging into the network. One recent day, I was approached by the IT tsar and he told me that I had to stop plugging into the network (to print and work on an independent study project, completely legit tasks). I find it a bit annoying that their excuse for not letting kids on the network is "viruses" when I have ZERO on my machine! It pisses me off when I am hindered by problems that are mostly unique to Windows!

The IT admins at my uni don't like me attaching my Mac to the Uni network. They're perfectly happy to let other people attach Windows machines to the network, wirelessly or wired, but when I applied for wireless networking (they ask what OS you use when they take the MAC address) they said I wouldn't be able to get the Mac on the network. When I told them that I actually would be able to they said they didn't want me connecting the Mac to the network as they weren't sure how secure it was!!! In this case though I think that perhaps ignorance would be a better word than paranoia, particularly as I frequently check the Mac for the 10 or so virus' I can get on it!

[TechZ]

toooooooooo expensive, i'd rather go out and build a new box for myself.

[Cool Guy]

I wouldn't buy one myself... but that's because I'm a Mac user, and I have to have a top of the line G5