Apple Macintosh releases an affordable computer

[FORD]

http://images.apple.com/macmini/images/indextop20050111.jpg
The new Mac mini from Apple measures a mere two inches tall, weighs just below 3 pounds and is powered by Mac OS X; a display and input peripherals are optional.


Apple today introduced Mac mini, hailing the latest addition to the company's line-up of PCs as the most affordable and compact Mac ever. The low-cost mini-PC will initially be available in two versions with different processor speeds and hard drive sizes, both of which are powered by version 10.3 of Mac OS X, also known as Panther.

Weighing in at a mere 3 pounds and with dimensions of 6.5" x 6.5" x 2", or 16.5 x 16.5 x 5 cm, the Mac mini more closely resembles a PC accessory rather than a standalone PC. The lowest-budget version of the mini features a 1.25 GHz PowerPC G4 processor and a 40 GB hard drive, while the higher-end version comes with a 80 GB hard drive and 1.42 GHz processor.

Processor speed and hard drive capacity aside, both minis share all specifications including 256 MB of RAM, expandable to 1 GB; a combo DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive; an ATI Radeon 9200 graphics card with 32 MB of memory; one FireWire 400 and two USB 2.0 ports; a 10/100 Ethernet card and V.92 compliant 56K modem; a built-in speaker and 3.5 mm line out port; and a DVI output with an included DVI-to-VGA adapter.

Optional accessories include an internal AirPort Extreme card for Wi-Fi 802.11g, an internal Bluetooth module and an adapter to convert the VGA/DVI out to composite or S-Video out.

Mac OS X version 10.3 is pre-installed on every Mac mini, and provides a familiar range of applications including iChat video conferencing, Mail, the Safari web browser, Sherlock, Address Book, QuickTime, iSync, iCal, DVD Player and the Classic environment. In addition, the Mac mini will come with software targeted towards families including Quicken 2005 for Mac and the games Nanosaur 2 and MarbleBlast Gold.

The Mac mini will be available in the US on Saturday, January 22 and worldwide on Saturday, January 29, as always through Apple online and retail stores, as well as through Apple approved resellers. The 1.25 GHz Mac mini will retail for $499 USD, whilst the 1.42 GHz version will retail for $599 USD.


I must admit that at this price, buying a Mac as a second computer is very tempting. While I'm in the process of ditching Windows in favor of Linux, I have no intention of going to Mac full time. This is a smart move on the part of Steve Jobs though. His only error might be not including actual keyboard and mouse ports on the damn thing. I don't have room on my desk for a second mouse or keyboard, and the set I have ain't USB.

Put me in the "maybe" column, Steve.....

[flappo]

don't they do usb adaptors ?

[teamaa104]

apple is incredible

[Flash Bastard]

FORD, you can get USB adaptors at Radio Shack pretty cheap.

I'm thinking about buying this thing, the previous Macs were just outside of my price range.

Flappo, have you checked into this? I know you're our resident Mac expert, is this thing worth bothering with?

[twonabomber]

i'll probably get the Mini. probably just get a KVM switch and use the same monitor, keyboard, and trackball i have now. i eventually want to run Final Cut Pro. if i ever got a real Mac, the Mini would be a good portable capture/edit system.

Superdrives are a $100 option, and a gig of RAM is another $425, but it can be added later.

i'm also going to futz around with Linux. i got Red Hat Professional Workstation for $49 the other day.

[Flash Bastard]

Originally posted by twonabomber
i'll probably get the Mini. probably just get a KVM switch and use the same monitor, keyboard, and trackball i have now. i eventually want to run Final Cut Pro. if i ever got a real Mac, the Mini would be a good portable capture/edit system.

Superdrives are a $100 option, and a gig of RAM is another $425, but it can be added later.

i'm also going to futz around with Linux. i got Red Hat Professional Workstation for $49 the other day.

Shit, I forgot about using a KVM. You could just put the mini right on top of the PC. Brilliant!

Final Cut Pro is the main reason I want to switch. These PC programs are rather spotty when it comes to digital video.

I'm off to the Apple Store.

[twonabomber]

a Mini will fit right under the edge of my monitor, next to the PC. or, if i end up going with dual 19's, it'll fit under those.

[rustoffa]

I'll go out on a limb and suffer the consequences.....

Are the Macs really that far superior?

I have only dealt with pc...the exception being a friend's machine that's like Job's signature model or some shit.

I just always end up closing shit instead of maximizing it or vicey-vercey when I use it.....that's a broad example.

Gimme the cliff-notes lowdown.

[teamaa104]

Originally posted by rustoffa
I'll go out on a limb and suffer the consequences.....

Are the Macs really that far superior?

I have only dealt with pc...the exception being a friend's machine that's like Job's signature model or some shit.

I just always end up closing shit instead of maximizing it or vicey-vercey when I use it.....that's a broad example.

Gimme the cliff-notes lowdown.

ive got a mac powerbook and i love the way it runs, it never crashes and nobody ever makes viruses for macs, so you never get them

the only thing i cant stand about macs is how slow the mouse and the fact that it only has one button, but other than that, its a great computer

[FORD]

I already have the KVM switch. I've actually been experimenting with various Linux distributions on a beat up old 333MHZ Celeron machine, so I have both machines running often. If the output from that switch can be adapted to USB for the Mini Mac then that might work.

But for the record, I still think the lack of ports is bad marketing when Apple is obviously aiming this machine at people who already have keyboards & mice (attached to a working PC)

[Flash Bastard]

Originally posted by FORD
I still think the lack of ports is bad marketing when Apple is obviously aiming this machine at people who already have keyboards & mice (attached to a working PC)

You could always add a USB hub, and add a bunch of other stuff too....

It seems to me that Apple designed this thing to get a foothold with the PC users, to offer them a deal and then watch as the cash rolls in when the customers realize they need to buy all the extras for a fully functional setup.

Perhaps I'll just save a few bucks and upgrade the processor on my PC instead.

[flappo]

Originally posted by rustoffa
I'll go out on a limb and suffer the consequences.....

Are the Macs really that far superior?

I have only dealt with pc...the exception being a friend's machine that's like Job's signature model or some shit.

I just always end up closing shit instead of maximizing it or vicey-vercey when I use it.....that's a broad example.

Gimme the cliff-notes lowdown.


in os-x ( panther ) you have the option of having just one active window ( like windoze ) , plus with expose , the quartz graphics based window tiling feature , it's very easy to arrange things

http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/expose/

http://images.apple.com/macosx/features/expose/images/expose_seeit_10082003.gif

[ashstralia]

i have an older imac
running os 9.2,
bought it for a song,
runs like a dream.

fast as, never crashes, no bugs.

[flappo]

you can prob upgrade that to panther and run all your 9.2 stuff in classic mode

i used to be very anti-x until i actually used it

my bro has an xp laptop at work and 17" PBG4 at home

the xp laptop crashes every few days

the mac one hasnt crashed once in a year

[ashstralia]

there are a lot
of mac users where i live, (lots of music people)
i was thinking about upgrading to
a g4 this year, i can get one of those
pretty cheap.

the os is just so fucking elegant.

when i get on friends pc's,
it's like driving an old morris.

[Big Train]

I run a G4, it is like a fucking Ferrari compared to PC's. The thing has NEVER crashed in the 3+ years I've owned it, no viruses, it is retard proof as far as commands go and EVERYTHING WORKS. Bought a digital camera, didn't even have to install the software that came with it, IPhoto just fired up and it worked beautifully.

THe only downside is that software costs a little more. However for something you will use more often than your car even (if you use it to do business as I do), it is worth every friggin penny, no doubt.

[Mezro]

I just saw the Mini and iPod Shuffle at Macworld yesterday. In a word: incredible.

Mezro...ordered my iPod Shuffle yesterday...perfect size for the gym...

[bastardog]

Bah...
Mac is for silly brains
as smaller the box, smaller are the updates capabilities.

[Mezro]

Originally posted by bastardog
Bah...
Mac is for silly brains
as smaller the box, smaller are the updates capabilities.

Wrong. Just because you have small equipment don't take it out on us.

Mezro...Puerto Rico is for silly brains...but I love it when you wear hair nets to wash your cars...

[ashstralia]

Originally posted by bastardog
Bah...
Mac is for silly brains
as smaller the box, smaller are the updates capabilities.

love that seinfeld ep....

'are choo talkin to me?'
'i don' tink yoo know what
day it is!'

he he

[twonabomber]

Originally posted by Mezro

Puerto Rico is for silly brains...


Puerto Rico Swave.

[DEMON CUNT]

Originally posted by Big Train
I run a G4, it is like a fucking Ferrari compared to PC's. The thing has NEVER crashed in the 3+ years I've owned it, no viruses, it is retard proof as far as commands go and EVERYTHING WORKS. Bought a digital camera, didn't even have to install the software that came with it, IPhoto just fired up and it worked beautifully.

THe only downside is that software costs a little more. However for something you will use more often than your car even (if you use it to do business as I do), it is worth every friggin penny, no doubt.

YES! OSX is fucking kick ass. We have 2 Macs- an IBook and a Titanium. The Apple hardware and OS make PCs seem like toys. And BT is right, Macs rarely ever crash.

I worked at Microsoft for six years and the whole Apple is inferior bullshit is in fact bullshit.

After using Macs for a few years I will never, ever own a PC again.

[flappo]

joe rogan , teh fear factor guy who's site i post on agrees 100%


here is what he said about macs:

I've got a 12" powerbook, and I would recommend it to anyone.
The fucking thing is the best laptop I've ever had.
People goof on macs because of their low market share, but I use one every fucking day and I have for at least 2 years now, and I've NEVER had a problem. Not one single fucking thing went wrong with hardware, software, the OS, or with viruses.
Get this 2 fucking years without a single crash. Not one.
I had a problem with netscape shutting down unexectedly, but that was fixed with an update. The OS has never crashed or even gotten goofy on me once. I reboot maybe once a month.
It's the best operating system I've ever used without a doubt, and I would never go back to windows.

I have two windows machines in my office, a falcon northwest and an alienware, and the only reason they're there is because those companies sent them to me for free. I use them to play games on, and that's it.

he's now got a dual g5 2.5 w/ 30" display !

[FORD]

Originally posted by ashstralia
love that seinfeld ep....

'are choo talkin to me?'
'i don' tink yoo know what
day it is!'

he he

They still show the Puerto Rican day episode down there?

It was only aired the one time in the States. No re-runs, no syndication, no clips in the final episode retrospective. Apparently some folks in PR took offense at Kramer stomping on a flag.

For fucks sake, it was on fire! What else could he have done?

When that season is released on DVD, that episode better be in there :mad:

[twonabomber]

some pics pf the Mini's internals...

http://www.macnews.de/gallery/albums/Produkte/Mac%20mini/normal_P1020518.jpg

http://www.macnews.de/gallery/albums/Produkte/Mac%20mini/normal_P1020510.jpg

http://www.macnews.de/gallery/albums/Produkte/Mac%20mini/normal_P1020517.jpg

[ashstralia]

Originally posted by FORD
They still show the Puerto Rican day episode down there?


yep, seen it about 4 times.
very funny.

[Denny]

Originally posted by FORD
http://images.apple.com/macmini/images/indextop20050111.jpg
The new Mac mini from Apple measures a mere two inches tall, weighs just below 3 pounds and is powered by Mac OS X; a display and input peripherals are optional.


Apple today introduced Mac mini, hailing the latest addition to the company's line-up of PCs as the most affordable and compact Mac ever. The low-cost mini-PC will initially be available in two versions with different processor speeds and hard drive sizes, both of which are powered by version 10.3 of Mac OS X, also known as Panther.

Weighing in at a mere 3 pounds and with dimensions of 6.5" x 6.5" x 2", or 16.5 x 16.5 x 5 cm, the Mac mini more closely resembles a PC accessory rather than a standalone PC. The lowest-budget version of the mini features a 1.25 GHz PowerPC G4 processor and a 40 GB hard drive, while the higher-end version comes with a 80 GB hard drive and 1.42 GHz processor.

Processor speed and hard drive capacity aside, both minis share all specifications including 256 MB of RAM, expandable to 1 GB; a combo DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive; an ATI Radeon 9200 graphics card with 32 MB of memory; one FireWire 400 and two USB 2.0 ports; a 10/100 Ethernet card and V.92 compliant 56K modem; a built-in speaker and 3.5 mm line out port; and a DVI output with an included DVI-to-VGA adapter.

Optional accessories include an internal AirPort Extreme card for Wi-Fi 802.11g, an internal Bluetooth module and an adapter to convert the VGA/DVI out to composite or S-Video out.

Mac OS X version 10.3 is pre-installed on every Mac mini, and provides a familiar range of applications including iChat video conferencing, Mail, the Safari web browser, Sherlock, Address Book, QuickTime, iSync, iCal, DVD Player and the Classic environment. In addition, the Mac mini will come with software targeted towards families including Quicken 2005 for Mac and the games Nanosaur 2 and MarbleBlast Gold.

The Mac mini will be available in the US on Saturday, January 22 and worldwide on Saturday, January 29, as always through Apple online and retail stores, as well as through Apple approved resellers. The 1.25 GHz Mac mini will retail for $499 USD, whilst the 1.42 GHz version will retail for $599 USD.


I must admit that at this price, buying a Mac as a second computer is very tempting. While I'm in the process of ditching Windows in favor of Linux, I have no intention of going to Mac full time. This is a smart move on the part of Steve Jobs though. His only error might be not including actual keyboard and mouse ports on the damn thing. I don't have room on my desk for a second mouse or keyboard, and the set I have ain't USB.

Put me in the "maybe" column, Steve.....

FORD, You can buy an eMAC with Superdrive for $999. Those are very nice Computers and are quite reasonably priced too.

PC's are fucking ancient history, IMO. There are just too many problems with them.

For starters, To have a really reliable, fast working PC, you have to spend a huge amount of money.

Then, You have to KNOW what is the best Hardware right across the board from Cases + Power Supplies, Motherboards, Processors, Ram, Hard Drives, Videocards etc, etc, etc.

Here is a few good examples of what I mean:-

A few years ago Intel made a thing called the 810 Chipset. Ok, Now it's made by Intel so people automatically assume it is going to be the fucking Bomb.

Well, There was also another company out here called VIA who made a thing called the APOLLO Chipset that fucking SMOKED Intel's 810 Chipset.

Another AWFUL thing about PC's is a company called AMD. I fucking AMD processors with a passion. I have never owned a PC with an AMD processor and I never will.

The WORST thing of all about PC's is that 95% of the programs made for PC's will only run if you have Windows.

The only decent version of Windows IMO is Windows 2000. It is VERY stable and very reliable.

Windows 95, 98, 98SE, ME and XP are fucking junk.

WIndows XP has fucking destroyed the reputation of PC's forever.

Within about the first week of it being released there was about 20 megs of security patches you HAD to download unless you wanted the fucking thing to get virused.

People are now having so many problems trying to Install Service Pack 2 for Windows XP that when you buy a NEW PC now it comes with Service Pack 2 alreadly to installed because it fucking causes SO MANY fucking problems with peoples machines if the go to the microsoft site and download and install Service Pack 2.

[Flash Bastard]

Originally posted by Denny
FORD, You can buy an eMAC with Superdrive for $999. Those are very nice Computers and are quite reasonably priced too.

PC's are fucking ancient history, IMO. There are just too many problems with them.

For starters, To have a really reliable, fast working PC, you have to spend a huge amount of money.

Then, You have to KNOW what is the best Hardware right across the board from Cases + Power Supplies, Motherboards, Processors, Ram, Hard Drives, Videocards etc, etc, etc.

Here is a few good examples of what I mean:-

A few years ago Intel made a thing called the 810 Chipset. Ok, Now it's made by Intel so people automatically assume it is going to be the fucking Bomb.

Well, There was also another company out here called VIA who made a thing called the APOLLO Chipset that fucking SMOKED Intel's 810 Chipset.

Another AWFUL thing about PC's is a company called AMD. I fucking AMD processors with a passion. I have never owned a PC with an AMD processor and I never will.

The WORST thing of all about PC's is that 95% of the programs made for PC's will only run if you have Windows.

The only decent version of Windows IMO is Windows 2000. It is VERY stable and very reliable.

Windows 95, 98, 98SE, ME and XP are fucking junk.

WIndows XP has fucking destroyed the reputation of PC's forever.

Within about the first week of it being released there was about 20 megs of security patches you HAD to download unless you wanted the fucking thing to get virused.

People are now having so many problems trying to Install Service Pack 2 for Windows XP that when you buy a NEW PC now it comes with Service Pack 2 alreadly to installed because it fucking causes SO MANY fucking problems with peoples machines if the go to the microsoft site and download and install Service Pack 2.

Lay off the crack, Den.

There's nothing wrong with AMD processors. I'm using a computer I built two and a half years ago using the VIA chipset, AMD processor and Windows XP. My system's current uptime is 44 days, 13 hours and 13 minutes without shutting down, the previous runtime was 122 days.

AND I downloaded Service Pack 2 the day it was released...... not a single problem to report.

[Denny]

Originally posted by Flash Bastard
Lay off the crack, Den.

There's nothing wrong with AMD processors. I'm using a computer I built two and a half years ago using the VIA chipset, AMD processor and Windows XP. My system's current uptime is 44 days, 13 hours and 13 minutes without shutting down, the previous runtime was 122 days.

AND I downloaded Service Pack 2 the day it was released...... not a single problem to report.

AMD's are fucking crap. They have CLONED versions of Intel's INSTRUCTION sets.

They tend to OVERHEAT and if they overheat too much they go on FIRE.

[twonabomber]

from what i've seen, AMD's tend to overheat when they're overclocked.

i've built three AMD machines in the last two years and haven't had any problems with any of 'em.

i didn't run Windows 2000 so i can't say anything about it. out of Win95, Win 98SE, and XP Pro, i've liked XP best.

as for SP2...it supposedly didn't like my ATI 8500DV video card. i had such a pain in the ass getting the card to work the way i wanted that i wasn't up for changing drivers and shit, so SP2 got the boot.

[twonabomber]

now i'm thinking i may just hold off and get an iBook. i've been wanting a laptop anyways.

[flappo]

if you want a good low cost mac , get the 17" imac G5 1.6

it's not much more than the minimac and is miles faster

[twonabomber]

yeah, but i've already got a 19" monitor on my PC. i think the 17" would look funny sittin' next to it. if i got the Mini i'd get a matching 19".

[flappo]

the advantage of the minimac IS it's low price , maybe just get the base model and max out the ram , the next model up isn't really worth the extra hundred bucks , 1.25 to 1.42 ghz is a negligble speed increase and you can always add hard disks later via the fw interface

that way you won't get too burned when they update in 6 months or so time