Woohoo! Finally!

According to the tech specs on apple's site, one way they saved money was to omit the keyboard and mouse from the package. Which lets the buyer choose their keyboard and mouse (or use existing ones) instead of getting the standard keybaord and mouse and buying others. Not bad if you want a bluetooth kb/mouse and don't need the prepackaged ones.

They used to sell the keyboard separately in the Mac SE/II days so users could get the standard or extended keyboards they wanted.

Compare to $499 Dell System:
2.8 GHz, over twice as fast
512 MB memory, twice as much
INCLUDES: keyboard, mouse, and 17 Monitor

So pay $499 for a Mac mini, get half the speed and memory and no keyboard, mouse, or monitor. The lame Mac Mini video card is not upgradeable, so forget about video editing or games.

I think Apple may hit this one out of the park. We heard all the rumors (pre-truths may be a better term) but they didn't do justice until seeing the pics. Other than the memory, the other specs are fine for someone wanting to dabble their toes in the sea of Mac or someone like me, I have a Tibook and iBook 500 and a B&W G3 (upgraded to 600 mHz!), so I am not or have a need to be a speed demon. I just want a space-saving but useful Mac, I already have an LCD and keyboard laying about. There may be just enough others out there like me that will be lined up at the Apple Store come 1/22 to silence the naysayers and trolls who are drooling and panting to poo poo this like the iPod and mini iPod (after 10 millions sold and 500k more than an "optimistic" holiday quarter).

I hope they have a lot of manufacturing capability tooled up to produce these. They are going to sell as fast as they can produce them. Actually they will sell faster than they can make them NO MATTER HOW MANY THEY BUILD. I think I've sold three of them to windows users here in the office just based on the picture and the price in the half hour or so since they were announced.

Wow thats small! Sweet! Guess you'll need a dock for your iPod shuffle since the USB ports are in the back. Hehe.

Not user upgradable .

Yes, you could buy a Dell for less than the cost of the new mini. But that would be - well, a Dell. You get what you pay for, I guess. We are an all Dell environment at my work. I promise you, NOBODY who works in my office would EVER consider buying a Dell for home use. These are not closet Mac lovers I am talking about - just people who want a decent, reliable machine. On the basis of our work experience, the status of Dell is zero. I know I'm a biased Mac user, but let's just let the market decide this one for us. Unless the user experience is such that this machine makes the competition look old fashioned, over-priced and user-hostile, then people won't buy it, and Reality Check won't have anything to worry about. On the other hand, RC does seem a bit rattled by this thing. I wonder why?

This is at the bottom of the Mac mini page:

"Keyboard, mouse, megaphone and display sold separately."

This is at the bottom of the Mac mini Design page:

"Keyboard, iPod mini, dock, hands, AirPort, Bluetooth and PC sold separately."

This is at the bottom of the Mac mini Software page:

"Digital life software included. HDTV sold separately."

This is at the bottom of the Mac mini Graphics page:

"Display, The Incredibles game, Finding Nemo DVD and HDTV sold separately."

This is at the bottom the iPod shuffle page:

"Do not eat iPod shuffle."

This is at the bottom of the Mac mini page:

"Keyboard, mouse, megaphone and display sold separately."

This is at the bottom of the Mac mini Design page:

"Keyboard, iPod mini, dock, hands, AirPort, Bluetooth and PC sold separately."

This is at the bottom of the Mac mini Software page:

"Digital life software included. HDTV sold separately."

This is at the bottom of the Mac mini Graphics page:

"Display, The Incredibles game, Finding Nemo DVD and HDTV sold separately."

This is at the bottom the iPod shuffle page:

"Do not eat iPod shuffle."

The cube lives! Well played Apple. Although once again, they will not be able to make or ship them fast enough.

Much smaller than I was expecting it to be, and I guess it has a 2.5 inch HD, but then a thought came to me, the case is a beautiful design for further modules.
How's about a FW Drive? or perhaps a USB hub? or maybe even an 'iHub' - that is a FW and USB hub with sockets at the back and media card slots and a USB and FW socket at the front. The modules could then be stackable to build a cube or side by side if you like low profile...

Maybe I'll get one - anyone want to buy a 1.25GHz eMac?....

Apple is also advertising an adapter for the TV. It is just a small jump to a home media center now. I hope that Apple comes up with some great software for the hookup--then Windows Media Center will be blown out of the water--at a much lower price with a much smaller machine.

I'm sorry I posted the whole "Megaphone" thing so many times. It's just that I was unaware that it was already posted. The internet can be a little sketchy here in Iraq.

2 of us here at work have repeatedly gotten timeout errors at the Apple store page as we spontansously felt the urgent need to order one! If the pounding on Apple's site servers is any indication, the Mac mini is already a huge hit!

I expect MAJOR inventory shortages...

-Ken P

I give this one an A+

I think it speaks for itself. Usually I like to argue with the naysayers or debate technical points...

But not today. I'm giddy and I feel great about this. I think it's perfect for what it is. I don't really need something like this and I STILL want to buy one.

Imagine the people who already want a computer with mid-range specs. This is perfect for them.

Totally perfect.

+

I agree with others: Apple will never, EVER keep up with the demand for these. Remember that Apple is selling MP3 players for the same price, if not more in the case of iPod photo.

The Mac mini is clearly a shot right at the heart of Switchers who already have monitors, keyboards, and mice (and who no doubt want to keep using their favorite keyboards and mice). Aside from skimping on RAM (as usual), the tech specs are excellent for the price.

Heck, even Mac diehards who might be considering CPU upgrades for older machines will find lots to like in the Mac mini (myself included). Home run, Apple!

Quote

Compare to $499 Dell System:
2.8 GHz, over twice as fast
512 MB memory, twice as much
INCLUDES: keyboard, mouse, and 17 Monitor

So pay $499 for a Mac mini, get half the speed and memory and no keyboard, mouse, or monitor. The lame Mac Mini video card is not upgradeable, so forget about video editing or games.

Your twice as fast processor flop for flop doesn't hold up. Plus, take a look at the graphics card you get with the dell and the crappy monitor, hmm, oh year, i forgot, you can upgrade the card (oh, but wouldn't that cost more money). You also get the advantage of using OSX minus the viruses and plus the stability. You forgot to mention that you can upgrade the memory to 1GB and RAM is cheap. Oh, don't forget the fact that the dell tower is going to be almost 10 times larger. You also get the iLife '05 suite that edits video, by the way, and kicks anything you will find "standard" on a pc. I could go on, but I think you get the point. Dollar for dollar (if you took the time to compare) to configure the dell comparably (which by the way still wouldn't be comparable) you would find, I believe that the dell would be more expensive. (take into consideration, slot loading drives, software, graphics card, everything) and yes that also takes into consideration getting a monitor, keyboard and mouse. Don't forget, you always get what you pay for.

As much as I love this little Mac, I'm (slightly) disappointed that it's a mere half-inch too high to fit in a 1U rack space. If it were only 1 3/4 inches high it could look soooo cool in my road case (with the appropriate rack ear adaptor mount of course). Touring musicians would've loved that!!!!

Guess I'll be Velcroing it inside instead. Oh well....can't have everything! I'll make do...somehow!

-Ken P

You are obviously a believer in the megahertz myth. A 2.8 P4 processor is not twice as fast as a 1.4 G4 processor.

At work, I measured the width of the black Dell CPU unit. Just over 6.5 inches. My prediction: In a few weeks, there will be a third-party device (also 6.5 inches square) that will allow you to switch your monitor/keyboard/mouse between the Mini and the Dell.

… for those who want to switch, such as a device to share a keyboard and mouse between a PC and a Mac

This is gonna be a extremely nice year![/b]

MiniMac... ok, cool... 32Mb Video Ram..... hmmm... everything else is the same as usual. No "new technology" except maybe minimization.... Why no TV-tuner? Imagine the use the mini would have had right out of the box... record your TV-show to DVD.... a remote to switch channels... then the thing would be an instant hit, I think. Now, the MiniMac is a un-upgradable G4 Mirror Drive 1.25 that probably will heat your workspace. The "Mac Mini Heater".

Yeah but your still STUCK with a Dell, not to mention Windows. It is like getting an operation from Dr Nick http://www.httpcity.com/ronq/simp/ because he is cheaper than a real MD

Quote

RealityCheck wrote:
Compare to $499 Dell System:
2.8 GHz, over twice as fast
512 MB memory, twice as much
INCLUDES: keyboard, mouse, and 17 Monitor

So pay $499 for a Mac mini, get half the speed and memory and no keyboard, mouse, or monitor. The lame Mac Mini video card is not upgradeable, so forget about video editing or games.

Quote

mrmgraphics wrote:
+

The Mac mini is clearly a shot right at the heart of Switchers who already have monitors, keyboards, and mice (and who no doubt want to keep using their favorite keyboards and mice).

Yup. Did you see the place on the Apple page where they have a photo of the mac mini with a NON-APPLE keyboard, mouse, and monitor?

People have used other peripherals with their macs for years, but this has got to be a first for their marketing, I think.

Don't have to wait for the feed from Apple later. Go to:

link

Can't wait for the whole feed!

[edited by x for super-long link]

with the specs of the mini equal to (or even better than) the emac, and the prices of external monitors constantly getting lower, who would be interested in buying a emac from now on...

Hmmm, my ancient iMac DV SE just croaked last week. I had been using it as a music server/torrent terminal/X10 home controller. Looks like I found a replacement.

And with VNC running on it, you don't need a seperate monitor - just run it from another Mac.

http://www.redstonesoftware.com/vnc.html

Mini me!

Quote

Anonymous wrote:
The cube lives!

I'm just waiting for the mod kit to put this into a Cube case - adding a second HD bay in the process.

Already ordered one for a friend rather than rebuilding an old G4/400.

The new mac mini will follow in the footsteps of a long line of Apple product missteps. Now don't get me wrong, I am an Apple LOVER. I bought my first, an HD-30 in 1987 and have been in love with their products ever since. My puritanical ways have been proven by the fact that I have never spent a dime on a pc based product EVER. So now back to the mac mini: the cube was a bad idea, why replicate it. The mac mini comes off looking affordable because of it's high profile $499 entry fee, but add on top of that a keyboard and mouse. Let's talk about those, anyone buying the mini for the design esthetic is going to 'have' to get the wireless mouse and keyboard, so you then also have to get the internal bluetooth in the mini. And this is all before a screen. Who is going to buy the gorgeous mini and plop it on a desk next to a horribly designed cheap screen by some unknown maker. Clearly the mini wants to live next to one of the awesome low profile screens by Apple - base cost for the 20 inch $999. And this is where we run into the real miscalculation by Jobs, he really should give his minions more credit. We're already up to at least $1500 for the mac mini, but it's running off the older G4. We can buy the smaller Imac running on a super fast G5, and save a connection between the computer and the actual cpu (which we're trying to do anyway because we love design) for less money. Naturally there will be folks who have to go out and get the mini anyway (that was actually my initial reaction) but the solid buyers, and the new players are not going to be flocking to this, while they may be getting a new ipod shuffle for their other jacket!

www.abneramidships.blogspot.com

Given that you can buy a 17" LCD for about $200, the combined price of a mac mini and LCD and USB keyboard/mouse is cheaper than the eMac. So the only reason to buy an eMac then is if you don't want someone to carry it off unnoticed (i.e., after they cut the chain that holds the Mac mini to the desk and put it in their bookbag). I predict eMac will be either discontinued or upgraded to a G5.

And the iMac should get a price decrease soon given the rapid decrease in 17" LCD prices (or Apple's profit should be rapidly increasing).

Who would want to build an emac? they have to be tougher than assembling what is, for all intents and purposes, a box. A very nicely styled box, but a box all the same. Much less fuss from a manufacturing standpoint, i'd guess. I'm thrilled with this machine, I'm thrilled apple took the risk, and even tho i think most STILL won't switch, enough will take the leap now to pretty much get the ball rolling on the Halo effect.

For years I have bought strictly used Macs for my office -- I don't need cutting edge speed or capacity (it's a law office) -- so I am accustomed to paying say $400-500 for a CPU. I already have K's, M's, and D's to spare. So this is PERFECT for businesses like me. I can get a new one instead! Woo hoo. The upgrade cycle just got advanced a year. Far from cannibalizing Apple's higher end lines, I think these sales will only hurt the used-Mac market -- which is great for Apple's bottom line. (Why pay $500 for a G4 450, or $1000 for a G4 800 tower, now? Instead they'll pay Apple)

Quote

Guest wrote:
MiniMac... ok, cool... 32Mb Video Ram..... hmmm... everything else is the same as usual. No "new technology" except maybe minimization.... Why no TV-tuner? Imagine the use the mini would have had right out of the box... record your TV-show to DVD.... a remote to switch channels... then the thing would be an instant hit, I think. Now, the MiniMac is a un-upgradable G4 Mirror Drive 1.25 that probably will heat your workspace. The "Mac Mini Heater".

it also doesn't make coffee. What is your point? Exactly how much "new technology" do you expect to see in a bottom-end machine?

Face it, unless it had an 8GHz dual-core processor with 512MB of dedicated video RAM, an HD tuner and 500GB or hard drive space for $300, you wouldn't be interested. Go buy a Dell.

+

Quote

Small White Car wrote:

Quote

mrmgraphics wrote:
+

The Mac mini is clearly a shot right at the heart of Switchers who already have monitors, keyboards, and mice (and who no doubt want to keep using their favorite keyboards and mice).

Yup. Did you see the place on the Apple page where they have a photo of the mac mini with a NON-APPLE keyboard, mouse, and monitor?

People have used other peripherals with their macs for years, but this has got to be a first for their marketing, I think.

I saw that, and agree that it has GOT to be a first for Apple's marketing. A brilliant first, and about freakin' time, IMHO. It makes the Mac look like a stylish addition to an existing PC setup, and not a bold step into alien territory. I can almost hear the gasps of ignorant PC users: You mean that Mac works with my Dull keyboard, my Dull monitor, and my M$ mouse???

Now let's hope the megahetz myth doesn't rear it's ugly gead a la RC, and this product will literally fly off the shelves.

Anyone up for a "predict Mac market share at the end of 2005" thread???

Hi Guest above

Mac Mini is targeted at switchers not new buyers or existing Mac users.

However, the small form factor and price makes it suitable for existing Mac users to use it as a desktop server or an intelligent harddrive.

So, I got an iPod, I like it, maybe I'm a switcher. MiniMe should be for me? 32Mb of video Ram?? Hello? Mac people... you say we are only playing Games all day... well if you know that, why put a little box in front of us with which we can't do what we supposedly are doing all day? And... take away the upgrade path? Apple is great, but always falls short.

RC forgot one very important thing that the $500 Dell lacks. It doesn't blow you away when you see it. Please imagine your average person wandering into the Apple Store and seeing this little thing sitting there. Now imagine when an employee demos it for them and they see this tiny little box doing all of these amazing things on one of those Apple LCD panels. Sold.

You make some good points and that was my initial reaction also - what? No keyboard? No mouse. It isn't as cheap when you factor that stuff in - But then I realized that I wasn't the target audience for the Mini Mac.

Say you have a cheap PC at home and you have the keyboard, the mouse, the cheap flat panel display and you need a new computer. Now you have an option with the Mini Mac to make the switch. Granted you're still using your older paraphernalia, but Dell is probably selling the same keyboard, monitor and mouse they were 2 years ago so you are breaking even.

Thats the target audience. Mac lovers need not apply unless your willing to spend more or already have older paraphernalia laying around. Which I do. So I may buy one. As it's faster than any current Mac I own. My video card is better, but processor speed above 1GHz are always nice.

Quote

Guest wrote:
MiniMac... ok, cool... 32Mb Video Ram..... hmmm... everything else is the same as usual. No "new technology" except maybe minimization.... Why no TV-tuner? Imagine the use the mini would have had right out of the box... record your TV-show to DVD.... a remote to switch channels... then the thing would be an instant hit, I think. Now, the MiniMac is a un-upgradable G4 Mirror Drive 1.25 that probably will heat your workspace. The "Mac Mini Heater".

Apple has no desire to copy others in the broadcast/cable TV arena. Leave that to TiVo and even MS' partners.

When Apple enters into video, it will be revolution time. SJ said this is the year of HD video. So H.264 is part of it and it's not arriving yet until Tiger gets here. And when it arrives, IPTV or Quicktime TV will not be far behind, and then we have revolution - personalized high quality video delivered via the "Internet" to your channel - stored for playback whenever you want. This will be like RSS and blogging but with video channels instead.

They shook up the music delivery business with iTunes/iPod/iTMS. They are looking to shake up the TV/video delivery business as well. And it's coming...

Quote

RealityCheck wrote:
Compare to $499 Dell System:
2.8 GHz, over twice as fast
512 MB memory, twice as much
INCLUDES: keyboard, mouse, and 17 Monitor

So pay $499 for a Mac mini, get half the speed and memory and no keyboard, mouse, or monitor. The lame Mac Mini video card is not upgradeable, so forget about video editing or games.

Sigh. Listen, this is a GOOD THING(tm). It lets the curious buy a Mac on the cheap. Get that? ON THE CHEAP. Dunno about the software bundle (for Apple it's free after all) but 256MB is enough to get a taste. It isn't intended to do anything except tempt the curious--and everyone knows it's a bare bones system so they won't be expecting a firebreather.

Way to go Apple! (FINALLY!!!!!!)

These armchair tech critics somehow think they know what's best. Please... Apple is a smart company. They know their market. They do their homework. If it's not what you want then it's not for you.

Just because RC and its ilk don't "get it" doesn't make those that do zealots or fanboys or such. For not much more than an iPod, people that want to see what the deal is with the Mac can find out. If they already have a PC, so much the better, (for the keyboard, mouse, etc.).

Personally, I still use a G4 450 for my workhorse (and it does a great job...of course I'm not a "gamer." I'm a designer; I make money with my machine. I don't suppose RC does much more with ANY PC than play games considering that seems to be his primary method for evaluating hardware...silly boy) and while I'd love a G5, I can spend $500 bucks for one hell of an upgrade.

Cheers

Quote

Anonymous wrote:
So, I got an iPod, I like it, maybe I'm a switcher. MiniMe should be for me? 32Mb of video Ram?? Hello? Mac people... you say we are only playing Games all day... well if you know that, why put a little box in front of us with which we can't do what we supposedly are doing all day? And... take away the upgrade path? Apple is great, but always falls short.

I am sure you would not re-buy all Mac games that you use to play in a PC. So, continue to play those games in PC. That said, since you can afford to buy an iPod, it is likely that you have a couple of PCs at home. You can replace one of those PCs with this cute little Mac mini.