I think of all of the various Mac mini accessories I have seen, this one has me saying "wow." USB 2.0/FW/HD back up in a nice compact unit that looks as good as the mini itself...very impressive. I also like the fact that the drives are 7200 RPM (now only if Apple would follow suit)If I had a mini, this would DEFINITELY be a buy.

Looks like thanks to the miniMac, combination external hard drives/USB2 hubs/FireWire hubs are the next Big Thing:

The miniMate: http://www.micronet.com/General/minimate.asp
(hard drive, FW hub, USB hub)

The Mini M9-DX: http://www.macpower.com.tw/products/hdd3/m9/m9dx
(hard drive *enclosure*, FW hub, USB hub)

And now, the miniPartner (hard drive, FW hub, USB hub, Retrospect/backup button)

The thing is, while these devices are designed to match up with the miniMac, they're also the perfect companion for the iMac or eMac--you get three peripherals in one with only 3 cables total (1 FW, 1 USB, 1 power cord). If you got each one separately, they'd use up 5 cords (FW, USB, 3 power cords) *and* would be a lot more clutter.

Looks great, but beware the blue LED:

http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,67574,00.html?tw=rss.TEK

All I really want is an analaog audio input jack! Can't anybody freakin' add that?

I do not speak French. Does Macway have a US partner?

try the iMic - it's cheap, usb and works

Macway has no North American partner that I know of. Too bad because they have a great line of accessories for Mac.

But I won't deal with French ANYTHING.

No, I don't call them Freedom Fries. I'm not a nutcase, but I'm not about to send my hard earned American $$ to any company there.

And why would they have a US partner? They don't like us either.

Am I upset? Hell no. We'll ship back the big ol' statue in NY harbor if they want it too.

...never actually think they are nutcases, by definition.

I guess it's far better to buy all of our consumer products from China, you know the still "communist" country, the one with prison- child- and possibly slave- labor, than from France, the democracy that inspired our revolution and then helped us win it.

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Anonymous wrote:
I guess it's far better to buy all of our consumer products from China, you know the still "communist" country, the one with prison- child- and possibly slave- labor, than from France, the democracy that inspired our revolution and then helped us win it.

Right...Their democracy inspired OUR revolution. Whatever history book you are reading, discard it. For the record:

5-28-1776: Benjamin Franklin meets with French Foreign Minister Varennes, initiating a 2-1/2 year campaign to secure French support for the American Independence movement.

1778: France declares war on Britain, and sends an army to North America.

02-06-1779: USA and France enter treaty in support of American independence from Britain.

03-20-1779: Franklin meets with King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette, to confirm the French-American treaty.

1783: Treaty of Versaille, recognizing the independence of the United States of America.

05-05-1789: The French Estates-General meets at Versaille, the first such meeting since 1614.

06-17-1789: The Third Estate (commoners) of the Estates-General meets separately and declares itself to be a National Assembly. King Louis XVI closed their meeting place, so they assemble at the tennis court at the Louvre.

06-20-1789: Members of the National Assembly take oath not to disband until a constitution is established.

06-27-1789: Louis XVI legalizes the National Assembly, permitting all three estates to meet together and vote per capita.

07-14-1789: Parisian mob storms Bastille Castle, then functioning as a royal prison, hoping to find arms. The mob kills its governor, the Marquis de Launey, and releases its seven prisoners (none of whom are political prisoners by the way).

08-14-1789: Nobles and clergy in the National Assembly, out of fear, renounce their privileges, thus ending feudalism in France.

August, 1789: Adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of Citizen.

10-05-1789: Parisian mob marches on Versailles. Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette are relocated to the Tuileries Palace in Paris, where they are confined.

06-20-1791 to 06-21-1791: Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette attempt to flee in disguise from France, but are apprehended at Varennes, and are brought back to Paris.

1791: Louis XVI accepts a constitution.

10-01-1791 Legislative Assembly convenes.

09-21-1792: National Convention meets for first time, abolishes the monarchy, establishes a republic, and tries King Louis XVI for treason. The King is convicted by a majority of one vote.

01-21-1793: King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette are guillotined in Paris. The regicide causes the European monarchies to band together in the Brunswick Manifesto.

Anyhow. History lesson over. And for the record also, opening markets allows the infiltration of more democratic ideas and promotes change. Ultimately, like the rest of the great Communist experiment, China will evolve or die.

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acdc1174 wrote:

Anyhow. History lesson over. And for the record also, opening markets allows the infiltration of more democratic ideas and promotes change. Ultimately, like the rest of the great Communist experiment, China will evolve or die.

I don't think the guest was really saying it's bad to do business with China so much as just pointing out that not wanting to send money to France is a little silly.

What's next, calling every U.S. company and asking how they voted before you buy a product from them?

[quote="Small White Car"]

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acdc1174 wrote:


I don't think the guest was really saying it's bad to do business with China so much as just pointing out that not wanting to send money to France is a little silly.

What's next, calling every U.S. company and asking how they voted before you buy a product from them?

I agree that when carried to the extreme, it is silly, but I have no problem voting (or in this case, exercising foreign policy) with your pockebook. If you think the French GOVERNMENT behaved badly against the US (and you are a US citizen), and you don't want to buy a French product, by all means go ahead and buy something else from somewhere else. If you have a problem with China, it's record on human rights, and its aggression in SE Asia, then stay out of Wal-Mart.

I am happy I didn't come in your way while I was in the US... Wow how stupid is what you wrote. I lived 3 years in the US, in California actually, I loved it there, like I love my own country France. I don't understand people confusing governments and citizens and worst I don't understand why there should be no respect for opinions... Aren't in democracies... I love American people as much as I love my French fellows and my European ones... Differences don't make us better or worth... and we do not not like you, many french people are against the US actual government, they don't hate americans...

Thank you acdc to put the historical perspective... Life is too short to hate each other...

Sidney

PS: Please don't teach your kids to hate French people... or any people

To come back to the product: French or not. I think it will look good on my desk...

Get a clue. Half the stuff you buy (at Wal-mart) is probably made in China. A country which has a horrible reputation in human rights violations and may soon bypass us as the world's number one economic power. I guess you'd rather support them than the French who disagreed with our current admistration. Bashing the French isn't any better than Europeans bashing Americans. Please grow up.

I bought one last year which appeared for two minutes on my iMAc and then burned the Firewire port. I realised that too late--I had already tried it on the other Firewire port which it burned as well. I never managed to get the hard disk to work (not even through USB). I had the Minipartner sent back to MacWay, but they could not find a problem with it and sent it straight back.
A reinstall of OS X has not resolved anything.
The upshot of it all is that I wasted 150 euros + 35 euro in postage + both Firewire ports on my iMAc without any benefit at all. The product is strictly NOT recommended.

bartdriessen@hotmail.com