New Mac Mini, totally redesigned

Synaesthesia said:
http://www.hardmac.com/news/2010/06/15/the-new-mac-mini-arrived

It is thinner than previous models, and looks a little bit like an Apple TV.
It now features HDMI and FireWire 800 ports, and an SD card slot. It keeps the Core 2 Duo processor but now features an Nvidia GeForce 320M. It also supports up to 8gb RAM. Looks great :)

Edit: the power supply is also built-in now. Awesome!
Click to expand...

I find it amazing that the power supply is now built in, and then they still managed to make it smaller.
The Mac Mini was my first mac, and the power brick was a fairly big object
 
Someone please correct me if I am wrong - I am an ardent Apple user, I have almost everything that Apple have brought out in the last 5 years from iPad, iPod, iTouch, iPhone, iMac, MacBook Pro etc however, I cannot see why I would need this. Can someone please tell me in what situation this computer would be usefull ? Unless I am wrong - if you bought this, then you would need to buy a display, a keyboard, an external DVD reader/writer, mouse etc etc. Surely it would just be easier/neater to just buy an iMac, and then get everything all in one neat package ? The only use I can really think of, is for a remote server where it does not really need all the add-ons.
 
Not really impressed with the specs, I like that upgrading is now possible without breaking the mini though..
 
Good for a media centre PC, and just as a general PC. It's main positive features for me are the portability, low power consumption, and silent operation.

I already have a 24" screen so a Mac Mini would be better for me than an iMac.
 
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surfs-up said:
Someone please correct me if I am wrong - I am an ardent Apple user, I have almost everything that Apple have brought out in the last 5 years from iPad, iPod, iTouch, iPhone, iMac, MacBook Pro etc however, I cannot see why I would need this. Can someone please tell me in what situation this computer would be usefull ? Unless I am wrong - if you bought this, then you would need to buy a display, a keyboard, an external DVD reader/writer, mouse etc etc. Surely it would just be easier/neater to just buy an iMac, and then get everything all in one neat package ? The only use I can really think of, is for a remote server where it does not really need all the add-ons.
Click to expand...

It was originally envisaged as a cheap into to mac for switchers. Macs are nice, but they really need an affordable model for enthusiasts. Most incarnations are really filled with laptop parts and are not upgradeable much.
 
surfs-up said:
Someone please correct me if I am wrong - I am an ardent Apple user, I have almost everything that Apple have brought out in the last 5 years from iPad, iPod, iTouch, iPhone, iMac, MacBook Pro etc however, I cannot see why I would need this. Can someone please tell me in what situation this computer would be usefull ? Unless I am wrong - if you bought this, then you would need to buy a display, a keyboard, an external DVD reader/writer, mouse etc etc. Surely it would just be easier/neater to just buy an iMac, and then get everything all in one neat package ? The only use I can really think of, is for a remote server where it does not really need all the add-ons.
Click to expand...

I used to have one. Amazing machine.
Yes, you buy your own monitor, keyboard and mouse. That is what the Apple Cinema Display is for (All well as for the Mac Pro)
You dont need an external DVD drive though. It has one in. I was however hoping Apple would drop the DVD drive in more of their machines by now. It could save a lot of space

But yes, the iMac is a much better machine. But it is of a much higher spec and price
 
Would I be able to put Ubuntu on it if I want the form factor but not the MacOS?
 
Vamichi said:
Would I be able to put Ubuntu on it if I want the form factor but not the MacOS?
Click to expand...

Yes, but it required a bit of a mission last time I did it, a dualboot is necessary since a bare linux install won't work. EFI issues.
 
Thanks for the comments on it's purpose - I can see it being used as a media centre, and totally agree that if you already have a nice big external display and keyboard etc, that it would be an easy and cheap way to get into a Mac environment. I can't see the advantages of it's portability however, as you would need to lug all those extra's along - much better to take a 13" MacBook Pro with it's included display, keyboard etc. Also, the mini would require 220 v, whereas a MBP can run on it's internal battery.

But, at home, or in the office, I would still prefer a nice big iMac :D
 
surfs-up said:
Thanks for the comments on it's purpose - I can see it being used as a media centre, and totally agree that if you already have a nice big external display and keyboard etc, that it would be an easy and cheap way to get into a Mac environment. I can't see the advantages of it's portability however, as you would need to lug all those extra's along - much better to take a 13" MacBook Pro with it's included display, keyboard etc. Also, the mini would require 220 v, whereas a MBP can run on it's internal battery.

But, at home, or in the office, I would still prefer a nice big iMac :D
Click to expand...

Agree with you 100%. The only reason to get a mac mini over a iMac is money. Or using them as servers.

However, I dont think it makes a good media centre. It lacks the interface that AppleTV has (Rent or buy a movie/tvshow from my couch) which is needed for a media centre
 
Aqua_lung said:
Yes, but it required a bit of a mission last time I did it, a dualboot is necessary since a bare linux install won't work. EFI issues.
Click to expand...

You don't need to dualboot in order to run linux, you can wipe osx but most people just size the partition right down to do firmware updates. Others install osx on a external drive to do the firmware updates.
 
surfs-up said:
Someone please correct me if I am wrong - I am an ardent Apple user, I have almost everything that Apple have brought out in the last 5 years from iPad, iPod, iTouch, iPhone, iMac, MacBook Pro etc however, I cannot see why I would need this. Can someone please tell me in what situation this computer would be usefull ? Unless I am wrong - if you bought this, then you would need to buy a display, a keyboard, an external DVD reader/writer, mouse etc etc. Surely it would just be easier/neater to just buy an iMac, and then get everything all in one neat package ? The only use I can really think of, is for a remote server where it does not really need all the add-ons.
Click to expand...

You found a use for an iPad and iPod Touch (some of the more useless products from Apple), yet a computer confuses you? ;)
 
I've had my mac mini for about four years now and have been using it almost exclusively to drive my plasma.
 
Really? I bought an AppleTV 2 years ago, and it is my favourite apple product (even more than the iPhone). But what I like about it is the renting/purchasing using a remote from my couch using an interface built for it. With a Mac Mini, you just dont have usability (or at least I cant imagine how you would use it)
 
burn said:
You found a use for an iPad and iPod Touch (some of the more useless products from Apple), yet a computer confuses you? ;)
Click to expand...
You've clearly not used an iPod touch or iPad! They're very useful!
 
JStrike said:
Really? I bought an AppleTV 2 years ago, and it is my favourite apple product (even more than the iPhone). But what I like about it is the renting/purchasing using a remote from my couch using an interface built for it. With a Mac Mini, you just dont have usability (or at least I cant imagine how you would use it)
Click to expand...
Are you forgetting about iTunes? The interface might be different but it is a fully fledged computer so you can use a keyboard and mouse, or like I do, an iphone. :)

Apart from iTunes I also have the rest of the internet at my disposal.
 
bwana said:
Are you forgetting about iTunes? The interface might be different but it is a fully fledged computer so you can use a keyboard and mouse, or like I do, an iphone. :)

Apart from iTunes I also have the rest of the internet at my disposal.
Click to expand...

That is exactly what i dont understand. iTunes app doesn't have an interface built for browsing from 3m away. And keyboard & mouse don't exactly shout couch friendly. The only software on the Mac Mini that is built for using from the couch is Front Row. And that is just for media consumption
 
Valid points, but a bit picky... The wireless keyboard and mouse work just fine when coupled to the mini as a media server, but I can see how it could irritate some.

It seems pretty clear to me that we are probably going to see a bump in functionality in front row to add some more of the Apple TV interface.

Surprisingly, this new mini is actually slightly larger and heavier than it's predecessor.
The mac mini server pretty much got very useful updates with the graphics, processor and HDD speed upgrades.

[-]I wonder if this means we see HDMI in preference to mini-DVI on the iMac.[/-] mini-dvi is already no longer available on iMac.

Blu-ray is probably not going to be seen in this line for a while... Looks to me that Apple is protecting movie download revenue.
 
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