If geeks love it, we're on it

19 Comments:

1. MiracleManS
   3 Mar '09, 10:33 am

   So, what exactly changed about the Mac Mini?
2. Thrax
   3 Mar '09, 10:59 am

   Added.
3. MiracleManS
   3 Mar '09, 11:49 am

   Thanks, for that price they're not a bad media pc type deal.
4. Buddy J
   3 Mar '09, 12:43 pm

   I've got a buddy who uses them just for that. The best part is the size. It's hard to build a comparable SFF system that's the same size for the price.
5. jared
   3 Mar '09, 1:37 pm

   I would of liked the Minis to have received a better spec update. Like BuddyJ said, I suppose you are paying for the size. But seriously, only 1gb of ram? Give me a break.

   I knew this wasn't going to happen, but I would of loved the iMacs to get the new i7 procs.

   Oh well. Much needed updates either way.
6. Snarkasm
   3 Mar '09, 1:46 pm

   Anybody know why, other than to run OSX, you'd get a $600 or $800 Mac Mini when you can get essentially the same specs in a $600 notebook and get a monitor in the package as well?

   Is the 9400 solid enough to run HD video? Real question, since media center possibilities were brought up.

   They're cool little machines (friend of mine just got one he's going to use for a carputer), but the specs don't really match the price. IC's $600 PC smokes it, albeit in a significantly larger package.
7. MiracleManS
   3 Mar '09, 1:48 pm

   From what I've read, they're capable of running HD video (looked it up on Tom's Hardware).
8. Thrax
   3 Mar '09, 2:11 pm

   The 9400M can do 1080p without issue. It's the same chip married to the ION platform.
9. Lincoln
   3 Mar '09, 2:18 pm

   I don't understand a fifth USB port when it still has only 1 Firewire port. Makes it difficult to hook up both your LaCie external drive and a video camera.

   They highlight the new video capability, but I question who they're targeting with that when the hard drive is still only 5400prm.

   Overall, a "just fine" brush up to the product lines, like a cost-of-living raise to match inflation.
10. Lincoln
    3 Mar '09, 2:26 pm

    Snark, I think running OSX is precisely the reason to get it, and a good one. If I get the $600 Mini with iLife, my parents can be movie editors. If I drop Logic Studio on it, the kids can be composers. If I drop Final Cut on it, I'm a videographer. Don't underestimate what that little box can do with Apple's software.
11. Lincoln
    3 Mar '09, 2:29 pm

    Wait, Firewire question (for the triple post!) - I know I can daisy-chain hard drives, but can I plug my video camera into the hard drive's second Firewire port and import video that way?
12. Thrax
    3 Mar '09, 2:32 pm

    It's possible. Depends on the nature of the hard drive's firewire controller.
13. Lincoln
    3 Mar '09, 3:04 pm

    For the lulz @ "analysts" regarding the timing of this line upgrade: http://daringfireball.net/linked/2009/02/24/shaw-wu
14. Buddy J
    3 Mar '09, 3:53 pm

    I'd rather put in my own RAM and upgraded hard drive (SSD wut!) than pay Apple's premium for it.
15. Lincoln
    3 Mar '09, 4:21 pm

    Quoting Buddy J

    I'd rather put in my own RAM and upgraded hard drive (SSD wut!) than pay Apple's premium for it.

    Very true, and I've done precisely that. We bought a dozen iMacs for a lab at Juniata and bought the RAM upgrade separately. Saved us hundreds of dollars for an hour of memory-swapping (with a dozen spare 512mb sticks to boot).
16. Snarkasm
    3 Mar '09, 4:32 pm

    Hackintosh!
17. Komete
    3 Mar '09, 10:28 pm

    I just don't get the whole mac/osx thing. I've tried them out in the store, and it seemed completely bare and a lot of the icons just seemed cheezy.

    Also what's the deal with video editing on them? I've made little movies use aftereffects and other aps. What is so great about a mac and video editing? Seems like they are all over the entertainment industry for video.
18. MiracleManS
    4 Mar '09, 7:11 am

    From what I can gather its the ease of use in editing simple videos.

    You can plop a person down in front of the machine with little to no video editing experience and in a few hours come out with a somewhat decent looking creation.
19. kryyst
    4 Mar '09, 8:39 am

    For the computer illiterate OSX is nice to use because it presents a homogeneous interface to all the application. It's often easier for them to find the application they want as well. Plus out of the box user experience is sublime.

    As for media editing. It just comes with really nice and very friendly software simple as that. iDVD and iMovie and iPhoto are very easy to use at their basics, but are also very full featured programs. Windows comes with Movie Maker which is terrible. Any other media software windows comes with is some 3rd party app and I have yet to see a computer that came with any bundled software that was good.

Name (required)

Mail (will not be published) (required)

Website

Troll-free since 2003 ®

10 × 2 + 3 = ?

Advertisement