Mac Mini Review
Released: February 2006; Manufacturer: Apple Computer; Description: Small form factor Apple Mac computer system;
Specs
CPU: 1.8Ghz Intel Core2
RAM: 512MB
HDD: 80GB
OS: OS X 10.4.6
Apple computers have always been expensive little mongrels. I can’t help but think that this has always been caused by the fact that people who want to look cool buy them, not to mention that people in the graphics, photography and video industries have traditionally always used Macs (and I won’t mention that this is usually because they’re too stupid to learn how to use other computers since they’re too busy trying to look cool). But the Mac Mini is the first exception to the rule. Coming in at around $1200, this is easily the cheapest Mac ever to appear on the market – though without a monitor, keyboard or mouse, you may have to shell out a little further to get a working system. The downside here is that if you like to buy Apple peripherals, a keyboard and mouse will set you back about $150 and a nice shiny Apple 20″ monitor will blow a further $850 of your hard-earned bananas.
On the plus side though, this is probably the coolest running, quietest computer I have ever used. The use of laptop components internally means that there is hardly any fan noise so the Mini would be a perfect add on to a home entertainment system – it would even blend in nicely with other A/V hardware and could easily sit on top of most DVD players or set-top-boxes.
On the down side, when you order you Mac Mini, make sure you get it as heavily laden with hardware as possible because opening the case for later upgrade is a right pain in the Apple Logo. To install memory, change a hard disk or even upgrade the DVD player, you have to own precision tools and be able to reverse-engineer the system to a certain extent. I appreciate the fact that they were saving space, but the inclusion of only one RAM slot means you won’t get one of these babies to go above 2GB of memory – leaving this computer to users who are at the lower end of the performance-demands market.
Pros:
-Obscenely small – size of 5 CDs stacked
-Runs very quiet and cool
-Built in Wireless / Airport
-Apple remote for playing music / videos / photos
Cons:
-Very difficult to open case for maintenance
-Difficult (i.e. expensive) to upgrade or repair
-Expensive apple peripherals (keyboard / mouse / etc)
-Lack of ports (only 4 USB, 1 Firewire)
While the Mac Mini is a great computer for the home user or in a multimedia setup and comes with built in wireless support, it lacks upgradeability and standard “in-the-box” features like a keyboard and mouse. You won’t find a smaller, quieter computer many places, but if you are looking for dollar value you would be much better off buying a Windows system that would include a monitor and more powerful hardware for less money.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
Links:
http://www.apple.com/au/macmin i/ – Manufacturer’s product website
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M ac_mini – Wikipedia entry