Apple Releases Mac Mini With Unibody Construction

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I'm going out on a limb and calling this a possible HTPC due to the small form factor, low power, silent running, wifi, and HDMI output. Most off all these mini's are able to install Linux or XP, Vista, 7 so we're not stuck with the mac OS.
A removable panel underneath provides quick access for memory expansion
Click to expand...
About frikin time on that part.....
also the server farm or server style mac mini is somewhat an interesting low power solution for storage or running an FTP or streaming server, perhaps Toms can do a comparison of a custom built 1TB server vs macmini server (equal parts of course)
 
[citation][nom]indigoataxia[/nom]Copycat of the Dell Zino HD which only uses a 1.8 dual core Athlon Neo, but offers ATI HD 4330 graphics for $500 with same ram, hdd, and windows 7.[/citation]
Zino HD uses ddr2 ram, not ddr3. But really, you think this is the copycat? iHate really is making people less knowledgable.
 
[citation][nom]manitoublack[/nom]so awesome it can't even play blu-ray.[/citation]
That's all you can see there? Buy a Blu-Ray player and call it a day.
 
[citation][nom]kingssman[/nom]I'm going out on a limb and calling this a possible HTPC due to the small form factor, low power, silent running, wifi, and HDMI output. Most off all these mini's are able to install Linux or XP, Vista, 7 so we're not stuck with the mac OS.About frikin time on that part.....also the server farm or server style mac mini is somewhat an interesting low power solution for storage or running an FTP or streaming server, perhaps Toms can do a comparison of a custom built 1TB server vs macmini server (equal parts of course)[/citation]

The server mini has been around for a while, nothing new ther.
 
[citation][nom]kingssman[/nom]I'm going out on a limb and calling this a possible HTPC due to the small form factor, low power, silent running, wifi, and HDMI output. Most off all these mini's are able to install Linux or XP, Vista, 7 so we're not stuck with the mac OS.About frikin time on that part.....also the server farm or server style mac mini is somewhat an interesting low power solution for storage or running an FTP or streaming server, perhaps Toms can do a comparison of a custom built 1TB server vs macmini server (equal parts of course)[/citation]

I've been using two Mac Minis as HTPCs for a good while now and they're great. Just throw Plex on them and you're good to go.
 
Now i may not be much of a Mac fan, but i know something cool when i see it!
It's small, fast and cheap (Cheap for a Mac anyway), sorta like the spec's of a "medium" powered laptop.
Does it come with a keyboard or mouse? or is all that "purchased next"?
 
[citation][nom]STravis[/nom]Who's the rocket scientist that decided to hide the SD Card in the back, so it's hard to get at..[/citation]
How often are you swapping SD cards? I'll never understand how people overlook clean design for the ability to see a port in the front one day out of every month. And if you consider reaching 8 inches hard, I suggest you hit the gym.
 
yeah, its small... but how many people looked at the old mac mini and said "its great, but I wish it was smaller"
me personally? I looked at it and said "its great, but I wish it was CHEAPER" this new one is more expensive isn't it? 🙁

it is impressive they got the powersupply in there now. its amazing how they manage to fit everything in.

I still think its strange they don't offer an atom/ion option. even smaller, even less power, basically the same functionality (still works great as a HTPC) and CHEAPER!

as it is, I'd go with that Zotac Mini ITX, integrated atom/ion solution, with the laptop powersupply. chuck in 2 gig of ram, quite 3.5" 2TB green drive... fanless, basically silent, fileserver/HTPC. basically the same size as the mac mini, but literally half the price. now sure, the Mac Mini IS better. but my point is, thats the cheapest they do! when there are clearly good options like above that are alot cheaper. just seems like apple isn't interested in the HTPC market... which is strange, considering the fact that formfactor,power,noise,custom OS are all critical parts of a HTPC, and are all things Apple are great at.

also, just FYI, these aren't "all new mac minis" they are exactly the same components in a new box. the most practical difference being the integrated power supply.
 
[citation][nom]matt87_50[/nom]yeah, its small... but how many people looked at the old mac mini and said "its great, but I wish it was smaller"me personally? I looked at it and said "its great, but I wish it was CHEAPER" this new one is more expensive isn't it? it is impressive they got the powersupply in there now. its amazing how they manage to fit everything in.I still think its strange they don't offer an atom/ion option. even smaller, even less power, basically the same functionality (still works great as a HTPC) and CHEAPER!as it is, I'd go with that Zotac Mini ITX, integrated atom/ion solution, with the laptop powersupply. chuck in 2 gig of ram, quite 3.5" 2TB green drive... fanless, basically silent, fileserver/HTPC. basically the same size as the mac mini, but literally half the price. now sure, the Mac Mini IS better. but my point is, thats the cheapest they do! when there are clearly good options like above that are alot cheaper. just seems like apple isn't interested in the HTPC market... which is strange, considering the fact that formfactor,power,noise,custom OS are all critical parts of a HTPC, and are all things Apple are great at.also, just FYI, these aren't "all new mac minis" they are exactly the same components in a new box. the most practical difference being the integrated power supply.[/citation]
Definitely disagree with ion/atom....that's AppleTV territory.

Oh, if you build an HTPC with a green drive to be quiet, the clicking of the drive arm/spindle will drive you insane.
 
I don't have any Apple hardware, but that thing looks great, too bad we won't get it at that price down here (Argentina). Could it be possible to attach it to the back of an LCD monitor...?
 
[citation][nom]maigo[/nom]lol, mac server farm[/citation]
Yes, perhaps you need to familiarize yourself with FreeBSD....how it is the core of OSX and what it can do. Then again, if you haven't figured it out by now and you already think you know what you're talking about...
 
That this is flippin small and pretty powerful...and good looking...but expensive as hell....I sort of like it. But I am disappointed they didn't put an i3 or i5 in there. Also disappointed its not AMD, but that was a given.
 
[citation][nom]matt87_50[/nom]yeah, its small... but how many people looked at the old mac mini and said "its great, but I wish it was smaller"me personally? I looked at it and said "its great, but I wish it was CHEAPER" this new one is more expensive isn't it? it is impressive they got the powersupply in there now. its amazing how they manage to fit everything in.I still think its strange they don't offer an atom/ion option. even smaller, even less power, basically the same functionality (still works great as a HTPC) and CHEAPER!as it is, I'd go with that Zotac Mini ITX, integrated atom/ion solution, with the laptop powersupply. chuck in 2 gig of ram, quite 3.5" 2TB green drive... fanless, basically silent, fileserver/HTPC. basically the same size as the mac mini, but literally half the price. now sure, the Mac Mini IS better. but my point is, thats the cheapest they do! when there are clearly good options like above that are alot cheaper. just seems like apple isn't interested in the HTPC market... which is strange, considering the fact that formfactor,power,noise,custom OS are all critical parts of a HTPC, and are all things Apple are great at.also, just FYI, these aren't "all new mac minis" they are exactly the same components in a new box. the most practical difference being the integrated power supply.[/citation]

Atom would just destroy their little anti-netbook/nettop scheme...even if implemented in a desktop. They have A4 after all don't they *wink* *nudge*.

The power supply is probably external. With such a low profile, even the smallest PSUs couldn't fit in there. They might have a few internal power delivery components but most of them will be in a brick.

If not, I am impressed.
 
[citation][nom]godwhomismike[/nom]To the person that down voted me. Trust me, I am not happy that it still used the antiquated and outdated Core 2 Duo processors, but to me, the form factor, quietness, processor power and powerful integrated nVidia GPU (compared to the horrible integrated GPUs Intel offers), and power efficiency. If I wasn't choking with medical bills right now, I would possibly consider buying one, or grabbing the 2.4Ghz 13" Macbook Pro from a MicroCenter for $999. The woes of adulthood.[/citation]
What's wrong with the C2D? This latest iteration is quite a bit quicker than earlier C2D's. No, it's not a Core i5. But quite frankly, what would you use this for, that you would notice the difference between a C2D and an i5? It's not for gaming. It's not for CAD work. It's an HTPC. You don't need huge horsepower for a media center computer. Besides, going to the i5 would require either intel integrated graphics, which suck, or going with a faster discreet GPU which would not allow such a sleek and sexy form factor. Core i3 would be a performance downgrade compared to this C2D. The included Nvidia 330M is actually pretty capable, and faster than the discreet GFX from just a few years ago. This is designed as a sleek and sexy living room PC, that you place next to your plasma TV. Not a desktop gaming rig.
 
[citation][nom]lauxenburg[/nom]Atom would just destroy their little anti-netbook/nettop scheme...even if implemented in a desktop. They have A4 after all don't they *wink* *nudge*.The power supply is probably external. With such a low profile, even the smallest PSUs couldn't fit in there. They might have a few internal power delivery components but most of them will be in a brick.If not, I am impressed.[/citation]

Well it looks like I didn't read thoroughly enough. Integrated power supply?!?! Holy crap. That's the tightest fit computer in the world...well done...still costs too much thought ^^.
 
I see it as too expensive for what it is. If you need something aesthetically pleasing AND have a use for it then you could justify the price. It's certainly more powerful than a similar sized VIA or Atom powered device.

It may function as pretty looking HTPC if you don't mind the lack of Blu Ray. If you need a small server to double as an ornament it has it's use there as well. Otherwise, it's just too overpriced and underpowered.
 
[citation][nom]Godfail[/nom]Yes, perhaps you need to familiarize yourself with FreeBSD....how it is the core of OSX and what it can do. Then again, if you haven't figured it out by now and you already think you know what you're talking about...[/citation]

I think the point is, why would you want a Mac Server Farm? Sure, you should be able to do it, but why not just use cheaper PCs, or racks to save space, running FreeBSD rather than paying more for a Mac? I mean can you imagine a server room full of Apple Logos and silver cases? The thought just makes me lol.
 
Wow! I really like it!

Running OSX has always run very well on specs MUCH worse than this.
So to the guys complaining about the specs ...

ASK YOURSELF ...
Does it really matter right now? Especially for what its jammed into! Oh! I cant forget to mention the hardware IS well equiped for most of the buyers/users of this type of machine.
By the way, why is C2D a bad thing again? Not to long ago we would have shot each other in the neck with potato guns for a machine like this ... Yes with these specs!

Oh! and when did a small server running windows server anything cost $999
Mac has become a very sophisticated OS using some pretty awesome coding to create wonderful and stress free computing environment. The pure fact that this machine runs MAC gives it a distinct advantage over windows environments over all speed and performance is increased because of a lack of all the BS that windows has to run just so you can see the pretty pictures on the screen.

Now with that said. I AM NOT AGAINST WINDOWS!! I AM NOT A FAN OF APPLE!!

I WILL GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE!!

This one I like!
 
But can it play... *distant gunshot* ... *static*

Anyway, I'm not one to even come close to liking a Mac, but I love the slim unibody chasis. On the inside, though, not so much. Paying $1000 for a Core 2 Duo with 4GB of DDR3-1066 with Geforce 320m graphics, I could very easily build a much, much faster system using a Lian-Li mATX cube case. Oh well, though... let Macs be Macs I guess.
 
its even harder to take apart now...frickin' ridiculous...
but im really glad they put an easy-access ram compartment!
this is the only mac i would ever buy new...i really like it actually!
 
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