[Wodgy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gerG Cute design exercise, but what would anybody use it for? Considering that there are some killer laptop deals out there right now (Sony vaio K-33 for $1050 for instance) I am having a hard time figuring out the target market.

It's not a laptop. I don't see it competing with the laptop market at all. The lowest cost iBook is already cost-competitive with that VAIO you mention.

There are several target markets as I see it:

1. People who want a quiet home machine, perhaps for their living room - Right now, you either have to pay through the nose for something like a HushPC, or try and build a quiet machine yourself (which, if you've followed some of the threads in this forum, is not a trivial endeavor, and not inexpensive), and either way you end up with something somewhat large and ugly. The new Mini Mac is just such a great solution for this market. It hits the bullseye perfectly. Who wouldn't want this in their living room? It's small, it's quiet, and it's beautiful.
2. People who are tired of all the spyware, viruses, etc. on Windows and just want a computer that works. Non-"computer savvy" people often have this stuff just clogging their machines and making them run more slowly. The cost of switching to this new Mini Mac isminimal for average home users, since they gets to keep using their peripherals and monitor, and this machine comes pre-bundled with most software home users need (except a spreadsheet).
3. People who are just tired of all the Windows annoyances and want a change. No more "Fisher Price" user interface with big, awkwardly-sized title bars with hideous orange X controls in the upper right hand corner. No more ugly text rendering unless you're willing to switch on ClearType and put up with the color fringing. No more being treated like the lowest common denominator. People who want function, but who also want a good experience, style, and a vendor who shows a bit of passion. This is the target market that the iPod is bringing in to Apple stores.

 

[Wodgy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gerG I am surprised at the lack of a digital output for audio. Maybe they are saving that for the next version.

Yeah, at first it seems like an odd decision, but since it comes with onboard wireless this thing mates nicely with the Airport Express. Customers who want a digital out will probably invest in one of those. At this low price point, you don't want to throw everything into the box.

 

[gerG]

Wodgy, the first one sounds interesting. Using the video projector as the monitor eliminates the cost of the monitor, and is acceptable if you are not using the computer to do anything too pixel intensive. I still think a laptop is a great quiet PC solution, though.

I don't know about the second one. I haven't found it a big deal, but I agree that a lot of people are sitting ducks. Of course, if macs get popular again, the problems will come along with it.

The third point really cracked me up. I was a devoted mac fan, until they dropped OSX on us. Kindergarten sized colorful icons, and I have to chase all over the place to find relevant commands. It has been a very unpleasant experience for me. Maybe you can help. Is there a way that I can get rid of the dock and get back to nice fast text pulldowns and cascading menus? That would be a nice start.


gerG

 

[ssuh]

I too wish the Mac Mini (perhaps a mod can change the title of this thread?) would have an optical digital out. For some reason, I'm still hesitant at using the Airport Xpress (I need wires for music!). I guess I'll make do with the usb out and oh, maybe I'll get me one of them Grace 902's... They only cost as much as three of these Mac Mini's...

 

[blessingx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gerG The third point really cracked me up. I was a devoted mac fan, until they dropped OSX on us. Kindergarten sized colorful icons, and I have to chase all over the place to find relevant commands. It has been a very unpleasant experience for me. Maybe you can help. Is there a way that I can get rid of the dock and get back to nice fast text pulldowns and cascading menus? That would be a nice start.

Well, I kinda avoided Macs from '86-'01, until I got excited about them again... with the introduction of OS X,

, but check some of Unsanity's 'haxies' included FruitMenu, MenuMaster and WindowShade X. And there's always (my favorite utility) LaunchBar.

Just don't use those heavy graphics, otherwise you'll be organizing your music in the great Delicious Library.

 

[sclemmons]

Apple.com. Mini. Accessories.

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPL...More=T5139LL/A

"Buy this mac. Plug it into your flat-earth-cobbled-together-from-commodity-parts-scrounged-from-Buy.com-closeouts set-up. Buy this switch. See where you spend your time. Which one does your girl friend like better?"


Belkin 2-Port KVM Switch w/ 2 KVM Cables Bundle



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************************************************** ***
Seriously, I think they are going after PC people, many of whom are comfortable now with a second platform, and who are sick of the slow tech support, virus and spy-ware world of the PC. Every office has a thought leader who has an iPod, but is running iTunes and OPhoto on his PC and making it work. When he switches and sees that it is ok, and then goes wireless with Airport Express, everybody in the office will switch. The people who are buying Apple in the $65 per share range are betting on this scenario.

Secondly, they are going after the MAC people like me who don't need another Mac, but would buy this for an audio-video server, and who would operate it remotely from their Power Book (not sure how to do that remotely yet but I will figure it out with the help of you guys.)

Finally, if your mother in law is sick of her Gateway and can't make it work anymore, you can send her one of these and hope to God it is still plug and play!

 

[sclemmons]

"Well, I kinda avoided Macs from '86-'01, until I got excited about them again... with the introduction of OS X, , but check some of Unsanity's 'haxies' included FruitMenu, MenuMaster and WindowShade X. And there's always (my favorite utility) LaunchBar.

Just don't use those heavy graphics, otherwise you'll be organizing your music in the great Delicious Library."

You can learn about some very cool stuff on this site. Is this a great country or what!

This time next year, maybe we will have a Mac Mini section of head-fi. That is what we thought when the "Cube" came out (and lasted less than a year).

 

[Tim D]

Haven't owned a Mac since the Apple IIe but I like this one. I am personally sick of the desktop paradigm of having a large fanful dust exhaling tower. And what for? Do we need so many extra drive bays with increased hard drive capacities? Plus with the obsolescence of floppy drives, popularity of USB 2.0 and firewire devices, you can truly cut down on the excess fat and get rid of the obsolete interfaces. I think people just like it big so nerdy folk can sport the big neon lights.

If it really is fanless, you can't possibly get the job done DIY of getting the same goods in that package if I gave you $500 to spend. Although it may still have a fan if those vented slots in the back mean anything. Still can't wait to see/hear how quiet it really is. The whole computer in a monitor thing was a stupid idea IMO but I like this one.

They can really make a hit on this one, but I only wonder about the availability and performance of xvid and divx decoders.

Besides if you end up hating it, you can actually throw it out the window without getting a hernia.

BTW I wish that DVD-rom was a burner and not just CD-RW (adding all the options I would want makes it quite a bit more than half a grand).

 

[Nospam]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim D ...BTW I wish that DVD-rom was a burner and not just CD-RW (adding all the options I would want makes it quite a bit more than half a grand).

Naw... You can build an external FW burner for the same money, except it'll be faster.

I'll probably pick one up to replace/supplement my iBook. I can use it with the wireless keyboard/mouse and the LCD I currently have hooked up to my (nearly useless, due to spyware) PC. A much better fit, than trying to find room for a 17" iMac.

I do wish it had a better video card and a G5 processor, but that'll have increased the cost and heat output (probably requiring a fan).

 

[Wookie]

I always find that Macs don't look that expensive until you check the spec. upgrade it to what you would want and then the price doesn't seem so cheap anymore. I would of thought any computer Mac or PC would have at least 512mb of RAM but this only has 256mb. Its still cool though and I should send my Grandad in this direction as I'm constantly having to fix all sorts of problems with his PC.

 

[Piccolo Daimaou]

This thing is perfect for me. I was going to buy an iBook, but not because I really wanted a laptop. I just wanted it because it was the cheapest Mac I could find. I just want to get away from Windows for a bit and try something new. But the Mac mini works out to be about $600 cheaper than the iBook (with the student discount) and is likely to offer better overall performance. I don't think I've been this excited about a computer in a long time.

 

[Wodgy]

There's really no risk, either. If you try it and find out you don't like it, I'd imagine the Mac Mini would be pretty easy to sell on eBay without taking a big loss. Selling a laptop is usually a dicier proposition. This looks like a great low-risk way to try MacOS.

 

[dwk]

Well, I'll put myself squarely in the target market. I'm mostly a LInux guy, and have been exploring many options for small, quiet desktop and music machines. This is it. I can throw my (semi)beefy server(s) in the basement and have one or two of these as the main UI/audio output machines. For me, OSX is the deal-maker, with the power of Unix under the hood but only when you want/need it.

I did think about an iBook which in many ways is equivalent, but it's 2x as expensive, and it's @$!@#$@# limited to 1024x768 on the VGA output port. You have to go to a powerbook for better video out, which prices it out of the game.

On the audio side, yeah - it looks like it'll have to be USB, although firewire might be an option. I figure a Transit is cheap enough to try to start with.

IMHO, this is a serious home-run by Apple. Say $650 with the 'required' upgrades, which is not that much more than the Epia-based solution I was drawing up for a quiet music front-end.

 

[Piccolo Daimaou]

Seeing the Mac mini makes me wish I never built my desktop about a year ago. I put so much into it, and I don't even need a fraction of the power for what I usually use my computer for. That's why I went back to using my nearly 4 year old Dell laptop. The mini is perfectly suited to what I really need, and it's so tiny. Granted, my CRT takes up quite a bit of space, but maybe I can save up and get a nice LCD to go with it.

I'm a little disappointed with the audio output options, though. But it's no big deal. I'd probably end up just running the line out of the mini to my stereo receiver.

 

[Tim D]

Oooh forgot about student discount. If fanless it clinches it for sure. I'm assuming it uses a large single quiet fan near the venting slots in the back (i.e. they are either heat sink vents or fan vents or both). I have my doubts that it is fanless however given the size, power, and mostly sealed enclosure and no obvious ugly high surface area heat sinks on the outside. It would be an engineering feat if it was.