“My feeling is that [with Apple’s new Mac mini] there is still something missing, in the same way as the iPod didn’t make total sense until the music store arrived. Every prediction since about some cheesier-looking rival ‘finally’ beating the iPod has quietly been forgotten, before the prediction re-surfaces 6 months later. What this kind of “analyst” fails to realise is that this time, Apple has done it right. The Mac was a much better concept than Windows, and this sort of “analysis” that Windows had “finally caught up” kept appearing, up to Windows 95, when we were assured that the Mac was now history. Of course Apple propped up this prediction by some marketing disasters. Though Windows is in some respects is closer to the Mac and in some areas may be ahead, Mac OS X has opened up a big lead in areas which Microsoft has previously claimed were the future, such as file system search. Windows, before OS X was ready, had a lead in that NT-based versions had proper multitasking and memory protection ahead of the Mac, but who had the technical lead was not a big factor in Apple’s success or failure,” Philip Machanick writes for MacOpinion.
“The big-picture thing which Apple still does better than Microsoft — and which arises out of control of the whole platform — is overall system integration. Nowhere is this better illustrated than in its music offerings,” Machanick writes. “So, getting back to the mini, what options does it open up?”
Full article here.
What’s still missing? How’s about a price drop.
Wait, This just in:
“Barely two weeks past introduction, Apple has apparently lowered the cost of Build-To-Order components for the Mac mini. According to MacRumors readers, pricing for the Bluetooth and AE combo has dropped to $99, along with pricing for 1 GB sticks of RAM being reduced to $325.
Additionally, the superdrive option now offered for the Mac mini has been changed from the previously-offered 4x model to the newer, faster 8x model, and the cost for a hard drive upgrade has been reduced from $90 to $50.”
Somehow this article seems hastily put together. The flow of his arguments seems to be very weak. In any case, this is stuff people have been ranting on MDN feedback for quite some time. Do these people just take our rants and use them as print. If so, we all deserve a cut of the profits.
“The SuperDrive reads DVDs at 8x, writes to DVD-R at 4x, writes DVD-RW at 2x, writes DVD+R at 4x, writes DVD+RW at 2-4x”
This is taken from the “read more” under the optical drive option when checking out bto options.
berwick
profits?
most article writers don’t actually make much. and if you are freelance, forget it.
The only thing I see missing from Apple right now is a matching 17″ display at a really good price. Everything else is pretty much there.
The interesting area to think about is the potential of 3rd party suppliers developing matching accessories that can be stacked under the Mac mini – like a USB/Firewire hub. The companies on the ball will start showing their stuff fairly quickly.
SEE! SEE! I TOLD YOU! I SAID THEY SHOULD DROP THE PRICE AND THEY DID!! I AM THE 0WNER OF ALL THINGS MAC ON THE WEB! SEE MY WONDERFUL HIT INDUCING PEPSI MAP IN ALL IT’S SPLENDOR!
IDIOTS!
I agree with ken, a nice AL 17″ widescreen display (maybe the same used in the imag G5?) would be amazing with the mac mini. It could be sold for about $499-$599 like the mac mini, and would have firewire/usb 2.0 hubs just like the larger displays, and have that amazing apple look. It’d cost a little more than non-wide screen non-apple lcds, but hey, I’d buy it
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Hey Bill:
Good luck with that, you great big hunk of spunk!
Looks like they increased the price of the .5 gb RAM from $50 to $75.00.
NEWS FLASH!! NEWS FLASH!!!!
THESE PHOTOS LOOK LEGIT. CHECK THEM OUT FOR YOURSELVES.
http://dms.tecknohost.com/macrumors/i/ihome/
Eric24601: Interesting. But we’ve been burned so many, many times before to think of this as anything other than a well-done hoax. For one thing, the spelling of “centre” stands out. You’d have to believe Apple would spell it “center”.
Please God, let it not be a hoax.
Center spelled Centre is British/Canadian – not American, sorry to disappoint…
THis showed up before MacWorld as the sub-500 Mac. Highly doubtful this is legit considering the Mac mini was the sub-500 mac.
Those pics are old and have been debunked. Lots of things wrong.
1) Centre, not Center
2) Box label upside down when you hold it by the handle
3) in one photo it is obvious if you look close that “iHome” is a piece of paper pasted on
4) in another photo once corner of the unit looks slightly crushed
5) packing on right side is hastily filled in with pieces,
etc. etc.
However, I think it might have been on the right track. What is missing? Think of Sony’s strange appearance during the keynote and Steve’s cryptic remark. Obviously something in going to be done with Sony. And Steve has called this the year of High Definition.
Sooooo, they are going to announce an iMovie Video Store where you can download movies directly off the net into your Mac mini Home entertainment Center (which as the writer points out it will not be hard to do, all the pieces are there, just put them together and add a remote control). How does Sony fit in? How about the fact that they own Columbia? They could have learned their lesson from the iPod and ITMS and the iMovie Video Store could be included on every Sony computer – one of which might be an OEM or collaborative effort between Apple and Sony. You could download the movies to your PSP or new video iPod and watch them on the little screen or fullscreen anywhere with viewing goggles. Also if Apple does a universal remote you know they will do it right. Not like the remote we saw Bill using at his CES keynote. LOL.
Altho the above is still pie in the sky. I think it has a good chance of being true (or mostly true). Anyway, the one thing I think anybody who knows Apple will agree with is that there is gonna be SOMETHING new and innovative coming along and I think the mini will be a key part of it.
So, Apple’s not allowed to tailor products to the region in which they’re sold?!?! (just feeding the fire!!)
I think there are too many logos on it given their current minimilistic approach. Not to mention the design and size are far too similar to the mini for Apple. Their products are quite unique and distinctive from one another.
Magic word=try… Try harder next time.
Eric24601: Those photos have been floating around since before MacWorld. I actually just realized what else is wrong with these hoax pics, other than the obvious stuff that has already been mentioned:
#1: The product appears to be styled identically to the 1st generation white iBook with the semi-transclucent top and bottom and the grey matte center. Even the iBooks have moved on to a more iPodish solid white finish with no translucency.
#2: There don’t appear to be any vents on the iHome – ANYWHERE! Even the iBook, PowerBooks and Mac mini have vent holes to dissipate heat. The Mac mini’s vents are just below the aluminum sides. The iHome wouldn’t be able to have vents on the bottom because there would be no clearance.
#3: Where’s the power button??? Yeah, it could be on that one side that you don’t see in the video, but unlikely.
If you ask me, this hoax looks like it was put together with some old dual usb iBook components and a lot of creativity.
—
Brought to you by the word “anything”: “With Apple, anything is possible!”
Eric LMFAO.. so ironic..
Please tell me you meant to be funny
Look for an ecosystem of mini periperals to appear, as with the iPod (but more made by Apple this time).
mike,
i was just going for the cute and gullible effect
Audio line input.. can’t believe they left that off…
I’d almost think it was a real mockup for the mini. An early one: just form factor/packaging. It’s got a lot in common with the mini, except it’s a pizzabox (full size drives, monitor on top, internal power supply). Then they held up the little software box on the right and said “… but if use an external supply and a laptop drive, it could be *this* small.”
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What’s still missing: I think the Mac mini will be part of the next eMac…