Apple today unveiled the new Mac mini with the Intel Core Duo processor, delivering performance up to four times faster than its predecessor and providing even greater expansion in the same innovative and incredibly compact design.* Starting at just $599, the Mac mini is the most affordable way to enjoy iLife ’06, the next generation of Apple’s award-winning suite of digital lifestyle applications, and features the Apple Remote and Front Row so you can play your music, enjoy your photo slideshows, watch your DVDs, iMovies, music videos and television shows from across the room.
“With the new Mac mini, Apple has now moved 50 percent of its entire product line to Intel within 60 days—a record transition,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing in the press release. “The new Mac mini is now up to four times faster with the Intel Core Duo, includes even greater expansion in the same incredibly compact design, and is the most affordable way to enjoy Front Row and iLife ‘06.”
Featuring the next generation of Apple’s breakthrough Front Row media experience, the new Mac mini gives customers a simple way to enjoy their digital lifestyle content on the Mac mini including music, photos and videos from across the room using the Apple Remote. With the latest version of Front Row, customers can now effortlessly access shared iTunes playlists, iPhoto libraries and video throughout their home via Bonjour, Apple’s zero configuration wireless networking built into Mac OS X.
The new Mac mini offers a completely new system architecture for performance up to four times as fast as the previous Mac mini, including a 667 MHz front-side bus and 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM memory expandable to 2GB. With the latest high-performance connectivity options, every new Mac mini now includes built-in 10/100/1000 BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet for high-speed networking, built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11g WiFi for fast 54 Mbps wireless networking, built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) and a total of four USB 2.0 ports, twice as many as the previous generation. Mac mini includes a DVI interface and a VGA-out adapter to easily connect to a variety of displays, including many of today’s most popular flat panel televisions, and now features both analog and digital audio outputs to easily connect to a home stereo.
The new Mac mini includes iLife ‘06, the next generation of Apple’s award-winning suite of digital lifestyle applications featuring major new versions of iPhoto, iMovie HD, iDVD, GarageBand and introducing iWeb, a new iLife application that makes it super-easy to create amazing websites with photos, blogs and Podcasts and publish them on .Mac for viewing by anyone on the Internet with just a single click. All the iLife ‘06 applications are Universal applications that run natively on the new Intel-based Mac mini for maximum performance.
Every new Mac mini comes with the latest release of the world’s most advanced operating system, Mac OS X version 10.4 “Tiger” including Safari, Mail, iCal, iChat AV and Front Row, running natively. Mac OS X Tiger includes an innovative software translation technology called Rosetta that lets customers run most Mac OS X PowerPC applications seamlessly.
The new Mac mini is shipping today and will be available through the Apple Store, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers.
The new 1.5 GHz Mac mini, for a suggested retail price of $599 (US), includes:
• 1.5 GHz Intel Core Solo processor
• 512MB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable up to 2GB
• a slot-load Combo (DVD-ROM/CD-RW) drive
• 60GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm
• Intel GMA950 graphics processor
• built-in AirPort Extreme wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
• Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000 BASE-T)
• four USB 2.0 ports
• one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog
• DVI-out port for external display (VGA-out adapter included, Composite/S-Video out adapter sold separately)
• Infrared Apple Remote.
The new 1.66 GHz Mac mini, for a suggested retail price of $799 (US), includes:
• 1.66 GHz Intel Core Duo processor
• 512MB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM expandable up to 2GB
• a slot-load 8x SuperDrive™ with double-layer support (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
• 80GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm
• Intel GMA950 graphics processor
• built-in AirPort Extreme wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
• Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000 BASE-T)
• four USB 2.0 ports
• one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog
• DVI-out port for external display (VGA-out adapter included, Composite/S-Video out adapter sold separately)
• Infrared Apple Remote.
Build-to-order options and accessories include up to 2GB DDR2 SDRAM, 80GB, 100GB and 120GB Serial ATA hard drives, iWork ’06 (pre-installed), AirPort Express and AirPort Extreme Base Station, Apple Wireless Keyboard, Apple Wireless Mouse, Apple USB Modem and the AppleCare Protection Plan.
See the new Mac mini here.
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Related MacDailyNews article:
Old Apple Mac mini G4 vs. new Mac mini’s graphics and video specs – February 28, 2006
is there anyway for the new mini to run dual monitors?
i doubt it, but anybody know?
thanks in advance.
No, it cannot.
thanks Mike.
i may still get one, but i may wait to see what the new iBooks have.
Any guesses how cool (or warm) the Core Duo mini will run?
After seeing the iMac G5’s run plenty warm, I wonder how the smaller case will handle the Core Duo’s heat.
So if people upgrade from a 1.25Ghz G4 Mac mini to a 1.5Ghz Core Solo Mac mini, how much worse do you suppose all of their PowerPC-only applications will run?
Man, that graphics chip is junk. What a shame.
Here’s another good article comparing it to the Nvidia GEForce 6200.
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,1821808,00.asp
WHY does Apple constantly cripple great machines with BAD graphics cards? Is THIS the price Apple must pay to suck up to Intel?
Sheesh…………..
Excellent! I got an iboner!
Eggs for everyone!
Are you people EVER freakin’ happy?
The machine is really decent, get over it already. Or go back to regular Win PCs. LOL.
Jeez….
Despite Mike’s helpful and informative comments above, I am leary about the integrated graphics. I agree that it seems necessary to keep the price low (although they did raise the price $100 over the previous model), but I’m concerned about the precedent. I think the money right now should be on the Intel iBook (or whatever they decide to call it) also having integrated graphics. I hope that this is a temporary bridge to better models in the future with separate graphics cards.
Let’s keep our fingers crossed!
er a 1080p framebuffer only takes 6MB of ram (1920 horiz * 1080 vert * (24bit color/8bits per byte)), you don’t need heaps of memory for that.
Using Intel integrated graphics will actually be better than using a new ATI X1300 for Linux users since ATI refuses to even release binary only drivers for Linux on their updated cards.
I’m going to wait to buy a new Mac Mini until the Merom (amd64) based ones come out next fall/spring. Maybe they will have 802.11n by then as well.
It has an AUDIO INPUT JACK!
Thank you Steve for finally putting an input back on low end machines. I can forgive the video ram issue because of this.
I’m sort of disappointed that this is all Apple decided to announce today. The Hi Fi remains to be heard and tested, but I sure wouldn’t be all that interested in paying $350 for speakers to play my iPod. And what’s up with the leather cases? A friggin 100 dollars??! Must be the hides from those jewel encrusted cows I’ve heard so much about. The Mini got some good upgrades, but where’s the Macbook? Maybe it’ll come out when summer rolls around. Overall, I’d say today’s “event” wasn’t much of an event.
after reading all this and looking at the specs of the new Mini, here are my impressions:
1) there is not a price hike – Apple has, however dropped the low-end model
2) in principle, I don’t like integrated graphics. However, the 9200 wasn’t great either. If you’re looking for a real graphics card, the Mac mini was never really a good option.
3) there are significant improvements over the previous G4: faster processor, better memory, 4 USB, frontrow,……seriously even if there was a price increase it would be worth it for many people.
4) having said the above, I would agree that the price point is getting a bit too close to the iMac. But the decision as to whether to go with an iMac or the Mini depends largely on one’s particular circumstances – and finances: for many people, especially students, 300-400 $ more is significant.
5) if you don’t like it, don’t buy it. Simple.
add a 20″ monitor and it’s not far off an imac 20
bluddy daft
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