Apple’s newly released Mac mini “is designed to appeal to computer users who have a screen and keyboard already. Some will be Mac users who are upgrading, but the real goal is to win over customers of Microsoft’s Windows. There is evidence that this had started to happen even as the Mini was still in the design labs. Apple’s latest quarterly results, also released last week and covering the Christmas season, showed Mac shipments were up 26 per cent on last year. While analysts had expected Apple to announce strong iPod sales, the boost to the Mac business was more surprising,” Stephen Pritchard reports for The Independent.
“It seems Apple’s computer business is benefiting directly from iPod sales. ‘The ‘halo’ effect [of Windows PC-owning iPod users moving to Macs] seems real to me,’ says Ted Schadler, principal analyst for consumer technology at Forrester Research. In addition, some of the problems that are affecting other parts of the IT industry also appear to be working to the benefit of Apple. Macs are, for now at least, not as attractive to virus writers and spammers as Windows machines,” Pritchard reports.
“IT experts also point out that the Mac operating system is inherently more secure. ‘Microsoft and its partners will struggle to improve Windows against viruses and spam until Longhorn [the next version of Windows], and that is two years away. In the meantime, Windows customers might move to a Mac because it’s safer,’ suggests Mr Schadler,” Pritchard reports.
“Analysts have gone as far as describing the Mini as a ‘disruptive’ technology, and one that could give Apple a foothold in corporate computing. Mike Davis, senior research analyst at Butler Group, says banks could be tempted to buy the machine as a low-cost, compact alternative to Windows computers or terminals from firms such as Wise. Apple’s operating system allows companies to disable external ports and even the hard drive, making the machine extremely secure. Other businesses pushed for space, such as retailers, might be drawn to the Mini,” Pritchard reports.
Full article here.
“… terminals from firms such as Wise.”
That’s Wyse. Shows what this idiot knows.
apple going to do fine
i bet u that demand will be so high that 90 percent of their inventory will be sold out by the end of this quater prompting apple to delay 2nd quater sales
kind of like what happened with the ipod mini remember?
my guess for this quater at least 20million mac minis sold!!!
i said it first
IT experts also point out that the Mac operating system is inherently more secure.
Thank you! Killing the obscurity myth one journalist at a time…
He does make a valid point, though, even with the spelling gaff – with the “space saving” comment. Of course, it’s possible that the mini might appeal more at first to the European and Far East markets, given their propensity for space-saving designs (not to mention need) with everything from cars to DV cameras to refrigerators…
congrats, convergence. Try to say something along with your vulgarity next time, too, please, if it’s not too much trouble.
The mini will undoubtedly be big. Can’t wait. Good year ahead, y’all.
The Mac mini is disruptive, but not just as a computer. its a superset of a computer. The Mac mini is really a Trojan horse; it’s being touted as a PC replacement, but it’s actuallly a replacement for a number of living room electronic components. Apple is poised to supplant the major electronic manufacturers, as well as the record labels with iTMS. Also look for them to be a major player in the movie industry, with Pixar.
Convergence,
Nice. Did you have something to say, or are you just drooling simpleton who actually believes that first post really means something?
BuriedCaesar
I liked convergence’s first post statement. wonderful phonetic spelling. keep up the good fucking work, c!
the mac mini will undeoubtedly be big. good one too.
true, true. mutha fuckin’ true.
How long until Dell ships a screenless laptop and calls it a Mini?
bugger here I thought that 1 mini would be enuff but no!
got to put one in my car just to irk my PC friends
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and if I put one in my boat the I can leave my PB @ home when I go sailing sweet.
y’know, this ‘headless’ mac is gonna lead to big things with the right advertising: “mac mini – get any head you want!”
Great article and the first one to point out the Sony president’s appearance at the Expo. I do not know why more noise has not been made about Steve Jobs saying to the departing (from the stage) Sony president that Apple and Sony could be working together on more projects, “even computers”. In any other week, if Steve Jobs said something like that in public, the rumour sites would be full of speculation about it.
Our company ordered 10 Mac minis same day when they were announced. Those machines are great point of sale machines when you attach a touch screen to those. I ordered one to work as an iTunes server in my own house. Next project that we have is to plan a museum. There we will use about 20 Mac minis, because they are cheap and small and still fully functional Macs.
Apple will sell tons of these babyis!
AAPL $150 any one?
I vaguely remember reading an article, within the past 3-4 months or so, in which the author predicted that a few Wintel PC manufacturers would be out of that business within the next year (?). Shortly thereafter, IBM sold its PC business to Lenovo, giving the appearance that the author’s prognostication would, in fact, turn out to be true.
And now, the unexpected (by many) happens and Apple goes and releases a $500 Wintel-box killer. Who knew? Anybody care to venture a guess as to who the next PC manufacturer will be to head for the exit?
‘Disruptive’ indeed.
fandango
And now, the unexpected (by many) happens and Apple goes and releases a $500 Wintel-box killer. Who knew? Anybody care to venture a guess as to who the next PC manufacturer will be to head for the exit?
We had this discussion and one of the Fujitsus was a possibility, NEC and maybe Gateway. Dell is too firmly entrenched, HP could pull out but they have a presence in servers and they sell a lot of computer related equiptment, I think they are safe too.
I think Windows boxes will get faster and cheaper, but not more refined, elegant, user friendly, nor secure. If there is a significant enough shift of users over to the Mac, it could easily trigger a domino effect. If enough of this gets started well enough in advance of Longhorn, then Longhorn may not even matter.
Sure, Microsoft has enough cash available to do a lot of different things, but they have not shown an ability to turn any of that cash into profit on anything other than Windows and Office. With a large enough userbase, Apple could do serious damage to both.
Sol, I was wondering the same thing. I have mentioned it before on other topics here at MDN also and I think the possibilities could be endless.
Steve also mentioned music as well as computers…makes you think.
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With both Apple’s and Sony’s elegant hardware design, Apple’s great software and UI know-how and Sony’s influence in Consumer Electronics as well as film and music, this could be a potential team up that will definitely make the ‘plays-for-sure’ partnerships nearly irrelevant
Apple+Sony in 2005…
Has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?
This post brought to you by out…as in ‘plays for sure’ is OUT!
Here’s the link to the article fandango was talking about:
http://www3.gartner.com/press_releases/asset_115083_11.html
and two previous MDN articles on the same topic:
here
and
here.
God I hope they don’t team up with Sony. Every single item I’ve bought from Sony in the last few years has been garbage. Two car stereos, which both failed from the same problem. 80 lcd monitors for our office, often when turned on, display garbage patterns on the screen. You have to physically unplug them then plug them back in to get them to work. Sony’s response…’we don’t support our monitors being plugged into ups’s’. So no surge protection or battery backup?Guaranteed loss of sale next time. Keep Sony away from Apple, whos products actually work.
Talk about a disruptive technology; I fail to understand why someone or company has not written an operating system to compete with Windows. There is Linix but it is for geeks and consumer versions have not taken off. Yes Apple could port OSX to Intel but why cut into it’s hardware sales…some group could design a secure GUI around some secure code (or design a secure code) Take it to the masses to replace the OS on many existing machines and gain the capitalization to go bigtime…Just a thought..(would MS crush it?)
IT experts also point out that the Mac operating system is inherently more secure.
Thank you! Killing the obscurity myth one journalist at a time…
——-
Ashami.. Here’s a thought..
If the Mac is only virus-free because it’s obscure, then why would MS be slaving away to patch up and bulletproof Windows XP and Longhorn..?
Wouldn’t do better by finding ways to make Windows less popular? Apparently that’s been Apple’s strategy (according to Gates) and has worked wonders. How about MS jack up the price of one lisence of XP to 500 bucks.. Dell will roll out LInux boxes and sell ‘naked’ PC’s (with Windows ‘optional’, not included in the price) and Windows security warnings will slow to a stand-still…
Okay, so I’m joking.. but you have to admit.. MS is putting alot of energy into the Trusted Computing Initiative, considering they’ve admitted technology has nothing to do with security.
Viridian.. If Apple were to lisence Mac OS X.. but maintain the ‘widget’ philosophy.. this really is the closest they could do, isn’t it? Okay.. get rid of all the stuff you can get elsewhere.. people already have monitors, etc.. let’s just make sure we’re compatible… Now we have a tiny box with a dvd drive. With OS X installed. And iLife. This will be our base model.
My point is that it’s the closest Apple will come to selling their OS as software. They’re selling it as hardware.
What happened to the Beatles lawsuit?
Oh Macca has a single on iTMS, okay… And Eminem hasn’t been complaining about his iTMS stuff.. and Lennon is on there too? Cool…
It sure is unfair of Apple to lead people on with their mention of “Apple” iPods… poor unsuspecting Beatles fans will be disappointed when their iPods don’t come with the White Album…
nra1871 wrote…
God I hope they don’t team up with Sony. Every single item I’ve bought from Sony in the last few years has been garbage.
nra1871: You are so correct about Sony being garbage! They have been riding on reputation for years, but the actual performance and reliability of their products has been tanking.
Four years ago, I purchased a Sony home theatre system that has been nothing but trouble…. if one piece didn’t break, then another would. The friggin woofer has been replaced three times. What garbage!
Sony MDR-V700 Headphones – same thing…. $250 for “the best” and they fall apart.
Sony ICD-R100 dictation machine – again…. no support, no performance and no explanation or replacement for a “tick tick tick tick” sound on all recordings.
I will never purchase anything by Sony ever again.
Magic Word = looking… as in “Shoot me if you ever catch me looking at Sony products again.”