“Until January 2005, ‘low cost’ and ‘Macintosh’ were words with less association than ‘Pop Idol’ and ‘talent’. In fact, according to Steve Jobs, if he’d received a nickel for every person that had asked him why Apple didn’t offer a stripped down Mac that was more affordable, he’d be a rich man. Now that may not be saying much, as he’s undoubtedly a rich man anyway, but it was certainly a good question and one that the company finally responded to at Macworld this year,” Benny Har-Even writes for TrustedReviews.
“The Mac mini is a master stroke by Apple… aimed at ‘Switcher Man’. This is the Windows user who’s already been turned on to the way Apple does things by the iPod, and is now intrigued by what else it can offer. Previously though, Apple’s high pricing was something of a cold shower for the potential switcher, but when the response to the question, ‘so how much does it cost?’ is a mere £339, Switcher Man is, perhaps for the first time, seriously tempted. However, when you actually see the Mac mini it’s not the price you get excited about, but the size. It’s breath takingly small, packing an entire computer into a box not much bigger than a desktop PCs internal DVD-ROM drive… Of course we’ve seenreally small PCs before but compared to the mini these look very, well, depressingly PC like,” Har-Even writes.
“Life ’05… may be one of the reasons people want to buy a Mac in the first place. While there are apps that do similar things on the Windows platform, none can offer the ease of use, the features and the tight integration of this suite of apps… if you’ve ever seriously considered entering the world of Macs, this is the computer that will make you cross over the edge. Forget the bargain basement entry level price – you need more RAM and a DVD Burner to make the most of this machine and you also need to BYOKM (Bring Your Own Keyboard and Mouse). If you’re cool on Macs, the mini will start to warm you to them, but for those already tempted, we heartily recommend it. If the PC user is a Neanderthal and the Mac user the evolved sophisticate, the Switcher Man, hovering between them, is the missing link – and the Mac mini will be his weapon of choice,” Har-Even writes.
Har-Even gives the Apple Mac mini various scores in his review.
Features – 9/10
Performance – 7/10
Value – 8/10
Overall – 9/10
The full review, complete with criticisms of the Mac mini that explain the scores above here.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Apple iMac G5, Mac mini models hold top 5 spots on Amazon’s Desktop Computer Top Sellers list – March 01, 2005
PC World gives Apple’s Mac mini 4 out of 5 stars – February 26, 2005
Apple Mac mini ‘perfect for computer user who wants to leave the tyranny of Window and viruses’ – February 26, 2005
Apple’s Mac mini might well convince Windows users to switch to Mac OS X – February 22, 2005
Chicago Sun-Times: ‘Apple’s Mac Mini is a device of the most cunningly crafted evil’ – February 18, 2005
CNET Executive Editor switches to Mac and he ‘ain’t ever going back’ to Windows – February 17, 2005
Tom’s Hardware: Apple Mac mini’s size, design, attractive price sets it apart – February 16, 2005
Apple’s Mac mini is a convincing shot across Bill Gates’ bow – February 15, 2005
Apple’s Mac mini makes using a Mac more affordable and more attractive than ever to Windows users – February 08, 2005
Washington Times: ‘Mac mini raises the bar for what a good, low-price computer can and should do’ – February 08, 2005
Apple Mac mini, iMac G5 models hold 5 of top 6 spots in Amazon’s Desktop Computer Top Sellers list – February 08, 2005
New Mac mini helps Apple get its secret weapon – creative software – in front of Windows users – February 08, 2005
The Seattle Times: Apple’s new Mac mini is ‘tiny, beautiful and dirt cheap’ – February 05, 2005
BusinessWeek: Apple’s Mac mini comes with elegant, stable Mac OS X and very good software – February 03, 2005
Apple’s Mac mini is an attractive option to Windows-based PCs – February 02, 2005
Computerworld: Apple Computer ‘has a hit on its hands with the new Mac Mini’ – February 01, 2005
Apple’s Mac mini offers relief from Windows viruses and malware – January 30, 2005
Associated Press: With Apple’s Mac mini ‘you could abandon Windows altogether’ – January 27, 2005
CBS News: Grab a new Apple Mac mini ‘and kiss the old Wintel machine goodbye’ – January 27, 2005
AnandTech reviews Apple’s Mac mini: ‘tempting Windows users everywhere’ – January 26, 2005
