How about a host, OS, AND hardware for $499? Off the shelf?

[kuniklo]

kuniklo quoth I agree that they really need to find a way to get 512MB of ram into this thing but other than that it's perfectly adequate for the job it's designed to do.

Its available with 256Mb, 512Mb, or 1Gb of RAM, if you'd care to check the Apple webstore.

I know you can buy it with more. What I meant was I think they should try to get 512MB into the base unit because OsX needs at least that much room to breathe in my experience. If they want to make a good impression on all the new Mac users they hope to entice with the Mini they don't want it swapping all the time.

[kuniklo]

i wonder if apple made a mistake... if you select the 40gb mac mini for $499, it gives you the option of having an 80gb drive in it for $50 more. but the 80gb mac mini is $599. hmmm....

The 80gig model also comes with a faster CPU.

[Green Red Brownell]

Even MacPepol can provide some fun sometimes.



that said, <lol>

I can see me saying goodbye to my G3 400 iMac soon

Yippee! We're getting a new server!



Sorry.

V. "please don't ban me"

HAR-dee-har-har!!! This is the best line I've seen here in weeks! Thanks for that, Vic!!

[bewing77]

Actually that machine running OS9, would kick the PCs ass, and you wouldn't have any viruses or spyware either... Hmmm! I might have to do that myself...

Only problem with the idea is that you can't install earlier OS versions on newer macs. You can only run classic mode from inside OSX.

[Panda]

if there's any KVR people who are students, you could have a mac and logic pro 7 for $1000 via educational discount

yeah right, if you're lucky enough to live in a country where that's possioble, here in belgium for example it's only teachers who get education...

[garzmil]

Even MacPepol can provide some fun sometimes.



that said, <lol>

I can see me saying goodbye to my G3 400 iMac soon

Yippee! We're getting a new server!



Sorry.

V. "please don't ban me"

HAR-dee-har-har!!! This is the best line I've seen here in weeks! Thanks for that, Vic!!

haha...I laughed out loud at that when I saw it.

[BONES]

sexy? this shuttle case? er... i think the aesthetic value of minimac alone could justify its price compare to this...

Taste is a personal thing, I think the miniMac looks like a ladies' make-up case and I absolutely hate the look of the new iMac. Its all very retro-60's looking, like it came off the set of Clockwork Orange or something. I much prefer my hardware to look hard.

To make a fair price comparison you'd have to compare with a preconfigured PC with windows, telephone support, all ready to plug in and go.

OK, throw in an extra $80 or so for a two year on-site warranty covering hardware and software. These guys assemble anything over $1000 for free. BTW, did you miss the bottom line of my post? Linux is free as is a shitload of cool stuff to run on it.

This is for people that don't know anything about computers

Like all Mac's.

already have an aging PC, and want to switch to OsX.

Boy, will they be pissed off when they go to buy some games for it. I think that is the essential point that you are missing, kuniklo - the market you are talking about all use computers for gaming and this thing looks about the size of an XboX or PS2 without the essential feature of those. Running Linux on PS2 or XboX would be way cooler at a fraction of the price.

[Urs]

Boy, will they be pissed off when they go to buy some games for it.

http://www.aspyr.com/ - that's only one company, and it gives one pretty much enough to get along with the lack of a girl friend

Well, yes, a Mac is probably less cool for freeloaders - allthough - when I think of it... P2P was actually born on Macs long before Napster & Co... ooohhh... Hotline... (but it got useless when they made the PC client)

Cheers,

Urs

P.S.: Just to prevent misunderstandings: I havn't been a freeloader. Hrhrhr, I havn't even had a proper computer, except for an ST1040 with Creator - I've just seen people hanging out in the university all night long, wasting their time by "collecting" rather than "doing". Man, what a stupid hobby...

[kuniklo]

Boy, will they be pissed off when they go to buy some games for it. I think that is the essential point that you are missing, kuniklo - the market you are talking about all use computers for gaming and this thing looks about the size of an XboX or PS2 without the essential feature of those. Running Linux on PS2 or XboX would be way cooler at a fraction of the price.

I know more people than I can count that have an old crappy PC and have never even *considered* trying to run games on it. They either play games on their PS2/Xbox or they're not gamers at all. These same people would faint in horror if I suggested they run Linux on anything, nevermind a PS2 or Xbox. We're talking Moms, Dads, Grandmas, Uncles, english majors etc here. These people want a mac because it's easy to use and doesn't get infected with viruses all the time, and this one in particular is nice because it's small and cheap.

And don't tell me how easy it is to make a windows box secure and virus-free. You and I know how to do this but I've easily spent three or four days worth of time on the phone with various relatives helping them resurrect a windows machine hosed by a virus. Macs may lose some of this advantage if they become more popular but for the moment it is a real benefit.

Anyway, time will soon tell how well Apple's judged this market.

[Green Red Brownell]

I think this is the usual futile argument. People who want Macs, *want* them, period. It's not up to anyone else to tell them whether it is a good idea.

OTOH, there's this. Mac bigots will *not* find it funny.... you may have to enlarge it a bit to read it...

http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/images/iProduct.gif

[thehumanPlugin]

I think some people here just want to hate and bitch about macs because they haven't been able to for a while. Remember when the whole argument was - macs are soooo slow, yeah OSX is nice but, they are soooo slow. Now people can't say that anymore because the G5's kick butt.
PC loving people just want to hate, because now they have a chance to again. I've never seen mac people start a thread and bitch for hours about how hyperthreading sucks, I mean it really doesn't do much, but it sucks

i own em both

[Stupid American Pig]

I can see me saying goodbye to my G3 400 iMac soon

Yippee! We're getting a new server!



Sorry.

V. "please don't ban me"

Bravo!

[ztrauq]

Hmm... I was creating workable music on a G4/400 for the past few years, although admittedly it wasn't able to do much in GarageBand. Of course, I wouldn't trade in my Dual G5 setup for this, but that isn't to say it's a horrible computer. What I think a lot of people keep forgetting is that most "computer" tasks are not that CPU intensive. Where I work, we run a database catalog and web access on a bunch of ancient PII machines with 64MB of ram, without really any issues. For most people, my old G4/400 would be more than enough computer for them - for web browsing, office tasks, and a whole host of other things, it's more than powerful enough.

Now, I'm not going to say that Mac computers are perfect - I do know that in my experience, running both Macs and PCs, that Macs have been much more reliable for doing serious work on. And if I was going to recommend a computer for someone who isn't familiar with them, I'd never recommend a PC - the liability it could potentially cause would vastly outweigh the few hundred dollar savings on equipment (and don't give me any crap about "go install anti-whatever apps and they'll be fine" - either I would end up doing all of that maintenance, or it wouldn't get done). For example, my mom was going nuts using a PC at work - but when my parents got a Mac at home, after a could of months I had almost no requests for assistance or troubleshooting. I don't know about other uses, but it's definitely worth it in that kind of market to have a Mac.

And there's one other interesting thing about the new macs that I've been wondering about - they look almost silent. If they actually are, they could be used as a local webserver in a small apartment, without fans whirring if you have to sleep in said small apartment. Yes, it would be nice if Apple could get with the program in terms of some areas where their hardware lags, but the fact of the matter is, there are plenty of areas where a device like this could definitely come in handy - and basic computer use, virtually free of virii and spyware, is one of them that could attract a lot of "mainstream" users.

[bewing77]

To make a fair price comparison you'd have to compare with a preconfigured PC with windows, telephone support, all ready to plug in and go.

OK, throw in an extra $80 or so for a two year on-site warranty covering hardware and software. These guys assemble anything over $1000 for free. BTW, did you miss the bottom line of my post? Linux is free as is a shitload of cool stuff to run on it.

But your box wasn't over $1000 now was it? So there's still some extra for assembly. And yes I read your part about Linux and commented that for the target audiance of the mac mini it isn't really an alternative to configure a Linux installation and get it working the way they want. And my experience with Linux tells me that it may not be the most well suited OS for the everyday computer user. But even if we go with Linux you would still have to get the company where you bought the system to install and configure it and supply you with 90 days unlimited phone support to get you up and running. And does that 2 years warranty include a Linux installation? If not that's extra. The original $635 is now quite a bit more and for that we still have a box that's uglier, noisier, bigger, don't run OSX (wich probably is a big part of the resason ppl want macs). No iLife suite either. Sure it is marginally faster, but I know what I'd choose.

And to clear up missconceptions I am not a hardcore mac fan. Been a PC user most of my life, but since two years I use both. But I have to admit that the PC get's booted more and more rarely.

[BONES]

doesn't get infected with viruses all the time

WTF is this krap I keep seeing around here. I do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to prevent viruses on my PC and I have never had one. Ever. I don't understand why this is such an issue for people.