1.5ghz Mac mini in the wild?
Reader David sent in this tip via email earlier today. Apparently, he received a 1.5ghz Mac mini from Apple, in a box that described it as having a 1.42ghz processor. He writes,"I just set up my coworker's new Mac mini, and discovered that it has a 1.5 Ghz processor, 64meg Radeon 9200, and 8x superdrive. Not sure if Bluetooth has been upgraded or not. The box lists it as a 1.42 Ghz model, but the system profiler says otherwise."Take a look at the screenshot above, as well as what follows the jump. Is it the real thing? Photoshopping? Overclocked? A simple glitch in the System Profiler? We report, you decide.
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Ahmed said 6:08PM on 9-27-2005
2 words - Lucky guy!
Reply
Jay Contonio said 6:28PM on 9-27-2005
I will be buying if this is the real deal.
Reply
Ahmed said 6:32PM on 9-27-2005
Jay, think secret or macrumors had rumoured this a while ago so it's a matter of a few days/weeks before this one comes out...
Reply
Buck Naked said 6:40PM on 9-27-2005
Apples service manuals show a 1.33Mhz and 1.5Mhz listed as Sept.2005 models.
Reply
dave said 9:13PM on 9-27-2005
This is totally moot since it was up there for so long, and it's been reposted in the comments already, but could everyone refrain from reposting the serial number all over the place? I forgot to remove it initially in my excitement. Tuaw.com graciously agreed to remove the serial from the screenshot.
But yes, the mini was purchased around the 19th.
Reply
oli young said 9:37PM on 9-27-2005
hmm, still no CoreImage support on the video card .. :(
Reply
Penginkun said 1:45AM on 9-28-2005
What do you mean, Oli? CI requires a minimum of 64mb of VRAM for all the eye candy. Granted things will be better if you've got more, but 64 will get you everything, including the dashboard ripple effect.
Reply
TheDoode said 3:19AM on 9-28-2005
@Penginkun, Incorrect. Its the GPU that matters, and the 9200 is still too slow to be able to support CI.
OnTopic:
This is really dirty on Apples part.
Heres a quote from Think Secret: Sources have informed Think Secret that Mac mini box labels will continue to list the older specifications with no indication of whether the newer or older systems are contained within. The motivation behind this is to help clear current inventory without lowering prices. Essentially, customers are promised that the Mac mini they purchase will have specifications "at least" equal to the label, but that their system may exceed those. Customers who purchase a new Mac mini to find they ended up with the older configuration will not be able to return the system in the hopes of getting the newer configuration without paying a restocking fee.
Now, if I want to sell my current Mac mini and go buy one of the newer ones, its going to be a luck of the draw. This is just bottom of the barrel low for Apple. They should be ashamed of themselves, theyre wiping their faces with Microsoft's used TP on this one.
Reply
spike said 8:39AM on 9-28-2005
My 1Ghz iBook lists it CPu as 1.1Ghz in system profiler, its all down to the individual chip as some come out of the manufacturing proccess at a better spec than others, as long as they ere within an acceptable band they are labeled with the mean of the group. Basically, its luck of the draw.
Reply
Karl said 11:36AM on 9-28-2005
Checking the warranty status of the above serial number on the form at
Reply
julian said 11:50AM on 9-28-2005
Its real my friend just got his mac mini and it was 1.5gig but they also claimed it would be
he got it from the apple store in toronto
Reply
Ben said 12:01PM on 9-28-2005
I read this today, instructions on how to overclock the mac mini...
http://www.fastermini.com/overclock.htm
Reply
DerekJ said 12:05PM on 9-28-2005
Doode-
Wait...do you hear that?
It's the waaah-mbulance!
Ya freaking baby.
It's just the way it goes, get over it.
Reply
j said 10:27PM on 9-28-2005
I wonder how long it'll take to clear the inventory. I am about to buy it but I'll wait if it'll bring me the new machine.
Arrggh
Reply
Small Paul said 5:10AM on 9-30-2005
"This is just bottom of the barrel low for Apple. They should be ashamed of themselves"
Oh, come ON.
"if I want to sell my current Mac mini and go buy one of the newer ones..."
Then do! If you want a 1.42GHz machine, go and buy one. You may get a nice surprise and find it's 1.5GHz. Apple didn't announce "Hey! Mac mini now 1.5GHz!" They just started slipping slightly revised ones into channel, and will announce the new Mac mini once they've cleared their inventory. If you definitely want a 1.5GHz, wait until they sell one.
Unbelievable. Apple randomly *beefs up* the spec of computers, giving customers a nice little surprise, and they get an almighty slagging because someone is angry he can't definitely get a 1.5GHz machine RIGHT NOW.
Perspective?
Reply
london-mac said 9:16PM on 10-01-2005
hey, get a grips guys ... in all the buzz I have seen all over the place about this, is a 80 MHz defference *REALLY* worth it? I mean, are you *REALLY* going to notice a difference !?!
Nope. Its a bad case of " Bigur Numbaz is Betur " and a desperate lack of any other real news. Like Macs that compete against current 3.80GHz, 800MHz, 2MB cache x86 PCs ... !
Reply
j said 9:48AM on 10-04-2005
I wonder how long it'll take to clear the inventory. I am about to buy it but I'll wait if it'll bring me the new machine.
Arrggh
Reply
LareBear said 5:20PM on 10-04-2005
To all those critical of us that want the 1.5 mini:
1. Apple hs never done a silent roll out before, so this is strange. Inventories have been cleared out with out a problem before.
2. Minor speed bumps in PBs have been promo'd, why not the mini.
3. All the upgrades are significant. I need a new machine, my budget is short, but, the 1.42 mini will not effectively drive my monitor graphics. I stood next to the eMac, which is suppose to be the same guts, and the eMac can out perform the 1.42 min, slightly. Now that the mini has been brought up to the same as the eMac, with the 64mb video ram, faster hard drive, I expect it can do what I need it to, the emac does. This is significant for me.
4. and to you that say they will anounce, I don't think so, I think they screwed up, took someone's advise, and are now getting tons of returns on the 1.4.2s, costing tons of postage money. Silent roll-out is not as cheap as they may think.
Reply
cosmocanyon said 12:53PM on 10-10-2005
It seems to me like those of us "waiting" to get a 1.5ghz/5400rpm/64mb Mini are going to be dissapointed. This is NOT typical apple (they would USUALLY sell overstock at a discounted rate through vendors..), and it seems to me like they were playing with a speed bump, mass produced a bunch of models, changed their minds and are now "dumping" the result as a grab-bag that will boost sales. So, eventually, those of us who wait will place our orders for the 1.42ghz, only to find that all the upgrades are gone.
Reply
orangebang said 5:44AM on 10-12-2005
I think i know what Apple is doing. They have new models of 1.5 Mac Mini coming in, but they cannot sell them yet because there are still many 1.42 models in stock. They toss in couple of 1.5 make consumers think they'd have a chance of getting a 1.5. This would get rid of 1.42 faster. When 1.42 stocks are low enough, they will introduce the 1.5 models. (There were also many 1.5 surprises in refurbished Mac Mini. I believe there were many complaints and returns) Hope this make some sense from all the confusion.
Reply