Filed under: Hardware, Apple, Mac mini
The Mac mini: alive and upgraded
I love the Mac mini. It's the perfect computer. Small, cheap, embed-able, media-friendly. And today, the Steve announced that the mini line was not only not doomed but that it would receive a hardware refresh. Today! All of us who love the mini have been on pins and needles. It turns out not only were the rumors of its demise premature but today we're treated to a newly upgraded line. Yay!
New units will ship with 1.83 GHz and 2.0 GHz processors and 80 GB and 120 GB drives. You can upgrade to 160 GB hard drives, up to 2GB of RAM, and a slot-loading Dual-Layer supporting super drive (the DL drive is standard with the 2.0 GHz model). You can even pair it with one of those spiffy new keyboards.
Thanks, Carl Trimble.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
required said 3:45PM on 8-07-2007
I like the mini too, upgrades are as easy as stacking.
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tim said 3:49PM on 8-07-2007
what sucks is that after the shock and terror that was a lackluster WWDC, i bought a 24" imac and a 1.8ghz mac mini...sure i knew at the time this would happen..but i cant help but be bitter.
at least ive been enjoying it for this time :-)
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IowaSuby said 4:03PM on 8-07-2007
What integrated video are they using though?
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Macintact said 4:10PM on 8-07-2007
@ #1, I wouldn't worry its not much of an upgrade compared to yours and the matching white is sweet!
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ralph said 4:11PM on 8-07-2007
64 mb vram i think
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Stephen P said 10:13PM on 8-07-2007
booo....While I've had much enjoyment from my own G4 mini over the years (and plan to hang onto it a good while longer), my main criticism of this machine has been the "hidden" costs. Unless you're an old granny and you don't know what an MP3 is, you're absolutely going to have to buy a new hard drive. No question. So get ready to spend about $100+ more than the cost of the mini itself if you'd like to use this machine for music, movies and photos. Oh, and it looks like no wireless N.
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Daniel said 4:14PM on 8-07-2007
Mac mini update looks good, long ovedue, and now a more atractive upgrade for the price too.
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eas said 4:14PM on 8-07-2007
I was hoping that Apple would restore the Mini's pre-Intel price point. $499 is easier for me to swallow than $599.
On the other hand, I do have Apple shares...
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eas said 4:16PM on 8-07-2007
Oh, the video is the Intel GMA950 integrated video. Same as before?
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John P. Speno said 4:18PM on 8-07-2007
I was kinda hoping for 802.11n but I'm just glad it wasn't killed entirely. :-)
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Dan said 4:34PM on 8-07-2007
It should also be mentioned that they are now Core 2 Duo.
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Jason said 5:08PM on 8-07-2007
This upgrade is complete garbage! GMA 950 when EVERY OTHER PC manufacturer on the planet has been using GMA X3100 for many months now?!?! No 802.11n!?!? This is the same Mini from 1 year ago with a Core 2 Duo put in to make it look like an "upgrade". What a joke.
The Mac Mini and the MacBooks are unbuyable old Intel tech.
Come on Apple, now that you are in the Intel world, you need to stay pace with everyone elses tech! In fact, Apple should be the BEST tech since they are the most expensive and for "smarter" consumers.
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required said 5:30PM on 8-07-2007
@ #4 (Macintact), what do you mean by what you said? It's completely non sequitur.
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Eric said 5:36PM on 8-07-2007
On the store, Mac mini has a nice "NEW" sticker on top, but the noticeably different iMac doesn't... odd.
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wdlv said 5:53PM on 8-07-2007
Personally, I'm glad they haven't gotten rid of the mini. It needs a redesign though, could be larger, needs a full size hard drive (3.5) sata and a real video card.
Best solution, combine apple TV and the mini!
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Catt said 5:59PM on 8-07-2007
i didn't believe that Apple would dump the Mini line one bit... Glad to see they have upgraded it..
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Catt said 5:59PM on 8-07-2007
i didn't believe that Apple would dump the Mini line one bit... Glad to see they have upgraded it..
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Christopher L. Williams said 7:14PM on 8-07-2007
No 802.11n. They must really fear for their Apple TV business, or they would have released this with 802.11n. Many people would much rather have a mini to use in place of an Apple TV, and Apple is staving this off.
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Whubbsie said 8:45PM on 8-07-2007
Oh come on I bought their stupid big ass 30" screen... why can't they make a mini that will work with it!!!
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Joshua Ochs said 10:45PM on 8-07-2007
I was totally underwhelmed by the upgrade as well - no wonder it didn't get any mention.
However, check out the refurb prices on the old Mini's. They're gone now, but the old $799 model with Superdrive and such was just $479 this afternoon. Snapped one up as soon as I saw it.
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