I spoke with the product manager for the Mac mini today to clarify a few facts.
- Yes, it will boot headless, meaning with no display or video device connected, enabling you to have what I like to call an iServe.
- While it is strongly recommended that you only have an Apple Authorized Service Provider crack it open and install RAM, hard drives, Airport and Bluetooth, it will NOT void your warranty if you do it yourself. As is standard operating procedure, however, anything you break while attempting anything on your own is not Apple’s responsibility and will not be covered under warranty. I think that is pretty much common sense.
- Airport and Bluetooth can, in fact, be added after purchase. AirPort Extreme card and Bluetooth module attach to
the Mac mini’s motherboard via a special connector and will be sold together as a kit for
$129.
- RAM is the most accessible upgrade once you get the case off. That much is clear from the picture.
- All upgrades other than RAM are not as accessible, but accessing them won’t void your warranty, with list item #2 above in mind.
- The reason the TOP of the Mac mini doesn’t glow and pulse (this is my only gripe so far) is that there wasn’t
enough room to light it once the optical drive went in :)











Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
6-16-2005 @ 4:15PM
teetime said...
There is another question that comes to mind. Will the ATI Radeon 9200 w/ 32 MB able to cope with Core Graphics in Tiger (when shipped)?
Reply
6-16-2005 @ 4:15PM
RobC said...
I'm interested in the iServe model as well - will be nice to run my mail server, webserver and attach some big firewire drives and use if for storing stuff needed in the house.
Of course, it looks so nice it will be a shame to hide it in the garage!
Reply
6-16-2005 @ 4:15PM
Chris said...
Mucho gracias for the myth dispellment (or however that should be spelled).
Reply
6-16-2005 @ 4:15PM
simon said...
Booting headless -- good.
And will it boot without a keyboard or mouse plugged in (or out of Bluetooth range)? That's the other essential for an 'iServe'.
Reply
6-16-2005 @ 4:15PM
Jack said...
The fact it can boot headless is quite great! Out of the box you can have an instant web server or file server sitting in a corner.
Excellent job reporting this!
But I do want to find out about how one would open this tiny box. Depending on the number of clips, one could conceiveable carefully do this on their own by sticking something at each point to bend the clip away. But I assume that Apple authorized techs and others might get a handy little tool that one simply sticks the Mac Mini on and POP... The top comes off.
If anyone knows of such a tool becoming available, I would like to just say that I will buy one in a second without hesitation.
Reply
6-16-2005 @ 4:15PM
GEAH said...
Where is the power supply?
Reply
6-16-2005 @ 4:15PM
wil said...
Where is the fan? And how big is it?
Reply
6-16-2005 @ 4:15PM
Mister Bleepy said...
The power supply is in a separate unit like a laptop power supply
Reply
6-16-2005 @ 4:15PM
Char said...
Any word on what type of RAM this thing will take? The news it will be user-upgradeable is welcome indeed.
Reply
6-16-2005 @ 4:15PM
Steve said...
I already use an older iMac as a server at home, running Debian (got it free with dead hd, new hd and a ISO and I was off and running). Now, since I'd keep using Debian, does anyone have any idea if buying a Mini Mac without OS X is possible, and if so, if it would be cheaper?
Reply
6-16-2005 @ 4:15PM
Johnny Mnemonic said...
If you purchase a BT keyboard + mouse, and have the BT module installed as a BTO on this device, can you go through setup without needing a USB keyboard + mouse?For those of us with parents with only a PS/2 keyboard + mouse, I would just as soon buy them a BT keyboard + mouse if I have to buy them USB peripherals; but there was once some question about if you could "pair" the keyboard with the unit before setup was completed--necessitating the keyboard be plugged in via USB at least during initial setup.Otherwise, it's great to hear that it will boot headless! Thanks!
Reply
6-16-2005 @ 4:15PM
extra88 said...
The Mac Mini specs page say the RAM is "PC2700 (333MHz) DDR SRAM." If you wanted only 512MB, I think the Apple mark-up is low enough to just pay it but 1GB can be had for well under $200 so paying Apple $425 for it seems rediculous.
http://www.apple.com/macmini/specs.html
Reply
6-16-2005 @ 4:15PM
extra88 said...
Apple *never* sells their Macs without an OS. If you want a Mini but not OS X, you'll just have to take it and grumble about the "X tax."
Reply
6-16-2005 @ 4:15PM
jr said...
I know for a fact Apple engineers use a plain old metal-bladed putty knife to engage the clips in the mini...then the top comes off with very little effort.
Reply
6-16-2005 @ 4:15PM
Blue Dragon said...
To Johnny Mnemonic: You can pick up a USB to PS/2 adapter for under $10 at most computer stores. These work just fine with Macs (even though the Mac is rarely listed as being compatible with them on the package), no drivers or anything required. I've used one with my iBook before. They usually have a connector for both a keyboard and a mouse.
Reply
6-16-2005 @ 4:15PM
Mike said...
Re: #11
For some reason my PowerBook didn't recognize the mouse recently at boot time and OpenFirmware started looking for BlueTooth devices. The mini should behave similarly. If it doesn't find a USB keyboard or mouse, it will search for BlueTooth and use what it finds. This, of course, means that running it without peripherals when a BlueTooth adapter is installed will take slightly longer to boot than running without a bluetooth card.
Reply
6-16-2005 @ 4:15PM
Dave Barnes said...
This article is pathetic.
It is obvious that the author only looked at picture of the Mini and did not tear one apart for himself.
Reply
6-16-2005 @ 4:15PM
wayne chiang said...
This is one of the best way to utilize the Mac Mini.
http://funkycoldamoeba.blogspot.com/
I hope Steve Jobs will get this message, but with my luck, I am sure he will find ways to disagree with me, or ignore me, just like everybody eles.
Reply
6-16-2005 @ 4:15PM
terrac said...
One of my favorite features of the Mini (or is it mini?) was the external PSU. This makes for excellent heat dissapation and the longer DC run than would normally be found inside a case. Less inteference as well.
A recurring topic with fellow mac'ers is the future of the mini. See, it can either get faster, cheaper, or morph.
Faster - well the G4 is almost topped out as far as Mhz, they have to go dual core freescale, or G5 around the same time we start seeing them in portables... well portables with screens & batteries. ;)
It can get cheaper - next year the prices are $399 and $499, maybe coming with more RAM at the same time. You could say - "Look who is switching now B1tch!" haha.
... Or it can morph.
Put a set of Composite/Component in's and SVideo, maybe 7.1 on an optical connector.
Keep the price the same tho.
Or they could discontinue the thing next year.
I wonder it Tiger is going to have classic support still. Seems to me that the whole OS would run lots faster and be easier to manage if it did not include the coacoa liraries and older toolbox emulations that it has now. or at least modularize it so we could not have it linked in our libs.
Reply
6-16-2005 @ 4:15PM
Gary said...
Can someone help who has more technical knowledge. Will the Mac Mini do this (like iServe I suppose).
Mac Mini
Firewire DVD recorders, external hard drives (for backup and archive)
USB Hub with printers, scanners, mouse, keyboard.
Ethernet with broadband wireless router.
Wireless extreem card.
Leave it running 24x7
I assume just for this you dont need much memory standard would be ok.
Then use a wireless G4 iBook to work from,
also maybe using Apple remote control software to manage the Mac mini from the iBook ?
I use the iBook now but tired of going to another room every time I want to print, backup and acess the web.
Any other ideas or help would be great
thanks
Reply