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I had one of those
bought it in Hong Kong on my way back to Australia one time. I'm pretty sure it was 1986.
I got the next model after that too which whas about half the depth and nicer styling
I'll be waiting for some initial response from early buyers before jumping into the mini MAC but I am still very keen
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Posted: 2005-01-18 13:42:57
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@ Jools or any MAC users.....
Im concidering buying one of these babies...but a few questions, answers as non-biased as possible please! lol
Im looking to buy one purely for web browsing, check outlook email, synch my imate Jam/P900 and store video. The main family pc stays in the office and it stores all the main movies/music/programs etc, so the mini mac will be like a throw-around the house spare pc.
1) Would the mini-mac be advisable for my use?
2) Will i find it that different in terms of the OS? (which i must say has a much better looking UI).
3) Can you use one PC on windows (cough cough) and one mini mac on a WiFi set up? Or for data transfer?
4) When can I get my damn hands on one! lol
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Posted: 2005-01-18 13:46:29
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Quote:Im looking to buy one purely for web browsing, check outlook email, synch my imate Jam/P900 and store video
Not sure about the imate Jam, but SE phones work very very well with Macs using the built-in iSync software, Address Book and iCal. Bluetooth on Macs is an absolute dream to set-up and use compared with a PC.
For web browsing you've got Apple's own browser Safari, or the cross-platform ones such as Firefox, Mozilla, Opera etc. Microsofts Internet Explorer is still available for OS X, but not developed anymore, but its not worth using really. It's not a patch on the alternatives (same with the PC version I guess).
As far as email goes, you can either use Apple's in-built Mail application or get Microsoft Entourage (part of the MS Office suite) which is the equivalent of Outlook. There are plenty of other 3rd-party email clients too if those don't suit.
Movies in DivX, 3ivX, MPEG and pretty much all other formats can either be played back directly in QuickTime (after installing the DivX,3ivX codec) or in a 3rd party player such as VLC.
iTunes, QuickTime player and VLC are all controllable remotely using a bluetooth Sony Ericsson mobile phone and
Salling Clicker.
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1) Would the mini-mac be advisable for my use?
I would say so. As previously mentioned I would up the RAM to at least 512MB at purchase time, as the supplied 256MB is a bit stingy, and like a PC, the more RAM the OS has to run in the better.
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2) Will i find it that different in terms of the OS? (which i must say has a much better looking UI).
Obviously there will be differences, but if you can use a Windows PC, you'll find using a Mac pretty easy once you get used to where things are. Macs are known for their ease-of-use. However, in my experience I've found Windows users expect things to be harder than it is on a Mac and don't always try the obvious!!!
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3) Can you use one PC on windows (cough cough) and one mini mac on a WiFi set up? Or for data transfer?
Mac OS X supports Windows Samba(?) file sharing, so all you need to do is turn it on and Windows machines will be able to connect, and vice-versa. It's very easy - I've done it with a friends PC running Win2K through an Ethernet connection. I assume it works the same over Wi-fi.
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4) When can I get my damn hands on one! lol
Jan 22nd in the US, Jan 29th in the UK
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This message was posted from a Mac
[ This Message was edited by: JoolsG4 on 2005-01-18 13:51 ]
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Posted: 2005-01-18 14:48:43
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Brilliant you obviously know your stuff mate! Thanks for that advise, very helpful. I will have to sit tight and wait till I can get one then.
The only fear I have is the difference in not having Outlook as I use this for EVERYTHING inc addressbook, EMAIL heavily, calander, notes, and tasks list. Any thoughts?
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Posted: 2005-01-18 15:04:12
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The only fear I have is the difference in not having Outlook as I use this for EVERYTHING inc addressbook, EMAIL heavily, calander, notes, and tasks list. Any thoughts?
Well, Entourage (as mentioned above) is the Mac equivalent of Outlook - just the name is different. Have a look at:
http://www.microsoft.com/mac/[....]tourage2004/entourage2004.aspx
and see if it does all you want!!!
BTW, yesterday Apple reduced the pricing on its own keyboards and mice (including the Bluetooth ones) in case you want matching ones to go with the new Mac mini!!
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This message was posted from a Mac
[ This Message was edited by: JoolsG4 on 2005-01-18 14:18 ]
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Posted: 2005-01-18 15:15:03
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Mate im sold! Entourage seems fine and if I have probs adapting they suggest VirtualPC for Mac to start with...sorted!
Entourage seems nearly identical to Outlook. I can see why so many people hesitate on switching, but now I can see why so many people wonder why they worried so much!
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Posted: 2005-01-18 15:22:10
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Apparantly we will be paying a lot more for our mini-macs compared to u.s customers.We will have to pay £339 ($632) for the version of the Mac mini which costs $499 in the US; in Germany the cost is even higher at €489, or $636.
silicon.com Article
Apple fans up in arms over 'unfair' Mac mini pricing
Apple's "most affordable" Mac - the Mac mini - has drawn a storm of protest from European shoppers, who are petitioning Cupertino to bring EU pricing better in line with that of the US.
The online petition states: "We'd like to make an appeal to Apple on the pricing of the new Mac mini in the European Union. Basing on the last long-term rate of exchange of US dollars to euros (and vice versa) - which is 1.3293 on the spot market, so let's say 1.32 - both announced prices of the Mac mini in Europe, €489 and €589, respectively, are much too high."
The petition also states that German users come off particularly badly in the pricing scrap, with an extra €50 for the lower spec Mac mini and €60 for the higher spec machine.
The petition's writers also claim the higher EU pricing is counterproductive for Apple's business strategy and would serve to discourage potential PC to Mac switchers.
So far, the petition has attracted over 2,000 signatures from across the European Union.
One petitioner, 'Ronald', wrote "Europe is as big a market as the United States, so the prices should be similar!" Another, Walter Vermeir, added: "I like the Mac but not the price."
UK customers will also be forced to pay more than their counterparts across the Atlantic. The cheaper Mac mini sells for $499 in the US - around £268. However, to buy the same Mac in the UK would cost £339.
One UK resident, Steve Netting, who signed the petition, said: "We always get ripped off in the UK. Would be great to finally see a company treating us as equals."
It's not the first time Apple has faced the ire of customers over differences in European pricing.
In December, the Office of Fair Trading referred a complaint over the iTunes music store to the European Commission, claiming the almost 10p difference between the prices UK and EU customers pay is discriminatory.Apple did not immediately respond to request for comment.
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Posted: 2005-01-18 17:16:20
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The US price is listed without sales tax (VAT) which varies from state to state. So if you add 17.5% UK VAT to $499 you get $586 which currently equals £315.
So in the UK, they're making £24 on every Mac mini they sell. Not as big a difference as usual but still not insignificant.
I guess Apple will just say its down to shipping costs or something.
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Posted: 2005-01-18 17:32:42
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A new enthusiast site has opened for fans of the new Apple Mac mini:
www.byodkm.net (Bring Your Own Display, Keyboard, and Mouse).
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Posted: 2005-01-18 17:57:31
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Over at MacCentral they have an interesting response to some of the less favourable comparisions of the Mac mini and supposedly "comparable" PCs from the likes of Dell:
http://www.macworld.com/weblo[....]miniapplesandoranges/index.php
Ok, so its a Mac web-site response, but basically the facts are true:
- The PC includes a cut-down 'Home' version of the OS, Mac includes full OS X 10.3
- The PC doesn't have Firewire built-in
- The PC can't burn CD's as standard
- The PC only has a 90 day warranty, not a year
- The Mac comes with the highly regarded iMovie, iPhoto, Garageband, 2 commercial games, Appleworks Office Suite & Quicken 2005 whereas the PC comes with just a word processor, trial or starter versions of two apps, and Dell Jukebox
- The PC has to share its RAM with the video card
Once you start to add in these extras to make the PC more comparable, the cost increases considerably...
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Posted: 2005-01-20 12:46:45
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