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Closing the book on Apple's Mac mini - Page 12

post #441 of 573
11/5/07 at 11:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by aplnub View Post

On my mini and iMac 24", I can never really tell that big of a mind blowing difference in moving large quantities of files. I thought FW800 would be 2x speed but I don't believe it is. So I think FW 400 would be fine for external storage since it works great with my Final Cut Studio setup.

It depends on the device you are writing to. A single hard drive will usually have a maximum transfer rate of 75-100MBps which is 600-800Mbps. FW800 is 800Mbps so can work with the fastest rate the drive can take.

If your drive only reaches 40MBps = 320Mbps then you're not going to see much difference between FW400 and FW800. If on the other hand you target an external RAID setup where transfer rates are 150MBps (1200Mbps) and above, that's where FW800 and eSATA are needed.

http://www.cooldrives.com/newulrafi800.html

Of course, you will be limited by your read speeds if you transfer from a slow drive.
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post #442 of 573
11/5/07 at 12:20pm
If the mini is being used as a server, aren't you also limited by the transfer speed of your wired or wireless network? I'd think that would be the limiting factor, not the FW400 external drive.
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post #443 of 573
11/5/07 at 1:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by iDave View Post

If the mini is being used as a server, aren't you also limited by the transfer speed of your wired or wireless network? I'd think that would be the limiting factor, not the FW400 external drive.


Thanks for the replies.

Could be a non-issue, not sure if database queries are affected more so than other types of disk access. I just want to experiment so I suppose the limitations of the mini would be acceptable until such time as we decide to go live with iCal service. The plan is to migrate to xserve eventually.

Life is too short to drink bad coffee.

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Life is too short to drink bad coffee.

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post #444 of 573
1/26/08 at 6:04pm
Any update on the Mini demise rumor?

Has this been debunked since the Mini is still around and its now 2008?

Will it be updated to have Santa Rosa?

Will it finally get 802.11n?
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post #445 of 573
1/28/08 at 10:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by dm3 View Post

Any update on the Mini demise rumor?

Has this been debunked since the Mini is still around and its now 2008?

Will it be updated to have Santa Rosa?

Will it finally get 802.11n?

The rumor will always remain alive, until it becomes true.

You might start one about any Mac product if you like. You could then say that you were the first to predict it.

That's the problem with rumors.
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post #446 of 573
1/28/08 at 3:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dm3 View Post

Any update on the Mini demise rumor?

Has this been debunked since the Mini is still around and its now 2008?

Will it be updated to have Santa Rosa?

Will it finally get 802.11n?

I don't think it matters. The Mini is like a guy being dragged at the back of vehicle. In pain and torn to shreds, barely any life left. People shout from the crowd just put it out of its misery. But the dragging continues. Which is worse, killing it or endlessly punishing it?

There's no point in having any hope for the Mini because Apple will never bring it up to par with their beloved chin-faced sealed-display AIO, god how I despise that horrific creation.

They can't get rid of it, we know this because there would be no desktop cheaper than the lowest laptop and there's no way they'll survive with a $1000 entry point. If they replace it with a better product, the iMac rightly looks like a waste of money. So it will have to stay the same dragging along at the back.

So the Mini update is coming in t minus the Macbook update, the Macbook Pro update and the iMac update, oh yeah and the iphone SDK and the Apple TV update and Phenomeon (it has to come absolutely last you see just to make sure and kill off any interest altogether).
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post #447 of 573
1/28/08 at 6:26pm
I like my mini. It's a perfect little computer for doing basic computing tasks. Maybe Apple should evolve the mini into the perfect home "cloud computing" initiative.

Rumors of the same MBA app for accessing other computers optical drives in OS X 10.5.2 lead me to believe we may see a Mini Air. And why not if the price is right?

Remove the slot load superdrive and you can cut the price down nigh $100. "who'd buy a mini without a drive?" Well anyone that has plenty of other Macs around the home or primarily access software and entertainment via the web. Wow imagine that..Apple just so happens to provide both via iTunes.

But what if I need to view my iLife content...there just so happens to be an Apple TV which will take this content and play it back and .mac for sharing this content with the world at large.

The mini certainly doesn't need to die because consumers today view a $1000 computer as expensive. Apple needs an option that sits comfy at $499 and $599. Hell I think they need 3 models or at the least a $399 Air model with FW/USB/no ethernet/11n and a "Hero" model equivalent to today's Mac mini functionality.

The paradigm shift here is a focus away from hardware even at the consumer level and a new focus on software running locally and software as a service for homes. This idea that you have to sell people bigger better badder computers is so passe.

Frankly at this point in my life I'm beginning to become jaded. I hear companies crowing about how innovative they are and frankly I just see spit polish on the same old computing paradigm I've seen for 25 years. Do something cool and really wow me.
He's a mod so he has a few extra vBulletin privileges. That doesn't mean he should stop posting or should start acting like Digital Jesus.
- SolipsismX
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He's a mod so he has a few extra vBulletin privileges. That doesn't mean he should stop posting or should start acting like Digital Jesus.
- SolipsismX
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post #448 of 573
1/29/08 at 12:51am
gah.. i hope they don't discontinue it too soon. i FINALLY convinced my brother to switch to the mac and the mini would be perfect for him with his PC which is going to hopefully die sometime this year he already has a very nice display to use. but he doesnt have $800 to blow right now. come on stay with me mini...
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post #449 of 573
1/30/08 at 12:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mstone View Post

Thanks for the replies.

Could be a non-issue, not sure if database queries are affected more so than other types of disk access. I just want to experiment so I suppose the limitations of the mini would be acceptable until such time as we decide to go live with iCal service. The plan is to migrate to xserve eventually.

Not sure if you're still testing, but the Mac mini works great with the iCal service. More than anything else, you'll just want to bump up that RAM for database queries.
macminicolo.net - Use your Mac mini as a server. Low cost, high performance.
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macminicolo.net - Use your Mac mini as a server. Low cost, high performance.
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post #450 of 573
2/7/08 at 3:18pm
Had the mac mini been user upgradeable, I would reckon Apple would be pushed to produce mini's at the demand it would have made.

Think of it: The mac mini's hard drive and RAM being as accessable as those in the macbook and macbook pro respectively.

Cranking this mac mini upto the spec of a 2.2ghz and the new intel graphics X-whatever it is, this would be a winner.

Although I suspect it would require a completely new design and by alrights it would be a completely different product under the bonnet, the key to the mac mini's failure is the hassle it causes trying to either have someone else upgrade this or your sobber fingers nerviously cracking the unit open.

Come on Apple, everyone and their dog now knows how to upgrade a computer - so let them!
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post #451 of 573
2/7/08 at 3:37pm
Viva La Mac Mini!
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post #452 of 573
2/7/08 at 7:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by GavinScrimgeour View Post

Think of it: The mac mini's hard drive and RAM being as accessable as those in the macbook and macbook pro respectively.

Having wielded the putty knives several times to upgrade minis, I don't think it's such a big deal. Obviously, Apple should just make it easy to open via a screwdriver and four screws on the bottom of the unit. It's Apple's way of selling more, more profitable iMacs. Even those are hardly upgradeable but at least they have slightly better specs. (Not that I would buy one.)
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post #453 of 573
2/7/08 at 10:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by GavinScrimgeour View Post

Had the mac mini been user upgradeable, I would reckon Apple would be pushed to produce mini's at the demand it would have made.

Think of it: The mac mini's hard drive and RAM being as accessable as those in the macbook and macbook pro respectively.

Cranking this mac mini upto the spec of a 2.2ghz and the new intel graphics X-whatever it is, this would be a winner.

Although I suspect it would require a completely new design and by alrights it would be a completely different product under the bonnet, the key to the mac mini's failure is the hassle it causes trying to either have someone else upgrade this or your sobber fingers nerviously cracking the unit open.

Come on Apple, everyone and their dog now knows how to upgrade a computer - so let them!

Just watch this video and you'll see it's pretty trivial to change the hard drive and the RAM is the same.

http://media.macsales.com/videos/min...l/highres.html
--Johnny
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--Johnny
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post #454 of 573
2/8/08 at 2:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by lundy View Post

Just watch this video and you'll see it's pretty trivial to change the hard drive and the RAM is the same.

http://media.macsales.com/videos/min...l/highres.html

"pretty trivial?" LOL! Compared to the MacBook that's a right pain in the bum! Getting the casing off is mad!

Judging from the tutor's heavy breathing and "big fingers" as he puts it, he could do with getting some proper exercise...

Joking aside though, nice tutorial.
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post #455 of 573
2/8/08 at 7:48am
Well it's not like you change the hard drive every week, sheesh.

No, I agree the heavy breathing is disgusting. LOL

There was one of these where the guy had to answer his phone and have a conversation, TWICE, and they didn't bother to edit it out. LMAO
--Johnny
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--Johnny
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post #456 of 573
2/8/08 at 7:57am
You should check out: You suck at Photoshop!
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post #457 of 573
2/8/08 at 10:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post

Therefore, it comes as little surprise that sources, for whom AppleInsider holds the utmost respect, are now pointing towards the mini's impending demise.

...

Ladies and gentlemen, AppleInsider believes in all sincerity that the Mac mini is dead.

Heh...if the Mini is still around on May 24, 2008 can we finally declare that AI's source was wrong?
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post #458 of 573
2/8/08 at 1:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by vinea View Post

Heh...if the Mini is still around on May 24, 2008 can we finally declare that AI's source was wrong?

Hehe... well said

I'm also wondering - if the "Mac Mini" is discontinued but an almost identical "Mac Nano" comes out, should AI say they got it right, or got it wrong?
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post #459 of 573
2/10/08 at 3:27pm
Sooner or later, every product gets discontinued. Even if it's four years after the prediction, some site will refer to their ancient article, and say:

"You Read It Here First!"
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post #460 of 573
2/10/08 at 3:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hmurchison View Post

I like my mini. It's a perfect little computer for doing basic computing tasks. Maybe Apple should evolve the mini into the perfect home "cloud computing" initiative.

Rumors of the same MBA app for accessing other computers optical drives in OS X 10.5.2 lead me to believe we may see a Mini Air. And why not if the price is right?

Remove the slot load superdrive and you can cut the price down nigh $100. "who'd buy a mini without a drive?" Well anyone that has plenty of other Macs around the home or primarily access software and entertainment via the web. Wow imagine that..Apple just so happens to provide both via iTunes.

But what if I need to view my iLife content...there just so happens to be an Apple TV which will take this content and play it back and .mac for sharing this content with the world at large.

The mini certainly doesn't need to die because consumers today view a $1000 computer as expensive. Apple needs an option that sits comfy at $499 and $599. Hell I think they need 3 models or at the least a $399 Air model with FW/USB/no ethernet/11n and a "Hero" model equivalent to today's Mac mini functionality.

The paradigm shift here is a focus away from hardware even at the consumer level and a new focus on software running locally and software as a service for homes. This idea that you have to sell people bigger better badder computers is so passe.

Frankly at this point in my life I'm beginning to become jaded. I hear companies crowing about how innovative they are and frankly I just see spit polish on the same old computing paradigm I've seen for 25 years. Do something cool and really wow me.

A desktop without ethernet is going way to far.
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post #461 of 573
2/10/08 at 3:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe_the_dragon View Post

A desktop without ethernet is going way to far.

I agree. Wiring things in works faster & more reliably - so if your machine doesn't move around much it's much better to wire it up.

I setup an AppleTV at my parents and am forced to use wireless. It works fine for sync or stream, but sometimes it can take a while for a sync to latch on... if I could use the nice clear/unused coax cable I have next to it I would.
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post #462 of 573
2/11/08 at 3:47am
Quote:
Originally Posted by GregAlexander View Post

Hehe... well said

I'm also wondering - if the "Mac Mini" is discontinued but an almost identical "Mac Nano" comes out, should AI say they got it right, or got it wrong?

I am still not convinced that the days of the Mac mini are not numbered.
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post #463 of 573
2/11/08 at 12:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by PB View Post

I am still not convinced that the days of the Mac mini are not numbered.

Fair enough. I actually expected for Apple to merge the AppleTV and MacMini lines entirely in January, probably positioned more as high end AppleTVs than as MacMinis (and still usable as Minis for those who wanted that of course). But I was wrong
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post #464 of 573
2/11/08 at 12:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by PB View Post

I am still not convinced that the days of the Mac mini are not numbered.


Are you saying "I am still convinced that the days of the Mac mini are numbered", or are you unsure?
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post #465 of 573
3/7/08 at 12:30pm
Ah! Ha!

http://www.macscoop.com/articles/200...few-weeks-away
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post #466 of 573
3/7/08 at 12:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alfiejr View Post

http://www.macscoop.com/articles/200...few-weeks-away

Great - fingers crossed - thanks for the info!
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post #467 of 573
3/7/08 at 4:54pm
thinner imac what are they go to do cut out the video card and get rid of the ram slots?


and the mini needs a real video card.
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post #468 of 573
3/7/08 at 5:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe_the_dragon View Post

thinner imac what are they go to do cut out the video card and get rid of the ram slots?


and the mini needs a real video card.

I really don't think we need a thinner iMac. It's already as thin, or even thinner than, most monitors of similar size.
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post #469 of 573
3/8/08 at 9:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe_the_dragon View Post

and the mini needs a real video card.

Why does it need a "real" video "card?"

Which video "card?"

Where would they put it? There is no room in there.

Would you buy one if they put in a "real" video "card?"

And it has to be on a socket so you can "swap it out", right? Where are they going to find room in there for a socket?
--Johnny
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--Johnny
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post #470 of 573
3/8/08 at 9:38am
So long as it can handle HD playback - which I know it will be able to, since my 1st gen MacBook can - then the video's good enough for me.
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post #471 of 573
3/8/08 at 1:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jowie74 View Post

So long as it can handle HD playback - which I know it will be able to, since my 1st gen MacBook can - then the video's good enough for me.

It does, and has, for some time.
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post #472 of 573
3/8/08 at 1:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by melgross View Post

I really don't think we need a thinner iMac. It's already as thin, or even thinner than, most monitors of similar size.

They could ditch the annoying shiny screen cover and make it thinner.
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post #473 of 573
3/8/08 at 1:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by aegisdesign View Post

They could ditch the annoying shiny screen cover and make it thinner.

It isn't nearly as annoying as some seem to think. We just added 10 new 20 and 24" iMacs to my daughter's school's second photo lab.

When the computer is off, and all the lights shining on the monitors are on, there are reflections. But, when the computers are turned on, the reflections are very hard to see. When the row of lights nearest to the machines are turned off (the normal way they have them when photo editing), the reflections disappear, even with the computers off.

The glass screens are great! They make it much more difficult to damage the screens, esp. when cleaning them, and the glass can be replaced, if that ever does happen (and in a school, all bets are off).

Another 10 mm, more or less, will not make any difference in the slightest. I hope they keep the glass.
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post #474 of 573
3/8/08 at 2:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by melgross View Post

Another 10 mm, more or less, will not make any difference in the slightest. I hope they keep the glass.

I think the difference would be less than 5mm, assuming the chin can be made thinner. Hardly significant anyway. A user that really hates it that badly can just remove it themselves anyway.
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post #475 of 573
3/8/08 at 2:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by melgross View Post

It isn't nearly as annoying as some seem to think.

Maybe it's just where I've used them. In the Apple Store, the lighting is terrible for a shiny screen. The non-shiny screens look way, way better to me.

At home I've used a MacBook I bought for my parents and found that unbearable. My desk has a window to the right of it. I seemed to suffer a reflection of the window all day and then my desk light in the evening, none of which were an issue with my G5 iMac.
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post #476 of 573
3/8/08 at 2:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by aegisdesign View Post

Maybe it's just where I've used them. In the Apple Store, the lighting is terrible for a shiny screen. The non-shiny screens look way, way better to me.

At home I've used a MacBook I bought for my parents and found that unbearable. My desk has a window to the right of it. I seemed to suffer a reflection of the window all day and then my desk light in the evening, none of which were an issue with my G5 iMac.

You know the old expression: Nothing's perfect.

Sometimes, we have to be able to decide to make some changes when required. For me, that meant re-arranging the placement of my desk to enable myself to do editing, and that's with a matt CRT.

If you just can't bear to do that, put a shield at the top, and possibly on the sides. We used to buy monitors that came with them.

Otherwise, I really don't know what to tell you. Some people are sensitive to this, and some are not.
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post #477 of 573
3/8/08 at 2:21pm
Yep. I could sit in the dark with a monitor hood and suffer SAD, or I could sit in the light with a nice window to look out.

Somewhere in the back of my IT stash I've probably got one of those polarising anti glare screen filters. Never thought I'd have to dig that back out again!
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post #478 of 573
3/8/08 at 2:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by aegisdesign View Post

Yep. I could sit in the dark with a monitor hood and suffer SAD, or I could sit in the light with a nice window to look out.

Somewhere in the back of my IT stash I've probably got one of those polarising anti glare screen filters. Never thought I'd have to dig that back out again!

If you're properly editing, you should be sitting in the dark, or at least a dim, environment.

Actually, I just have my desk FACING the windows. I can look out any time. I just have valences, so that the brightest portion of the sky doesn't glare into my eves. When I edit, I close the curtains, to keep the light out.

My ceiling lights are either at the back of the monitor, or at most, at an oblique angle to the sides, and slightly in front, so that they aren't directly on the screen. Right now, at 5:30 pm, the lights are up.
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post #479 of 573
3/8/08 at 3:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by melgross View Post

If you're properly editing, you should be sitting in the dark, or at least a dim, environment.

That might be a nice environment for photo/video editing. It's not good for a programmer. You need lots of light to keep your eyes open and prevent eyestrain whilst concentrating on text. Xerox didn't choose black text on white without reason.
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post #480 of 573
3/8/08 at 3:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by aegisdesign View Post

That might be a nice environment for photo/video editing. It's not good for a programmer. You need lots of light to keep your eyes open and prevent eyestrain whilst concentrating on text. Xerox didn't choose black text on white without reason.

As I said, that's a good environment for editing.

You did read the rest of the post, right?
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