The belief / hope/ bet (take your pick) by Steve Jobs is that now or in the near future HD movies will be so readily available to rent or buy over the net that no one would drive to a store to buy or rent a DVD of any size shape or color. I am not expressing my opinion one way or the other here, simply explaining Apple's reasoning for not including BR in any Macs
But as of now, with this product, there is no way to buy or rent an HD movie over the 'net.
It seems to be an unwise decision to exclude functionality.
Apple is NOT moving away from Mac OS for us. Stop being ridiculous. The iOS is entry level and for the masses. There will always be an operating system like OS X to program the content. C'mon.
Apple certainly IS moving towards mobile devices. They are now the highest
priority in the company. That is where Apple thinks there is money to be made. That much is clear.
There will always be an OS like OSX? Maybe. It exists today, and is not going anywhere. Literally.
I love the 'Apple tax is higher than the MS tax' argument. Why not do some research on how much a server license with unlimited clients costs from Apple vs Microsoft. It's $499 for Apple and quite a few times higher for Microsoft. .
Microsoft Home Server is available at Amazon right now for $87.92.
Could this announcement mean that the new Mac Pro, 6 and 12-core desktops are not far behind? Hope so.
Don't hold your breath if you are waiting for more powerful, cheaper Mac Pros. The current updates were in the pipeline before the explosion of portable devices, but next time around?
You final sentence implies (in an overt way) that you think it is wrong for any person to ever offer any reasoned criticism of any product unless they can make a better product for less money! Yes, this is exactly what you are saying, and this is preposterous.
That's what Steve has said more than once. Most of these knee-jerk foolish responses are paraphrases of Steve.
Steve knows his users and his users are form over function idiots as a rule. They rather pay a lot of money for a cool looking under powered computer, than have a basic looking mid-tower with a 3 year in home warranty, more RAM, bigger faster HD, and better CPU/GPU performance.
I think that is only one of the target customers for the Mini.
Another is the switcher who already owns peripherals. They would be people who just want a Mac, likely because they know little about using a computer and want something "easy".
Diehards and first timer/amateur/naive users seem to me to be the likely target markets for the Mini.
I think Apple care about profits, but they also care about the quality of their products and the reputation of their brand. They try to make as much profit as possible from the kind of products they want to build, rather than build the products that will make the most money.
If they are doing that, they are open to shareholder lawsuits.
I think that instead, they are making as much total profit as they can figure out how to make.
So if you are buying this for a desktop system, rather than a HTPC, why not just save up an extra $200 and buy a white MacBook instead? That way you can output to your desktop monitor, hookup your keyboard and mouse and still have portability too.
You seem to be valuing function over form. That is not the customer that Apple focuses upon.
Take your wife or girlfriend to Best Buy and parade her by the biggest, baddest, PC in the store, then have her walk by the new Mac Mini and ask her which one she would rather have in her house. I assure you, a dissertation on bus speed and expansion slots is not going be very persuasive on her.
Har! Girls! They don't know nothing except looks!!!
this new Mac Mini with best specs hooked up to a new Sony LED 3D Glossy Flat Screen TV 30"-50", Best Sony Wireless Surround Sound system, PS3/XBOX, Apple TV, Sky + HD, Gaming Seat, Wireless Trackpad, Wireless Keyboard, Wireless Mouse, 2-5TB External HD, Time Machine, and some how connect a cam to all this, Apple really going for the Entertainment Market now...
That system would cost a fortune and would neither sound nor look as good as other cheaper HT systems.
It truly is a shame that the potential of this machine is limited by the minute BTO options Apple offers; the processor can only be upgrade to 2.66Ghz Core 2 Duo, the hard drive is limited to 5400 RPM with no option for solid state, and the graphics is limited to the 320M integrated Nvidia chipset. With the next screenless With the Mac Mini starting at $699 and the next screenless Mac starting at $2,499, there's a vast void that could easily be filled if they just added a few more BTO options to the Mini. And unlike the MacBook Pro lineup, it's not as though upgrading the entry-level model is going to suddenly encroach on the product above it ? there's an $1,800 price gap!
I currently have a 15" MacBook Pro that's identical in specs to this new Mac Mni, paired with a 24" LED Display. Because of the iPad, I'm finding that I don't need a laptop anymore. But because I have this gorgeous 24" LED Display, I don't need an iMac either. The Mac Mini seems like a perfect fit for me, only its impossible to order one that exceeds my current computer. And a Mac Pro would be total overkill for my needs, not to mention it costs 2,500 damn dollars.
What IS foolish is comparing the cost of a home built PC (and 99 times out of a 100, the builder forgets to add in all their costs like shipping, tax, operating system and other software, labor, etc) which has no warranty, takes up your time, and may or may not have components that work well together)
You forget that most people who build their own computers know a heck of a lot about the subject.
Adding up costs for a cost/benefit analysis is unlikely to be beyond most of them. WRT components that work well together, that is a matter of knowledge, eh? Getting the optimal combinations is a popular reason for building one's own PC.
Microsoft Home Server is available at Amazon right now for $87.92.
ROTFLMAO.
I asked you to compare a WIndows server with unlimited client licensing that THAT is what you come up with? I guess you're unaware that even the basic Mac Mini with standard Mac OS X (NOT the server version) will do everything Windows Home Server will do.
The Mac Mini server has a full blown Mac OS X Server with unlimited client licenses. That makes is suitable for small businesses or other file serving applications. The equivalent WIndows server with just 25 client licenses is over $2,200:
Comments
The belief / hope/ bet (take your pick) by Steve Jobs is that now or in the near future HD movies will be so readily available to rent or buy over the net that no one would drive to a store to buy or rent a DVD of any size shape or color. I am not expressing my opinion one way or the other here, simply explaining Apple's reasoning for not including BR in any Macs
But as of now, with this product, there is no way to buy or rent an HD movie over the 'net.
It seems to be an unwise decision to exclude functionality.
I
1. As a digital audio connection, HDMI is not the optimum choice, even digital rca coaxial is more reliable,
Why is HDMI less reliable?
Apple has made their decision for some reason - and Apple undoubtedly knows more about their reasoning than some whiner on AI.
So is Apple always right? And can't a whiner can't identify Apple's mistakes?
Apple is NOT moving away from Mac OS for us. Stop being ridiculous. The iOS is entry level and for the masses. There will always be an operating system like OS X to program the content. C'mon.
Apple certainly IS moving towards mobile devices. They are now the highest
priority in the company. That is where Apple thinks there is money to be made. That much is clear.
There will always be an OS like OSX? Maybe. It exists today, and is not going anywhere. Literally.
I love the 'Apple tax is higher than the MS tax' argument. Why not do some research on how much a server license with unlimited clients costs from Apple vs Microsoft. It's $499 for Apple and quite a few times higher for Microsoft. .
Microsoft Home Server is available at Amazon right now for $87.92.
I wonder if this means the end for the AppleTV? It seems to have been removed from both Apple's main website and their online store.
If you Google on apple TV, this is the first hit:
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/hom...KWG-AppleTV-US
Could this announcement mean that the new Mac Pro, 6 and 12-core desktops are not far behind? Hope so.
Don't hold your breath if you are waiting for more powerful, cheaper Mac Pros. The current updates were in the pipeline before the explosion of portable devices, but next time around?
You final sentence implies (in an overt way) that you think it is wrong for any person to ever offer any reasoned criticism of any product unless they can make a better product for less money! Yes, this is exactly what you are saying, and this is preposterous.
That's what Steve has said more than once. Most of these knee-jerk foolish responses are paraphrases of Steve.
Nobody wants to pay that kind of money for a stand alone desktop.
Lots and lots of people pay WAY more than than that every day for stand alone desktop machines. Look at the iMacs, for example.
WTF?
Microsoft Home Server is available at Amazon right now for $87.92.
And that is a comparable product because it has 'server' in its name? Good thinking!
Steve knows his users and his users are form over function idiots as a rule. They rather pay a lot of money for a cool looking under powered computer, than have a basic looking mid-tower with a 3 year in home warranty, more RAM, bigger faster HD, and better CPU/GPU performance.
I think that is only one of the target customers for the Mini.
Another is the switcher who already owns peripherals. They would be people who just want a Mac, likely because they know little about using a computer and want something "easy".
Diehards and first timer/amateur/naive users seem to me to be the likely target markets for the Mini.
I think Apple care about profits, but they also care about the quality of their products and the reputation of their brand. They try to make as much profit as possible from the kind of products they want to build, rather than build the products that will make the most money.
If they are doing that, they are open to shareholder lawsuits.
I think that instead, they are making as much total profit as they can figure out how to make.
So if you are buying this for a desktop system, rather than a HTPC, why not just save up an extra $200 and buy a white MacBook instead? That way you can output to your desktop monitor, hookup your keyboard and mouse and still have portability too.
You seem to be valuing function over form. That is not the customer that Apple focuses upon.
Take your wife or girlfriend to Best Buy and parade her by the biggest, baddest, PC in the store, then have her walk by the new Mac Mini and ask her which one she would rather have in her house. I assure you, a dissertation on bus speed and expansion slots is not going be very persuasive on her.
Har! Girls! They don't know nothing except looks!!!
IMAGINE THIS:
this new Mac Mini with best specs hooked up to a new Sony LED 3D Glossy Flat Screen TV 30"-50", Best Sony Wireless Surround Sound system, PS3/XBOX, Apple TV, Sky + HD, Gaming Seat, Wireless Trackpad, Wireless Keyboard, Wireless Mouse, 2-5TB External HD, Time Machine, and some how connect a cam to all this, Apple really going for the Entertainment Market now...
That system would cost a fortune and would neither sound nor look as good as other cheaper HT systems.
Especially the sound. Sony?
I currently have a 15" MacBook Pro that's identical in specs to this new Mac Mni, paired with a 24" LED Display. Because of the iPad, I'm finding that I don't need a laptop anymore. But because I have this gorgeous 24" LED Display, I don't need an iMac either. The Mac Mini seems like a perfect fit for me, only its impossible to order one that exceeds my current computer. And a Mac Pro would be total overkill for my needs, not to mention it costs 2,500 damn dollars.
What IS foolish is comparing the cost of a home built PC (and 99 times out of a 100, the builder forgets to add in all their costs like shipping, tax, operating system and other software, labor, etc) which has no warranty, takes up your time, and may or may not have components that work well together)
You forget that most people who build their own computers know a heck of a lot about the subject.
Adding up costs for a cost/benefit analysis is unlikely to be beyond most of them. WRT components that work well together, that is a matter of knowledge, eh? Getting the optimal combinations is a popular reason for building one's own PC.
The iPad is available for those who are in that price range.
I didn't know the iPad had HDMI/Display Port out.
Microsoft Home Server is available at Amazon right now for $87.92.
ROTFLMAO.
I asked you to compare a WIndows server with unlimited client licensing that THAT is what you come up with? I guess you're unaware that even the basic Mac Mini with standard Mac OS X (NOT the server version) will do everything Windows Home Server will do.
The Mac Mini server has a full blown Mac OS X Server with unlimited client licenses. That makes is suitable for small businesses or other file serving applications. The equivalent WIndows server with just 25 client licenses is over $2,200:
http://www.software.cc/products/sc-1...08-server.html
You could buy TWO Mac Mini servers with UNLIMITED client licenses for less than the software cost alone for Windows.
Or, if you want just the software, Mac OS X Server with unlimited client licenses is $499 - 1/4 the cost of the 25 user WIndows software.
So much for the 'Apple tax'.