The Mac Mini is the perfect form factor for me now, but the current specs are identical to my 20 month old MacBook Pro; if I could get one with an i5 and 330M, it'd actually be an upgrade.
Too bad that will never happen due to Intel being a giant dick by preventing NVIDIA's chipset from working with their new CPUs.
I've been using the previous version of the Mini with SL Server in my law office since last fall. We primarily use it as a file server and Time Machine backup for 7 office computers and it works just great. For a small business, you cannot run a server environment cheaper than you can with the Mini with SL Server.
However, as the author notes, setting up the server software may look easy, but unless you are well versed in servers and networks, you should spend a few bucks hiring a consultant for 2-4 hours to set up your Mini with SL Server. It is money well spent. Once the system is running, most experienced Mac users can work the server and make changes as needed.
Shipping (distance is not the sole determinant of shipping costs)
Costs of doing business (UK is a very expensive place to do business)
Costs of complying with local regulations (UK and Europe have some very strict regulations that must be complied with)
Volume
Or simply market pricing - the correct price is that which maximizes profits
But aren't all the Apple on-line orders in Europe processed by Apple Europe (Based in Ireland) and shipped straight from China?
Quote:
Originally Posted by jragosta
Bottom line is that you don't have any idea what it costs to do business in the UK (I have done so - and it's far more than doing business in the U.S.), but it's really irrelevant. The price is what it is - you either buy or don't buy based on whether it's worth it to you. It's not your role to determine what price Apple should put on their products - unless you become CEO of Apple.
What makes you think that you are such a genius when it comes to doing business in certain countries? Just because you are an Apple apologist doesn't mean you know everything.
The price I have to pay for good British beer is higher than you pay, too. The difference is that I'm not running around whining about it.
Are you actually trying to compare the pricing of a perishable food based item being shipped from UK to the USA, to a computer shipped to both the US and UK from China?
And remember, this so called "good British beer" you allude to is a small production item, it will cost more in the UK as well.
About a year ago I cancelled satellite service for an Apple TV. Though I liked the interface and its ease of use, I found certain limitations frustrating (syncing with computer to manage storage). I then switched to a 2009 Mac Mini which gave me Hulu, streaming Netflix, and various other video streaming websites. What I couldn't find through legitimate free sources I purchased from iTunes.
I recently upgraded my Mini to the 2010 model for one reason only: the introduction of an overscan slider. Previously I had to live with the preset resolutions offered by Apple which left 1.5" black bars around the picture on my 720p 36" Panasonic TV. When I clicked overscan on, the picture ballooned beyond the TV screen effectively cutting off a portion of the picture. I purchased a program that could install custom screen sizes and resolutions but I found it far too technical for me to use -- or at least for me to get the settings right.
So I upgraded to the 2010 Mini after I read Apple implemented HDMI and the overscan slider they had only recently added to the Macbook Pro. This single feature eliminated the black bars and now I get a full size picture. As a home theater PC, it runs great. The computer cost me $720 with tax and another $80 for mouse and keyboard off eBay. I also purchased a Logitech Harmony One remote which was another $150 or so. With cables and all peripherals I've probably spent close to $1000. That represents a one-time purchase however. With satellite, I was spending $100 a month for access to the channels and shows my family likes. That's $1200 per year, every year. Plus I was spending $25 a month for DSL or $300 a year. Now I spend $50 a month for 18Mbps internet access and that's it in terms of signal connection -- that's $75 less per month.
I'll probably break even this year in terms of my up front costs in upgrading compared to what I would have spent with satellite service but next year I expect a savings upward of $800.
I have a 1.83Ghz C2D MacMini hooked up to my HDTV, at first I tried using regular DVI-VGA adapter going into the TV thru VGA and the picture was darker and didn't look good at all so, I got a DVI-HDMI adapter so now i'm feeding directly into HDMI and I have no black bars on my TV and the picture quality is awesome. Then I use a Toslink cable from the audio port on the MacMini going into my 5.1 surround to give me that digital sound. I'm very pleased with the setup for watching Netflix and Hulu on.
I'm one of those who would like to buy it, but it is now about $200 too expensive. I'll now be sticking to my existing Mac minis for another year or two. I might even consider a mini PC as the replacement for the one acting as the home server.
I love the new design, but at the asking price, it needs to have Blu-ray, 500GB HD, and 4GB RAM. The 'green' points of the new mini are great, but with the exception of tree-huggers nobody really gives a damn. I like the 'green-ness', but not for $200 more than it should be.
The SD slot needs to be on the front. I'd be more than happy for 1.6" tall just to get the slot in the front.
Everytime I look at that design I can’t help but think that they didn’t mill that case just for the Mac Mini, that they will using that footprint with a specialized black plastic backing for other devices in the future.
Great little machine, but I'm very disappointed that there's virtually no option in Apple's desktop line for a monitor-free computer between $799 or $2,499. No, I'm not asking for a $1,199 Mac Pro; I just want the option to buy a Mac Mini with a 3.06Ghz Core 2 Duo, or a Core i5 and 330M graphics. Is that so unreasonable?
Not unreasonable, just not very likely. That's not where Apple is going. I have had Mini's for ages. These are great. No bricks, silent, hdmi, trivial setup, etc... The only complaint I have it the SD card slot. The location is ok, but you never know if it's in. A couple of times it caused a panic in the OS, and that never happens to my Minis.
Apple has a pretty nice compute lineup now. They need to upgrade the higher end Macs, put more memory into the iPad and get rid of the optical drives on all MacBook's ( or make it optional). Just adds weight and noise. Might as well put a 5.25" floppy in there.
Blu-ray is just not where Apple seems to be going. In fact, other than Avatar is Blu-ray going anywhere? You want to get rid of physical media as much as possible.
Shipping (distance is not the sole determinant of shipping costs)
Costs of doing business (UK is a very expensive place to do business)
Costs of complying with local regulations (UK and Europe have some very strict regulations that must be complied with)
Volume
Or simply market pricing - the correct price is that which maximizes profits
Bottom line is that you don't have any idea what it costs to do business in the UK (I have done so - and it's far more than doing business in the U.S.), but it's really irrelevant.
None of those things explain why it's not the case with the iMac.
The UK iMac price is £969 so take off VAT and convert it, you get $1250 - just $50 over the US price.
Do the same for the entry level Mini and you get £649 converting into $837. That's $138 over the US price.
Even knocking £50 off the price to bring it to £599 keeps it with a higher premium than the iMac.
£599 with 4GB RAM would be a decent machine. £650 with 2GB is not, because the final price for a 4GB model would be £720 or thereabouts (£730 if you use Apple's BTO).
Blu-ray is just not where Apple seems to be going. In fact, other than Avatar is Blu-ray going anywhere? You want to get rid of physical media as much as possible.
By the same logic we should all get rid of our Macs, they have a low percentage market share overall, they obviously aren't going anywhere
The article mentions possibly using a Macbook as an alternative to a Mini, but I wonder if people who have never owned one know about Clamshell Mode.
Basically if you plug an external monitor and USB keyboard in to an MBP and close the lid, and then wake it up again using the external keyboard it enters Clamshell Mode. It will shut off the built-in screen and remove it from System Preferences, and switch off the keyboard backlight. So in-effect it just becomes like a little pizza box desktop.
A MBP 13" used in this way would have very similar capabilities to a Mini (though fewer USB ports and no HDMI).
"Now I spend $50 a month for 18Mbps internet access?"
If I may ask, who are getting this service from? I'm really trying to ditch my cable service but I keep it around for the Internet access. Even with just basic cable TV it's costing me far more than $50 per month.
I have a 1.83Ghz C2D MacMini hooked up to my HDTV, at first I tried using regular DVI-VGA adapter going into the TV thru VGA and the picture was darker and didn't look good at all so, I got a DVI-HDMI adapter so now i'm feeding directly into HDMI and I have no black bars on my TV and the picture quality is awesome. Then I use a Toslink cable from the audio port on the MacMini going into my 5.1 surround to give me that digital sound. I'm very pleased with the setup for watching Netflix and Hulu on.
The black bars only appear on some TVs depending on the set's resolution. My TV is 720p but the actual screen size is something like 1200 x 768 (can't remember exactly) which is why I had black bars. Some TVs have automatic settings that adjust the picture which is my friend, who had the black bars, could click Overscan and everything was fine. Unfortunately I do not have one of those TVs.
"Now I spend $50 a month for 18Mbps internet access?"
If I may ask, who are getting this service from? I'm really trying to ditch my cable service but I keep it around for the Internet access. Even with just basic cable TV it's costing me far more than $50 per month.
I'm using AT&T Uverse. They do not require you to purchase phone service in order to have internet access.
On a slightly off-topic note, there are two new standards in the works and we haven't heard a peep from Apple on either of them: HDBaseT is a standard for sending HDMI over Ethernet, so you have networking, digital video and audio and control over one cable. The other is a new standard for Wireless HDMI, WHDMI v2.0. We should start seeing products with these technologies in late 2011. These are the types of advanced technologies that Apple used to take the lead on, like USB, Firewire and Gigabit Ethernet.
It wouldn't be the first time that Apple is chasing design goals, thus increasing (cost of manufacturing) the ASP until they lose the consumer and instead of refining the product or the price they just kill it all the way (Cube anyone)!
Comments
The Mac Mini is the perfect form factor for me now, but the current specs are identical to my 20 month old MacBook Pro; if I could get one with an i5 and 330M, it'd actually be an upgrade.
Too bad that will never happen due to Intel being a giant dick by preventing NVIDIA's chipset from working with their new CPUs.
Are you comparing the 64-bit Geekbench score of the new Mac mini to the 32-bit Geekbench scores of the other Macs? Seems a bit high.
However, as the author notes, setting up the server software may look easy, but unless you are well versed in servers and networks, you should spend a few bucks hiring a consultant for 2-4 hours to set up your Mini with SL Server. It is money well spent. Once the system is running, most experienced Mac users can work the server and make changes as needed.
It could be any number of things:
Shipping (distance is not the sole determinant of shipping costs)
Costs of doing business (UK is a very expensive place to do business)
Costs of complying with local regulations (UK and Europe have some very strict regulations that must be complied with)
Volume
Or simply market pricing - the correct price is that which maximizes profits
But aren't all the Apple on-line orders in Europe processed by Apple Europe (Based in Ireland) and shipped straight from China?
Bottom line is that you don't have any idea what it costs to do business in the UK (I have done so - and it's far more than doing business in the U.S.), but it's really irrelevant. The price is what it is - you either buy or don't buy based on whether it's worth it to you. It's not your role to determine what price Apple should put on their products - unless you become CEO of Apple.
What makes you think that you are such a genius when it comes to doing business in certain countries? Just because you are an Apple apologist doesn't mean you know everything.
The price I have to pay for good British beer is higher than you pay, too. The difference is that I'm not running around whining about it.
Are you actually trying to compare the pricing of a perishable food based item being shipped from UK to the USA, to a computer shipped to both the US and UK from China?
And remember, this so called "good British beer" you allude to is a small production item, it will cost more in the UK as well.
About a year ago I cancelled satellite service for an Apple TV. Though I liked the interface and its ease of use, I found certain limitations frustrating (syncing with computer to manage storage). I then switched to a 2009 Mac Mini which gave me Hulu, streaming Netflix, and various other video streaming websites. What I couldn't find through legitimate free sources I purchased from iTunes.
I recently upgraded my Mini to the 2010 model for one reason only: the introduction of an overscan slider. Previously I had to live with the preset resolutions offered by Apple which left 1.5" black bars around the picture on my 720p 36" Panasonic TV. When I clicked overscan on, the picture ballooned beyond the TV screen effectively cutting off a portion of the picture. I purchased a program that could install custom screen sizes and resolutions but I found it far too technical for me to use -- or at least for me to get the settings right.
So I upgraded to the 2010 Mini after I read Apple implemented HDMI and the overscan slider they had only recently added to the Macbook Pro. This single feature eliminated the black bars and now I get a full size picture. As a home theater PC, it runs great. The computer cost me $720 with tax and another $80 for mouse and keyboard off eBay. I also purchased a Logitech Harmony One remote which was another $150 or so. With cables and all peripherals I've probably spent close to $1000. That represents a one-time purchase however. With satellite, I was spending $100 a month for access to the channels and shows my family likes. That's $1200 per year, every year. Plus I was spending $25 a month for DSL or $300 a year. Now I spend $50 a month for 18Mbps internet access and that's it in terms of signal connection -- that's $75 less per month.
I'll probably break even this year in terms of my up front costs in upgrading compared to what I would have spent with satellite service but next year I expect a savings upward of $800.
I have a 1.83Ghz C2D MacMini hooked up to my HDTV, at first I tried using regular DVI-VGA adapter going into the TV thru VGA and the picture was darker and didn't look good at all so, I got a DVI-HDMI adapter so now i'm feeding directly into HDMI and I have no black bars on my TV and the picture quality is awesome. Then I use a Toslink cable from the audio port on the MacMini going into my 5.1 surround to give me that digital sound. I'm very pleased with the setup for watching Netflix and Hulu on.
Too bad that will never happen due to Intel being a giant dick by preventing NVIDIA's chipset from working with their new CPUs.
The MacBook Pro's have i5 and 330M graphics. I think you're thinking of paring an i5 with 320M integrated graphics, which Intel will not allow.
I love the new design, but at the asking price, it needs to have Blu-ray, 500GB HD, and 4GB RAM. The 'green' points of the new mini are great, but with the exception of tree-huggers nobody really gives a damn. I like the 'green-ness', but not for $200 more than it should be.
The SD slot needs to be on the front. I'd be more than happy for 1.6" tall just to get the slot in the front.
Great little machine, but I'm very disappointed that there's virtually no option in Apple's desktop line for a monitor-free computer between $799 or $2,499. No, I'm not asking for a $1,199 Mac Pro; I just want the option to buy a Mac Mini with a 3.06Ghz Core 2 Duo, or a Core i5 and 330M graphics. Is that so unreasonable?
Not unreasonable, just not very likely. That's not where Apple is going. I have had Mini's for ages. These are great. No bricks, silent, hdmi, trivial setup, etc... The only complaint I have it the SD card slot. The location is ok, but you never know if it's in. A couple of times it caused a panic in the OS, and that never happens to my Minis.
Apple has a pretty nice compute lineup now. They need to upgrade the higher end Macs, put more memory into the iPad and get rid of the optical drives on all MacBook's ( or make it optional). Just adds weight and noise. Might as well put a 5.25" floppy in there.
Blu-ray is just not where Apple seems to be going. In fact, other than Avatar is Blu-ray going anywhere? You want to get rid of physical media as much as possible.
philip
It could be any number of things:
Shipping (distance is not the sole determinant of shipping costs)
Costs of doing business (UK is a very expensive place to do business)
Costs of complying with local regulations (UK and Europe have some very strict regulations that must be complied with)
Volume
Or simply market pricing - the correct price is that which maximizes profits
Bottom line is that you don't have any idea what it costs to do business in the UK (I have done so - and it's far more than doing business in the U.S.), but it's really irrelevant.
None of those things explain why it's not the case with the iMac.
The UK iMac price is £969 so take off VAT and convert it, you get $1250 - just $50 over the US price.
Do the same for the entry level Mini and you get £649 converting into $837. That's $138 over the US price.
Even knocking £50 off the price to bring it to £599 keeps it with a higher premium than the iMac.
£599 with 4GB RAM would be a decent machine. £650 with 2GB is not, because the final price for a 4GB model would be £720 or thereabouts (£730 if you use Apple's BTO).
Blu-ray is just not where Apple seems to be going. In fact, other than Avatar is Blu-ray going anywhere? You want to get rid of physical media as much as possible.
By the same logic we should all get rid of our Macs, they have a low percentage market share overall, they obviously aren't going anywhere
for good British beer
What the f***?
Basically if you plug an external monitor and USB keyboard in to an MBP and close the lid, and then wake it up again using the external keyboard it enters Clamshell Mode. It will shut off the built-in screen and remove it from System Preferences, and switch off the keyboard backlight. So in-effect it just becomes like a little pizza box desktop.
A MBP 13" used in this way would have very similar capabilities to a Mini (though fewer USB ports and no HDMI).
"Now I spend $50 a month for 18Mbps internet access?"
If I may ask, who are getting this service from? I'm really trying to ditch my cable service but I keep it around for the Internet access. Even with just basic cable TV it's costing me far more than $50 per month.
I have a 1.83Ghz C2D MacMini hooked up to my HDTV, at first I tried using regular DVI-VGA adapter going into the TV thru VGA and the picture was darker and didn't look good at all so, I got a DVI-HDMI adapter so now i'm feeding directly into HDMI and I have no black bars on my TV and the picture quality is awesome. Then I use a Toslink cable from the audio port on the MacMini going into my 5.1 surround to give me that digital sound. I'm very pleased with the setup for watching Netflix and Hulu on.
The black bars only appear on some TVs depending on the set's resolution. My TV is 720p but the actual screen size is something like 1200 x 768 (can't remember exactly) which is why I had black bars. Some TVs have automatic settings that adjust the picture which is my friend, who had the black bars, could click Overscan and everything was fine. Unfortunately I do not have one of those TVs.
Gotta Hankerin -
"Now I spend $50 a month for 18Mbps internet access?"
If I may ask, who are getting this service from? I'm really trying to ditch my cable service but I keep it around for the Internet access. Even with just basic cable TV it's costing me far more than $50 per month.
I'm using AT&T Uverse. They do not require you to purchase phone service in order to have internet access.
On a slightly off-topic note, there are two new standards in the works and we haven't heard a peep from Apple on either of them: HDBaseT is a standard for sending HDMI over Ethernet, so you have networking, digital video and audio and control over one cable. The other is a new standard for Wireless HDMI, WHDMI v2.0. We should start seeing products with these technologies in late 2011. These are the types of advanced technologies that Apple used to take the lead on, like USB, Firewire and Gigabit Ethernet.
http://techresearch.intel.com/articles/None/1813.htm