I still don't get this iPod like stuff - just seems like some poectic waxing type stuff but whatever - ok fine apple had this mantra/philosophy about the iPod and this computer whatever ok - All I am asking for is an extra inch to use a standard hard drive in the thing if I want to - you don't have to do a damn thing - I mean is that really THAT much to ask for?
IMHO, the size has to do with Apple targeting the mini at the auto manufacturers. If Apple negotiated deals with BMW, Volvo, Mercedes, and I don't know who else to put iPod hookups in their cars, I can't imagine the talks were limited to iPod hookups. All those manufacturers have fancy in-dash navigation systems. I think Apple is aiming at that market.
I could be wrong, but it is the only thing that makes sense to me as to why the mini is the specific size it is.
... And actually - YOU ARE WRONG - most people WANT to upgrade their stuff - they don't want to spend lots of money on another machine. ...
Actually, YOU are wrong. Of the hundreds of people I know with computers, only a couple of them have ever opened the box to change anything. And the people I know are mostly PC users. True, they don't want to spend lots of money on another machine either, but when there is a compelling (to them) reason to upgrade, by that time their old machine usually couldn't be upgraded anyway. Besides, survey after survey has shown very few computers are ever upgraded in any way. Where do you people get this idea that your feelings are those of the majority?
As for defending Apple's decisions, why not? What computer company do YOU like? Tell me, so I can criticize the crap THEY produce. I build my own PCs, and FTM, I think those PCs are crap too. Every design is a trade-off.
IMHO, the size has to do with Apple targeting the mini at the auto manufacturers. If Apple negotiated deals with BMW, Volvo, Mercedes, and I don't know who else to put iPod hookups in their cars, I can't imagine the talks were limited to iPod hookups. All those manufacturers have fancy in-dash navigation systems. I think Apple is aiming at that market.
I could be wrong, but it is the only thing that makes sense to me as to why the mini is the specific size it is.
- Jasen.
To throw some fuel on your fire...
Steve Jobs touched on the expanded capabiliies of Mac OS X in regards to voice recognition & voice control of the OS during the recent keynote...
Actually, YOU are wrong. Of the hundreds of people I know with computers, only a couple of them have ever opened the box to change anything. And the people I know are mostly PC users. True, they don't want to spend lots of money on another machine either, but when there is a compelling (to them) reason to upgrade, by that time their old machine usually couldn't be upgraded anyway. Besides, survey after survey has shown very few computers are ever upgraded in any way. Where do you people get this idea that your feelings are those of the majority?
As for defending Apple's decisions, why not? What computer company do YOU like? Tell me, so I can criticize the crap THEY produce. I build my own PCs, and FTM, I think those PCs are crap too. Every design is a trade-off.
I said most people want to - Not everyone does. There are many people who do open up their machines and put in larger hard drives - you don't think so? I wonder who buys all those hard drives from all the electronics stores around the country and internet websites like newegg/whatever.
I think it's stupid to defend their decisions when it is obvious they didn't do it because of design reasons or even that they could have made it capable for people to upgrade them if they wanted to with little to no effort.
I don't follow companies like a little cheer leader so I don't know what to tell you.
I have the mac mini and a SONY LCD WEGA (26") display.
After a ton of research, visits to the store and conversations with MAC people (this is my first apple product) I was convinced it would work.
Got the box, plugged it in and the resolution is funky.
The TV resolution is 1280 by 768 but when selected in the display options, all four sides are cut off. I can't even see the menu options from the desktop. I know they are there b/c I can select them but I can not view them.
People talk about switchresx and displayconfigx but neither really seem to work. Any tips?
I have successfully created a resolution in DisplayConfigX that overcomes overscan (the problem with most tv's is that they are made to intentionally cut off the image, because a tv signal carries ugly 'noise' which is actually the signal for closed-captioning etc. in that space)...
I don't recall my exact settings, but I believe it was 1168 x 682 or something. Try DisplayConfigX and with some patient tweaking you'll be able to fit the image correctly.
I'll repeat my first post from page one to carry on from there:
Quote:
I think it's clear that the Mac mini is never going to be the complete answer for viewing TV in any form on it's own.
Add on's will be needed to make the Mac mini your TV tuner, PVR, or Home Theater System.
These add on's are already on the way, you can bet that El Gato, La Cie and others are already addressing the form factor and will be releasing very complimentary, if not identical, form factor "Slices" to sit under the Mac mini.
I think that Firewire will be the transport mechanism for beaming the TV signal between devices. Where is development of wireless Firewire? Is progress being made towards that as an accepted standard? In combination with H.264 this could be the software "glue" that puts it all together.
NAB 2005 in April should be very important to Apple's plans in this area. I am really hoping that "Asteroid" will turn out to be some Mac mini "Slice" from Apple to address TV & HDTV for the platform they unveiled at Mac World, as opposed to a simple "breakout box" for Garageband.
My points above are still valid, and I do hope that "Asteroid" turns out to be the TiVo on steroids it could be to compliment the Mac mini.
As to the tempest in this teapot that the use of a 2.5" drive has caused, Apple has very good reasons for this move:
1) form factor - the PC clone factories will be hard pressed to duplicate this form factor anytime soon because of it's size constraints.
2) lower OEM prices across the board - the shear volume of 2.5" drives is probably doubled with this move. This means lower prices and larger margins for ALL Apple computers that use 2.5" drives.
3) NO YUO! - This is targeted at a completely different market than the iMac. The single RAM slot and 2.5" drive assures Apple that the iMac is not cannibalized by the Mac mini.
I myself have just bought a second Cube for more than I could have purchased a Mac mini. Those of you outraged by the mini should just do the same. Upgradability is more important to me than 99% of the Mac mini's target audience. The bottom line here is that Apple will sell all the Mac mini's they can make for the next year. If it's not for you, just get something that is.
Asteroid
What is Apple protecting with all the iSuits? Was it the Mac mini? I doubt it, for a product to be released in a week, all the rumors and speculation only added to it's splash on introduction. The same for the Shuffle.
Asteroid? BINGO! There is a product that, if it is what I hope it, is will need to be kept under wraps until it's release. With all the jockeying for control of the future of TV, Apple can not afford to tip it's hand until it delivers.
I believe the reason for the iSuits is to kill the release of any further Asteroid information. Although the Mac mini and the Shuttle are a big change in Apple's direction, a HD streaming IPTV device would be a major blow to Microsoft's efforts to create a Media Center to dominate this market with it's own proprietary "solution".
If Asteroid turns out to be the device that frees us from the grips of the three monopolies that are seeking to control our TV viewing, (Microsoft, Cable, and Satellite), then Apple will want complete secrecy until it can unveil this product.
I agree with your reasoning and hope beyond hope that Asteroid is the solution you imagine, but all reports indicate that it is a specific compliment to Garage Band.
It makes sense for Apple to finally release a hardware compliment that 'realises' the potentional of GarageBand.
Perhaps there is another code-name floating around which might represent the thing we all crave: A MAC MEDIA CENTER.
[B]Apple's HD future, the Mini mac, the big change
...As to the tempest in this teapot that the use of a 2.5" drive has caused, Apple has very good reasons for this move:
1) form factor - the PC clone factories will be hard pressed to duplicate this form factor anytime soon because of it's size constraints.
Who cares - it's still smaller than any comparable pc. It's not even close so it doesn't matter that it's more smaller - but that it is always smaller.
2) lower OEM prices across the board - the shear volume of 2.5" drives is probably doubled with this move. This means lower prices and larger margins for ALL Apple computers that use 2.5" drives.
Could have been the same for bigger hard drives the only difference is that they chose the smaller ones.
3) NO YUO! - This is targeted at a completely different market than the iMac. The single RAM slot and 2.5" drive assures Apple that the iMac is not cannibalized by the Mac mini.
Exactly.
I myself have just bought a second Cube for more than I could have purchased a Mac mini. Those of you outraged by the mini should just do the same. Upgradability is more important to me than 99% of the Mac mini's target audience. The bottom line here is that Apple will sell all the Mac mini's they can make for the next year. If it's not for you, just get something that is.
Yes I should change that I want to buy a cheap computer and instead spend way way more then I ever intended to on the computer itself alone.
How about they just give me another inch and another ram slot and I'll shut up?
I agree with your reasoning and hope beyond hope that Asteroid is the solution you imagine, but all reports indicate that it is a specific compliment to Garage Band.
It makes sense for Apple to finally release a hardware compliment that 'realises' the potentional of GarageBand.
Perhaps there is another code-name floating around which might represent the thing we all crave: A MAC MEDIA CENTER.
mac media center is definitely deep in apple skunkworks, codename asteroid or whatever... if and when mac media center will see the light of day is another question entirely, for which speculation will run deep for quite a while
... all reports indicate that it is a specific compliment to Garage Band...
Somehow I think "Asteroid" is more than a dongle.
Think about it, if the analogy has been drawn with "tiny mammals" scurrying about the feet of the "dinosaurs", as between the Macintosh platform and the Windows behemoth, then "Asteroid" could be considered analogous to the heavenly body that toppled the dinosaurs. ~ a true digital hub that has all it's spokes. A "Media Center" without the Pee Cee.
Oh well, one can hope Apple will do the right thing, and turn on a dime with regard to video in the home. It won't be the first time in recent history they have reversed their own statements about directions and plans.
If the Mac mini and iPod Shuttle turn out to be "the bomb" when it comes to the consumer mass market, then a TiVo on steroids with cablecard and IPTV capabilities, coupled with an iMovie Store to sell content, would be "The Asteroid" to the Media Center PC.
Apple putting the (soon to be former) President of Sony up on stage at MacWorld, like a trophy taken in battle, and their firm intent to join Sony in the BlueRay consortium may be a significant peek up their sleeves.
As much as I'd like to believe that 'Asteroid' is a TV/PVR device I think the real reason for the recent lawsuits are that the rumour sites (powerpage in particular) completely nailed the specs and the design of the thing. Of course we won't know this until it is actually released (if it is released).
Who cares - it's still smaller than any comparable pc. It's not even close so it doesn't matter that it's more smaller - but that it is always smaller.
Actually, if it were only a little bit bigger, it would be the size of micro-ITX, and then the PC companies could field answers to the mini with a more-or-less standard architecture.
The way it is, the mini is smaller than everything except other custom boxes that cost much more, and anyone who wants to answer it has to do their own engineering and hit that price point. This is why, when Intel held up the HTPC they wanted everyone to build, that looked curiously like a Mac mini, it was an empty plastic box.
At the mini's scale, an inch or so is a lot. Apple is not only going for maximum sex appeal, they're also going to make any would-be competitors work. This only makes sense: Since they're set up to engineer machines from scratch anyway, they might as well turn that into an advantage by releasing machines that the commodity-PC vendors have no ready answer for.
Quote:
How about they just give me another inch and another ram slot and I'll shut up?
Sucks to not be in the target market, eh? What would you do with >1GB RAM anyway, in a machine that isn't designed for absolute performance? Expansion for its own sake is worthless.
And nobody would be able to fit it in their car's dashboard if it were any bigger.
I don't think Asteroid will be the Media Center hub, but I do think they're cooking up something good for us in Cupertino, to be released after Tiger and Quicktime 7 start shipping.
Think about it, if the analogy has been drawn with "tiny mammals" scurrying about the feet of the "dinosaurs", as between the Macintosh platform and the Windows behemoth, then "Asteroid" could be considered analogous to the heavenly body that toppled the dinosaurs. ~ a true digital hub that has all it's spokes. A "Media Center" without the Pee Cee.
Oh well, one can hope Apple will do the right thing, and turn on a dime with regard to video in the home. It won't be the first time in recent history they have reversed their own statements about directions and plans.
If the Mac mini and iPod Shuttle turn out to be "the bomb" when it comes to the consumer mass market, then a TiVo on steroids with cablecard and IPTV capabilities, coupled with an iMovie Store to sell content, would be "The Asteroid" to the Media Center PC.
Apple putting the (soon to be former) President of Sony up on stage at MacWorld, like a trophy taken in battle, and their firm intent to join Sony in the BlueRay consortium may be a significant peek up their sleeves.
i like the metaphors/ analogies... a few movies come to mind...
dinosaurs getting wiped out ... the 'extinction-level-event' in Armageddon, Deep Impact, wiping out Windows and Microsoft Media Center
apple holding up the sony president as a 'trophy'... like Predators holding the skulls of their prey ala Predator1,2, and Alien vs Predator
Here's another idea on why the Mini sucks so hard. It has nothing to do with packaging and shipping complications from a half inch longer Mini, and everything to do with profitability.
Apple faces a problem with their towers: Nobody wants them. Sales are very depressed, and never really picked up with the introduction of the G5. So no matter what, Apple cannot afford to cannibalize their high-margin towers.
The iMacs sell better than the towers, but again, Apple is afraid of a low-end, low-margin Mac Mini eating into the sales of their cash-cow AIO.
Thus Apple had to make the Mini absolutely unpalatable to prospective tower buyers, and they also had to make it perform worse than the iMac. This means zero expandability, sloth-like performance, and virtually no growth potential. As soon as a Mini owner begins to use their Mini to edit video or collect mp3s, Apple wants them to run into a wall - at which point they either buy a PC, or consider a more expensive Mac.
So first Apple neutered the Mini with a G4 and a shitty video chipset. They gave it a narrow array of ports. Most importantly, Apple put a ridiculously slow and tiny HD in the Mini, so when new Apple users try to edit video, they're cramped and forced to buy external drives or directly upgrade to an iMac/tower. The single RAM slot adroitly frustrates Mini users, since they cannot add more than one stick of RAM, and even adding that stick is a major undertaking.
This is the objective of the Mac Mini: Tantalize "switchers" with how great OS X can be, but keep them on a choke-chain so they won't be satiated by their single Mac purchase. Apple is hoping that with an initial outlay of $600, these switchers won't blame Apple for the Mini's sucking-potential, but will instead shrug it off as the normal limitation of such a cheap computer.
At only a slightly higher price point, Apple could easily have used a larger, faster HD, added another RAM slot, and improved the video chipset, but then iMac and Powermac buyers start buying Minis instead, and Apple's profits suffer.
What Apple really needs is a "mini-tower", but then the same issue of cannibalizing Powermac sales arises. Apple are trapped by their current profitability at one end, and their low volume/marketshare on the other. Rock the boat too much with the product grid, and risk putting the company into the red.
At the mini's scale, an inch or so is a lot. Apple is not only going for maximum sex appeal, they're also going to make any would-be competitors work. This only makes sense: Since they're set up to engineer machines from scratch anyway, they might as well turn that into an advantage by releasing machines that the commodity-PC vendors have no ready answer for.
Thank God somebody actually understands what the Mac mini is all about.
junkyard dawg, why would this strategy make you so upset?? the mac mini is the most affordable and strongest value offering from apple to date, and one that is designed to integrate with existing peripherals (monitors, keyboards) normally designed for shitty wintels...
it's capabilities are very clear, and the form factor actually offers portability without having to invest in a laptop
all this while apple tries to maintain its profit and revenues and like you rightly pointed out, not cannibalise their higher-end machines
mac mini is about iLife and the digital hub, easy, hassle-free and secure internet access.
you want games and more power? that's the iMac g5... the most affordable G5 to date.
you a serious pro in to video, design, etc? well the tower's for you. you want portability? get a powerbook. or, if you wanna push the value angle, load up your iBook 14" G4 1.33ghz with some RAM and an external display...
the pros will always be able to assess what they need... the 'consumers' i think have it great with the iBook, Mac mini, and iMac g5 on the higher end
personally, i feel the Mac mini has already started to reduce a lot of stress and headaches in people that would have saved a few hundred at most getting some shitty wintel piece of rubbish... which would also be a bit bigger, bulkier and less portable...
Comments
Originally posted by PeePeeSee
I still don't get this iPod like stuff - just seems like some poectic waxing type stuff but whatever - ok fine apple had this mantra/philosophy about the iPod and this computer whatever ok - All I am asking for is an extra inch to use a standard hard drive in the thing if I want to - you don't have to do a damn thing - I mean is that really THAT much to ask for?
IMHO, the size has to do with Apple targeting the mini at the auto manufacturers. If Apple negotiated deals with BMW, Volvo, Mercedes, and I don't know who else to put iPod hookups in their cars, I can't imagine the talks were limited to iPod hookups. All those manufacturers have fancy in-dash navigation systems. I think Apple is aiming at that market.
I could be wrong, but it is the only thing that makes sense to me as to why the mini is the specific size it is.
- Jasen.
Originally posted by PeePeeSee
... And actually - YOU ARE WRONG - most people WANT to upgrade their stuff - they don't want to spend lots of money on another machine. ...
Actually, YOU are wrong. Of the hundreds of people I know with computers, only a couple of them have ever opened the box to change anything. And the people I know are mostly PC users. True, they don't want to spend lots of money on another machine either, but when there is a compelling (to them) reason to upgrade, by that time their old machine usually couldn't be upgraded anyway. Besides, survey after survey has shown very few computers are ever upgraded in any way. Where do you people get this idea that your feelings are those of the majority?
As for defending Apple's decisions, why not? What computer company do YOU like? Tell me, so I can criticize the crap THEY produce. I build my own PCs, and FTM, I think those PCs are crap too. Every design is a trade-off.
Originally posted by jasenj1
IMHO, the size has to do with Apple targeting the mini at the auto manufacturers. If Apple negotiated deals with BMW, Volvo, Mercedes, and I don't know who else to put iPod hookups in their cars, I can't imagine the talks were limited to iPod hookups. All those manufacturers have fancy in-dash navigation systems. I think Apple is aiming at that market.
I could be wrong, but it is the only thing that makes sense to me as to why the mini is the specific size it is.
- Jasen.
To throw some fuel on your fire...
Steve Jobs touched on the expanded capabiliies of Mac OS X in regards to voice recognition & voice control of the OS during the recent keynote...
Originally posted by cubist
Actually, YOU are wrong. Of the hundreds of people I know with computers, only a couple of them have ever opened the box to change anything. And the people I know are mostly PC users. True, they don't want to spend lots of money on another machine either, but when there is a compelling (to them) reason to upgrade, by that time their old machine usually couldn't be upgraded anyway. Besides, survey after survey has shown very few computers are ever upgraded in any way. Where do you people get this idea that your feelings are those of the majority?
As for defending Apple's decisions, why not? What computer company do YOU like? Tell me, so I can criticize the crap THEY produce. I build my own PCs, and FTM, I think those PCs are crap too. Every design is a trade-off.
I said most people want to - Not everyone does. There are many people who do open up their machines and put in larger hard drives - you don't think so? I wonder who buys all those hard drives from all the electronics stores around the country and internet websites like newegg/whatever.
I think it's stupid to defend their decisions when it is obvious they didn't do it because of design reasons or even that they could have made it capable for people to upgrade them if they wanted to with little to no effort.
I don't follow companies like a little cheer leader so I don't know what to tell you.
Originally posted by jasenj1
I could be wrong, but it is the only thing that makes sense to me as to why the mini is the specific size it is.
Yeah, that its the size of a head unit is pretty much a total coincidence.
After a ton of research, visits to the store and conversations with MAC people (this is my first apple product) I was convinced it would work.
Got the box, plugged it in and the resolution is funky.
The TV resolution is 1280 by 768 but when selected in the display options, all four sides are cut off. I can't even see the menu options from the desktop. I know they are there b/c I can select them but I can not view them.
People talk about switchresx and displayconfigx but neither really seem to work. Any tips?
Josh
I don't recall my exact settings, but I believe it was 1168 x 682 or something. Try DisplayConfigX and with some patient tweaking you'll be able to fit the image correctly.
I'll repeat my first post from page one to carry on from there:
I think it's clear that the Mac mini is never going to be the complete answer for viewing TV in any form on it's own.
Add on's will be needed to make the Mac mini your TV tuner, PVR, or Home Theater System.
These add on's are already on the way, you can bet that El Gato, La Cie and others are already addressing the form factor and will be releasing very complimentary, if not identical, form factor "Slices" to sit under the Mac mini.
I think that Firewire will be the transport mechanism for beaming the TV signal between devices. Where is development of wireless Firewire? Is progress being made towards that as an accepted standard? In combination with H.264 this could be the software "glue" that puts it all together.
NAB 2005 in April should be very important to Apple's plans in this area. I am really hoping that "Asteroid" will turn out to be some Mac mini "Slice" from Apple to address TV & HDTV for the platform they unveiled at Mac World, as opposed to a simple "breakout box" for Garageband.
My points above are still valid, and I do hope that "Asteroid" turns out to be the TiVo on steroids it could be to compliment the Mac mini.
As to the tempest in this teapot that the use of a 2.5" drive has caused, Apple has very good reasons for this move:
1) form factor - the PC clone factories will be hard pressed to duplicate this form factor anytime soon because of it's size constraints.
2) lower OEM prices across the board - the shear volume of 2.5" drives is probably doubled with this move. This means lower prices and larger margins for ALL Apple computers that use 2.5" drives.
3) NO YUO! - This is targeted at a completely different market than the iMac. The single RAM slot and 2.5" drive assures Apple that the iMac is not cannibalized by the Mac mini.
I myself have just bought a second Cube for more than I could have purchased a Mac mini. Those of you outraged by the mini should just do the same. Upgradability is more important to me than 99% of the Mac mini's target audience. The bottom line here is that Apple will sell all the Mac mini's they can make for the next year. If it's not for you, just get something that is.
Asteroid
What is Apple protecting with all the iSuits? Was it the Mac mini? I doubt it, for a product to be released in a week, all the rumors and speculation only added to it's splash on introduction. The same for the Shuffle.
Asteroid? BINGO! There is a product that, if it is what I hope it, is will need to be kept under wraps until it's release. With all the jockeying for control of the future of TV, Apple can not afford to tip it's hand until it delivers.
I believe the reason for the iSuits is to kill the release of any further Asteroid information. Although the Mac mini and the Shuttle are a big change in Apple's direction, a HD streaming IPTV device would be a major blow to Microsoft's efforts to create a Media Center to dominate this market with it's own proprietary "solution".
If Asteroid turns out to be the device that frees us from the grips of the three monopolies that are seeking to control our TV viewing, (Microsoft, Cable, and Satellite), then Apple will want complete secrecy until it can unveil this product.
It makes sense for Apple to finally release a hardware compliment that 'realises' the potentional of GarageBand.
Perhaps there is another code-name floating around which might represent the thing we all crave: A MAC MEDIA CENTER.
[B]Apple's HD future, the Mini mac, the big change
...As to the tempest in this teapot that the use of a 2.5" drive has caused, Apple has very good reasons for this move:
1) form factor - the PC clone factories will be hard pressed to duplicate this form factor anytime soon because of it's size constraints.
Who cares - it's still smaller than any comparable pc. It's not even close so it doesn't matter that it's more smaller - but that it is always smaller.
2) lower OEM prices across the board - the shear volume of 2.5" drives is probably doubled with this move. This means lower prices and larger margins for ALL Apple computers that use 2.5" drives.
Could have been the same for bigger hard drives the only difference is that they chose the smaller ones.
3) NO YUO! - This is targeted at a completely different market than the iMac. The single RAM slot and 2.5" drive assures Apple that the iMac is not cannibalized by the Mac mini.
Exactly.
I myself have just bought a second Cube for more than I could have purchased a Mac mini. Those of you outraged by the mini should just do the same. Upgradability is more important to me than 99% of the Mac mini's target audience. The bottom line here is that Apple will sell all the Mac mini's they can make for the next year. If it's not for you, just get something that is.
Yes I should change that I want to buy a cheap computer and instead spend way way more then I ever intended to on the computer itself alone.
How about they just give me another inch and another ram slot and I'll shut up?
Originally posted by PeePeeSee
How about they just give me another inch and another ram slot and I'll shut up?
*giggles* tee hee hee that sounds very naughty
Originally posted by Sport73
I agree with your reasoning and hope beyond hope that Asteroid is the solution you imagine, but all reports indicate that it is a specific compliment to Garage Band.
It makes sense for Apple to finally release a hardware compliment that 'realises' the potentional of GarageBand.
Perhaps there is another code-name floating around which might represent the thing we all crave: A MAC MEDIA CENTER.
mac media center is definitely deep in apple skunkworks, codename asteroid or whatever... if and when mac media center will see the light of day is another question entirely, for which speculation will run deep for quite a while
Originally posted by Sport73
... all reports indicate that it is a specific compliment to Garage Band...
Somehow I think "Asteroid" is more than a dongle.
Think about it, if the analogy has been drawn with "tiny mammals" scurrying about the feet of the "dinosaurs", as between the Macintosh platform and the Windows behemoth, then "Asteroid" could be considered analogous to the heavenly body that toppled the dinosaurs. ~ a true digital hub that has all it's spokes. A "Media Center" without the Pee Cee.
Oh well, one can hope Apple will do the right thing, and turn on a dime with regard to video in the home. It won't be the first time in recent history they have reversed their own statements about directions and plans.
If the Mac mini and iPod Shuttle turn out to be "the bomb" when it comes to the consumer mass market, then a TiVo on steroids with cablecard and IPTV capabilities, coupled with an iMovie Store to sell content, would be "The Asteroid" to the Media Center PC.
Apple putting the (soon to be former) President of Sony up on stage at MacWorld, like a trophy taken in battle, and their firm intent to join Sony in the BlueRay consortium may be a significant peek up their sleeves.
Originally posted by PeePeeSee
Who cares - it's still smaller than any comparable pc. It's not even close so it doesn't matter that it's more smaller - but that it is always smaller.
Actually, if it were only a little bit bigger, it would be the size of micro-ITX, and then the PC companies could field answers to the mini with a more-or-less standard architecture.
The way it is, the mini is smaller than everything except other custom boxes that cost much more, and anyone who wants to answer it has to do their own engineering and hit that price point. This is why, when Intel held up the HTPC they wanted everyone to build, that looked curiously like a Mac mini, it was an empty plastic box.
At the mini's scale, an inch or so is a lot. Apple is not only going for maximum sex appeal, they're also going to make any would-be competitors work. This only makes sense: Since they're set up to engineer machines from scratch anyway, they might as well turn that into an advantage by releasing machines that the commodity-PC vendors have no ready answer for.
How about they just give me another inch and another ram slot and I'll shut up?
Sucks to not be in the target market, eh? What would you do with >1GB RAM anyway, in a machine that isn't designed for absolute performance? Expansion for its own sake is worthless.
Originally posted by Amorph
At the mini's scale, an inch or so is a lot.
And nobody would be able to fit it in their car's dashboard if it were any bigger.
I don't think Asteroid will be the Media Center hub, but I do think they're cooking up something good for us in Cupertino, to be released after Tiger and Quicktime 7 start shipping.
Originally posted by Aphelion
Somehow I think "Asteroid" is more than a dongle.
Think about it, if the analogy has been drawn with "tiny mammals" scurrying about the feet of the "dinosaurs", as between the Macintosh platform and the Windows behemoth, then "Asteroid" could be considered analogous to the heavenly body that toppled the dinosaurs. ~ a true digital hub that has all it's spokes. A "Media Center" without the Pee Cee.
Oh well, one can hope Apple will do the right thing, and turn on a dime with regard to video in the home. It won't be the first time in recent history they have reversed their own statements about directions and plans.
If the Mac mini and iPod Shuttle turn out to be "the bomb" when it comes to the consumer mass market, then a TiVo on steroids with cablecard and IPTV capabilities, coupled with an iMovie Store to sell content, would be "The Asteroid" to the Media Center PC.
Apple putting the (soon to be former) President of Sony up on stage at MacWorld, like a trophy taken in battle, and their firm intent to join Sony in the BlueRay consortium may be a significant peek up their sleeves.
i like the metaphors/ analogies... a few movies come to mind...
dinosaurs getting wiped out ... the 'extinction-level-event' in Armageddon, Deep Impact, wiping out Windows and Microsoft Media Center
apple holding up the sony president as a 'trophy'... like Predators holding the skulls of their prey ala Predator1,2, and Alien vs Predator
Apple faces a problem with their towers: Nobody wants them. Sales are very depressed, and never really picked up with the introduction of the G5. So no matter what, Apple cannot afford to cannibalize their high-margin towers.
The iMacs sell better than the towers, but again, Apple is afraid of a low-end, low-margin Mac Mini eating into the sales of their cash-cow AIO.
Thus Apple had to make the Mini absolutely unpalatable to prospective tower buyers, and they also had to make it perform worse than the iMac. This means zero expandability, sloth-like performance, and virtually no growth potential. As soon as a Mini owner begins to use their Mini to edit video or collect mp3s, Apple wants them to run into a wall - at which point they either buy a PC, or consider a more expensive Mac.
So first Apple neutered the Mini with a G4 and a shitty video chipset. They gave it a narrow array of ports. Most importantly, Apple put a ridiculously slow and tiny HD in the Mini, so when new Apple users try to edit video, they're cramped and forced to buy external drives or directly upgrade to an iMac/tower. The single RAM slot adroitly frustrates Mini users, since they cannot add more than one stick of RAM, and even adding that stick is a major undertaking.
This is the objective of the Mac Mini: Tantalize "switchers" with how great OS X can be, but keep them on a choke-chain so they won't be satiated by their single Mac purchase. Apple is hoping that with an initial outlay of $600, these switchers won't blame Apple for the Mini's sucking-potential, but will instead shrug it off as the normal limitation of such a cheap computer.
At only a slightly higher price point, Apple could easily have used a larger, faster HD, added another RAM slot, and improved the video chipset, but then iMac and Powermac buyers start buying Minis instead, and Apple's profits suffer.
What Apple really needs is a "mini-tower", but then the same issue of cannibalizing Powermac sales arises. Apple are trapped by their current profitability at one end, and their low volume/marketshare on the other. Rock the boat too much with the product grid, and risk putting the company into the red.
Originally posted by Amorph
At the mini's scale, an inch or so is a lot. Apple is not only going for maximum sex appeal, they're also going to make any would-be competitors work. This only makes sense: Since they're set up to engineer machines from scratch anyway, they might as well turn that into an advantage by releasing machines that the commodity-PC vendors have no ready answer for.
Thank God somebody actually understands what the Mac mini is all about.
Good job, Amorph.
it's capabilities are very clear, and the form factor actually offers portability without having to invest in a laptop
all this while apple tries to maintain its profit and revenues and like you rightly pointed out, not cannibalise their higher-end machines
mac mini is about iLife and the digital hub, easy, hassle-free and secure internet access.
you want games and more power? that's the iMac g5... the most affordable G5 to date.
you a serious pro in to video, design, etc? well the tower's for you. you want portability? get a powerbook. or, if you wanna push the value angle, load up your iBook 14" G4 1.33ghz with some RAM and an external display...
the pros will always be able to assess what they need... the 'consumers' i think have it great with the iBook, Mac mini, and iMac g5 on the higher end
personally, i feel the Mac mini has already started to reduce a lot of stress and headaches in people that would have saved a few hundred at most getting some shitty wintel piece of rubbish... which would also be a bit bigger, bulkier and less portable...