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4 Responses to “What’s in a Mac mini?”

1. Reader's Write Says:
   January 23rd, 2005 at 4:31 pm

   Why does the new iMac have such a slow cpu? Only 1.4?

   You can get a pc with a 3.0.

2. Reader's Write Says:
   January 23rd, 2005 at 4:53 pm

   Risc based (PowerPC g4,g5) processors are different than Cisc based (athlon, pentium) processors because they deal with data differently. The real power of Risc based processors is in the gigaflops. That is honestly how computer processing should be measured now adays anyway. Yes a 3.0 P4 might actually outpreform a 1.4 G4 but… not by as much as you would think. Do some reasearch on the net and you will find Mhz numbers are never the full story…

3. Reader's Write Says:
   January 23rd, 2005 at 5:19 pm

   unlike pcs, macs use their processing power efficiently and thus require significantly less.

4. Reader's Write Says:
   January 23rd, 2005 at 5:35 pm

   >>unlike pcs, macs use their processing power efficiently and thus require significantly less<<

   Uneducated frothing at the mouth idiocy. Its a difference in processor and measurement methods – not ”efficiency”. And OS-X *IS* Linux, with just pretty Apple graphics on it — Linux IS an old PC developed OS, so Macs actually ARE PC’s now. Hell, they even use basically the same Motherboard architecture now, those CPU’s are made by ***—IBM—***, Hard Drives by the same folks, RAM by the same folks, Graphics Cards by the same folks.

   Get off your high horse moron.

   P.S. And on my PC’s running Linux . . . how is somehow then less ”efficient” than your pretty little Mac?

5. Reader's Write Says:
   January 23rd, 2005 at 5:46 pm

   MACOSX is not based on Linux but on FreeBSD…

   with the work going quite some further than the graphics and being partly in the open source domain.

6. Reader's Write Says:
   January 23rd, 2005 at 5:51 pm

   OS-X is not linux underneath. It’s built on BSD.

   It’s very difficult to measure the performance of a computing system. The benchmarks try and give you a decent mix of tests designed to mimic the real world, but there are no guarantees.

   For example a custom FPGA “CPU” (altera, etc) solution running at 100 Mhz can run certain applications up to 200X faster than the fastest Intel or Power chip on the market.

   For most folks, running linux, just open a shell and run :
   $ dmesg | grep -i bogomips

   …this is a quick and dirty way to get a handle on how fast your system is and best of all quickly sidesteps the marketing drones at intel,amd,ibm,motorola.

   So far the only concerns I have about the mini are :

   32 MB. video ram.
   complaints about the fan running a lot and being loud.

   looks nice tho.

   —
   flash

7. Reader's Write Says:
   January 23rd, 2005 at 5:58 pm

   Same point stands — BSD was developed on PC platforms. Yes, some larger platforms too – but its run on PC’s for a long time . . . Apples are now PCs, except that Jobs has a monopoly — you have to buy APPLE hardware and spend out your ass just to run that fucking OS.

   Its a worse monopoly than anywhere else in the computer biz.

8. Reader's Write Says:
   January 23rd, 2005 at 6:13 pm

   >Uneducated frothing at the mouth idiocy. Its a difference in processor and >measurement methods – not ”efficiency”. And OS-X *IS* Linux, with just >pretty Apple graphics on it — Linux IS an old PC developed OS, so Macs >actually ARE PC’s now. Hell, they even use basically the same Motherboard >architecture now, those CPU’s are made by ***—IBM—***, Hard Drives by >he same folks, RAM by the same folks, Graphics Cards by the same folks.

   Actually, you’re the moron. It’s isn’t Linux, it’s Mach. If you’re referring to all the GNU tools that are loaded on a Linux-based OS, you’d be closer.

   And the mac motherboards are nowhere near the same as PC’s. Completely different architecture. RISC vs. CISC. Just because IBM made the processors doesn’t mean it was a PC. Duh.

9. Reader's Write Says:
   January 23rd, 2005 at 6:14 pm

   It’s not a case of having a monopoly but giving the customer quality control, ive been into PC’s since they started and same with Apple. i hate these COC K ends who try and pitch them together, they are used for different tasks ! cant PC people just accept that apple kit is awesome quality and pc’s are BEIGE!
   Whats up cant you afford an APPLE ?
   I have a P4 pc and think it rocks, but i have to put up with Microsoft or Free OS that hasnt had the care taken about its development.
   At least JOBS has a passion and it shows through their products.

10. Reader's Write Says:
    January 23rd, 2005 at 6:16 pm

    If it makes you happy to think that Macs are just PCs, go for it.

    Most of the non-processor parts are very similar, if not identical, to most PC hardware. That does not mean that they are equivalent, or comparable. The processor designs are very different. The file systems are different. How the systems behave is different.

    They are different things. Yeah, sure, you have to buy from Apple. It is their system. Who else are you going to buy Windows from? For that matter, who else are you going to buy PhotoShop from, other than Adobe?

    If you don’t want to buy Apple’s systems, or their OS, then don’t. But you are missing the point. Even with all of the similarities, they are very different things.

    Simply put, it just works. I dont’ have to deal with spyware. I don’t have to worry about viruses nearly as much as my PC using co-workers. I even get significantly less spam than they do (I really don’t know why this is, but it is true).

    So, you are correct, they are very similar for most components. But they differ greatly on the most important, and because they control the whole thing (hard- and soft-ware), they can take full advantage of those differences.

11. Reader's Write Says:
    January 23rd, 2005 at 6:24 pm

    Well if the Apple peoples wish comes true and they get a large marketshare, guess what ———– Spyware, Malware, Viruses, all for the neat little Apple computer you have. Its not that they are impervious, just that people that create this type of thing know that 95% of the world uses something else!

    I use a mac at work and a pc at home. Both have their advantages, but for the average user, I still think the pc is a better deal.

12. Reader's Write Says:
    January 23rd, 2005 at 6:25 pm

    right on

13. Reader's Write Says:
    January 23rd, 2005 at 6:28 pm

    I guess I really don’t get it – for a couple hundred more you can get an eMac, which includes a decent screen, keyboard & mouse.

14. Reader's Write Says:
    January 23rd, 2005 at 6:35 pm

    you’re a fucking idiot.

    ben

15. Reader's Write Says:
    January 23rd, 2005 at 6:37 pm

    Ben, Didnt you forget the ‘T’ off the end of your name ?

16. Reader's Write Says:
    January 23rd, 2005 at 6:38 pm

    You have no idea what you are talking about. The difference is partly in the hardware, not just the software. Just because IBM makes the CPU doesn’t make the Mac a Wintel machine (if you had a clue, you would know that the vast majority of Wintel chips are made by Intel and AMD, not IBM). By the way, OS-X is NOT Linux, it’s another descendant of UNIX (not a PC OS), and it’s origin predates Linux.

    By the way, MHZ per MHZ, AMD chips also out-perform Intel ones, and not even all Intel CPUs can be compared by their MHZ speed alone. Here’s a primer for your information:

    http://www.cpuscorecard.com/

17. Reader's Write Says:
    January 23rd, 2005 at 6:39 pm

    Ben whats your surname? Dover ?

18. Reader's Write Says:
    January 23rd, 2005 at 6:43 pm

    What you have said is a popular misconception popularized by Microsoft to cover their ass for selling buggy products. The reality is that Microsoft never had an internal strategy to deal with the bugs in their products. That strategy came directly from Bill Gates himself. A German magazine interviewed Gates back in 1995, IRRC. In that interview, Gates cleary explained their position on bugs. With the advent of the internet that strategy back fired big time and is the real reason why today is so easy to hack Windows. Even 17 year old kids with no Computer Science degree are doing it, for God sake!
    Here is the 1995 interview:

    http://www.cantrip.org/nobugs.html

19. Reader's Write Says:
    January 23rd, 2005 at 6:47 pm

    Decent monitors are now DIRT CHEAP. Have you seen HOW small the Mac mini is? It’s a portable computer. You can take it with you where ever you are. Have a monitor at home, another at work, just take the computer back and forth. It’s basically a very inexpensive laptop without a monitor, and without a hinge or screen to break.

    Great for students, consultants, IT people, … who would have access to monitors at school or their client (when troubleshooting systems) …

    Try lugging an eMac around in your bag.

20. Reader's Write Says:
    January 23rd, 2005 at 6:47 pm

    >>Uneducated frothing at the mouth idiocy. Its a difference in processor >>and measurement methods – not ”efficiency”. And OS-X *IS* Linux, >>with just pretty Apple graphics on it — Linux IS an old PC developed >>OS, so Macs actually ARE PC’s now. Hell, they even use basically the >>same Motherboard architecture now, those CPU’s are made by >>***—IBM—***, Hard Drives by the same folks, RAM by the same >>folks, Graphics Cards by the same folks.

    >>Get off your high horse moron.

    >>P.S. And on my PC’s running Linux . . . how is somehow then less >>”efficient” than your pretty little Mac?

    Words from someone who has “Mac Envy” no doubt! The Mac OS is *not* Linux, the Unix that Apple chose is Darwin, a form of FreeBSD Unix. So anyone who says “Macs are PC’s now” is clearly someone who has no idea what they’re talking about. The Mac OS is much more elegant and sophisticated than Windoze, and this is coming from someone who has experience in both OS’s. I use a PC and a Mac and I would choose the Mac OS over Windoze any day of the week for task-intensive computing and every day stuff too. It’s just that the PC world has so much more software that people think it’s better. It’s not. There is a growing user base of OSX because it is, like Linux, a much more friendly, open-source OS whereas Micro$oft guards their OS like the family jewels.

21. Reader's Write Says:
    January 23rd, 2005 at 6:48 pm

    If you want to move a ton of dirt one mile, which vehicle would you do it faster with. A dump truck, or a Porsche. A dump truck of course. Think of the G4 as the dump truck and the faster running P4 as the Porsche. G4 does more per cycle, than P4, but runs slower. Also Intel’s Ithanium chip is much slower than their P4 in terms of MHz, but actually much faster in terms of work done. Point I’m making: ignore the MHz when comparing chips of a different architecture.

22. Reader's Write Says:
    January 23rd, 2005 at 7:06 pm

    Not much for the money. For $509.00 I could get “The VisionMan X-Blade Gamer-Workstation comes standard with an AMD Athlon64 – 3000+ Processor, 512MB DDR400, Gigabyte’s award winning GA-K8VM800M Moth”; add another 80 bucks for an 120 gig hard drive. Then throw in Linux, for free, which is as good if not better than OSX. People that buy Apple think their “cool”, so they way over pay, which is totally uncool.

    Please visit my blog:

    http://www.jmaximus.blogspot.com

23. Reader's Write Says:
    January 23rd, 2005 at 7:17 pm

    Did you know that all Macs are based on the PowerPC chip by IBM (PPC)?
    They can do typically twice as much as an intel chip of the same speed.
    So 1.4 is more like 2.8. Put that in your pipeline and smoke it.

24. Reader's Write Says:
    January 23rd, 2005 at 7:20 pm

    Not trying to pick nits here, but FreeBSD – the underbelly of Mac OS X – is an Open Source project that is UNIX, not Linux or PC.

    Although desktops the world over are overwhelmingly PC-based, the Internet itself relies on UNIX pretty darn heavily. UNIX has been around since the 1970’s, and there are plenty of viruses and other nasties created for it.

    The reason Mac’s are more secure is simply that FreeBSD’s (UNIX’s) permissions structure starts with assuming most everything is a “closed” system unless you tell it differently.

    However, you are very accurate in mentioning the contributing factor that malware authors are trying to target a wide audience – it’s what they are are after. Mac’s have not been targeted as much.

    And, did I forget to mention that Mac’s ROCK I can and do run five different operating systems on my Mac. Can’t do that on any other platform.

    Have a good one.

25. Reader's Write Says:
    January 23rd, 2005 at 7:22 pm

    >I came across a web site that can be a life saver for all of your gadgetry. Click on to EZFind.com.

    Sounds like someone’s posting advertising.

    As for it being an “expensive” device, it costs much less than laptops which are in fact designed and used as portable units. If you don’t want your Mac Mini to wander off, you attach at Kensington lock.

    BTW, why is it that when someone posts a story on Macs the very first reply is generally uninformed bias? Which then changes the tone of the entire discussion to be immediately “Macs are terrible!” “No they’re great” “You’re a moron” “No, you are!” And where has the discussion of the actual merits of the machine gone?

    The power of FUD.

26. Reader's Write Says:
    January 23rd, 2005 at 7:24 pm

    It’s a difference in philosophy. Do you want a computer you need to put together, then install all the software onto before you can use it, and an OS you NEED to tinker with before it is usable, or a computer and OS that are mature, well put together and ready to use. Of course you can still tinker with both if you want.

    The other benefit of the Mac mini is of course that it is just that. A mini portable computer that you can take with you anywhere you go, from home to school or work. Try lugging the VisionMan machine around, and you will have to factor in the cost of physical therapy.

27. Reader's Write Says:
    January 23rd, 2005 at 7:25 pm

    I’ve worked on Macs, Pc’s Integraph systems, Silicon Graphics, and even main frame terminals… One thing remains constant: All computers crash, and all computers would be better if they were even faster than they are today… and people will always be biased toward their preferences.

    That being said, the Mac has its place in the market… as does the PC… and I, for one, am thankful for things like the Imac and the mini simply for the reason that they represent cool inovations that will test the market so that hoardes of other manufacturers can make similar concepts cheaper, faster, and better for the rest of us.

    If people spent half as much time actualy DOING things with their computers instead of arguing gigaflops over megahertz, OS’s over architectures… maybe we’d have some real evidence of one being better than the other… but as things are, both Mac and PC exist, and neither has gone the way of the dinosaur, so they must all be pretty much equal when you get right down to it.

    Thank you to Steve Jobs for making computers a cool work of aesthetic art so we can sort of live out our Sci-fi dreams in the here and now… and thank you Bill Gates for making an OS that can run thousands of unregulated 3rd party harware devices all under one mouse with some degree of stabilty. Both are impressive achievements.

28. Reader's Write Says:
    January 23rd, 2005 at 7:26 pm

    I astonished at the ignorance posted here. Mhz myth exhausted once again. Comparing x86 architecture to RISC, no comparison. Yes, of course Apples are pc’s. Apple had the first affordable worth while home pc with the Apple II. PC after all means “PERSONAL COMPUTER” The architecture of course is a bit different. Not only is the Apple architecture far superior to IBM machines, Apple can control every aspect about the hardware and the software giving them yet another advantage. Any dislike for Apple is just plain ignorance or jealousy. They are once again making fantastic machines. I use both pc’s and Apples. I use Windows, Linux, OS 9 and OS 10. They all have their own place and usefullness. The Apple, however is simply the most impressive home pc due to it’s sleek design, ease of use and flawless software suite.

    I think the Apple mini is perfect for the person that want to make home movies or anybody that doesn’t want to have to keep debugging their computer and want a cheap reliable machine and has an extra monitor, mouse and keyboard.

29. Reader's Write Says:
    January 23rd, 2005 at 7:30 pm

    My, just a tad angry today, aren’t we! Not to mention ill-informed.

    Linux is not BSD Unix – yes, that does matter. Just ask Linus Torvalds. I’m sure he’ll agree.

    Working with BOTH Macs and PCs in my job, I can tell you we experience less down time and less service time with the Macs than we do the PCs. Which, in part is why we are now mostly Mac. That translates in to “cheaper” over time.

    If you don’t like Macs, then don’t buy one. No one is forcing you to even acknowledge Macs. Live in your Windows world and be happy.

    But if your going to preach and pontificate as though you actually do know something, maybe you’ll want to go back and check you’re “facts” first instead of just parroting what you and your “buddies” thought up one night.

30. Reader's Write Says:
    January 23rd, 2005 at 7:33 pm

    >People that buy Apple think their “cool”, so they way over pay, which is totally uncool.

    And if you go to the VisionMan Web site you can see the totally rad and awesome case designs of their cool machines. Blue lights! Cases that look like the heads of Area 51 aliens! More ribbing and ridges than you’ll find in a room full of dildoes!

    Glad to see that hard-earned $509 (BTW which model is that? I looked around and by far most of the VM PCs cost much more than that) is going to R&D that actually makes your computer experience better.

    Because everyone knows that alien-head shapes on a computer make it run faster, right? And they’re ribbed for….. your pleasure? Mmmmmm.

31. Reader's Write Says:
    January 23rd, 2005 at 7:35 pm

    It’s your opinion that OS 10 IS just Linux. So, why are you upset that you can only run OS 10 on an Apple? To you, it’s exactly the same OS, so therefore with your way of thinking, you already have it. You also need to understand the definition of monopoly. Apple may be proprietary with some of their products but they are by no means close to being a monopoly. They sell their own product with their own software. That is not a monopoly. That’s like saying Dodge is a monopoly because the only way you can get a Hemi is to buy a Dodge.

32. Reader's Write Says:
    January 23rd, 2005 at 7:46 pm

    You can’t compare Apple and MS. Apple has TOTAL control over the hardware and software installed on their machines. Windows may be a bit less stable, but if proper research and care is taken into hardware, software, drivers, and considerations, Windows would be just as stable.

    By the way – OS-X locks up too.

    Let’s see multiple hardware vendors create hardware for the Mac (motherboards, chipsets, CPU, etc….). The freedom of choice is available with PC hardware; Apple has a monopoly on their platform. Maybe I should sue.

33. Reader's Write Says:
    January 23rd, 2005 at 7:48 pm

    Well said.

34. Reader's Write Says:
    January 23rd, 2005 at 9:25 pm

    I’m so sick of this argument. Three things that turned me off about Macintosh computers were:

    1.) $$$
    2.) all MacOS releses through 9 suck
    3.) the obnoxious Mac “elite”

    It looks like that problem 1 is being solved. Problem 2 has been solved with the release of OSX. Problem 3 probably won’t be solved in my lifetime.

35. Reader's Write Says:
    January 23rd, 2005 at 9:44 pm

    “$ dmesg | grep -i bogomips”

    No. This is in no way better than comparing MHz. Bogomips is a value computed for some synchronization purposes by the Linux kernel and it is printed out for fun.

    In fact, you have very low bogomips on PowerPCs compared with a x86 CPU of similar performance…

36. Reader's Write Says:
    January 23rd, 2005 at 9:58 pm

    First, as pointed out over and over earlier, the Mac OS is not Linux, although with a properly optimized version of Linux, you could probably do some cross comparison of the hardware (not the software).

    So the question is where is your data? Who did the testing? How much difference was there? What version of the PowerPC did you test? G2? G3? G4? G5? (they vary a great deal) Multiprocessor or single processor? And which x86 chip did you compare it to? PIII? P4? Athlon? Itanium? Celeron? (they also vary a great deal)

    Without providing this information, your arguement is only so much hot air.

37. Reader's Write Says:
    January 23rd, 2005 at 10:02 pm

    To each his own. I personally much prefer Mac OS 7-9 to anything before Win 2000 (only slightly prefer them to Win 2000 and XP). And you want to talk about obnoxious? How about PC users showing off their bias and ignorance on every single Mac thread?

38. Reader's Write Says:
    January 23rd, 2005 at 10:03 pm

    “Then throw in Linux, for free, which is as good if not better than OSX.”

    Where did you read that you have to pay for Linux on Mac hardware? Actually, you can buy Mac hardware with Linux pre-installed in dual-boot with OS X from terrasoftsolutions.com.

    Your sentence is like saying: Buy a Mac. Through in Linux, for free, which is as good if not better than Windows.

    Though I agree your gaming workstation would be more appropriate with you “gaming” needs… The minimac would be more appropriate to someone who wants a small / quiet second computer. Could be use as a home server, development machine (to test on Linux/PowerPC, OS X), to play with OS X, entertainment, etc.

39. Reader's Write Says:
    January 23rd, 2005 at 10:26 pm

    Yes, thank you for clarifying! My comment, tho, is why does someone ALWAYS have to explain this difference? ‘Course, it makes more sense when you consider that companies pay employees to post reviews and comments that masquerade as average joe comments.

    So sad that Microsoft employees ghost post. What, are you worried, guys?

40. Reader's Write Says:
    January 23rd, 2005 at 11:22 pm

    Looks like most of the salvos here are from PC geeks with inferiority complexes, not Mac snobs. Always hardest to look in the mirror, isn’t it? All I know is I own a PC and it sucks. My Mac — doesn’t suck as much. I’d rather buy something that works and get stuff done than something that ‘everyone else’ buys because they are afraid to stray from the pack.

    And talk about sucking: I think I hate my HP because of Winblows ME. Or maybe it was Win2k with all the spyware. Or maybe it’s XP that I had to pay as much for as Mac OS 10.3.

    Hey — maybe they all suck?

41. Reader's Write Says:
    January 23rd, 2005 at 11:43 pm

    Because 90% of its processing power isn’t bogged down with spyware and pisspoor code?

    I’m a PC user — and I’m sick of the bull that had me buy what everyone else got. My dumbass neighbor who said I had to get a Dell so I could use Word didn’t know crap. Now I see Word is on the Mac and has been for a long time, like Excel and Powerpoint. I can even use Firefox. Too bad Macs can’t run Half Life. About the only flaw I’ve found.

    After using iTunes for a few months, man — if that what the Apple snobs get to use, I’ll buy a Mac. Maybe not this mini — I want a larger hard drive. Or maybe just this thing with my 1394 drives. I LIKE stuff that works. This Dell’s a dog, and it don’t hunt worth a shi*. Anyone want a doorstop? Maybe if VB script kiddies don’t have Outlook and other MS headaches on the Apple, it’ll take them longer to drag that box down.

    I bet 1.4 Ghz that’s not choked is a whole lot better than 3 Ghz with the virus of the day.

42. Reader's Write Says:
    January 24th, 2005 at 1:47 am

    I think the record number of operating systems on a PC is 64. There was a article in MaximumPC Mag a few years ago.
    Who cares, the machines are completely different and can’t be compared. BTW I run Mandrake on both the PC and the Mac. I guess you could compare them when you run the same OS but why bother? It’s like comparing Ford trucks to Chevy trucks, you have Ford people, Chevy people and people who just buy trucks.

43. Reader's Write Says:
    January 24th, 2005 at 2:35 am

    Jan 23,2004
    Mac Mini will float but not fly due to limited Memory Options!
    It seems that Apple has created a link to the online Apple Store to configure your Mac Mini with lots of extras. One of the most important extras would be more RAM.

    Apple says no problem, just go to the 24/7 Online Apple Store and configure you Mac Mini to your liking !
    However, they only allow Mac Mini with different upgrades to be sold via the Online Store with free shipping.

    Why has’nt Apple supplied it’s Local Apple Stores with any Mac Mini with 512MB or 1GB or Ram. I mean the upgrade is so cheap $75 for 512MB installed in a Mac Mini. They limit your configurations to the Online Apple Store, because the Local Apple Stores don’t have any 512MB in either Mac Mini

    However, some of you have no problem just ordering online with a Credit Card, and waiting 3 to 4 weeks for Mac Mini. Some of us don’t have Credit Cards, and would love to walk into one of the Local Apple Stores and leave with a Mac Mini in hand with whatever upgrade is in stock. I can tell you flat out, that more RAM will be as much of a demand as will the DVD CD Burners.

    Will Apple come to it’s senses ! Will Apple see the Light at the end of it’s users tunnel ??

    I would love to hear from others who would like to start a petition requesting Apple to Provide Local Apple Stores with more configurations of the Mac Mini.

    Thanks,
    easywind

44. Reader's Write Says:
    January 24th, 2005 at 2:37 am

    Jan 23,2004
    Mac Mini will float but not fly due to limited Memory Options!
    It seems that Apple has created a link to the online Apple Store to configure your Mac Mini with lots of extras. One of the most important extras would be more RAM.

    Apple says no problem, just go to the 24/7 Online Apple Store and configure you Mac Mini to your liking !
    However, they only allow Mac Mini with different upgrades to be sold via the Online Store with free shipping.

    Why has’nt Apple supplied it’s Local Apple Stores with any Mac Mini with 512MB or 1GB or Ram. I mean the upgrade is so cheap $75 for 512MB installed in a Mac Mini. They limit your configurations to the Online Apple Store, because the Local Apple Stores don’t have any 512MB in either Mac Mini

    However, some of you have no problem just ordering online with a Credit Card, and waiting 3 to 4 weeks for Mac Mini. Some of us don’t have Credit Cards, and would love to walk into one of the Local Apple Stores and leave with a Mac Mini in hand with whatever upgrade is in stock. I can tell you flat out, that more RAM will be as much of a demand as will the DVD CD Burners.

    Will Apple come to it’s senses ! Will Apple see the Light at the end of it’s users tunnel ??

    I would love to hear from others who would like to start a petition requesting Apple to Provide Local Apple Stores with more configurations of the Mac Mini.

    Thanks,
    easywind

45. Reader's Write Says:
    January 24th, 2005 at 7:21 am

    As I do the laundry and read this thread I can’t stop chuckling. There are Mac lovers and Mac haters. The real world just wants to get work done.

    I demonstrated my Mac to two people from chruch last Sunday. We use 20 of them at my wife’s medical practice. I showed them iPhoto, iTunes, iCal, and iDon’t recall what else—just the bundled iApps that I take for granted.

    But for Windows users seeing is believing: both used my phone to order a Mac. within 45 minutes of their arrival. While I was pushing the “cheap” Mac Mini, one ordered an iMac 17″ the other ordered an iBook 14″. Both spent just under $2000. (Pundits still argue that the Mac Mini may, or may not increase Mac sales. The Mac mini is what caused these two to consider a Mac!)

    Friday I helped one upgrade using Move2Mac. (He is a happy Windows 98 user, just wanted to get a laptop.) The Move2Mac cable and PC/Mac software connected the two systems and we copied all of his data files. Move2Mac put them in proper places on the Mac. Music, photos, MS Word docs, Excel docs, etc. Like everything Mac, it just worked.

    This was my first experience with the two iWork apps (Pages = MS Word and Keynote = PowerPoint). All of his documents opened flawlessly. The integration of these apps with iPhoto is AMAZING. Typical Mac: click one button and you can access all media (photos, music, etc.) from within the Pages application. Drag and drop, not copy and paste. Resize the photo and text wraps to accomodate, automatically. The 50+ templates make Pages extremely useful for those who just want to get work done.

    Saturday I upgraded the second friend. He can’t access his data as his PC is locked up with all those viruses and spyware that are so easily avoided by PC experts. He will have to spend about $100-200 getting his PC working (paying one of those PC experts) so he can access his data files… that was his reason for buying a Mac.

    I gave them a one hour introduction to the features of Mac… #2’s spouse, who arrived with a frown, left as one very happy Mac convert. She saw in 10 minutes what those of us who use Macs already know. If you want to get work done, buy a Mac. If you want to bit fiddle, buy a PC.

    (PS if you want to bit fiddle on a Mac open the Unix Teminal Window and flip switches and run command line code all day long… for me, I just want to get work done!)

    Mac Mini is a reasonable box. It is fast enough for most users. I see no more excuses for Windows users to hide behind cost as an issue.

    I leave a more technical review for the expert:
    http://www.macintouch.com/macmini/review.html

46. Reader's Write Says:
    January 24th, 2005 at 12:14 pm

    Personal computers (PC) have through their ca. 30 years history been based on various operation systems (OS) and hardware platforms. I personally started with a system called CP/M, then switched to DOS, and finally I learnt both Windows (95) and Macintosh simultaneously. For some years I used Windows, but along the way I found Macintosh to be the far more efficient system in getting work done without hassle.

    Presently so-called WINTEL systems (Windows operation system on Intel microprocessors) are dominating the market.

    Apple Macintosh computers originates form ca. 1984 and was the first major personal computer system with a graphical interface using a “mouse” for point and click. The Apple Macintosh system was the direct “model” for the “poor copy” (much) later made by Microsoft.

    In the mid 1990’s Apple Macintosh made a major switch in hardware to the IBM/Motorola PowerPC platform developed for larger computers (not for PC’s).

    Around the millennium (Yr 2000) Apple Macintosh made another big move by developing a brand new Operation System Mac OS X based on UNIX, a professional mainframe computer operation system used by universities for research or banks for their transactions.

    Apple Macintosh has always focused on the personal computer user achieving maximum computing power with the easiest possible user interface.

    This means the user achieves more by less effort.

    With an Apple Macintosh (especially on OS X) it is possible to easily move (clone) programs and data between partitions and/or hard drives. The system does not tie programs and settings into the OS making it difficult or impossible to move and relocate. (Windows users should know what I mean.)

    For an Apple Macintosh user buying a new Mac and/or a new hard drive is not a problem, because migration (or duplication) from one machine to another is extremely smooth and easy.

    So if I were to buy a Mac Mini today, it will only take me an hour or two to clone everything via FireWire from my present Mac (a Cube) over to the Mac Mini.

    The Mac Mini comes equipped with the fastest FireWire and USB connections, and it has a CD burner as standard, and a CD/DVD burner as an option.

    Since the Apple Macintosh hardware and Operation System is integrated and optimized for each other, the system speed is maximized. Finally, and most importantly, this system is less likely to get slowed down by spyware and malware, and i is also less necessary to use excessive constantly running anti-virus programs that further slows down speed.

    By design, OS X does not run any and every program introduced to it by a virus, but it blocks any such attempts before harm is done.

    It is correct that even OS X has vulnerabilities, and security concerns are discovered every now and then. It is probably also true that OS X is less confronted with viruses because it has less market share.

    Still it is a fact that both the Apple Macintosh hardware (based on PowerPC) and software (based on UNIX) is far more advanced and rational than WINTEL.

    So the answer to the original question why Macs have an apparently slow 1.4MHz processor speed as compared to Intel speeds of 3.0MHz plus is that this number only tells a very superficial, sometimes unimportant, part of the story. Even Intels own Itanium chips and also apparently slower AMD chips witness this, and Intel has already declared that they are no longer capable and/or interested in increasing processor speed any further. Apple Macintosh computers are faster in actual use than price comparative WINTEL computers regardless of advertised processor speed.

47. Reader's Write Says:
    January 24th, 2005 at 1:08 pm

    Woohoo. Another machine that can almost be upgraded to something that useable. $600 on Newegg will get you a machine with more RAM, a better video card, and a faster processor. Shove it under the desk. Who wants to look at a computer, anyway?

    Hey Apple! IBM tried this years ago, and they had a huge loyal customer base too. It was called the PC Jr. Great idea, good looks, better graphics and sound right out of the box, small and user friendly with it’s cartride slots. Too bad it didn’t have any kind of expansion unless you hung oddball cards or doodads (aka expensive) off the sides. Sound familiar?

    Ok, fine. You could put a NEC V20 in the PC Jr. Sue me.

48. Reader's Write Says:
    January 24th, 2005 at 4:29 pm

    Jan 24,2004
    Hold Everything…As I read all the daily post’s regarding the Mac Mini, I came upon information regarding an Apple Store
    (a Local Store) in Japan, the story quotes that they are selling both Models of the MAc Mini and to top it off, they are selling those Models in either a 512MB or a 1GB configuration. I have provided a link and a quote for that Local Japan Apple Store bellow:
    Please feel free to go there at:

    http://www.ifoapplestore.com/
    Jan 22,2005
    Here is the first photo of the Nagoya Sakae (Japan) retail store, which opened at 5 p.m. (PST) this evening. There was an overnight waiting line of 30 persons in near-freezing temperatures. The store is designed like other high-profile stores: two stories, glass staircase, Genius Bar on the second floor, kids section, etc. Download the store brochure (pdf) for some additional information.

    Both the Mac Mini and the iPod shuffle (512 Mb and 1 Gb) are on display and will be for sale at the Nagoya Sakae store.

    In fact, at the press event the entire store staff was wearing an iPod shuffle around their neck.

49. Reader's Write Says:
    January 24th, 2005 at 4:52 pm

    Jan 24,2004
    Hold Everything…As I read all the daily post’s regarding the Mac Mini, I came upon information regarding an Apple Store
    (a Local Store) in Japan, the story quotes that they are selling both Models of the MAc Mini and to top it off, they are selling those Models in either a 512MB or a 1GB configuration. I have provided a link and a quote for that Local Japan Apple Store bellow:
    Please feel free to go there at:
    http://www.ifoapplestore.com/
    Jan 22,2005
    Here is the first photo of the Nagoya Sakae (Japan) retail store, which opened at 5 p.m. (PST) this evening. There was an overnight waiting line of 30 persons in near-freezing temperatures. The store is designed like other high-profile stores: two stories, glass staircase, Genius Bar on the second floor, kids section, etc. Download the store brochure (pdf) for some additional information.

    Both the Mac Mini and the iPod shuffle (512 Mb and 1 Gb) are on display and will be for sale at the Nagoya Sakae store.

    In fact, at the press event the entire store staff was wearing an iPod shuffle around their neck.

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