Mac mini or Windows mini?
p2pnet.net News:- Which would you buy? A Mac mini (background) or an Aopen Windows mini?
Intel hopes you’d go for the latter.
“Working prototypes of the Mac mini look-alike running Microsoft Windows and based on Intel’s Pentium M CPU have already been built by Taiwan PC maker AOpen at Intel’s request, according to two sources in Taiwan’s PC manufacturing industry who have seen them,” says Wired News, going on:
“AOpen manufactures PC and components as a subsidiary of the Taiwanese corporation Wistron, and is affiliated with the giant Acer group.
“The prototype is to be unveiled here at the Computex trade show, which runs May 31 through June 4.”
Not only but also, an mp3 player and FM radio "that bears an uncanny resemblance to the iPod shuffle is on sale in Japan," says Wired.
"The look-alike is made by Luxpro of Taiwan."
LuxPro used advertising copy identical to Apple’s and launched its mp2 player at the same CeBit technology show in Germany where Steve & Co were touting the original.
Something you think we should know? tips[at]p2pnet.net
See:-
Wired News - Intel Preps Mac Mini Look-Alike, May 30, 2005
identical to Apple – iPod Shuffle clone maker responds, p2pnet, March 15, 2005
June 2nd, 2005 at 3:56 pm
Bound to be cheaper
June 3rd, 2005 at 4:26 pm
The mid-tower (or larger) atx cases pays for itself in a long run, swapping out old parts for new one because many components are industry-standard spec that are easily obtained (and for less money than proprietary parts). AOpen doesn’t do well in my book, as I came across more than a handful of the boards with problems ranging from popped capacitors, dead ps/2 and USB ports to IDE controllers quitting at random. There been mini-systems like this one before and it was only a matter of times before the customers have to ditch the dead mini-system because it was going to cost them more than what the system was worth to them in repairs. But heck, I like these mini-systems junky as they are as a valid reason for the customers to end up buying a new custom mid-tower ATX pc from me.