New mac mini on store

kippy

was.deevey wrote: »

Quite apart from the price:

Revo

Low powered Atom
External Power brick
No CD / DVD
No Digital Audio on HDMI
No Decent Graphics Card (Try playing even NFS carbon which is a few years old on one of these).
Playing High Def video even over youtube is stuttery.
Factor in the non-basic version of Win7 into the price

Conclusion - headless netbook


Mini
Decent Powered CPU
Decent Graphics Card capable of playing most game (ok some at low res admittedly but most everything is playable.
Digital Audio over HDMI
DVD / CD Burner
Built in power brick
Unibody design
Decent OS included.
Can be used as a mid range office server with dual HD's and server class OS at a reasonable price.

Conclusion headless imac, if you already have a 32' high def TV which you can use for production its possibly a better deal.

Yes definetly I can see where the revo is a much better deal, kinda like an underpowered car .. its cheap and will get you there but without any style and lots of headaches (eventually).

There are literally THOUSANDS of people out there with Revis purchased for less than 200 sterling having absoltely no issues with it as a media centre/surfing the web/storage. Check out the tonnes of user reviews.
What do you want style for in a desktop unit? Seriously?

kippy

By the way, I've got nothing against Macs - some of my best friends are Macs
But calling a spade a spade (and forgetting about the revo comparison, I am fully aware of the specs being different) this is a very very overpriced piece of kit.

was.deevey

As mentioned

Revo

No hdmi audio
High Def video an issue
cannot play DVD's as no drive

Factor a slim DVD Drive in alone is an extra $100 euro odd over the revo price.

But I do understand where you are coming from and not arguing the people have no issues with the Revo as a basic HT machine in the same was as a netbook is fine as a basic browsing / email / youtube video machine.

Where the revo struggles in the hardware and horsepower end e.g. in the high def / DVD side of things the Mini wins out.

The market has changed for the mini, I'm sure Apple has done its homework and is not interested in competing with bargain bin HTPC's at rock bottom prices in the same was as BMW does not compete with Fiat.

They are looking for people IMHO ..

a) Finding people who are upgrading their HTPC setup and wanting to do more than watch the occasional low quality 750mb bitorrent download or surf the net from their TV.

b) People actively upgrading or installing their home theatre setup with high def video playing capability (and spending lots to do so .. a mini in the grand scheme of things is small change).

c) People who would like to utilize their HDTV as an occasional games platform e.g. Steam games, WOW etc .. (revo does not have the horsepower).

d) SMB's as office file and small web servers.

If this is seen as a HTPC by apple then its designed to sit under / beside your TV in the living room .. but you're right Style in a desktop machine .. yeah who needs it they all should all be grey boxes apple is wasting time designing stuff that looks good.

But calling a spade a spade (and forgetting about the revo comparison, I am fully aware of the specs being different) this is a very very overpriced piece of kit.

Comparing the spec alone its a hefty price, YES I agree. You could build a "grey box" machine for under $350 with DVD player and in a DVD player sized case.

Comparing the form factor this comes in Vs specs though miniaturizing is expensive .. FACT! and there is little out there that (if anything) that matches it .. sure they could add in i7 or core2quad .. but possiblilty of heat issues etc in this form factor.

however 2gigs ram is a joke!

mickoneill30

was.deevey wrote: »

As mentioned

Revo

No hdmi audio
High Def video an issue
cannot play DVD's as no drive

Factor a slim DVD Drive in alone is an extra $100 euro odd over the revo price.

What's HDMI audio? I've a Revo with the HDMI plugged into the TV. Audio is going over that cable for me. There's no extra cable for audio for me.

High Def video is not an issue. I'm streaming from my PC using either wirelessly or over a Homeplug. Admittedly the max I've tried is 720p. I haven't (ahem) downloaded anything better quality than that.

It can't play DVDs unless I stream them from my PC. Might bother some people.

OS is Ubuntu (requires a USB key or external DVD drive to install, I'm not a linux head but it was dead simple to install). Player is XBMC (also simple to install).

Style doesn't matter to me. It's sitting behind the TV.

The Revo cost me about €210 delivered.
You'd need to add on an extra €30 or so for a good remote and about €10 for a HDMI cable.
Do those come with the Mac or are they extra costs for that too.

For a media centre, that's pretty hard to beat. Plenty for the web too. Wouldn't use it for games or image processing.
Maybe the Mac beats it as a HTPC but at quite a large price.

But this is a Mac thread so I'll shut up now

aidan_walsh

I'm torn between this and the AppleTV. This is a beauty, not much larger than the TV, and a lot more versatile. But I would be primarily using this as a media centre and maybe occasional second Mac desktop. The lack of HD movies through iTunes is a hit that the AppleTV makes up for. And I'm not sure I can justify the price to myself.

I'm torn.

waynegalway

Just bought one of the "old" ones. Got the educational discount, so I think it's far better value than the new one. At 799e it's very close to imac territory. I spotted in argos in galway today that they have a 21.5" imac for 999e.

was.deevey

I'm not saying the Revo is a bad bit of kit as a basic media centre BTW .. but you've already mentioned the cons of it

1. Learning / installing a new OS, in your case ubuntu
2. External remote - usb or built in ?
3. Additional non-digital audio alongside the HDMI cable ..
4. No DVD

So .. more plugged in, external power brick, new OS, can't be used for occasional intensve tasks (easily) e.g. photoshop, music production etc..

Great for geeks, but out of the box the mini just works without anything extra to learn and is a "real" computer if one so desires

Am I missing something

Maybe they will bring out a plastic unibody like the macbook at a lower price point and aim this at high end and server market

kippy

was.deevey wrote: »

I'm not saying the Revo is a bad bit of kit as a basic media centre BTW .. but you've already mentioned the cons of it

1. Learning / installing a new OS, in your case ubuntu
2. External remote - usb or built in ?
3. Additional non-digital audio alongside the HDMI cable ..
4. No DVD

So .. more plugged in, external power brick, new OS, can't be used for occasional intensve tasks (easily) e.g. photoshop, music production etc..

Great for geeks, but out of the box the mini just works without anything extra to learn and is a "real" computer if one so desires

Am I missing something

Maybe they will bring out a plastic unibody like the macbook at a lower price point and aim this at high end and server market

Again, the revo works for "Non geeks" as well.
Theres no need for a seperate audio cable at all, the poster already said he gets audio over HDMI. This isnt really an issue either for the majority.
The new OS is just as big an issue for the iMac if its someone that has never used it before, as you said yourself the revo comes with W7 starter OR a linux distro.
An external USB Powered DVD drive can be gotten in a bricks and morter shop for less than 60 euro.
Occasional "intensive" tasks............
If you like your Macs then splash out and get a proper one. At least you'll get more value for money.

Sad Professor

aidan_walsh wrote: »

The lack of HD movies through iTunes is a hit that the AppleTV makes up for.

Yeah, I was thinking the same. The poor choice of HD video on the Irish iTunes store at the moment a big turn off. Of course, you could always buy from the US store using vouchers instead.

Content providers in Europe obviously find the Mac platform too open and easy to pirate on. Where as the Apple TV and iPad are nice and locked down for them. I'm not sure Apple will be able to persuade them any time soon.

If you are planning to source your video primarily from iTunes, the AppleTV is probably a better choice.

was.deevey

If you like your Macs then splash out and get a proper one. At least you'll get more value for money

I would indeed opt for an imac myself at the moment, as I don't even have a LCD televison!

But if I had a nice 32 - 40' High res and home theatre i'd be tempted by the Mini by its size and lack of external "bits" needing to be plugged in, and the fact its capable of running every other day to day task at the same speed I'm used to.

W7 starter OR a linux distro.

So the option of a lite verison of the most popular OS or an OS most regular folks haven't used.

An external USB Powered DVD drive can be gotten in a bricks and morter shop for less than 60 euro.

Thats just it though .. more external junk hanging around the TV .. i've lived in that house with the mess of video's DVD's, sound systems etc all plugged into a mess behind the TV cabinet.. one less device or cable can mean a whole lot. (especially to the ladies in our lives).

Theres no need for a seperate audio cable at all, the poster already said he gets audio over HDMI. This isnt really an issue either for the majority.

Apologies .. I'd read on other reviews people were having trouble with this, I agree probably a non issue for now but WILL become an issue as it becomes the standard for more and more people.

I'm in complete agreement BTW that as of this date the REVO will fit 90% of the needs of the "cheap and cheerful media server market for those not needing very high resolution video or gaming or intense desktop apps.

And on this note I don't agree with comparing the Mini to the Revo in general .. its different beast altogether except for the obvious HTPC comparision.

Someone else said "lets call a spade a spade" .. well its a reasonably specced desktop inside a teeny tiny form factor with a build quality and looks that will be hard to rival by any competitor.

So in my quest to find the other "spades" (similar size and spec) ...

Good Comparisons could be:

Aopen MP45 $966 appx

From Mini ITX site ... DIY though and £550 ex vat + shipping.

The mini is not that far off in price once you factor the OS into the mix...

I'll include this dell .. but it suffers a mobile Low power CPU like the REVO
Dell Zino (Although only mobile processor 1.8ghz X2 AMD) rest of the specs are decent.

And IMHO there's no reason a desktop "can't" be pretty we've just become complacent as a society .. as computers become more and more of daily life "ugliness" in technology I hope will become a thing of the past.

I sence a unibody plastic version could be in the pipeline for the people wanting to outlay slightly less ($100 perhaps).

Yep too much time on my hands today :P

was.deevey

oops

Sad Professor

There's definitely a market for the Mini, or else it would be gone by now. But obviously it doesn't appeal to everyone, much like the Mac itself. However, it can't be said that you just paying for the name. Design and compactness are costly and do matter to people, even if many aren't willing or able to fork out for it. Just because Apple don't offer a big grey box option at Dell prices doesn't mean they are trying to screw people. They just aren't interested in the lower end of the market.

The main negative about the new Mini is the price, which is mostly down to the poor state of the Euro right now. A year ago it would have gone for €650 over here. Unfortunately there's probably more price bumps in store when the iMac and Mac Pro get updated.

was.deevey wrote: »

I sence a unibody plastic version could be in the pipeline for the people wanting to outlay slightly less ($100 perhaps).

The rumoured new AppleTV, yeah. But that will likely only be good for playing iTunes content.

silvine

I got a second hand Dual Core Mini 2GB RAM Mini Mac in Jan and I use it with Plex as a HTPC. The Mac is connected to a HD TV and my 6.1 amp. It can handle all HD content without any issues and performance has never been an issue.

There's an EUR30 adapter you can buy to convert the DVI cable to HDMI. I also had to get another toslink adapter for EUR25 to get digital sound and all in all the total cost came to just over EUR500.

If anyone's thinking of getting a new Mini Mac to use as a HTPC but needs to save cash I'd recommended either a) going the refurbished route or b) picking up a last gen Mini Mac.

creativedrinker

yesterday i found that there is a new xbox out after just replacing my old one... today i find out about this after getting a mac last week..... some bad luck!!!!

Sad Professor

creativedrinker wrote: »

yesterday i found that there is a new xbox out after just replacing my old one... today i find out about this after getting a mac last week..... some bad luck!!!!

Normally I would agree. But given that the price of the Mini increased by €250 in this instance, it could also be said that you were very lucky. :pac:

Digi_Tilmitt

Importing mine from Japan, getting the base model with wireless keyboard for around €650. No need to pay the ripoff republic price! Will upgrade to 8GB of RAM and an SSD in a few months.

Mikey23

Digi_Tilmitt wrote: »

Importing mine from Japan, getting the base model with wireless keyboard for around €650. No need to pay the ripoff republic price! Will upgrade to 8GB of RAM and an SSD in a few months.

Nice one! Have contacts over there?

Digi_Tilmitt

Mikey23 wrote: »

Nice one! Have contacts over there?

Yeah have a friend over there at the moment. Emigrating there myself in a few months to start work so I figure it makes more sense to get it from the Japanese store so if it breaks within the year warranty I'll be able to return it.

I think it's even cheaper again to buy it from the USA though, so if you knew anyone there it might be worth seeing if you can get them to send it on/bring it to Ireland.

Talisman

silvine wrote: »

I got a second hand Dual Core Mini 2GB RAM Mini Mac in Jan and I use it with Plex as a HTPC. The Mac is connected to a HD TV and my 6.1 amp. It can handle all HD content without any issues and performance has never been an issue.

There's an EUR30 adapter you can buy to convert the DVI cable to HDMI. I also had to get another toslink adapter for EUR25 to get digital sound and all in all the total cost came to just over EUR500.

If anyone's thinking of getting a new Mini Mac to use as a HTPC but needs to save cash I'd recommended either a) going the refurbished route or b) picking up a last gen Mini Mac.

Don't talk sense. Uncle Steve needs us to spend more money.

Dman001

Love the new look, but I think it is about €150 overpriced. You can by a Dell Zino with a BR drive for about €600 which is hard to overlook.

was.deevey

I mentioned the Zino a while back in another post,

However BR or not It uses a low powered AMD X2 processor (similar to Atom I believe ?) ..

There isn't anything out there with a comparible Spec + Formfactor combined on the market for much (if anything) less than the Mini .. even DIY machines.

Last post on this one for me .. the dell arguement always comes up against macbooks, imac's etc .. but rarely stacks up once you add a decent OS, build quality & formfactor into the equation.

I'm in agreement though .. its an expensive lil machine, but miniaturizaton is rarely without tradeoffs ..... Power or Price ?