01-17-2005, 12:38 PM

Less than a week after the mac mini was introduced 3 of my friends have already told me they're getting one. These guys have never owned a mac, but because they only cost $500 they couldn't resist. The reason they want this is because they all have old keyboards, mouses, and monitors laying around. Instead of having to dispose of these they can just try out a mac.

Good job apple, I think this will be a big step towards 6%...

01-17-2005, 03:34 PM

Agreed. I have had a number of people I would expect to be anti-mac make mentions of Mac mini and the new iPod shuffles. This is just what they needed. To be honest ... I think what is intended is those people think about mini's and end up buying the iMacs in the store. We'll see what happens.

01-17-2005, 03:42 PM

yup...one day after its introduction, three of my teachers in school bought one...

A couple of students as well.

01-17-2005, 03:45 PM

It worked on me. I used to be an avid PC guy, but I cought wind of the Mini and couldn't resist. I went down to the local Apple store and fell in love with the OS X system. The problem is that I also fell in love with the iMac 20". So the Mini worked on me better than Apple would have hoped. Not only did it get me to convert, but it got me to buy upmarket upon visiting the store.

-Chris

01-17-2005, 03:58 PM

Originally Posted by bassplayrr

It worked on me. I used to be an avid PC guy, but I cought wind of the Mini and couldn't resist. I went down to the local Apple store and fell in love with the OS X system. The problem is that I also fell in love with the iMac 20". So the Mini worked on me better than Apple would have hoped. Not only did it get me to convert, but it got me to buy upmarket upon visiting the store.

-Chris

indeed. me thinks the mini be likes the iPod. a marketing tool [/pirate]

01-17-2005, 09:33 PM

Anyone worried that it might take sales away from the Powermac? It was the only option a person had if they wanted to use their current monitor with an Apple.

01-17-2005, 10:04 PM

i doubt it. people who buy powermacs usually do because they need the power. these are for the switchers only...

01-17-2005, 11:38 PM

or for the few nuts earlier who wanted to do car installs.

01-18-2005, 01:17 PM

Originally Posted by Meyvn

or for the few nuts earlier who wanted to do car installs.

There are many companies that will help you connect an iPod to your car, but a small New York business wants to go one step further.

Sloatsburg, N.Y.-based Classic Restorations has laid out plans to install the Mac Mini in car dashboards.



Photo: Classic
Restorations
Melvin Benzaquen
president, Classic
Restorations


The company was already working on a way to install a Mac laptop when Apple Computer introduced the Mac Mini last week. Melvin Benzaquen, president of Classic Restorations, noticed that the dimensions of the diminutive desktop were just about perfect to fit into the space automakers allot for car stereos.


What exactly anyone would do with a Mac in the car is not totally clear, but Benzaquen said there are lots of possibilities, from logging in to one's home network to playing music or movies. Equip the car with Wi-Fi, and it might be able to get Internet access from the parking lot of a Starbucks or McDonald's, he said. GPS (Global Positioning System) navigation and voice-activated programs are other options.


"There are so many things you could do," Benzaquen said.


Although Apple designed the Mac Mini mainly to attract Windows users scared off by higher prices, Mac fans are already thinking up a variety of other uses.


Benzaquen said there is no standard pricing for the car installations because it really depends on the car and what customers want to do with their Macs. However, past installation of Windows-based computers have cost anywhere from $1,500 to $7,000.


"I'm not saying it is going to be the cheapest thing out there," he said, noting that basic GPS-only systems can cost anywhere from $1,100 to $1,300.


When it comes to car installation, the Mac Mini does have some advantages over other PCs, namely its self-cooling design. To kick-start things, Benzaquen said, his company has planned some tests.


It's not clear how big the market is for such a product, but Benzaquen said he has had plenty of interest. His Web site has gone from 1,500 hits a day to more than 36,000 hits in the first full day after announcing the Mac plans.


Benzaquen's main business is restoring classic cars. Technology is something he has moved into--initially by installing modern engines in classic cars. Slowly customers found they wanted more than just a new engine in their old cars, so he moved into computers.


"We actually kind of fell into it because of our customers," he said.


Other commercial ventures have also cropped up around the Mac Mini. Texas-based Underwriters Technologies on Monday announced a Web-hosting service that uses Mac Minis as part of a server farm for companies that can't afford their own Xserve servers.


"The Mac Mini has more then enough power to handle the Web needs of 80 percent of the businesses in the world," Underwriters Technologies President Jay Menna said in a statement.

guess I'm one of those "nuts" vs a flamer. Many people in california are also nuts on "rides".

http://news.com.com/Putting+the+Mac+...l?tag=nefd.top

from cnet news :bandage:

01-22-2005, 07:20 PM

i started off thinking mac mini but now i might just try i G5 power mac

01-23-2005, 01:04 AM

I only got an iBook a month ago and now I want a Mac Mini as well! A month ago, I never thought I would EVER own a Mac but now, I'm 99% sure that I will NEVER buy a Windows PC again. But I'm going to give it a year or so first and see what happens then. I'm praying for a G5 model by Summer 2006 because that's when I'm going to spend a year abroad for uni. If not, then I'll just take my G4 iBook instead. Whatever happens, I'm definitely getting a Mac Mini sometime in the future because once I come back from the USA, G5 Macs should be common by then. It would look so sexy alongside a silver TFT!

Thank you Apple for making me realise how crap Windows really is! :bows:

Oh, I'm also planning to get the iPod Shuffle but I will also give that a year or so two. Hopefully, the battery life will be around 20 hours by then. Fingers crossed.