mac mini

[ApplejustWorks]

You can buy an USB audio interface, for example the Griffin iMac, to provide Audio In ports.
Consumer level Macs (except the iMac G5) don't have an Audio In port

I believe you meant iMic, but we all know what you mean

 

[Avalon]

I believe you meant iMic, but we all know what you mean

Oops!! neye:

Yes, I meant the Griffin iMic

 

[Avid6eek]

Thanks for the help Murlyn. I'm off to the Apple store today to check out the OS. I'm hoping they have a Mini Mac on display, but I doubt it.

 

[rberry88]

The local Apple Store here said they wouldn't have any to display until around the 20th, I guess that is the magic release date. When I place my order, it says to be delivered by 1/20/05.

 

[Avid6eek]

Originally when it was launched the Apple site said they won't be shipped until 1/22....That's an amazing shipping company that can deliver an item 2 days before it even ships.

 

[rman]

Originally when it was launched the Apple site said they won't be shipped until 1/22....That's an amazing shipping company that can deliver an item 2 days before it even ships.

They use worm holes.

 

[mangoSharingan]

Man. I'm definitely going to get one of these in just over a year's time or so! I'm going to the USA for a year as part of my Computer Science degree and it would be so much easier to carry this there. Plus, I should have my first ever TFT monitor by then as well! I was planning that the next computer I would get would be a Mac desktop (the eMac or iMac since the screen is built-in to save space) but by then, TFTs should be cheap and since this sexy little thing is like the size of a small box, then the only thing I would be carrying around really is my TFT!

I now know for sure that my future computers won't be PC anymore. I already have an iBook which I got over Christmas and with every new Mac being released, I'm getting closer and closer to never buying a PC product again

 

[MacAddikt]

you can buy the Apple Keyboard for $30 and a good Logitech 2-button optical Mouse for $10. I think its better since a lot of people prefer a 2-button mouse. and you wouldnt believe how many people ask if a store can make a product cheaper by removing something pre-packaged like a mouse and keyboard. like stated, its aimed at cheap switchers

 

[MacMini27]

Like Me :miner:

 

[rberry88]

Originally when it was launched the Apple site said they won't be shipped until 1/22....That's an amazing shipping company that can deliver an item 2 days before it even ships.

Nope, Apple's website, the day of the Keynote said "Available for Delivery by 1/20/05". Plus, the 22nd of January is a Saturday so I don't think too much shipping on that day anyway.

However, the website now says "ships in 3-4 weeks", most likely due to demand.

 

[Avid6eek]

Quite a few other sites will be carrying the Mini Mac as well. Hopefully they'll have them in stock later this month. The only thing that really sucks about the Mac systems are the mouse. It is pure lame. The scroll mouse is easily one of the best inventions in the past 5 years.

I went to the Mac store to play around with the OS for a bit today. It was very nice. Not as fast (on a dual G5 2.0Ghz) as my PC is, but fast enough to get the job done. I'm just hoping the Mini Mac has decent performance. The specs aren't that great, but I don't plan on doing anything too intensive with it.

 

[rberry88]

@Avid6eek : Is this what your PC case looks like??

http://rberry883.home.comcast.net/onlinestorage/spotlightoncase.jpg

I have the same one and its pretty cool and very well made.

/hijack

Ontopic: The "scroll mouse" or wheel mouse has been a great "innovation" but a mouse doesn't kill the system, the user does. However, you can purchase a two-button wheel mouse for as low as $9.99 and up (USD) most places, so I don't think its too big of a deal.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Avid6eek]

Yeah...that's what the case looks like. I'm pretty sure that's a PC-65B. The 75B has 2 additional 5 1/4 bays.

Once you've used a scroll mouse, you can never go back. If OS X didn't support it, then that will kill any chance of me moving over. Now I find myself looking at G5 systems. I don't really have $3k to spend right now, but maybe in the next month of two if I really wanted one.

 

[rberry88]

OSX does support 2 button wheel mice natively, just plug and play. I use an Apple Pro Keyboard and a Logitech MX-700 mouse hooked through a KVM switch so I can switch between my iMac and PC.

**OT: your right, mine is the 65B, I saw Lian-Li in your sig and it sounded close to mine. Anyway, its a good case.

 

[Avid6eek]

Because the Mini Mac only has 2 USB plugs, I'm going to try to use the USB plugs on my monitor for the keyboard and mouse. The monitor has a built in KVM to switch between the DVI and VGA hookups. I don't know if it will carry the USB ports along with it. I don't see any reason why it won't.

I definetly plan on keeping my PC mouse, but I would like to get the apple keyboard. The quality just feels superior to the Logitech keyboard I am using right now.

I'm sure I'm going to be in here with quite a few questions about the system OS and software once I get it. I hope it ships will good documentation of OS 10.

 

[rberry88]

Cool, that's what the forums are for, asking questions. How do you think most of learned the stuff we couldn't figure out on our own.

I used to have a Logitech keyboard that went with my Logitech mouse but after using the Apple keyboard a couple days I quickly switched. What's cool is that even using the Apple keyboard in Windows with the IOGear KVM switch, it will map the keyboard to a PC layout and the volume buttons and eject buttons still work.

 

[Amen-Moses]

For a while I used a Logitech wireless tracker ball thing with about 13 buttons and a wheel. Worked perfectly with OSX and was superb with iMovie and Final Cut.

I've since gone back to the Apple mouse as I got used to the keyboard shortcuts and basically couldn't find a use for all the features of the tracker ball thing. If I ever do any heavy Video editing I'll probably go back to it (it will need some new batteries though - the only downside to wireless devices is the endless supply of batteries you need for them all).

Oh and you can purchase USB splitters real cheap now so the 2 USB sockets are not really a big problem.

The big plus for me vis-a-vis the Apple mouse is I don't have to keep taking it apart and cleaning it like I do for my PC mice. Mind you the PC mice get a real hammering with UT, Far Cry and HL-2.

Amen-Moses

 

[prophet]

It just seems to me that the mac mini is an iBook minus all the things that make an iBook a laptop.

and on the subject of the USB ports, I know that on the keyboards at school that the apple mouses plug into a usb port on the apple key boards. So that would mean that it would take up a minimum of 1 usb port, right? Leaving you with one more. and if you have bluetooth then you wouldn't need any. And since there is AirPort you wouldn't have to have a printer plugged in. So USB ports are becoming less and less of a nessecity now a days, and it shows in the computer's design.

So I fail to see where the problem is, but maybe that's just me.

anyway, I think the Mac Mini is a good idea. It broadens the Macintosh customer base and if PC users who get a mini and like it, then they would be more interested in getting a more expensive Mac, such as an e or iMac.

People need to realize, Apple didn't make the Mac Mini for existing Mac users. The Mac Mini was made as a switching platform. It also wasn't made for the hardcore PC people. They will never be convinced to switch, it's impossible, they are as loyal to their machines as Mac users are to theirs. The Mac Mini is for everyday American Joe Schmoe who doesn't give a flying ef about how many megs of RAM he's got, or how many Gigs are under the case. It's a Yugo, not a Ferrari.

 

[Amen-Moses]

btw, a few words on specs.

Today at work I tried out the No-Limits Roller Coaster Sim on my 800Mhz Pro-Savage Win2000 system and got a minimum 4 FPS. I got home and tried it out with exactly the same settings and same track on my iMac (1Ghz with Mx4 graphics) and got a minimum of 28 FPS. My XP2200 system with ATI 9200 graphics gives about the same as the iMac at around 30 FPS and my twin G5 with ATI 9800 graphics gives well over 100 FPS with all settings at max (Oh how I wish there was a OSX version of Far Cry ).

I reckon the 1.4Ghz Mac Mini should come in somewhere slightly above the XP2200, i.e around 35 FPS as it has the same graphics chipset. I'll let you know when it arrives.

The only real downside I see with the Mac Mini is the lack of serious graphics RAM. Surely they could put 128Mb DDR in it, 32 will cripple it when playing high end games!

Amen-Moses

 

[Amen-Moses]

.. and on the subject of the USB ports, I know that on the keyboards at school that the apple mouses plug into a usb port on the apple key boards. So that would mean that it would take up a minimum of 1 usb port, right? Leaving you with one more. and if you have bluetooth then you wouldn't need any. And since there is AirPort you wouldn't have to have a printer plugged in. So USB ports are becoming less and less of a nessecity now a days, and it shows in the computer's design.

I'm always running out of USB sockets, in my Car PC's you need one for the touchscreen, one for the keyboard and one for the GPS. With only two the Mac Mini will require a U?SB expander but I don't see that as too big of a problem.

People need to realize, Apple didn't make the Mac Mini for existing Mac users.

Yes they did, they made it for me to stick in my car/boat.

Amen-Moses