Intel Mac mini Unimpressive
Apple's new Mac mini, with Intel Core processors, were announced today. Specs are here.
The specs are decent and fit in-line (enough below) the iMac and MacBook Pro but it is way overpriced. Gone is the magical $499/$599 price tag of the PowerPC mini, replaced with $599/$799 price points. I specced a mini as close to the $1299 iMac as possible (2×1.66 vs 2×1.83, 120GB vs 160GB, Intel GMA950 vs ATI X1600 128MB) and I'm at $1151 after adding the iSight. That leaves $150 to find a 17" display capable of displaying at least 1400×900. I don't really think this is possible and that makes the Mac mini overpriced or the iMac a great deal.
Now, the mini may not be such a great deal when compared to the iMac, but it would be fair to wait and see what Dell et al have to offer. Considering that the megahertz myth is alive and well in most consumer's minds, I wouldn't be surprised if they don't offer any desktops with the Core processors, which may be faster than P4s but at slower clock speeds.
Don't even get me started on the iPod Hi-Fi, which at $350 is more expensive than all but one version of the iPod. It may look pretty, but my Klipsch THX 2.1 are great speakers (some of the best 2.1 available) that I picked up for less than half the price of Hi-Fi.
Technorati Tags: iPod, iPod Hi-Fi, Apple, Mac mini, Intel, Core Solo, Core Duo, Intel Core, iMac
WhyWindows? wrote:
Fair to see what Dell offers? For what? For more security patches and bad customer service? Yes, I know there were two recent viruses aimed for OSX (low threats), which means that Apple is behind some 100,000 known viruses! Dell cannot touch anything Apple has been doing for the past few years, especially when it comes to customer support (they speak clear English at Apple). Has Dell even made a product with a DVI output, which is better than the standard VGA connection? By the way, where would you put a Dell desktop in your entertainment center? Maybe you can place your TV on it, I believe a Dell desktop can fit 27" TV's and larger! I just do not understand how anyone can compare Dell to Apple, or assume that Dell could potentially compete with the design, ease of use and stablitiy of Apple computers. Then again, there are people who think Taco Bell has great Mexican Food!
Posted on 01-Mar-06 at 10:03 pm | Permalink
Martin wrote:
Don't get me wrong, I love Apple and am writing this on a PowerBook, but I don't fall into the category of Maclot that sees everything Steve Jobs puts out as the Second Coming.
Fact of the matter is, the average consumer will look at a Dell desktop with a P4 3GHz and assume it's twice as fast as the Mac mini with its 1.5GHz processor. Industrial design can only take Apple so far. Now that Apple has switched to Intel processors, their machines' specs will be compared even more closely to that of Dell's. Heck, even MacWorld did a price comparison for the MacBook Pro and Dell's offering (which the MBP stood up well against).
The Mac mini fails in such comparisons, both against Dell's offerings and Apple's own up-market offerings. What I meant when I said wait for Dell's offers is that we should wait to see if Dell will be more expensive than their current machines for what appears to the average consumer as a decrease in performance. In that case, I stand corrected and the Mac mini is appropriately priced with the iMac being a steal. Until then, it looks to be the other way around.
Posted on 01-Mar-06 at 10:25 pm | Permalink