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Stupid hype over mini mac.

M

MetalStorm

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jun 7, 2004
Messages
144
Why are so many people getting excited over the release of the mini mac? It sucks!
Ok let me explain, you'll notice how all the mac users are saying OMG that's so cheap! Maybe they haven't realised that that's all you get, no screen, keyboard, mouse, anything. When you add that on it's hardly the bargain that it was before.
Having said that though, it was hardly a bargain in the first place, ok it might be reasonably small, but get over it, it's based on 2 year old tech, and it gets dusted with a comparable priced rig WITH screen and peripherals.

I can see why mac users would like it though because to them, it really is cheap, but once again it's non upgradeable and slow. When will they realise??
 
The mini-mac vs. the cheapest E-Machine: which do you think would win in a head-to-head matchup? :p
 
Agreed, MacMini=blahhh

To each his own I guess.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

One mans junk is another mans treasure.

Thats all I can think of. :)
 
MetalStorm said:
Why are so many people getting excited over the release of the mini mac? It sucks!
Ok let me explain, you'll notice how all the mac users are saying OMG that's so cheap! Maybe they haven't realised that that's all you get, no screen, keyboard, mouse, anything. When you add that on it's hardly the bargain that it was before.
Having said that though, it was hardly a bargain in the first place, ok it might be reasonably small, but get over it, it's based on 2 year old tech, and it gets dusted with a comparable priced rig WITH screen and peripherals.

I can see why mac users would like it though because to them, it really is cheap, but once again it's non upgradeable and slow. When will they realise??
Click to expand...

Blah Blah Blah... have you ever used a mac for an extended period of time... didn't think so... K Thx Bye.

I'd get one in a heartbeat for ANY family member? Why? Because they would NEVER have to call me with issues relating to web browsing, email, etc.,. Why? Because there are none.

I gave my powerbook to my mother, pretty much computer illiterate, still is, but she can use Safari and iMail like no ones business and in the few months she's had it I have had 0 complaints/issues vs. all the years I've tried having her using PC's.

To each their own, the cost of not having headaches over the telephone is justifying the inexpensiveness of this machine for me.
 
I'm not even a Mac user, and I think Apple made a pretty good move with the Mac mini. No, I'm still not buying one, but for $500, it's pretty close to its price point, unlike the rest of Apple's merchandise.


/Now the iPod Shuffle on the other hand...
 
Every time someone disses a Macintosh, they forget a lot of details. Some aren't even remotely useful to PC enthusiasts like us, but they make a difference to many who aren't.

1) No risk of adware, spyware, malware. For the average user, that's a huge deal. If you do a lot of tech-work for family members, this is a big bonus too. Imagine how much less headache you have if you don't have to clean off VX2, CoolWebsearch, a bot and a backdoor trojan every time you visit for a holiday?

2) So what if the G4 technology is a little old? How many people's parents need an Athlon 64, P4 Prescott, etc. to run what they need to run? Heck, I have a 1GHz Tualatin Celeron in the machine I built for my wife, and it's great for the things she needs to do. This system isn't designed for your "how-many-frames-can-I-get-in-HL2" crowd. Even so, the Mac Mini actually has a real graphics card, more than I can say for any budget PC in this range using Intel Extreme of S3 Unichrome graphics. As for "it gets dusted by comparable stuff", you're comparing apples to oranges. For the average person, if word processing, web browsing, e-mail, chat, and a few minor other things work at a reasonable speed, they're okay. If you haven't used OS X on a few Mac platforms, I'm not sure you have enough experience to make that statement. Heck, my one Mac at home is an old G3 blue-and-white tower with a G4 450mhz upgrade and 320MB of RAM. It runs OS X great for basic everyday use, and it's not near as fast as the Mac mini.

3) Software. Most PC enthusiasts cut software costs by either using freeware, open-source, or through other channels (*cough*warez*cough*). The average user isn't all that saavy about good free software, and the Mac not only has OS X, but has iLife `05, which is a huge bonus. iMovie, iDVD, iPhoto, GarageBand all part of the purchase price. All of them are good apps, and make the tasks they're designed to do easy, while still being somewhat powerful.

4)Design. The Mac mini takes up very little space, and is incredibly quiet. You and I might care less about that, but once again, we're not the average computer user.

5) Upgradeability. This computer wasn't designed for people who constantly upgrade like you and I. How many average people have enough files to fill an 80GB hard disk? How many average users really need more than 512MB of RAM? For these people, this machine is great.

Compare the price to others. I agree that Apple should have included a keyboard and mouse, but a high number of prefabbed (Dell, Gateway, and mass-retail) PC's still charge you extra for a monitor, don't have discrete graphics, don't have firewire, are louder, and take up more space. PC's only look cheaper if you build them out of cheap components, or parts that are also based on several year old technology.

The Mac mini isn't a bad computer. You're just not part of the target market. Unfortunately, that seems to make it impossible for you to understand why such a computer might be useful for others.
 
I have to disagree moose...

I've built computers for the average people (five to be exact) and I've configured the whole Windows XP set up properly according to their daily needs. I don't mind doing that on my part but they're the one benefiting from it. It's been a year or so since I've built them and I've taught them a couple of things that they should be responsible of and such. Ever since then, there has been either little or no problems. The "little" problems was such things as asking me if some programs they had would work or how to properly transfer digital images to the computer or how to burn a CD.

On top of that, their computers are much more versatile and faster than the Mini Mac and is capable of doing just about everything. I haven't heard of a crash either yet. Only a properly configured computer will do fine. If your mother had problems with the computer then you must've done something wrong (and believe me, most people do, even if they say they're such computer guru's).

-J.
 
the mac mini is a great buy.

if you dont want to use your computer as an overpriced gaming platform / money sink, it will suit all of your computing needs perfectly.

my guess is that you havent used OSX for a decent amount of time. Anand did it, and look where he is now. stop ranting, goto an apple store, and play around. youll be amazed, honest.
 
Now I vehemently despise Mac OS(anything), and even I will tell you that for what it is, the Mac Mini is a deal. They use laptop components. Try to price a comparably built LAPTOP (subract a couple hundred bucks for the LCD panel and battery) and you have a far more reasonable comparison. Hell, try comparing to an x86 in a comparable form factor like this and see what comes out on top.
 
LoneWolf said exactly what needed to be. I completely agree with what he said. The true geek/gamer/pc guru thinks its a joke. To the average web surfing, emailing, whatever user this is perfect. Buy a 200-300 dollar flat panel, 50 bucks in KB and Mouse = rockin new HOME use PC that is most likely very reliable and almost idiot proof from spyware/viruses.
 
CellBlock said:
I'm not even a Mac user, and I think Apple made a pretty good move with the Mac mini. No, I'm still not buying one, but for $500, it's pretty close to its price point, unlike the rest of Apple's merchandise.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Plus macs are a hell of a lot easier for a new computer person to use.

Just cause you don't understand a mac, the OS, or you are to closed minded to think that not everyone can afford a 3 grand system; that doesn't make the mini the work of the devil.
 
I would actually argue the counter of what the others in this thread are arguing. I'm saying the mac mini is a ripoff. I'm saying that for 500 bucks, you can easily build a PC that would smoke it.

Mac and bargain just don't go together.

As far as the "never have any problems with it" aspect, I think that's bogus, too. You can configure a PC with windows XP to be pretty solid, too. Service pack 2, firefox for browsing, NAV, popup blocker, malware monitoring software, etc. Sure, average joe can't do these things, but i'm saying a PC can be built and configured that will beat the mini mac for the price. And once it's built and properly configured, it'll be just as easy for average joe to use. It's just that average joe can't set it up for himself.

As far as the sofware suite that's included, you've got me there. Add windows XP pro to the cost of said PC, and you're probably over that 500 dollar mark. But if average joe has a copy of winXP pro laying around from a dell he bought a year or so ago, he's good to go. But with a copy of winXP pro, you've got most of what average joe needs. Integrated CD burning, WMP 10 for multimedia stuff, plus open office for all that stuff... you're good to go.
 
You guys have changed my mind. I see the point- the mini Mac might be great for people who need their computers to be as simple as their microwave.
 
I was considering a Shuttle barebone or similar as a home theater PC...
But this Mac Mini got them all beat. It's way smaller, and more silent too. And it should be able to play DVDs, DivX etc just as well as a PC, if not better.
If I can find a TV tuner for it aswell, I'm quite sure there will be a Mac Mini hooked up to my TV in the livingroom at some point.
 
MetalStorm said:
Why are so many people getting excited over the release of the mini mac? It sucks!
Ok let me explain, you'll notice how all the mac users are saying OMG that's so cheap! Maybe they haven't realised that that's all you get, no screen, keyboard, mouse, anything. When you add that on it's hardly the bargain that it was before.
Having said that though, it was hardly a bargain in the first place, ok it might be reasonably small, but get over it, it's based on 2 year old tech, and it gets dusted with a comparable priced rig WITH screen and peripherals.

I can see why mac users would like it though because to them, it really is cheap, but once again it's non upgradeable and slow. When will they realise??
Click to expand...

Did all of these comments answer your question?
 
I guess I am just a geek at heart...

Never owned an Apple product..never wanted to..to me they were and for the most part are over priced. However, the geek in me sees an opportunity to play around with "the other side" with a fairly decent setup...thats going to provide pretty good performance for a reasonable price. If you don't think OS X is nice, you have obviously never used it with any kind of frequency. And like earlier posts said, this will do EVERYTHING an average person needs done with a computer, and it is simple to operate. I just want one for the geek in me...love my toys. :D

Of course you can get more bang for your buck with a PC, at least when you start comparing a top end Mac to a top end PC. Buying a G5 makes no sense to me, unless the app that you have to use is only available for OS X.
 
hegulator said:
I would actually argue the counter of what the others in this thread are arguing. I'm saying the mac mini is a ripoff. I'm saying that for 500 bucks, you can easily build a PC that would smoke it.

Mac and bargain just don't go together.

As far as the "never have any problems with it" aspect, I think that's bogus, too. You can configure a PC with windows XP to be pretty solid, too. Service pack 2, firefox for browsing, NAV, popup blocker, malware monitoring software, etc. Sure, average joe can't do these things, but i'm saying a PC can be built and configured that will beat the mini mac for the price. And once it's built and properly configured, it'll be just as easy for average joe to use. It's just that average joe can't set it up for himself.

As far as the sofware suite that's included, you've got me there. Add windows XP pro to the cost of said PC, and you're probably over that 500 dollar mark. But if average joe has a copy of winXP pro laying around from a dell he bought a year or so ago, he's good to go. But with a copy of winXP pro, you've got most of what average joe needs. Integrated CD burning, WMP 10 for multimedia stuff, plus open office for all that stuff... you're good to go.
Click to expand...

As I said, the Mac mini is for people who will NEVER build their own computer. Building is for enthusiasts. Take building a computer out of the game when talking about this niche, it isn't valid for comparison.
Also take heavy configuration out. The Mac Mini is not for people who do heavy configuration. The fact that the average joe CAN set up the Mac Mini for himself/herself is part of the appeal. Little need for a firewall (OSX comes with one though), pop-up blocker built into the Safari web browser without a need to add a service pack, no current need for antivirus or a malware scanner, so little need to configure all those extras. If a person has to ask someone else to set up their computer, it can make them feel dumb. People want to be able to set something up themselves; Apple makes that possible.

By the way, once that PC is configured, what if malware strikes? How do I use the program to clean it? What do I do if a virus scanner finds a virus? What if the malware scanner isn't fully effective and the pop-ups, trackers, etc. keep coming back every time I reboot? Do I as the average Joe now wish to take my machine in and pay big bucks to have that stuff removed? Or would I be more happy with the Mac Mini that doesn't encounter those issues in the first place?

Once again, you're looking at the wrong market. For the market the Mac Mini is targeted at, it truly is a bargain. It just isn't for you.
 
kpedge said:
You guys have changed my mind. I see the point- the mini Mac might be great for people who need their computers to be as simple as their microwave.
Click to expand...

Quite a few people need that simpleness. Even more than that want it, whether they need it or not. :)
 
Scali said:
I was considering a Shuttle barebone or similar as a home theater PC...
But this Mac Mini got them all beat. It's way smaller, and more silent too. And it should be able to play DVDs, DivX etc just as well as a PC, if not better.
If I can find a TV tuner for it aswell, I'm quite sure there will be a Mac Mini hooked up to my TV in the livingroom at some point.
Click to expand...


Sometimes I feel like I'm the only person on earth who doesn't give a shit how loud a computer is. I like the roar of fans and hardrives. Its kinda like the roar of a v8 over a inline 4...vrroom vrroom baby.

As for mac...I think the only reason this company has stayed afloat is A.) the ipod B.) elitism...people like spending money on uneccessary items. Hey did you see this diamond ring I got for the wife, cost me $10,000...kinda like hey did you see this badass mac I bought cost me around $4000 (for 3x the price of a comparable pc).

my 2 cents
 
BleedSorrow said:
Sometimes I feel like I'm the only person on earth who doesn't give a shit how loud a computer is. I like the roar of fans and hardrives. Its kinda like the roar of a v8 over a inline 4...vrroom vrroom baby.
Click to expand...

A few years ago, i never paid it any mind. But after 8 hours in a room with 20 servers behind me going "vrroom vrroom" I've grown to appreciate the subtle beauty of silent computing. :eek:
 
I don't understand half of what you people are arguing about.

MacMini is definitely NOT aimed for the enthusiast crowd.

It's not aimed at the "High performance" crowd. (If it was, it'd be a G5)

It's exciting because as you can see, this is Apple's attempt to wiggle into the homes of "regular" PC users. They are offering a competitive alternative in the OEM market.
(As much as you may think otherwise, 99.9% of the people on this forum are NOT "regular" PC users.)

For a very attractive price you get a lot of features, plus a sleek looking case (opinion), small footprint and low noise.
 
I agree that its an awesome computer for those that just need a computer to surf net and send e-mails etc. Windows machines suck balls cause of spyware/viruses/slowness/crapiness/cost/ass so its nice that macs are becomming more affordable to the every day consumer.

Price wise your going to have to compare the mac mini thats friggin tiny, looks nice, is quiet, does what its meant to, has no spyware or viruses to an e-machine or dell thats ugly, big, fijity to use and gets infected by viruses and spyware so you have to continuously reinstall and get stupid microsoft update patches cause they cant make a decent program for the life of them.

I wuv Macs, wish i had a G5, then i'd be in puting heaving lol.
 
BleedSorrow said:
Sometimes I feel like I'm the only person on earth who doesn't give a shit how loud a computer is. I like the roar of fans and hardrives. Its kinda like the roar of a v8 over a inline 4...vrroom vrroom baby.
Click to expand...

Depends on what you use your PC for, I suppose. It's damn annoying to have a noisy PC when you try to watch a movie or listen to some music... The silent passages get drowned out by the PC noise.
And I have a noisy 1800+ as my main PC... I find that I have problems thinking and being concentrated when I am sitting at that PC... Which is not a good thing when you try to write code with complex algorithms etc. I never cared about the noise my PC made, until I had this noisy 1800+ piece of crap. My next PC is surely going to be silent. I'm sure I'll be more relaxed and productive then.
 
What MetalStorm (and a lot of others posting in this thread) doesn't get, and what LoneWolf is trying to point out is TCO = Total Cost of Ownership.

Mac Mini (actual name, not Mini Mac) = $500 (possible to get configured to order)
15"/17" LCD = $200
Keyboard/Mouse = $50

Subtotal = $750 (Which is only $250 more than the cheapest Dell desktop at present)

Never having to worry about a script kiddie turning your Mini into a zombie box = Priceless.

In all seriousness, OS X, which is technologically light-years ahead of Windows, comes with just about everything you need, and if you need that Word Processor and "PowerPoint" presentation software, pick up iWork for only $80. That is a screaming deal compared to Office 2003 Standard for $399.99. Even if you manage the student edition, it is still $150.00.

The whole package is even cheaper if you already have a shoddy HP or eMachine and you are replacing it with a Mac Mini. No need to buy a monitor, keyboard or mouse. And what budget-box do you know that comes with firewire?

Apple is smart, even if you're not. ;)
 
DiscoStu said:
A few years ago, i never paid it any mind. But after 8 hours in a room with 20 servers behind me going "vrroom vrroom" I've grown to appreciate the subtle beauty of silent computing. :eek:
Click to expand...


Ditto. 9 servers, 3 UPSes (for around 6.4kVA), three workstations, and a laser printer stuffed into a tiny office. When I'm at home, I like the noise to be gone.

Oh, and I almost forgot: the 28,000BTU AC unit in the nearby window to keep it all cool.
 
FunkStar said:
Windows machines suck balls cause of spyware/viruses/slowness/crapiness/cost/ass so its nice that macs are becomming more affordable to the every day consumer.
Click to expand...

I can't be the only person on the planet who uses a Windows box and dosen't get any viruses or spyware. I think that Macs suck because of their proprietary designs. Also my compy is not slow and it was relatively inexpensive.

 
molson3530 said:
I can't be the only person on the planet who uses a Windows box and dosen't get any viruses or spyware. I think that Macs suck because of their proprietary designs. Also my compy is not slow and it was relatively inexpensive.

Click to expand...


Proprietary how?

They use standard memory, SATA/IDE HDDs, PCI / AGP
DVI...

there's not much that's "proprietary" save for the architecture.
 
I was talking about things like the processor and OS. On a x86 platform you have a seemingly infinite choice of OSes. The available video cards in general also seem to lag behind those available for a PC (not to mention that the video cannot be changed at all in the Mini).
 
molson3530 said:
I was talking about things like the processor and OS. On a x86 platform you have a seemingly infinite choice of OSes. The available video cards in general also seem to lag behind those available for a PC (not to mention that the video cannot be changed at all in the Mini).
Click to expand...

?

There is Windows, and there are the Linux's, *BSDs, etc.
Note that linux and certain BSDs are also available for Mac.

I think that you are confusing "proprietary" with "small market share" here.
 
ok people...get it through your heads that this is NOT for an enthusiast

THEY WILL NOT UPGRADE IT! they will most likely get a whole new computer before they go and throw a 1gb stick of RAM in there.......we would..but they wouldnt.....................


its PERFECT for the home user who doesnt know jack about computers and wants a cheap web browsing (And very light gaming, i run ut2k4 on an old 9200 i had..till it died) machine

:edit:
the os is not proprietary by any means......its just not ported to x86....its designed to run on the PowerPC architechture....same with windows.......

you could say the same thing about windows machines too....

"windows is proprietary because it wont run on a mac/powerpc...BOOOO :mad: :eek: "

as the poster above me said...there are the same choices for macs as there are for PCS...

windows=OS X the main OS thats run on the respective architecture
all of the different *nix flavors out there....there are ports for both PCs and MACs...



macs used to be proprietary......there not now..

hell i use an APPLE keyboard on my PC
 
KaosDG said:
I think that you are confusing "proprietary" with "small market share" here.
Click to expand...
Thank you for pointing that out. I hate when someone completely misuses the term "proprietary."



4b5eN+EE said:
ok people...get it through your heads that this is NOT for an enthusiast
Click to expand...

I'm gonna have to partialy disagree with you there. While the Mac Mini's target audience is certainly not the enthusiast, there are defintely some of us that would love to have one as a 2nd or 3rd computer to play around with. I know I would.

I suggest you all read AnandTech's excellent articles on the Mac Mini
http://www.anandtech.com/mac/showdoc.aspx?i=2328&p=2
The side of the box simply states that iLife is included, and below that, it says that you can organize photos, compose music, create playlists, make movies and watch DVDs. This isn't the side of a computer box. This is the side of a consumer electronics device box; it's the side of a multifunction iPod's box. And this is where it hit me - what I was holding in the mini's box didn't feel like a computer. In fact, it didn't feel like I was unpacking a computer either. Apple has effectively made their computer into something that doesn't seem like one at all, perfect for those who are intimidated by computers, but definitely leaves those of us who aren't feeling somewhat strange - not in a bad way, and not in a good way, but just in a different way.
Click to expand...
 
EnderW said:
I'm gonna have to partialy disagree with you there. While the Mac Mini's target audience is certainly not the enthusiast, there are defintely some of us that would love to have one as a 2nd or 3rd computer to play around with. I know I would.
Click to expand...


I would say modding enthusiasts, "computer freaks" (IE People that just have to own all types of architectures. ie Me :D ) and those that are just curious

overclockers, performance pushers, and gamers may / may not be thrilled by it though
 
ok people...get it through your heads that this is NOT for an enthusiast
Click to expand...

Sure it is, just stick it in the kitchen with an LCD & wireless kb/mouse setup, buy a ton of batteries and never, ever worry about your wife needing to check her e-mail while you are on the real machine.

Now to talk her out of an iMac to save a few $$$ so I can upgrade even [H]arder. :D
 
KaosDG said:
I would say modding enthusiasts, "computer freaks" (IE People that just have to own all types of architectures. ie Me :D ) and those that are just curious

overclockers, performance pushers, and gamers may / may not be thrilled by it though
Click to expand...

Yes. I guess it just depends on your definition of "enthusuast."
 
BleedSorrow said:
As for mac...I think the only reason this company has stayed afloat is A.) the ipod B.) elitism...people like spending money on uneccessary items.
Click to expand...
Hah, you don't know the first thing about economics. Elitism only does harm to a company's profits by alienating the average consumer.

Hint: Apple is NOT alienating the average consumer. By introducing a sub-$500 PC to the masses, Apple has just greeted Windows PC and Mac owners alike with open arms. This is Apple's "gateway" product, the product that they hope will bring new long-term customers and raise awareness for their hardware and software products.
 
xonik said:
Hah, you don't know the first thing about economics. Elitism only does harm to a company's profits by alienating the average consumer.
Click to expand...

Bullshit. Look at Porsche, BMW, Alienware. Elitism creates market because of the bandwagon effect. Its up to the company to act on it. Which is just what Apple is doing.
 
MeanieMan said:
Bullshit. Look at Porsche, BMW, Alienware. Elitism creates market because of the bandwagon effect. Its up to the company to act on it. Which is just what Apple is doing.
Click to expand...


oh wow....
 
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