Stupid hype over mini mac.

[steviep]

I fully agree with the consensus in this thread. If I had the spare cash lying around, I'd certainly own a mac. They are far more stable, and OSX is way better than Shitdows. Sure, I wouldn't buy one for games - but who does?

 

[xonik]

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.

Tell me, then, how introducing a more affordable and accessible product indicates Apple's firm commitment to elitism

 

[Phoenix86]

Tell me, then, how introducing a more affordable and accessible product indicates Apple's firm commitment to elitism

But! But! But!

Niche != elitism. BTW MeanieMan, all those companies you listed I would consider niche market companies. Also, just because they are high end doesn't make them elistist either, it's just the market... So what a higher end manufacturer (apple, at least in terms of cost) is able to produce a budget product? Are you saying you wouldn't buy a cheap Porsche?

 

[Absentee]

yes i guess your right......it does depend on your defenition of enthusiast...my defenition is the person who likes to tweak and upgrade stuff/game/have bragging rights so its not for me...

although i would take one anyway since im used to the shortcut keys for photoshop on the MAC.....

 

[xonik]

But! But! But!

Niche != elitism. BTW MeanieMan, all those companies you listed I would consider niche market companies.

On the contrary, I think that the iPod family and the Mac mini are not being delivered and promoted to niche markets.

 

[KaosDG]

On the contrary, I think that the iPod family and the Mac mini are not being delivered and promoted to niche markets.

the iPod market must be a really big niche then

 

[brentsg]

You would have to spend a good chunk of change to put together a PC faster than mine, but I still love my PowerBook... OSX is really, really nice. The knock that it is dumbed down or something is crazy. Yes, it is very logical and easy to use but even Anand had to conceed that it is a great power-user OS.

I think Apple did a great job with the mini. In fact, I think their whole product line is fantastic right now. The only flaw I see is the video chipset and video RAM. If they had included maybe Radeon 9600 and 64MB VRAM (at least as an option) I would have no hesitation. I'm afraid that Tiger will come along and trigger a video upgrade later this year.

B

 

[Laforge]

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??

I don't feel like reading the entire thread, but.. here goes

1) for a mac, it *IS* cheap. any decent complete mac system has always been $1000+ .. usually more like $2,000 +

2) a 1.25 ghz make and a 1.4 ghz p4 are not equal. The mac will smoke a "similairly clocked" windows based machine. (think amd versus intel)

3) Many mac owners already have a screen, keyboard, mouse, and speakers. Many already own what's the expensive part of a complete mac setup (photoshop) and are upgrading from their 68040 or whichever.

4) When you go to say, www.dell.com or www.emachines.com , they don't tend to make it "obvious" that you can get their systems without also buying a new monitor and the rest.

5) The thing *does* come with the new O/S [OS X 10.3, to be exact]. Some mac users are not savvy enough to install an o/s. (many of them, that is), as well as other software.

OS X 10.3 is $129.00
iLife '05 is $79.00

= $208.00 worth of software.. Making this *all new computer* only cost $291.00.

Recent [H]otdeals on this very forum have shown lesser systems for $199 [the fry's outpost computer, is what I'm thinking of] and people have thought it a good deal?

Why do I say it's a lesser system?

Lets see :
Sempron 2200+ (think the new duron)
and 128mb ram
SIS onboard graphics, which has to use system memory to operate..
40 gb, 4200rpm hdd,
cd-READER only
No firewire
4 usb ports
vga output
full size case (small costs more)
Lindows


vs

G4 1.25GHZ (In raw processing power, I'd put it ahead of that sempron)
256MB Ram
Radeon 9200 with 32MB of its OWN real ram
40 GB, 7200RPM laptop HDD
Slot Loading, DVD/CD-RW Drive
Firewire port
2 usb ports
DVI Output
VGA Output
56K Modem
10/100 Ethernet
Mac OS X 10.3
iLIFE '05

I don't know about you, but .. not arguing "mac versus pc" -- that mac seems a better deal to me.

Now, of course.. If we add a slot load dvd cdrw to that sempron, then add another 128mb ram, and buy a legit copy of windows, and a legit copy of say, roxio ez media creator.. (i compare iLife to it, - since they both handle burning, photos, videos, music) you are adding another $200 to $250 right there.

Find a firewire card for another $25.. then you have to install it yourself.

Which comes out better?

 

[Laforge]

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...

I don't know why anyone would want a shuffle, when they can have a sandisk DAP that actually HAS a screen, fm tuner, voice recorder, and usb key feature for the same price

 

[Laforge]

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?

1) Macs have viruses and spyware : Just because you hate having to clean it doesn't mean that the problem isn't a PEBKAC issue. - If morons would stop downloading stuff out of kazaa, bearshare, and Jenny's Web Cam, there wouldn't BE these spyware issues.

Idiots use MACS too. But mainly, I agree with you..

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.

Agreed,, for the most part : most people don't need a new computer. 90% of my clients can't fully take advantage of a pentium, let alone a pentium 4.

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.

I agree with you on the warez thing too.. When I was a "kid" i was a warez'er.. Now that i'm a "legitimate businessman" I can tell you how EXPENSIVE this stuff really is. I spend more on software than on hardware. But, since i can now justify it all as a business expense, and it helps me to feel good about the $50 an hour I charge, It's all well and good.

My "work" computers cost me about $8,000 nowadays. $2,500 in hardware.

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.

This point is invalid, I think. - One.. shuttles have been around for years. Two, systems built into the screen have been around even longer. Three, If you computer tower is down in your desk, WTF difference does it make how big it is.

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.

I think of these things as disposables. - In my business, any customer who has a computer over 3 years old, and the repair is going to be north of $100, I recommend to them to buy a new system.

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 agree with you on this about the OP too..

 

[Laforge]

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.

You aren't.

I have *never* gotten a computer virus on any of my systems. Obviously, I'm on the net a lot..

Spyware? Yeah.. - Hell THIS site has given me SPYWARE.
It's embedded in some of those wonderful adverts they used to show. I'm so glad they use "cleaner" advertisers nowadays.

But see, I'm not a retard like a lot of people, and I

1) keep my virus definition files up to date [my software checks DAILY]
2) Have spybot's "teatimer" installed so that when I go to a website and it try's to backdoor something on me, [that sound dirty, I know] I actually get a CONFIRMATION POP-UP asking me if I want to allow it.
3) have an actual FIREWALL, a real, honest to goodness, HARDWARE device.
4) keep my patches up to date - Including using 3rd party apps to turn off such things as Dcom, or UPNP (www.grc.com is great for this)

 

[Laforge]

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.

Then don't use an athlon, or a prescott. Use a celeron, or via C3 : I currently have a client using a celeron system that doesn't even HAVE a heatsink on it.. with *0* problems.

 

[Laforge]

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.

Actually, you are wrong .. Apple is *FINALLY* bowing down to the masses with this machine.. They are doing it so well, that even *I* have considered getting one of them for an HTPC. [then I found the hauppauge MediaMVP for $89 that does everything I was going to use the apple for] But, I mean... I haven't used a mac in .. over 10 years. I've spent upwards of $100K on PC related products in that time. So.. for *ME* to even CONSIDER a mac.. they must be doing SOMETHING right.

 

[MeanieMan]

Apple is *FINALLY* bowing down to the masses with this machine.. They are doing it so well, that even *I* have considered getting one of them for an HTPC. [then I found the hauppauge MediaMVP for $89 that does everything I was going to use the apple for] But, I mean... I haven't used a mac in .. over 10 years. I've spent upwards of $100K on PC related products in that time. So.. for *ME* to even CONSIDER a mac.. they must be doing SOMETHING right.

Isn't that what I said?
They created the want, and now they went after it.

 

[Laforge]

But! But! But!

Are you saying you wouldn't buy a cheap Porsche?

Do you mean, like, say, a volkswagen?

Car buffs will know why I said that.

But unfortunately, "elitists" will prefer the cadillac cimarron over say, a chevy cavalier.

Or a PT cruiser over a Neon.

Or an escalade over a suburban.

 

[Phoenix86]

On the contrary, I think that the iPod family and the Mac mini are not being delivered and promoted to niche markets.

I didn't say *all* their products are niche, you have to admit it's a change in direction for apple.

Do you mean, like, say, a volkswagen?

Car buffs will know why I said that.

Don't gotta be a car buff to see a 911 done poor man's style, ala VW bug.

Or heck the real thing, the 924s when they made them...

 

[Tiny]

They happen to be two different items that share some commonalities....debating which is better then the other is pointless.

It is like arguing which is better, a car or a 10speed? They both serve a common purpose, and they both do something the other can't.

Leave it at that and vote with your dollars.

 

[xonik]

I didn't say *all* their products are niche, you have to admit it's a change in direction for apple.

I'll admit whatever you think I need to admit, but the fact is, we're talking about the Mac mini, and you basically said it was a niche product. Didn't you? Anyways, I think we're on basically the same page.

 

[The_Mage18]

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??

You're also not looking at another point. Take for instance a Mac user who has been avoiding buying a new machine because of the cost and already has an old machine. Now the Mac Mini comes around and is quite reasonably priced. The fact that it doesn't come with a keyboard, mouse or monitor is a plus since that person already owns these and doesn't want to pay for new ones. Perfect example of a target consumer.
It's also reasonably priced enough to attract people who already have a PC but are curious about the Mac world enough to want to purchase a machine (myself included, I need one to practice with to give tech support to family).

 

[Phoenix86]

I'll admit whatever you think I need to admit, but the fact is, we're talking about the Mac mini, and you basically said it was a niche product. Didn't you? Anyways, I think we're on basically the same page.

I'm saying Apple has been in the niche market, I was responding to comments about them being "elitist." Niche != Elitist just because it's a select market. I think the mini mac is breaking their mold, like the iPod.

 

[Othersider]

I don't know why anyone would want a shuffle, when they can have a sandisk DAP that actually HAS a screen, fm tuner, voice recorder, and usb key feature for the same price

It's the onboard USB plug; you don't have to carry around a cable.

Of course, that's why I bought the Creative Muvo TX FM, which has a screen, FM, recorder, AND onboard USB (plus it takes easily replacable AAA batteries, so I never need to worry about figuring out how to replace a lithium past its last charge).

 

[DiscoStu]

Thanks to this thread, and the IRS i just bought one

Thank you for your order.
Mac mini 1.42GHz
Part Number: Z0B8
Accessory kit
80GB Ultra ATA drive
56K v.92 Modem
Combo Drive
512MB DDR333 SDRAM - 1 DIMM
Mac OS X - U.S. English
Estimated ship: 2-3 weeks
Delivered within 5 business days after shipping

 

[Scali]

Then don't use an athlon, or a prescott. Use a celeron, or via C3 : I currently have a client using a celeron system that doesn't even HAVE a heatsink on it.. with *0* problems.

I actually *NEED* the processing power that an Athlon or P4 delivers. I just have to be careful about the PC I'm buying. My next PC will most probably be a 64-bit P4 from Dell. As far as I know, they build the most silent PCs around, apart from those 'boutique' noiseless PCs that are so expensive that you cannot justify it in any way (like the $1000 fanless case that Zalman offers... right... I don't need silence THAT badly).

 

[[Spectre]]

I actually *NEED* the processing power that an Athlon or P4 delivers. I just have to be careful about the PC I'm buying. My next PC will most probably be a 64-bit P4 from Dell. As far as I know, they build the most silent PCs around, apart from those 'boutique' noiseless PCs that are so expensive that you cannot justify it in any way (like the $1000 fanless case that Zalman offers... right... I don't need silence THAT badly).

Silent:

http://www.stealthcomputer.com/littlepc_fanless_p4.htm

http://www.stealthcomputer.com/littlepc_fanless.htm

http://www.cappuccinopc.com/solutions/fanless.asp

 

[xonik]

Shuttle prebuilt PCs are also fairly quiet.

 

[Scali]

Silent:

http://www.stealthcomputer.com/littlepc_fanless_p4.htm

http://www.stealthcomputer.com/littlepc_fanless.htm

http://www.cappuccinopc.com/solutions/fanless.asp

Those may be nice for small, silent HTPCs... They're too weak for my main workstation though (they're actually slower than the 1800+ I currently use).
But I think I'm going to buy the Mac Mini anyway... just because it's a Mac. I have never owned a Mac myself, I think that would be a nice change.

 

[LoneWolf]

1) Macs have viruses and spyware : Just because you hate having to clean it doesn't mean that the problem isn't a PEBKAC issue. - If morons would stop downloading stuff out of kazaa, bearshare, and Jenny's Web Cam, there wouldn't BE these spyware issues.

Spyware doesn't just come through those. I've cleaned too much spyware recently off of people's machines who didn't even go close to sites like this. Some people just trust the Internet too much. "Hey, this site offers coupons and discounts for my favorite stores! Wow!" "Hey, this site has free desktop wallpaper and calendars, and smileys for my e-mail!", etc. And sometimes a flaw in the Windows OS makes a user vulnerable without doing anything at all (Remember Blaster and Sasser?). Last summer, something funny showed up on my machine. Malware scanners couldn't find it, my AV software couldn't either, and it took two hours to manually track it down in safe mode as even when I'd thought it gone it kept reinstalling itself. Only time I've ever caught something, but it's a pain. The risk on Macintosh for this type of thing is minimal in comparison., for two reasons: Small market share is one of them, but also to install software that makes major changes to the system, you'll be required to enter in the Administrator's password, which is a higher level of security than Microsoft has had (note that XP SP2 at least now asks you if you want to run program installers just in case, it's about time, but no password required as most users have local admin access). There is currently one Mac OS X virus I know of (even OS 9 viruses were rare) and it isn't present in the wild. I know of no malware. Apple has been super-dedicated at releasing security updates and OS patches (OS X 10.3.8 just came out this week). I love PC's...but there's just something cool about the Macintosh, too.

P.S. I know you agreed with most of the points in my post. I was just picking apart this one a little.

 

[Othersider]

The risk on Macintosh for this type of thing is minimal in comparison., for two reasons: Small market share is one of them,

Of course you do realize that if Mac Mini does EXACTLY what it's intended to do (i.e. make Apple more palatable to the masses, and thereby drastically increase market share) it will become a much more appealing target to all sorts of virus, spyware, etc. writers. And when a big enough group of hackers gets on something, don't tell me you seriously believe that something like an administrator password is going to stop it. Hell, it's a simple enough social engineering thing to get someone to enter it.

 

[[Spectre]]

Those may be nice for small, silent HTPCs... They're too weak for my main workstation though (they're actually slower than the 1800+ I currently use).

I am not sure what you do but had you looked around teh site a little you would have found some of their other products. Those were simply the silent ones....they have quiet ones that are far more powerful:

http://www.stealthcomputer.com/littlepc_p4_401X.htm

 

[Laforge]

It's the onboard USB plug; you don't have to carry around a cable.

Of course, that's why I bought the Creative Muvo TX FM, which has a screen, FM, recorder, AND onboard USB (plus it takes easily replacable AAA batteries, so I never need to worry about figuring out how to replace a lithium past its last charge).

And you carry around a cable every where you go for plugging it into your COMPUTER?

Uh? That makes a lot of sense.

Why not just LEAVE THE COMPUTER and the CABLE at home.

 

[Laforge]

Spyware doesn't just come through those.

Bull.
This is why I see .asf files with pre-programmed web-page popups in them in "My Shared Folder"

Our company keeps a log of spyware removal (for every repair we do) as well as virus removal.. We've recently topped the 1 MILLION item mark. (we are only at around 12,000 viruses)

Jenny's web cam itself, may NOT be spyware laden : I was just using it as an example

And to say that "those programs don't come laden with spyware" just proves that you have no idea what you are talking about

CL_INT.DLL anyone?
Kazaa itself comes pre-packed with spyware and ad-ware

This is *why* kazaa LITE was written.

but also to install software that makes major changes to the system, you'll be required to enter in the Administrator's password, which is a higher level of security than Microsoft has had

This is why, when I build computers for customers, I do NOT make their default login an ADMINISTRATOR.

The fix is that they are taught that "programs will try to install themselves without your knowledge.. - in "limited user mode" where you have *0* administrative rights.. this can't happen.

 

[Scali]

I am not sure what you do but had you looked around teh site a little you would have found some of their other products. Those were simply the silent ones....they have quiet ones that are far more powerful:

http://www.stealthcomputer.com/littlepc_p4_401X.htm

That's not for me. Where would I put my 6800 card?
Besides, it's probably far more expensive than a Dell or such with similar specs.
What I need is a regular high-end PC, which doesn't make a whole lot of noise. It doesn't have to be absolutely silent... but it sure has to be a lot less noisy than the piece of crap I'm using now... but as I say, a Dell will do.

 

[Laforge]

That's not for me. Where would I put my 6800 card?
Besides, it's probably far more expensive than a Dell or such with similar specs.
What I need is a regular high-end PC, which doesn't make a whole lot of noise. It doesn't have to be absolutely silent... but it sure has to be a lot less noisy than the piece of crap I'm using now... but as I say, a Dell will do.

The only reason dells are even close to considered quiet is because they use slow fans.

You can do that on a custom build, too, ya know.

In fact, I've got an "almost silent" system here with over 150cfm of airflow.

(lots of quiet fans)

and, actually.. I'm going to bet that the sony fanless water cooled computer is probably quieter.. - but, .. hey, that's just me.


http://www.vaio.net/models/desktops/r/index.html

 

[[Spectre]]

That's not for me. Where would I put my 6800 card?
Besides, it's probably far more expensive than a Dell or such with similar specs.
What I need is a regular high-end PC, which doesn't make a whole lot of noise. It doesn't have to be absolutely silent... but it sure has to be a lot less noisy than the piece of crap I'm using now... but as I say, a Dell will do.

Well there are lots of easy and pretty cheap ways to quiet down you pc. 120mm fans that you control the speed on, a good HSF, Silencer for the 6800, north bridge that is passively cooled, harddrive enclosure, and then there is always sound insulation(not my favorite though).

 

[rush24t3]

I'm planning on getting a Mac Mini to try out, and if I don't like it, I'm out what, $40 or so (Apple has a 10% fee for opened, returned products)? To me, it's a decent price to test out a Mac product (and, really, Mac OS X), and if I do keep it, it's the nearly the price of the high-end iPod, of which I've owned three since they were introduced.

 

[Scali]

Well there are lots of easy and pretty cheap ways to quiet down you pc. 120mm fans that you control the speed on, a good HSF, Silencer for the 6800, north bridge that is passively cooled, harddrive enclosure, and then there is always sound insulation(not my favorite though).

Yea, but that costs a lot of time and money. I want something that's good out-of-the-box... As I say, a Dell will do for my workstation... and the Mac Mini will probably make a great DVD player etc in the livingroom.

 

[Sunborder]

Quote:
==================================================================
Originally Posted by kpedge
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.

Quite a few people need that simpleness. Even more than that want it, whether they need it or not.

==================================================================


Yes, but I still get to scoff at them. Even my wife can use a PC without too much trouble, and if it weren't for family and friends messing up their machines, what would I do with my spare time? *wink*

Seriously, though, one thing that is usually overlooked by most US computer users in the MAC vs PC debate is the Mac's superb multi-lingual abilities. While Windows XP (and to a lesser extent linux) can display and enter non-roman alphabets, with some prodding, with the new Mac's all you have to do is change one option, and not only the text you see/enter can be Japanese, Arabic or simplified Chinese, but the MENUs as well, which is a big plus for international users or in an office where many people with different native languages are working(I used to live near Tokyo...and believe me, it's helpful to be able to switch languages when you live abroad).

 

[LoneWolf]

Bull.
This is why I see .asf files with pre-programmed web-page popups in them in "My Shared Folder"

I think you misunderstood me. I meant that spyware comes through other forms, not just the types you mentioned. I think you thought I implied that you were wrong. Spyware does indeed come in the ways you describe, but I meant that you can't say that only people browsing cam sites, pr0n, war3z/crAckz, etc. are the ones who get it. Perhaps if I rephrased slightly to read like this:

Spyware doesn't come through those types of sites alone. I've cleaned too much spyware recently off of people's machines who didn't even go close to sites like this. Some people just trust the Internet too much. "Hey, this site offers coupons and discounts for my favorite stores! Wow!" "Hey, this site has free desktop wallpaper and calendars, and smileys for my e-mail!", etc. And sometimes a flaw in the Windows OS makes a user vulnerable without doing anything at all (Remember Blaster and Sasser?).

 

[LoneWolf]

Of course you do realize that if Mac Mini does EXACTLY what it's intended to do (i.e. make Apple more palatable to the masses, and thereby drastically increase market share) it will become a much more appealing target to all sorts of virus, spyware, etc. writers. And when a big enough group of hackers gets on something, don't tell me you seriously believe that something like an administrator password is going to stop it. Hell, it's a simple enough social engineering thing to get someone to enter it.

One other point to note: In MacOS X, unlike the Windows, the browser is not so deeply embedded into the operating system, which makes it harder to manipulate a user's system through the browser. One of the major problems with Windows was Microsoft's decision to integrate Internet Explorer as deeply as they did. Note also that despite a larger percentage of people using POSIX-compliant flavors of UNIX/Linux than Mac OS X, and we haven't seen any malware that I know of for that platform.

I don't think that Apple will pick up enough market share with the Mac Mini to attract a lot of malware developers. I like its design, but too many people will either listen to an anti-mac person to get them rather than focusing on what they want, unless they go to purchase a computer armed with a little knowledge and a fairly open mind.