AOpen's Pandora Mac mini clone reveals its true name: the Mini PC
By Peter Rojas 
posted June 3rd 2005 8:41AM
posted June 3rd 2005 8:41AM
It, um, sort of undercuts their argument that the Pandora
PC wasn't at all "inspired" by Apple's
Mac mini, but earlier today AOpen
issued a press release revealing the device's true name: say hello to the "Mini PC". Not exactly an original name even
if it didn't share an adjective with that other computer (it's like naming your laptop the "Laptop PC"), and making
matters better/worse/more muddled, they even quote a Wired News story about how much the PC looks like a Mac mini in
the press release.
[Thanks, Mike]
*cough*Ripoff*cough*
They shouldn't deny it. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, I think it's cool. But it's a total clone of the Mac Mini.
/still wants implantable computer
I think it's disgraceful that AOpen have produced a product so similar to the Apple Mini.
What if some poor unsuspecting punter when looking for a nice new PC and accidentally went home with a Mac!?!?
I mean really, you'd be gutted!
Anyone know the 3D-Mark scores this thing was getting, since it's on the screen whenever it's displayed?
I think it is more about all the free public attention it gets through this whole 'naming-scandal' and the similarity with the Mac Mini....
It is quite clever, because the scandal will be over, but the product will stay and end up in the stores.
Commercialy it is ideal to not spend as much advertisement costs as the competitor, but get as much exposure as them while being in the picture over the very same product.
- Unomi -
I'd certainly be disappointed when I took this "coffee warmer" home and it turned out it ran 3 times as fast as a mac mini.
They also include this quote from wired "Apple need not fear. Analysts don't expect much consumer demand for the "clone". Not exactly flattering and pretty odd for a press release.
So what if it looks like a Mac Mini. That much is clear. I'm sure this little puppy will perform the hell out of the very slow and underperforming Mac Mini at a cheaper cost.
PC hardware has always outperformed Mac Hardware in both horsepower and price point. That is why no matter how good Apple's industrial design is or how superior ther operating system may be, Mac has continually lost market share.
This is what I want; a mini pc running a mac emulator…
Blah blah blah... how much? And where can I buy it? I think it would serve very well as the head end of a digital multimedia system, streaming content from a server hidden under my stairs.
Talk about mixed messages... they deny it has been influenced at all by the Mac mini and then the press release contains this;
“Measuring 15 cm by 15 cm by 5 cm, Mini PC is not only the world’s smallest Intel PC platform, but also smaller than a similar model on the market,” says Vincent Cho, VP and GM of Solution Products Business Unit. “What is more important, billions of Win-tel users in the world no longer have to tolerate the hassle of switching operating systems just to take advantage of the miniaturized and stylish personal computing devices,” he continues.
Sounds like he ONLY had the Mac mini in mind when developing this...
I can't wait to get a real mini PC
well if they manage to undercut the mac mini this may replace a lot of those desktop replacement laptops
That won't happen, the inquirer reported its price at $599 without windows!
Wow way to go people some very different feelings about this. Well I can tell by the measurements that somebody just posted out here that it's 1cm shorter than the MacMini but probably much faster and cheaper. I'm sure it'll have a quicker processor whereas Mac-Disks have allways been larger. I'm sure this'll sell better than the mini cuz of the fact that it's just as small as the mini, has the same looks as the mini while still being quicker and cheaper and also operating with Windows wich people obviously don't want to let go of. And what if Apple copied the design of this computer andnot the other waay around? How do we know that somebody inside AOpen didn't leak design plans to Apple? I mean that might be more likely than some people may think. I mean this did come out muuuuuch later than the MacMini but that's why it's quicker, just better they needed more time to perfection it.
Just my view of things thank you for being an Audience to what I had to say.
Let the lawsuit begin!
I would be surprised if they manage to make under $600 with Windows. Very surprised.
But at least it's out in the open that they were ripping off the Mini the whole time. Whether or not this will be successful is another story...
It's funny how many PC trolls still believe that "PC hardware has always outperformed Mac Hardware in both horsepower and price point."
Heh... Funny how the Powermac G5's are $1000 to $1500 cheaper than comparably performing Dell or Boxx dual proc workstations. Funny how trying to build a system comparable to an iMac g5 at the Dell store comes up more expensive.
It's also funny how for the majority of the last 20 years, Apple has held the performance crown. Only between 1999 and 2003 did X86 get way ahead thanks to clockspeed and G4 stagnation. Every previous generation of machines had Apple way ahead. PowerMacs decimated the 486/Original Pentiums/Pentium IIs. 68000 series chips crushed 286/386/486 systems. We're talking 15 years of an undebatable performance lead by Motorola and Apple computers and only 3 to 5 of X86 advantage (which has since ended for many applications with the g5).
Give me a break. Get your facts straight.
I forgot to mension how the Xserves and Xserve RAIDs DECIMATE comparable server hardware and storage at the same price point.
so there.
I've the Mac Mini is so dreadfull, why do they want to clone it?
Hmmm, what happened to all of the PC and Wintel apologists who were saying yesterday that this had NOTHING in common with a Mac mini, that there was simply NO other design possible?
*crickets*
Yeah, I thought so.
"no matter how good Apple's industrial design is or how superior ther operating system may be, Mac has continually lost market share."
Jon, Mac has gained market share.
http://news.com.com/Apple+earnings+sail+past+expectations/2100-1042_3-5534021.html
"The company sold 1,046,000 Macs, up 26 percent from last year. Analysts have been projecting a rise for the computer industry as a whole of about 10 percent, meaning that Apple gained a significant share during the quarter. "
Release the hounds!!!
#6 - If you actually read the Wired article, you'll notice that it says this -
Several small companies already offer Windows PCs that are similar in size to the Mac mini, but these are relatively expensive, niche products, hardly flying off store shelves at the Mac mini's estimated rate of around 40,000 a month. The cheapest of them sell for around $600, but a system comparable to the Mac mini would cost closer to $900. Appearances matter too, of course. While the Mac mini attracts adjectives like "sleek," "cool" and "sexy," its current lineup of Windows-based competitors could most politely be described as "compact."
Ouch. The Mac Mini comes with iLife free - can you give me one comparable Windows suite? The Mac Mini comes with a almost nonexistent virus scene - Windows XP didn't even come with an enabled firewall until SP2.
I love my Mac. You prefer your Windows. I have no viruses - I'm sure you have to deal with it. So Intel can't get the virus part down (look to Ottelini's comment), so they're copying the great industrial design. Wow.
Calih
I, I , I, sorry fell down laughing and can't get up. Who are these folks kidding. I'll be really surprised if Apple's legal folks let this thing see light of day. The only apparent difference, other than being stuck with windbloze, is the power button. i don't think it will fly.
----at a cheaper cost.
----faster and cheaper
----quicker and cheaper
I'm not even a PC Stooge and I know that the Pentium M running this thing won't allow it to be cheaper than the Mini.
But it DOES tell you what's on their minds :)
to those people who are weirded out by them putting in the Wired article in their press release: a lot of corporate sites here in taiwan put in reviews or articles that mention their products in their press releases and websites without reading them first. seriously. all they look for is a product mention. for real. it's kind of weird, but good for the consumer i suppose since you get "balanced" opinions. i've been to a couple of sites researching stuff i wanted to buy some months ago that had links in their sites that point to mixed reviews of their product. heheh.. i don't remember which sites but i think one was for either speakers or some audio thingy, and the other one i looked at was for pc enclosures.
"Heh... Funny how the Powermac G5's are $1000 to $1500 cheaper than comparably performing Dell or Boxx dual proc workstations. Funny how trying to build a system comparable to an iMac g5 at the Dell store comes up more expensive."
It's funny that MAC users think in costs of prebuilt computers. Us PC users can build what we want for much cheaper.
Come on, people. If we are REALLY going to go down the Lawrence Lessig/ Napster/ "information wants to be free" road (and Apple OSX IS based on BSD, right?), then industrial design is as open as software, right?
Why should Apple have a monopoly on the Mini-Mac design? Anyone should be able to use it, and hopefully, improve on it!
Linux comes to industrial design, if you will.
I think that this is a wonderful opportunity for Apple. One has to wonder why THEY didn't pay AOpen to build this thing. Windows XP and the Pentium M alone cost at least $300! Pentium M mobos are beaucoup bucks, but even if not the Mobo has to be like $50. The hard drive is probably $50. You still need memory and a videocard. $50 again?
It might be $499, but it might be $900, like Wired says. It all depends on how much that Mobo costs!
I'd like to see the performance. The Pentium M is a good performer, so I think AOpen probably has an edge. But honestly, does it really matter for what most people are using a Mini-Mac for?
"It's funny that MAC users think in costs of prebuilt computers. Us PC users can build what we want for much cheaper."
The gall of some people: to think of comparing a prebuilt computer to another prebuilt computer! Obvioulsy they need to compare Apple to the cheapest possible home built config out there, otherwise it's just lazy bullshit, right?
Seriously, it's because you aren't the target market, hobbyboy. Neither Apple nor Dell are competing for your cheap ass.
All the gushing over this brick tells me that PC fanboys *like* to buy stuff from a company that lies through its teeth about what it's really doing. Oh, wait, I already knew that. Nevermind.
Trae Shaw,
Please stop saying MAC. You make yourself look like an idiot who doesn't know what he's talking about. It is 'Mac'. One uppercase two lowercase letters. 'MAC' is a identification number every computer has - the MAC Address.
I don't know why so many anti-Mac users continue to spell it this way.
I wondered how long it'd take the Mac faithfull to mention Windows apparent security problems compared with MacOS.
It's a stupid argument of course; The whole point of a virus is to spread and as such they are obviously going to target the OS with the largest installed base: Windows. If MacOS had the market share that Windows currently enjoys you would find it's not as secure as you like to believe.
Ha ha...
You people sound like a bunch of idiots with PC chips on their shoulders. The facts are that there is absolutely ZERO info on performance and price yet, so attempting to compare it at all to the Mac Mini on anything other than looks is pure speculation. And on that point it's clearly a Mac Mini rip-off, but WTF cares. It's a small box with a button and a slot.
"PC hardware has always outperformed Mac Hardware in both horsepower and price point."
Uhh.. I dunno where people come up with claims like that. As for price point, they've clearly never actually priced out a similar spec'd Dell or something. As for horsepower, well there are so many variables that that is just a stupid statement. Gaming? Yes. Video? No.
Or this little gem:
"And what if Apple copied the design of this computer andnot the other waay around? How do we know that somebody inside AOpen didn't leak design plans to Apple? I mean that might be more likely than some people may think. I mean this did come out muuuuuch later than the MacMini but that's why it's quicker..."
OK I'll admit that troll kinda made me larf a bit. More likely eh?
Again... haha.
one question about that box, will it would with the usb hub/hdd combos that have come out for the mini?
if so then we may well be looking at the pc turning into something similar to a stereo rack system. want more storage? add component that either have a buildt in hdd or one that allow the insertion of hdd via trays.
maybe said components can hold small os's that do specific jobs (cd/dvd-burning, video recording) and that when comboed with a main unit allows the user to control all of the diffrent units thru a single interface.
"If MacOS had the market share that Windows currently enjoys you would find it's not as secure as you like to believe."
I don't know how you know what I like to believe, but I see what you're after. Regardless of whether OS X would have more viruses than are now seen (I think that's a given) there would be an order of magnitude or three fewer than we currently see with Windows.
Security comes from design.
The argument that Macs would have the same amount of viruses if they had the same marketshare as windows is nonesense and anyone who repeats it doesn't know what they're talking about. Apache has more marketshare than Microsoft IIS but IIS has more viruses.
That's just one example.
Jeff Hume,
It's mainly because I have spent all day in capslock. :-P
It doesn't help that the guy from aopen spitting out the press release is as arrogant as to claim:
“The launch of the unique Mini PC testifies the strong R&D capability of AOpen and demonstrates that the product development expertise of our company takes the leading position in the world,”
"unique"? "product development expertise"? Give me a break. The guy is a LIAR and he's being cocky about it. What a joke!
"I wondered how long it'd take the Mac faithfull to mention Windows apparent security problems compared with MacOS."
It's a stupid argument because most PC users cannot understand that nothing installs on OS X without an administrators password.
It's a stupid argument because Most PC users who maintian this argument haven't used OS X for any length of time to know at all what they are talking about.
It's a stupid argument because it's stupid to argue with people who have know idea, and don't want to have any idea. And of course that makes me stupid to even post this. But it's Friday and I feel like getting into a stupid argument and (no offence :^) there's stupid people here to argue with...
haha sorry about the typoos above...
Well it is unique in the PC world. For the record, I didn't pass up fell because I am a cheapass, I passed them up because I wanted more customization then they could offer. Although I do believe MacOS is a good platform I would feel more confortable if they opened up their products to more than just first party. If I could decide which chipset I wanted or which motherboard things would be alot more interesting.
what amuses me is that all the jackasses that were yesterday saying that there was no connection at all to the mac mini are either gone or have switched to a "this will run faster" stance.
Not me, I'm a new jackass.
#9, i saw that and started laughing
Dear Jeff, author of #35,
You would almost have a great point accept you disregard what I think is a key thing.
1. Majority of script kiddies still want to hit the greatest number of people possible and aren't that smart. Given that do they attack Apache which runs on.. wait for it... *nix or *BSD 95%+ of the time for IIS which unfortunately most of the time isn't patched once it was installed running on.... I'll let you guess.
I'm with you that this whole Apple would have the same amount of virii if it had the market share windows did. Let's not kid ourselves, Apple running a closed box setup would never have such market share. We don't have to like MS, but I'm sorry, if they decided to make a closed box(we could argue that its just as open as an MS box but lets not) and had to serve 2%-3% of the market and let every other hardware vendor fend for themselves, there is no way they'd have the virus count that they currently do.
But unfortunately for us all we'll never know. The MS loyalists can safely stand behind their statements knowing Apple will never have the share to prove them wrong and Apple loyalists can continue to bad mouth the MS group because they'll never be in a position to put up or shut up.
One day hopefully the world will see the light, sell their stuff, and invest in Sun workstations. :)
I don't think many people argued that the two had nothing in common. In fact I think most people were arguing that just like AOpen borrowed or stole their design from Apple, Apple had already done the same by borrowing or stealing the Nanode's design.
I don't know what PC manufacturers would do without Apple. They clearly don't have any ideas of their own and must resort to copying and stealing. Come on now, how hard would it have been to come up with a unique design here? It would have taken literally ZERO effort to come up with something that looked different but instead they copied the Mac mini right down to the name. These people must be dumber than a bag of rocks. I hope Apple sues that crap out of them. It's one thing to be inspired by another's design but to copy it outright is just plain wrong. Unfortunately we are seeing this more and more these days. I would never something from an unscrupulous company such as AOpen. Why support a company that takes advantage of American/European businesses and consumers in such a way?
How exactly are the consumers being taken advantage of in this situation?
Damn I'm tired of hearing how much "slower" macs are. Because at the end of the day the people buying them dont really give a damn. I set my mom up with a mac mini and gave her 900 Duron to my brother, she loves it to bits, she cant belive she put up with the PC (which ran XP) for so long. She even prefers Mail.app to Thunderbird!
So for all you people who think macs suck because they are "slower", it still does not change the fact that people like my mom who just want email, web, letters etc dont really care that it does not include a 3Ghz Intel CPU.
There's absolutely no reason for AOpen to copy the precise design of the Mac mini other than to try and ride the coattails of Apple's world-class brand recognition and specifically try trick unsuspecting new users into buying this POS instead of the Mac Mini (which they have likely heard about via the press).
The idea that any "R&D" went into this is absurd. Intel designed the reference board and internals, Apple designed the enclosure. This is just another in a long line of cheap Asian ripoffs. We Mac users will be laughing last when the price of this thing comes in higher than the Mac mini.