Apple Intel Mac mini hands on

Meet the new Mac mini, same as the old Mac mini -- we could go on and on about its new ports, faster processor, etc., but we all know it's an Intel Mac mini, that's it and that's all. Click on to see some more shots.

[Thomas Brennan @ Feb 28th 2006 3:06PM]

What about TV Tuner card? Anything out there besides the Elgato system?

[Jeff @ Feb 28th 2006 3:08PM]

It's the same as the old Mac Mini, except that now it has integrated graphics. Which makes it, you know, worse.

[Paco @ Feb 28th 2006 3:08PM]

Neat, now I can have an ultra compact low power webserver. I just need to get 2003 Server on it.

[vinegar @ Feb 28th 2006 3:08PM]

that's not all - they also ditched the semi-decent radeon 9200 in favour of intel's abhorrant integrated graphics.

[nfoo @ Feb 28th 2006 3:08PM]

You know what:

Now I'm acutaly thinking about getting me a MacMini.
The first verson had everything to turn me of: only 1 Gig of Ram, 4200rpm hard drive, slow G4.

But with a core duo, up to 2 Gigs of ram, faster drive, superdrive ... hello video editing, hello photoshop.. hello MacMini!

But then again... for 800 Euros I can build myself a lightning fast Pentium D System with all that and a fast 7800 GT for gaming ... hm.. hmm.. what to do, what to do...

[BobbyW @ Feb 28th 2006 3:09PM]

sooooooooooo disappointed. Are you engadget guys mad you made the trip?!

[retsel @ Feb 28th 2006 3:09PM]

u know there might never be a mac mini tivo... if i could tivo why would i buy battlestar galactica from the itunes... hmmm... i could cry...

[yourmommasjuice @ Feb 28th 2006 3:10PM]

All I want to know is if it can output hd files...

[Vu Truong @ Feb 28th 2006 3:10PM]

I'm looking at the second picture right now and wondering where can i get the same black pad for my keyboard and mouse? the setup is similar to what i have and it looks so nice.

[Mohammad @ Feb 28th 2006 3:14PM]

Do you think I could play Battefield 2 on this thing? haha

[rjj130 @ Feb 28th 2006 3:14PM]

I'm quite disappointed as well.

I like the idea of the specs, but saddened they didn't somehow throw a tv tuner card in there.

I love the MacMini form factor and I'd be perfect for a HTPC. A vast majority of the HTPC cases are quite gaudy and eye sores, but this would fit where ever.

Oh well...we can hope they do a HTPC soon!

[Dusing @ Feb 28th 2006 3:17PM]

Vu Truong - the pad is from IKEA... looks like all the furniture is from IKEA.

[diulei @ Feb 28th 2006 3:19PM]

I don't know what's worse, the 32MB of VRAM when they introduced the Mini or this integrated VRAM.

[Sean @ Feb 28th 2006 3:20PM]

It's a nice improvement, except for the graphics card and the fact they raised the price. Nothing special though. I kind of want one just because they're so small and quiet, but it's still not up to par with what I would want. I just built an HTPC that works fine for me anyway.

[Justin @ Feb 28th 2006 3:22PM]

The new video chipset is made for home theater. It has hardware motion compensation, MPEG-2 hardware decoding, support for native HDTV resolutions and 16x9 aspect displays. It won't be much for gaming, but who really wants a mini for that anyway?

http://www.intel.com/products/chipsets/gma950/

[LA @ Feb 28th 2006 3:25PM]

Integrated video card makes this device graphically "weak".

[Shan Anderson @ Feb 28th 2006 3:26PM]

Steve has officially jumped the shark-ouch. I hope all this stuff was proposed while he was ill and that the true great products are a couple of months away. The ones we really want not the ones we might settle for.

[Mardo @ Feb 28th 2006 3:28PM]

Everyone pumps Apple up so high. Really what have they done that is great except the I-Pod? Intel is the one making their computers better. Linux makes their software better. Where is the innovation except for marketing?

[Shawin @ Feb 28th 2006 3:28PM]

This might seems weird... but lemme explain.
You know Apple is gonna have an event on the 1st of April.
Since Steve is so intelligent, he decided to do April's fool a month before, i.e. today, since he thought nobody would go to his 1st-of-April event in fear of a bad joke. Now when only a few people go to that event, he'll throw us the real iPod Hifi and MightyMiniMe. Lemme tell u. I'm thrilled about this. lollz :p

[Peter Elliot @ Feb 28th 2006 3:29PM]

This machine is fine apart from the poor video and lack of a second video output. I want to drive a normal monitor as well as a HDTV.

The machine must be able to decode 720P & 1080P material, and have HDCP for copy protection otherwise you can throw it away in 12 months.

[Jonathan @ Feb 28th 2006 3:31PM]

rjj130, you don't really expect Apple to put a tv tuner in there, do you? Apple is not going to do a tv+computer combination, they did that already in the 90's and that's history. Most likely they try to make themselves big in the digital distribution field. Tupporting ancient things like TV is not part of their strategy. And frankly, the TV as it is now, an appliance, should be as it is, there's no place for computer IMHO.

If you really want a tv tuner you can buy one yourself but forcing all mac mini buyers pay $100 or so for that would be plain stupid. And by the way, what kind of a tuner would you put in there? Analog/digital terrestial/cable NTSC/PAL/something else?

[Paul @ Feb 28th 2006 3:31PM]

Did someone say integrated graphics?!? What is THAT about?

[netrage @ Feb 28th 2006 3:32PM]

Apple should have released all these shits without the major announcement. It was not worth the publicity. Overpriced garbage!!!

[Flash @ Feb 28th 2006 3:32PM]

I am disappointed about the TV tuner. When I just went to Apple.com and say a new Intel Mac mini, I thought there would be a TV tuner in there. I was even thinking about buying one.

Now I'll probably wait a while and just see if Apple may include on.
I'll keep checking Macrumors.

[ash @ Feb 28th 2006 3:40PM]

Who makes the TV they are using to demo ?

TIA ;)

[Jake @ Feb 28th 2006 3:41PM]

#17, I totally agree -- Steve has jumped the shark.

How long will people keep showing up for these "extravaganzas" if they turn out, like this one, to be not extravaganzas at all? I mean, come on . . . there is NOTHING here worth getting all worked up over.

A ridiculously overpriced leather case, a bulky and (in my opinion)ugly boombox and a revamped mini-mac that everyone already knew was coming? They had a press event for this? And people showed up? What a joke!

This is one of the first PR blunders I've seen Apple make in awhile. I would have thought they would be much more careful with their "media darling" status.

Jake

[Jon @ Feb 28th 2006 3:41PM]

The last two pictures....are those being driven by the mini? If so, is it HD or is non-HD? Regardless how does the video look? The pictures don't show any distortion, but is there distortion with lots of movement on the screen?

[u07ch @ Feb 28th 2006 3:42PM]

I get that the size is nice and small but my hifi amp is 17" across; but why not a larger case; desktop components - higher performance and a smaller price ?

[Jon @ Feb 28th 2006 3:44PM]

FYI

It seems like the shareholders agree with everyone's statements. APPL is down over $2 a share right now since the announcements.

[Hildy @ Feb 28th 2006 3:47PM]

This event sucks, my old mac mini takes for ever to encode HD from elgato but I was looking for something much bigger. How about full on multi core 64 bit Intel boxes, a proper video iPod with a much larger drive and a streaming solution for getting my video to my TV?

[Paul @ Feb 28th 2006 3:47PM]

It could have at least had an HDMI connection!

[PodMonkeys @ Feb 28th 2006 3:47PM]

Seems like it'd be good for setting up really small server farms. Or possibly running photoshop on the semi-cheap.

[Will @ Feb 28th 2006 3:57PM]

"18.
Everyone pumps Apple up so high. Really what have they done that is great except the I-Pod? Intel is the one making their computers better. Linux makes their software better. Where is the innovation except for marketing?"

Apple doesn't use linux, it uses a Unix-based platform based off NeXTStep, originally developed by NeXT (the company Jobs ran while away from Apple).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NeXTSTEP

[ToadVomit @ Feb 28th 2006 4:00PM]

In all fairness to The Steve, he did not hype that event, all the cultists and media pimps did because they were all getting wet when they got the mystery invite. It said it would just be about fun stuff, nothing more. Get a grip, crybabies... -The Toad

[wimbers @ Feb 28th 2006 4:02PM]

I agree with #26,
If they made the ipod hifi not so rounded off, it would look nicer in a ht environment.
make the current mac mini in a 17" enclosure too. it would add the possibillity for passive cooling, an auxiliary display for itunes / frontrow status and a true large harddrive.

now i still have to build it all from pc components. (macosx86 please continue your forum, i love to run frontrow on my intel based DIY system.)

[Ed @ Feb 28th 2006 4:07PM]

For those of your concerned about the GMA950 not being able to play HD content, don't worry, it can. I have a laptop with that chipset and a core duo (Sony SZ) and it plays quicktime 1080p HD trailers perfectly at 24 fps. If you wanna play WoW, get an iMac. If you want a Mac HTPC, this is the one. SPDIF Optical outs... DVI... almost perfect... Just needs cablecard support :)

[Saif @ Feb 28th 2006 4:09PM]

I know people don't really want to hear this, but...did *Apple* really build up this event, or did the media (tech news sites, blogs, etc.) really build it up? In other words, are we let down because Apple specifically told us that this would be a revolutionary announcement, or did we let ourselves down by merely expecting it?

Sure, Apple invited media to this event in what looked like it would be a large production. But many companies do that within their industries when announcing a new product, even outside the computers/technology industry. I think everyone, including the fanboys and the haters, has come to expect huge announcements from Apple every time Jobs opens his mouth on a stage somewhere, and it's our own faults if we're disappointed.

[Apple didn't over hype this @ Feb 28th 2006 4:12PM]

Apple didn't go nuts on this, the people on the internet made up all kinds of crazy rumors Apple couldn't measure up to. This was the most minor kind of event possible, at Apple's home base, not any kind of show. People just got stupid expectations up. And it's AAPL, not APPL.

You had to see the integrated video coming. It makes it possible to save a lot of money and space in the unit. Guess what the rumored Intel iBook will have in it? I'll give you one guess.

The integrated video should be okay. I wish it had integrated H.264 acceleration instead of just MPEG-2 though. And you think a Mac is slow with 512MB of memory in it normally, try cutting 64MB out for the video! This baby is a 1GB minimum device.

[Dennis @ Feb 28th 2006 4:13PM]

For those narrow minded who think the GMA 950 will be able to output decent video, dream on. Look at this review of the card. 20 fps at 800x600 on a 3.6ghz P4, wtf? The new mini sucks big time...

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2427

[CyclotronX @ Feb 28th 2006 4:20PM]

Not sure if you guys are just haters, but nearly all the of the shelves specs are doubled...

[Apple didn't over hype this @ Feb 28th 2006 4:27PM]

The comments about 20fps in Doom 4 are off base. Everyone knows this won't play shooters well. The question is can it play video? That article doesn't even address that. Lame post.

[Ed @ Feb 28th 2006 4:28PM]

#35 -- 3D is different from video. If you want 3D, get a PC, an iMac, or a Power Mac G5.

I want an HTPC, one that will play divx and quicktime videos on my big screen at HD resolution, and this computer is perfect. It's quiet, power-conserving, and fast enough for H.264 HD decoding.

[Al @ Feb 28th 2006 4:31PM]

What an amazing letdown. This less than marginal Intel graphics adapter has made me really re-think Apple. For a high end model you will easily spend well over $1,000 and receive a piece of trash that has worse graphic performance than just about any off-the-shelf generic Windoze or Linux box on the market. Bad Steve. If this is your idea of being "a hardware company" I am strongly compelled to cancel my MacBook order and ditch Apple altogether. I am really really really stunned. Continue to put out insulting garbage like this and you can EXPECT more people to simply hack the heck out of OS X to get it to work on REAL hardware also expect more people to begin work on Xgl/Linux for their whiz-bang graphics (and a much better filesystem). Wow.

[chase @ Feb 28th 2006 4:31PM]

boo. What a huge let down. Nothing new just the same old. It still doesn't make me want to buy a mac mini. I would rather spend money on a macbookpro

[Desides @ Feb 28th 2006 4:32PM]

"2. It's the same as the old Mac Mini, except that now it has integrated graphics. Which makes it, you know, worse."

Except the onboard video is actually decent for the tasks required of it: video playback, handling GUI rendering via Core Image and Quartz Extreme, and other low-intensity tasks. It also has double the memory of the Mini's previous video chipset (onboard Radeon 9000, IIRC), which means there will be a performance boost in the aforementioned tasks.

Nice try.

[play free games @ Feb 28th 2006 4:34PM]

I was going to sell my mac mini 1.25, but I think I'm going to keep it for a while. It still works very well, especially since I bumped it up to 1 gig of ram. These new ones are definetly nice for the first time mac buyer though, and good a/v features.

[gs191 @ Feb 28th 2006 4:36PM]

@#35, Those are games, not video.

Who is seriously going to play WOW on a Mac Mini. Give me a break.

The Mac Mini started as a starter PC and will always be a starter PC. I don't think the average consumer gives a crap if the graphics are an radeon 9200 or integrated.

The Mac Mini is for Video, Music, TV, Internet, Email, etc. Not for high-end performance gaming. Why would you need a X1600 when integrated graphics does all those things just fine?

BTW, if Apple stock drops more, i'm going to buy because when those new iPods and Intel iBooks hit the market, I'm gonna make me some MAD MONEY!!!!!

[BobbyW @ Feb 28th 2006 4:45PM]

I'm a stockholder. I see this as an opportunity to buy more before whatever happens on April 1.

But Apple will really hurt itself long term if they get in the habit of staging non-events like today. Maybe they didn't hype it, but the invited the media, and Steve was there. That's too much hype for what was shown.

Media people who came from the East Coast or other countries must be WAY disappointed.

[PDX @ Feb 28th 2006 4:47PM]

Overpriced trash. People buy Macs for their graphic capabilities. Why not sell a baby rattle and a couple balloons with it? Call it the MacFlop Pro (TM).

[Desides @ Feb 28th 2006 5:02PM]

"45. Overpriced trash. People buy Macs for their graphic capabilities."

Hahahahaha! Oh, wait, you're serious.

People by PowerMacs and MacBook Pros for image editing capabilities. People buy Mac Minis because they want a small computer to perform simple tasks with.

The only idiocy here is your identification of the Mac Mini with intensive professional editing.