http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/ Engadget Comments for http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/Jun 18th 2010 8:03PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/
It's probably the prettiest in this small HTPC-minded computers, but that price tag is terrible. Put out something for $500 with similar specs on it, or keep the price and du the blu.

I'm no mac fan, but for this could be a much more attractive machine with a few tweaks.]]>Jun 18th 2010 8:12PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/
Here comes everyone that will tell you it's so pricey because of it's custom PCB layout.

I hope people realize putting a curve in a board is not a technological feat. In fact, every laptop mobo is a one off- only for $200 more, you can get an i7, 4gb mem, and an LCD.

Oh well.]]>Jun 18th 2010 8:12PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/Jun 18th 2010 8:16PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/Jun 18th 2010 8:19PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/
right there with ya. I am against most anything that is proprietary (so everything apple makes). itunes seems to blow chunks anytime I have had the unfortunate opportunity to use it. Love that they went HDMI on this guy, but where is my BluRay option. Fine, make it a $200 upgrade or some other crazy "apple" price, but make it an option. This can not truly be an HTPC unless you can put a blu-ray drive in it. ]]>Jun 18th 2010 8:27PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/
In other words, it is an Apple computer. Great fit and finish, horrible pricing.]]>Jun 18th 2010 8:33PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/Jun 18th 2010 8:53PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/Jun 18th 2010 9:05PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/
Agreed. If it was $500, I'd buy one, even if that meant they had to drop the specs. A 2.0GHz with the old 9400M graphics would be fine. Asking $700 for a mini PC is a pretty bad deal.]]>Jun 18th 2010 9:26PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/
I completely agree. I don't consider myself a fanboy but I suspect many would (first gen iPhone user who's willing to go to the 4th gen white even though it'd be my 7th iPhone in 3yrs 3- 2G and 3- 3GS), love OS X and use a Mac Pro as a HTPC, I can't see the justification of a $100 price jump. Although the HDMI addition and smaller form factor add to it's awesomeness, the extra $100 is a bit steep. $700 for a C2D with OS X? No, that's insane. People will lust over it and Apple will keep building them because of this, but as an HTPC, I don't see it unless you've got money to burn.
But honestly, I am at the point that enough is enough. Win 7 is good. I like OS X but I no longer can justify the high priced hardware to keep buying Apple. Their build quality may be higher cause they use aluminum instead of plastic and IPS screens over TFT, but this doesn't justify they price increase in this economy. ]]>Jun 18th 2010 9:34PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/I agree. It's not bad, in terms of hardware and design. But the price is just awful. If it was under $500, I'd consider buying one. Then install Windows 7 on it. Windows Media Center is pretty good and it's very remote control friendly.]]>Jun 18th 2010 9:39PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/Jun 18th 2010 9:39PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/
I did give the Dell Studio hybrid a shot - horrible performance and tried using a notebook as an HTPC. The inconvenience of having to open the lid to turn it on was too much for me.]]>Jun 18th 2010 10:12PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/Jun 18th 2010 10:27PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/OMG, has anyone even noticed this guys user name..
think about it "comeshot"]]>Jun 18th 2010 10:50PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/That is absolutely absurd. Their hardware is not crafted any better than plenty of PC companies out there. Even if you are foolish enough to fall for that, it's still not worth the premium they charge. $700 for a machine simply because it's small is stupid. You can easily build a mini-itx PC for cheaper or buy the Zotac Next-Gen ION system for $350 with everything needed to run as a PC and it looks just as nice.]]>Jun 18th 2010 11:16PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/
500 would be impossible. It just wouldn't be profitable, there's a lot of power in that little box. You guys are just being cheap.. sorry. If Apple wants to do the best computers they can't be losing money on hardware.]]>Jun 18th 2010 11:57PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/
I'd rather have one extra keyboard then be minus one keyboard.]]>Jun 19th 2010 12:31AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/
Huh? Surely that old nugget has had it's day. It's right up there with the good ol' Apple is proprietry and closed fairy tale.

Sure you can convince the script kiddies but to everyone else you just look clueless.

It's like an opposing fairy tale where Windows is no good for creative work, just dull business stuff like excel and word. ]]>Jun 19th 2010 12:51AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/2) Core i5/i7 upgrade option.
3) Built in Blu-ray drive.
4) Starting at $499.
That would make it the ultimate HTPC. Not that Apple cares about this. ]]>Jun 19th 2010 1:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/Jun 19th 2010 1:20AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/
"And unlike the Atom- or Ion-based nettops you might consider putting under your TV, the mini is also more than capable of running HD Flash video without any hesitation"

Atom 300 / ION rigs will play HD Flash with no problem using the beta. Also, you can either pick one off the shelf for about half the price and it'll have Windows Media Center. Roll your own, and still for less than the Mini you can get BluRay and something that actually does something an HTPC needs to do... record TV (and in HD at that).

"No, the mini isn't the perfect HTPC, although it's close."

No, it's not. It's the closest anyone who only buys Apple products can get at this point, but saying it's anywhere to 'close' compared to other options is just poor advice.

Signed,
former AppleTV modder who now hearts ION.]]>Jun 19th 2010 1:45AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/"...using the Beta"

But thats the deal. People paying the price for a Mini is paying for the quality software build that works and is vetted for the hardware (read: tested). You're lining a coder's pockets when you buy Apple, which isn't a bad thing (we need to eat too). AppleTV is the closest thing you'll have as a 'beta' product.

True you could spend the time to build your own for cheaper, and perhaps make it nicer looking too! Get out your unibody carving robot you've been hiding under your bed...or buy a little Ion with ChenLee Super DVD decoder delux player (read: beta) plus "Ultra Max Sound Experience Zing driver with built in Nano Extreme Internet Explorer toolbar and tray volume 'augmenter". Also comes with a trial of Quicken, Yahoo Toolbar, Google Toolbar, Bing Experience, FooHuangChoo Media Experience all-around, file-type association replacer, with integrated Microsoft .doc and pdf reader -all configured as your default program for everything. And 8 trial programs of Virus protection and anti-spyware that expired yesterday.

I know, it sounds like your average Toshiba at BestBuy. But seriously, 50% of that Apple premium price is going to you buying consumer tested, *nix/OSX with no adware/trialware.]]>Jun 19th 2010 2:01AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/
P.S. The Mac Mini has always been drop-dead sexy. I'd almost buy one on looks alone...]]>Jun 19th 2010 3:15AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/Yeah and like that craptastic iPad this one won't sell either!]]>Jun 19th 2010 4:33AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/
I think they mean four usb ports..]]>Jun 19th 2010 4:43AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/Jun 19th 2010 4:48AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/
The mini always seems to be last of all the Apple hardware to get real attention. Although the this update is nice I still think deep down Apple would like to kill this machine off as there's not enough money in it for them. I think the price increase sums it up.]]>Jun 19th 2010 5:15AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/Jun 19th 2010 5:36AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/ check!]]>Jun 19th 2010 5:57AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/Jun 19th 2010 9:36AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/To help you in all your future ventures:
loose --> lose]]>Jun 19th 2010 9:57AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/
Ok, it would be nice if it had HDMI, but the new model resolves that issue.]]>Jun 19th 2010 10:18AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/Jun 19th 2010 10:38AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/HTPC without Bluray is like bread without butter. What were they thinking (with AVGN voice).]]>Jun 19th 2010 10:54AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/Jun 19th 2010 11:48AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/
> Apple is a company who caters to the crowd that takes pride in a
> quality product, and by making a computer comparable with the
> everyday PC

Except it is comparable or inferior to an "everyday PC". That's the whole point. It's pretty and small but that's about it. Now Apple has just increased the pricetag on "pretty".

It is NOT a Porsche.

This is a pretty mundane update with the exception of the pointless design change and the price hike.

]]>Jun 19th 2010 12:19PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/
I really think the price jump was to further separate the Apple TV from the Mini. Which is sad. I know Apple still sees the Apple TV as something they're "toying around with." But the Apple TV could be improved. Especially if we didn't have to feed it everything through our iTunes account. Don't get me wrong, I use iTunes. But nobody loads everything through that one program. That would be insane.]]>Jun 19th 2010 3:10PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/pc-mac-desktops/sony-vaio-tp2-359005/review?artc_pg=1

I've got one in my front room & with Win7 with fuckin ace media centre on it, it's still more than capable as an HTPC.

The new Mac Mini _does_ look sexy though. . . ]]>Jun 19th 2010 6:17PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/Jun 19th 2010 7:41PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/
I've posted elsewhere on my disdain for Apple's pricing, and this is another example (its a stretch to even consider it at the asking price, adding a Blu Ray drive for the same cost is a stretch even). Just about everything you want from a great HTPC is there, except the cost. If the cost was $599, this would be a front runner.

But price aside, the hardware provided makes for an excellent HTPC with most every HTPC app there is. The Mac Mini has been a suitable platform _hardware_ wise for a while now, and that's why people say it's a great potential HTPC. And with the addition of an HDMI port, another major hurdle has been jumped.]]>Jun 20th 2010 3:15PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/Jun 22nd 2010 6:38PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/
http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/35950/dell-zino-hd-amd-dual-core-athlon-x2-3250e-3gb-ddr2-250gb-hd-blu-ray-romdvrw-radeon-hd-3200-win-vista-home-basic-64-bit]]>Jun 25th 2010 3:01AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/
I disagree and Apple defiantly disagrees with you. The lack of a Bluray player is a bummer but at this point what do you expect? Did you really expect Apple to add a Bluray player on their cheapest system? Number two, Apple clearly is against Bluray. A couple of theories, (1) Apple only puts in perfected features into their products and it's possible Apple doesn't feel confident enough in the Bluray line yet? (2) This is my main bet, Apple is moving to digital media only. Jobs has constantly talked about computing in clouds and he has pumped the iTunes store. (A) You can't stream Bluray yet and (B) The apple store doesn't sell Bluray quality videos yet. Obviously the processor is aimed at people who do basic to intermediate office/media work but the Intel Core 2 Duo is kind of a let down. Give me at least an i3! Overall the system is a nice upgrade wise on most levels. Some will complain about the small hard drives or RAM that costs a ton to upgrade, but remember you can also buy more ram for cheap and upgrade it yourself and the small laptop hard drives allow for low power consumption and for the small form factor. Additionally, someone mentioned a Dell Zino! haha That this is the biggest POS and can't even handle Netflix. At least with the mini you can do basic video editing and even music production ]]>Aug 19th 2010 1:26PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/
I used to be a Windows supporter until I realized Windows (Even W7) sucks. I used to justify my Windows craze to the fact that PCs offered better hardware for the same price or even lower price compared to a Mac. Now I have come to realize it's not so much the hardware that matters, but the software. OSX is by far the best OS in my opinion. It's fast stable, and has the best UI in the game. Windows Media Center is a joke... Is a price increase needed no, but why don't we yell at Sony for their overpriced computers? If you look at what most people use their computer for you will probably notice that not a lot people truly need a Bluray player, 1TB HD, i3/i5/i7 processor. Is it fair to say $700 can get you all of those with a Windows, Yes, but is there a Windows machine that is this sleek, compact, and user friendly as the Mini, no. In contrast we see the same argument in phones. The Sprint EVO phone has some killer features and is priced similar to the iPhone 4, but many users (not all) would agree that Apple still has implemented many of their features better and has a better UI then Android. Sometimes less is more... ]]>Aug 19th 2010 3:35PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/This is a TRUE htpc.
Wish it was cheaper though....]]>Jun 18th 2010 8:05PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/I'm sorry snake, but I don't think you'll be able to fit into this box anytime soon...]]>Jun 18th 2010 8:48PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/
The 5400rpm laptop harddrive is also going to represent a bottleneck, and its capacity is also limited compared to competitors that use desktop harddrives in their micro-PCs (like the Dell Zino) which are faster and come in 2TB capacities which is nice when used as a DVR or to store large movie collections.

"And unlike the Atom- or Ion-based nettops you might consider putting under your TV, the mini is also more than capable of running HD Flash video without any hesitation"

I have a feeling that Nilay does know that this was an issue before 10.1 Flash hardware acceleration on Atom processors, and is thus very misleading. It is only the Mac which doesn't have hardware acceleration, which will place great strain on the CPU.

The CPU in the Mac Mini btw was also released within weeks of the rumored Intel Z530 that might be in the HP Slate device. Although they are both quite old Intel stock, in the HP it was described as "hopelessly out of date"... yet here there is no mention of why Apple didn't use a modern processor, considering the price premium (it is over a thousand dollars after giving it a normal 4GB of memory and a wireless keyboard and mouse). ]]>Jun 18th 2010 9:35PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/mac-mini-mid-2010-review/Jun 18th 2010 11:46PM