mac+mini

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  • New 2014 Mac mini models ship with soldered, non-user upgradeable RAM

    According to Macminicolo's Brian Stucki, the new Mac mini is a "nice upgrade" over previous models, but there are a few drawbacks potential buyers should know about before hitting the "purchase" button. The biggest detractor in the 2014 Mac mini is the RAM, which is soldered to the motherboard and no longer user replaceable. Apple has lowered the price on the RAM upgrades and bumped the default RAM on the higher end models to 8 GB as consolation. Buyers should choose their memory configuration carefully, since it cannot be changed. While the RAM is no longer upgradeable, Stucki confirms the hard drive can be replaced with some effort. Users have to deal with tamper-proof screws and will void their warranty with the upgrade, but the upgrade at least is possible. The new Mac mini is available now with a starting price of US$499 for a model with a 1.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, 4 GB RAM and 500 GB hard drive. A middle tier model with a 2.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, 8 GB RAM and 1 TB hard drive ships for $699, while a 2.8GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, 8 GB RAM and 1 TB Fusion drive costs $999.

    Kelly Hodgkins
    10.20.2014

  • It Wasn't a Test Drive Anyway

    I'd just like to chime in on this Mac Mini Test Drive thing and say good riddance to bad rubbish. I'd also like to know who's bright idea this was in the first place, and how on earth they sold it as a "test drive." First off, a "test drive" means that you aren't paying money up front to test a product - typically, with a car for example, you don't have to leave much more than a license to take it for a spin. Second, this was nothing more than a glorified return policy - and a shady one at that: the "test drive" would have begun the moment you placed the order online, and not when you received it. Three cheers for "30 days!"Nice try, Apple Marketing. Any more bright ideas lying around?[Thanks lackman15, via Laurie, for the pic. Bonus points to the first reader who can name where this pic's from!]

    David Chartier
    08.31.2005

  • Brakes slammed on Mac mini Test Drive program

    Remember that Test Drive a Mac mini promotion we told you about yesterday? Well forget we mentioned it. It's no longer happening.  We don't know why, and we don't much care. We tend to buy our computers from retail and internet stores that have pretty good return policies anyway, so Apple wasn't really doing us any favors. Andy from iPodNirvana wrote with the news:"I just received an email from LinkShare, the people who handle Apple's affiliate program. Apple has apparently decided (in less that 24 hours) to stop the Test Drive promotion. They have given no explanation, and I have not seen any other details, but all references to the Test Drive have been removed from Apple's site, and all of the banners have suddenly become regular Mac Mini banners."Here's the email from LinkShare:As a follow-up to an email we sent you this morning, please note that the Mac mini Test Drive promotion is no longer offered at the Apple Store. We have dynamically updated the banners and landing pages for this promotion, so if you are featuring this promotion on your site, they will automatically update to another promotion. Please be sure to update your Mac mini Test Drive text links. The rest of the promotions featured in today's email are still live.We apologize for the inconvenience.Thank you,Apple Store Affiliate ProgramCoincidentally, I just now received the same email, as I participate in the Apple affiliate program on several sites that I run. Ok, so maybe I'm a little bit curious about what caused this rather abrupt turn of events. But just a little...

    Laurie A. Duncan
    08.31.2005

  • Tritton USB 2.0 Video Card for Mac mini

    Want to add a second display to your Mac mini? If so, you'll be glad to hear that Tritton is making its SEE2, the industry's first USB 2.0 to SVGA adapter, Mac mini compatible as of July 5th. Actually, this means it will be fully Mac compatible, working with any system running USB 2.0, but since the Mac mini is the only system that doesn't support some sort of monitor-spanning and cannot add the necessary port to support it via a PCMIA card.