mac mini server
Latest
Holiday Gift Guide: Buying a Mac
The holiday season is fast approaching which means it's time to start thinking about your loved ones and the gifts they may want to receive. High on the list for some may be a new shiny Mac to replace their old, worn-out computer. It's an expensive gift and one that you'll want to research before you take the plunge. Here are some tips to help you get started with your Mac shopping. Think about usage first Before you even begin looking, you need to decide which Mac model you're going to buy. Apple only makes five products in the Mac line including the Mac mini, the iMac, the MacBook Pro, the MacBook Air and the Mac Pro. The underlying specs on many of these models may be similar, but they are very, very different machines and designed for very different purposes. When buying a Mac, the first thing you need to ask yourself is how is the person going to use their computer. Do they travel or stay at home? Do you they need a media server or a machine for browsing the web? Everybody is different and their needs for a computer will vary, so you should take the time to match the computer to the person who will receive it. Below you will find a description of each Mac product line and how each model is typically used. It should help you narrow down the model best suited for the recipient. If you are knowledgeable about Mac products already, you can skip ahead to our shopping tips which will help you save money on your Mac. Mac mini The Mac mini is a desktop Mac perfect for the person who doesn't need portability. The square, flat mini is slim and stylish which is great for those with a small workspace. It can connect to any monitor via Thunderbolt or HDMI, which makes it ideal for someone like a programmer or photo editor who needs a special display (there is an HDMI to DVI adapter included). The base model ships with a dual-core Intel Core i5 processor and OS X Lion, but there is a quad-core version of the mini with Lion server which is lets you use it as a media, web or file server. This latest version also includes support for Bluetooth 4.0 which will let it connect to a new line of low-power Bluetooth devices for fitness and remote control. The Mac mini still has a Firewire port, in case someone still uses it for storage or video cameras. Starting at $600, the mini is the cheapest Mac available. The Mac mini is a complicated purchase because it ships as a stand-alone unit and does not include an external monitor, external mouse or keyboard. If you are buying the Mac mini as a gift, you should make sure the recipient has these accessories already or buy them yourself in advance. Though the mini will work with any USB keyboard or mouse, Apple makes a wireless keyboard, a wireless Magic Mouse and a wireless Magic Trackpad that work perfectly with the mini. Once you've taken care of the smaller peripherals, you need to think about your choice of a monitor. The mini has a Thunderbolt port that allows it to connect to any Thunderbolt-enabled display. Apple sells a line of Thunderbolt displays which are gorgeous, but pricey. The mini can also connect to a TV via HDMI or a standard monitor using DVI or VGA. You'll need to purchase a cable to connect the Thunderbolt port to the display. The nice part about Thunderbolt is that it's compatible with Apple's older mini-display standard, so any old mini-display cable will work. If you can avoid it, don't buy your mini-display/Thunderbolt cables from a place like Best Buy as you will spend too much money. Monoprice is an excellent place to purchase cables. The online retailer carries a wide variety of cables and their prices can't be beat. Amazon also carries inexpensive cables and shipping is free for Prime members. iMac The iMac is another desktop model, but this Mac is an all-in-one that includes an integrated high-resolution monitor, a keyboard and your choice of a Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad. With its 21.5-inch or larger edge-to-edge monitor, quad-core processor and FaceTime HD camera, the iMac is a great all-around machine that's perfect for a home setting. This latest iMac also includes several USB 2.0 ports, Firewire and support for Bluetooth 4.0 (like the mini). It has Thunderbolt to connect to high-speed peripherals and a mini-display port to connect to a second external monitor as well. Since everything is included in one package, it's an easy buy for someone who doesn't need portability. You basically open the box and have everything you need to get up and running in just a few minutes. It's available in a 21.5-inch size that starts at $1199 and a 27-inch that starts at $1699. MacBook Pro The MacBook Pro is the premier Mac notebook. It's portable, has excellent battery life and ships with a variety of high-end options including a quad-core processor, an integrated DVD-ROM and a high-resolution, anti-glare display. The larger 15-inch and 17-inch models are excellent desktop replacements, while the 13-inch model is a powerful travel companion. The 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pros also include a dedicated graphics card which is useful for photo and video professionals and gamers. The latest version also includes Thunderbolt and Firewire. Unlike the MacBook Air which includes support for Bluetooth 4.0, the MacBook Pro only includes Bluetooth 3.0. That's not a big deal right now as Bluetooth 4.0 is a new standard, but it could be important next year when these fitness and health monitors start hitting the market. The MacBook Pro is my computer choice as I don't travel very often, but want the flexibility of being able to use my computer at my desk, in front or the TV and sometimes on the porch. It provides the perfect mix of power and portability for the person who isn't always traveling with their notebook. It's available in 13-inch, 15-inch and 17-inch models. Pricing starts at $1199 for the 13-inch, $1799 for the 15-inch and $2499 for the 17-inch. MacBook Air The MacBook Air shares similar specs as the MacBook Pro, but is lighter and significantly smaller. It has a razor-thin design that's simply gorgeous. It lacks a an optical drive of any kind (although Apple sells an external one separately) and has an SSD drive which makes the Air as small as possible, but also yields fast response times and better battery life. The latest version also includes Thunderbolt, Firewire and support for Bluetooth 4.0. It's highly portable and still powerful, two factors that make it one of the best selling Mac models. It's great for students, business people and anyone else who has to carry their Mac around with them on a regular basis. The MacBook Air is available in an 11-inch model that starts at $999 and a 13-inch model that starts at $1299. (Update: The MacBook Air can work with Firewire peripherals, but only through an intermediate device hooked up via the Thunderbolt port, such as Apple's Thunderbolt Display or Sonnet's forthcoming Echo ExpressCard/34 Thunderbolt adapter. --Ed) Mac Pro The Mac Pro is a desktop powerhouse designed for heavy duty computing. It's used by video and photo-editing professionals who run applications that can take advantage of the 6-, 8- and 12-core processor options. It hasn't received an update this year and, as a result, is getting a bit long in the tooth. The Mac Pro is the only Mac model in Apple's lineup without Thunderbolt. It's also the most expensive Mac around and has a price tag that starts at $2499. Places to shop Once you decide what Mac model to buy, you should do some comparison shopping. Unlike PCs which are often steeply discounted, Mac models rarely go on sale. They are a premium product and fetch a premium price, but with some savvy shopping you can save yourself a few hundred dollars. The first place you need to look is Apple's retail store which will give you an idea of the base price and configuration for each model. You can look at both brick and mortar Apple stores and the online store as their prices are comparable. Shopping in Apple's official stores may be the most expensive option, but you will get buying assistance from the store employees and you have the ability to add advanced options like a 7200 RPM hard drive or a high-resolution display. Sometimes, Apple also offers free printers and other bonuses not available at third-party retailers. In addition, Apple's online store has an outlet where you can purchase refurbished models at a discount. These refurbished machines are usually a few hundred dollars cheaper and come with Apple's standard one-year warranty. If you want to look outside of Apple's retail chain, there are several retailers that carry Apple products. Amazon, Best Buy, MacMall and MacConnection are four that come to mind. Best Buy even carries select models in their brick and mortar stores, so you can compare the quality of the Mac with their less expensive PC counterparts. If you have never used a Mac, you'll be amazed at their solid build quality and beautiful design. Most of these third-party retailers will offer Mac products with a slight discount. You'll lose out on any offers Apple has, but you can save yourself $50 to $150 by shopping at a these retailers. If you want to keep track of any discounts or special offers on Mac products, you should check out DealMac, an Apple-Oriented version of the popular DealNews website. Each day, Deal Mac lists new sales that include Mac models and all their accessories. What about used Macs? if you find the prices of regular retail Macs too expensive, you can turn to the resale market for your shopping needs. You can search for a reasonable deal on a used or older Mac at places like eBay and Craigslist. But I must warn you, Macs are well-made machines and they hold their value very well. Don't expect to find a recent MacBook Pro for $200. Nonetheless, you still can save yourself several hundred dollars by buying a used or older Mac. Sometimes, you can find an excellent deal. I recently picked up a fully-functional 2009 Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro for $350 on Craigslist. Shopping used does come with some risks. Most used machines don't include a warranty and you usually can't fully test them before you purchase. eBay does offer warranties through Square Trade and has a buyer protection policy, but Craigslist is like the wild west with little to no protection. You can still get a great deal on Craigslist, you just have to be a bit more selective and find a seller that'll let you fire up the machine before you hand over your money. If you want a safe bet, you can check out Apple's online outlet. As mention above, you can grab a refurbished Mac at a discount and it includes a one-year warranty, too. You'll also want to make sure the Mac you are buying is up-to-date. Back in 2006, Apple made the switch to the Intel platform and its latest OS X versions require this Intel hardware. Older Macs have PowerPC components that are no longer compatible with OS X Snow Leopard 10.6 and Lion 10.7. These PowerPC Macs may be super cheap, but they are obsolete. Thankfully, these models are old enough that you don't see too many of them listed for sale, but they are still out there and you need to be aware of them. Good luck finding the right Mac for whomever you're shopping for, even yourself. Stay tuned to TUAW for more gift guides in the weeks leading up to the holidays.
Apple introduces new Mac mini with faster processors, Thunderbolt, server option
Besides its MacBook Air model, Apple also introduced a new Mac mini -- which lacks a previously standard component, as the new mini has no optical drive. It does support Apple's remote drive software, allowing you to use another Mac or PC's optical drive over the network. The latest version keeps the boxy aluminum styling of the previous model but now includes a dual-core Core i5 or quad-core Core i7 processor, AMD Radeon HD 6630M discrete graphics and support for Thunderbolt. You can also choose between an OS X Lion version or a server version with OS X Lion Server. The Mac mini will be available in three models: 2.3 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 Mac mini with 2GB of RAM, 500GB hard drive and a starting price tag of US$599. Optional 8GB memory and 750GB hard drive. 2.5 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 Mac mini with 4GB of RAM, 500GB hard drive and a starting price tag of $799 (US). Optional 2.7GHz dual-core Core i7 processor, up to 8GB of memory, and a 750GB hard drive or 256GB solid state drive. 2.0 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 Mac mini with Lion Server, 4GB of RAM, dual 500GB hard drives and a starting price of $999. Optional 8GB memory, two 750GB hard drives, or up to two 256GB solid state drives. The new Mac mini is available today online, and tomorrow (July 21) in Apple retail stores or authorized resellers. Show full PR text Apple Updates Mac mini CUPERTINO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apple® today updated the Mac® mini with next generation Intel core processors, new discrete graphics, high-speed Thunderbolt I/O technology and Lion, the world's most advanced operating system. The new Mac mini delivers up to twice the processor and graphics performance of the previous generation in the same amazingly compact and efficient aluminum design.* Starting at just $599 (US), the new Mac mini is available for order today and in stores tomorrow. "Mac mini delivers the speed and expandability that makes it perfect for the desktop, living room or office" "Mac mini delivers the speed and expandability that makes it perfect for the desktop, living room or office," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "With faster processors, more powerful graphics and Thunderbolt in an incredibly compact, aluminum design, the new Mac mini is more versatile than ever." At just 7.7-inches square and 1.4-inches thin, the new Mac mini maintains its compact aluminum design while delivering amazing performance and graphics capabilities. Available in three different configurations, customers can choose a Mac mini with the latest dual-core Intel Core i5 or Intel Core i7 processors, AMD Radeon HD 6630M discrete graphics, or a quad-core Intel Core i7 powered server configuration. Designed without an optical disc drive, Mac mini can access the optical drives on other PCs and Macs, and works with the MacBook Air® SuperDrive®. Configure-to-order options include up to 8 GBs of memory, a faster 7200 RPM hard drive and a 256GB solid state drive. Mac mini now comes with Thunderbolt I/O technology for expansion possibilities never before available to Mac mini users. With a Thunderbolt port, Mac mini can connect to peripherals such as high-performance storage devices, RAID arrays and the new Apple Thunderbolt Display, a stunning 27-inch IPS widescreen display that's great for making FaceTime® HD video calls, surfing the Web and viewing movies and photos. With ultra-fast Wi-Fi, you can wirelessly download apps from the Mac App Store™, get music and movies from iTunes®, back up data to Time Capsule® and share files with AirDrop, which makes transferring files quick and easy. Mac mini includes Bluetooth for wireless peripherals and four USB ports for easy connectivity for the wired and wireless devices you use every day. The new Mac mini remains the world's most energy efficient desktop, meets Energy Star 5.2 requirements and achieves EPEAT Gold status.** Mac mini has a highly recyclable aluminum enclosure, PVC-free components and cables, no brominated flame retardants and features material-efficient system and packaging designs. Every new Mac mini comes with Mac OS® X Lion, the latest major release of Mac OS X, the world's most advanced operating system, and iLife® apps for creating and sharing great photos, movies and music. Lion introduces more than 250 new features to the Mac, including Multi-Touch® gestures and system-wide support for full screen apps; Mission Control, an innovative view of everything running on your Mac; the Mac App Store, the best place to find and explore great software; Launchpad, a new home for all your apps; and a completely redesigned Mail app. Pricing & Availability The new Mac mini is available through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com) today and in Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers starting July 21. The 2.3 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 Mac mini with 2GB of memory and a 500GB hard drive starts at a suggested retail price of $599 (US), with options to add memory up to 8GB and a 750GB hard drive. The 2.5 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 Mac mini with 4GB of memory and a 500GB hard drive starts at a suggested retail price of $799 (US), with options to upgrade to a 2.7GHz dual-core Core i7 processor, up to 8GB of memory, and a 750GB hard drive with an option to add or replace with a 256GB solid state drive. The 2.0 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 Mac mini with Lion Server, 4GB of memory and dual 500GB hard drives starts at a suggested retail price of $999 (US). Options include adding memory up to 8GB, two 750GB hard drives, or up to two 256GB solid state drives. *Testing conducted by Apple in July 2011 using preproduction Mac mini configurations. For more information visit www.apple.com/macmini/features.html. **EPEAT is an independent organization that helps customers compare the environmental performance of notebooks and desktops. For more information visit www.epeat.net. Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced iPad 2 which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.
Xserve End Of Life: Some opinions and ideas about Apple's server strategy
As an Apple Consultants Network member who has installed his share of Apple Xserves, I have mixed emotions about Apple's decision today to pull the plug on the only "real" server that they've been selling. On the one hand, Apple hasn't been selling a lot of the pricey pizza boxes to big business, so it makes sense that Apple would simply re-purpose existing products -- the Mac mini and Mac Pro -- as servers. On the other hand, I think it sends mixed signals to the enterprise market about Apple's commitment to business. Apple Senior World Product Marketing Manager Eric Zelenka stated in a post to the Xsanity forums that Apple is still committed to the server products, technologies, and devices, and that the decision to kill the Xserve has no impact on future Xsan or Mac OS X Server development. I'm wondering if that's just a lot of marketing-speak to try to calm down admins who have a huge investment in Mac OS X Server, Xsan, and Xserves. According to our own Victor Agreda, who is at MacTech 2010 this week, many Mac IT admins feel that the Mac OS X Server flavor of Mac OS X is safe for the time being. I'm not so sure -- read more of my personal thoughts on the next page.
MacMiniColo will host your Mac Mini server for just $10/month for 6 months
Colocation facilities are typically stuffed full of various rack-mounted servers running all manner of websites and other tasks with fat pipe connections to internet backbones. One company, MacMiniColo, offers colocation services and is dedicated to hosting Mac mini servers. Long before Apple introduced the dedicated Mac mini server a year ago, MacMiniColo has been setting up all flavors of the headless Mac for customers. The Mini makes an excellent server thanks to its compact dimensions, low power consumption, good reliability and reasonable power. Servers don't generally need a lot of inputs and outputs, just a fast ethernet connection -- and the Mini server comes with a gigabit port. MacMiniColo currently has a promotional deal available that expires tonight, at 12 AM Pacific Time (so if you want to take advantage of the offer, head to MacMiniColo's site now). You can get six months of colocation service for your Mini for just US$10 a month with 200 GB per month of bandwidth. After the first six months, pricing reverts to one of the regular plans that start at $35 per month. That should be enough time to try it out and see if the company can meet your needs. TUAW's Steve Sande used MacMiniColo for some time. You can either send in your existing Mini to the data center in Las Vegas or have MacMiniColo provide one for your needs.
Working with the new Apple Mac mini Server and Snow Leopard Server
It's always nice when, as a Mac consultant, I can play with the latest hardware and software and get paid to do it. Last week was no exception, and when I received a call from a new client who wanted assistance with a Mac mini Server, I jumped at the chance. Since the introduction of the Mac mini in early 2005, I've been using "regular" Mac minis as servers, and they've worked flawlessly. I had two servers of my own at Macminicolo.net for quite some time, and Brian Stucki, the owner of that Mac mini colocation firm, noted in a discussion a few years ago that the failure rate on the mini hardware is phenomenally low. I've set up Mac minis with Mac OS X Server for architectural firms, PR companies, design firms, non-profits, and a number of other companies that needed centralized control of digital assets, but didn't want to spend a lot of money to do so. Usually after setting up these servers, I rarely, if ever, need to go back and fix anything. Unboxing the server (sorry, no unboxing movies this time...) unveiled a plastic-wrapped mini Server and the traditional power brick, along with a small box containing Mac OS X 10.6 Server and assorted manuals. While I didn't check for the usual Apple stickers, I did find the server software serial number cards that are essential during the setup process. There was a bit of a holdup when I discovered that the server came with a mini-DVI to DVI adapter, while I had brought my old VGA display with me. Fortunately, one of the employees on-site had a monitor that was quickly pressed into service, and after plugging in the keyboard, mouse and power, the server quickly booted up. Apple is marketing the Mac mini Server as "Easy to set up. Easy to run," and they're right on -- to a point.
Macminicolo writes up their state of the Mac mini
Steve Sande actually did a brilliant job of explaining just why the Mac mini is so awesome the other day (and we've certainly had our share of mini-love here on the site before), but this is worth a read as well if you're interested in Apple's littlest Mac. Macminicolo, the very company that Steve lauds in his piece for colocating mini servers for a while now, has posted a "state of the mini" piece, complete with unboxing of the new mini server, pictures of its guts and how they all work together. If you've ever wondered why the mini is such a marvel of desktop OS X-ness, check out their writeup (and drool at the beautiful setup above -- so many minis!). There are a few good things to take away from the big release this week -- while Steve is exactly right that releasing a mini server means Apple is getting on the server bandwagon, it also means that Apple is officially on the mini bandwagon. When these machines were first released, they were marketed as a switchers' computer -- bring your own mouse and monitor, and we'll show you what being on a Mac is like at a fraction of the cost. Frankly, they never shined at that purpose, prompting many people to proclaim death sentences for the little machine that could. But by releasing a server, Apple's saying, "we get it." They get that the mini is much more of a workhorse than it appears (or was meant) to be. In my mind, that's a whole new lease on life -- the mini may have never made much of a splash as a switchers' computer, but it's got a long future as a tiny but powerful computer you can use for all sorts of things. [via DF]
Why an Apple-blessed Mac mini server has big possibilities
A few minutes after we heard about all of the new product announcements this morning, this email came in from TUAW reader Daniel: Can you god blessed brains explain in some easy-to-understand way what are the possibilities for a Mac mini server for us non-tech brained mortals? Why, of course we can, Daniel! That's why we're here. I have personally used Mac minis as servers since shortly after the first G4 models came out on the market. In fact, at one point I personally had two of them at Macminicolo.net, a wonderful little company that was founded on the belief that Mac minis were great servers. I've installed at least a dozen for clients, and they are excellent for small businesses for the following reasons: They're inexpensive. When you start looking at an Xserve, you want to start looking at mass storage and tape libraries as well. Pretty soon, the cost of a fully-loaded Xserve starts looking astronomical to a small business. That's not to say that Xserves don't have their place -- in fact, I have had two of my clients start with Mac minis and then move to Xserves when they found that they were outgrowing the mini servers. With the new $999 price point for a mini with an unlimited Mac OS X Server 10.6 license, two built-in 500 GB drives, and 4 GB of RAM, almost anybody can afford to own a server that provides email, instant messaging, calendaring, a wiki, podcast production, and more to a small workgroup. They make it simple. The advantage of Mac OS X Server's software suite is power with a pretty face; it exposes the UNIX power of Mac OS X (including the industry-standard Apache, PHP, Samba and Jabber/XMPP stacks) with the relative ease of the Mac. While you can certainly roll your own server setup using conventional Mac OS X (either using Apple's shipped versions of Apache & PHP, or bumping them up), having the server administration tools makes everything a lot nicer. What's more, the standalone unlimited-license version of Server is a full $499, making this a straightforward bargain.
