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AMEX DIGITAL's Mac mini Blu-ray drive upgrade kit is not what it seems
A Blu-ray "upgrade kit" for Apple's revamped Mac mini... sounds like the ultimate for home theater buffs right? After all, such a device holds the promise of adding Blu-ray playback to a relatively powerful, off-the-shelf micro computer starting at $599 that'll run any of the amazing media center apps available for either Windows 7 (with some extra legwork) or OS X. Not so fast bub, remember, OS X still doesn't support native playback of Blu-ray discs pressed by Hollywood's media fairies. As such, Blu-ray films purchased on disc can only be played by booting into Windows -- under OS X you are limited to reading and writing data assuming you already have software like Adobe's Premiere Pro CS3 with Encore or Roxio's Toast with Blu-ray plug-in. Unfortunately, AMEX Digital is purposely unclear on this point by suggesting that the kit will simply "play Hollywood Blu-ray Disc movies on a properly configured PC or MAC." For the extra $199 required to take the BD-UG1 home, we'd suggest a native PC solution, cheapo standalone Blu-ray player or PS3 and avoid these headaches altogether. Image of the drive laid bare after the break. [Via I4U]
Poll: What do you use your Mac mini for?
Here at TUAW, as you probably know, we really love the Mac mini. Some of us have a mini hooked up to our TV, some are used as servers, and some are used as great desktop computers (including mine). We wanted to ask you what exactly you use your Mac mini for, so we came up with this in-depth poll. There are several choices, so let us know how you use your Mac mini. If your favorite use for a Mac mini isn't listed in the poll, you can also leave a comment below and tell us how you use your mini. %Poll-35960%
Apple posts two new updates
Just days after all the hardware updates on Tuesday, Apple has posted two new support downloads. The first, Pro Applications Update 2009-01, contains several updates for applications in Final Cut Studio. This update includes Final Cut Pro 7.0.1, Motion 4.0.1, Soundtrack Pro 3.0.1, Color 1.5.1, and Compressor 3.5.1. This update addresses general compatibility issues, improves overall stability, and addresses a number of other minor issues. You can download this update through Software Update, or on the Apple Support Downloads page. Also, Apple released Apple Server Diagnostics 3X106, which replaces Apple Server Diagnostics 3X104 to provide support for Snow Leopard Server. This is compatiable with the Xserve (Early 2008 or Early 2009) or the Mac mini server config (Early 2009). This download is also available on the Apple Support Downloads page.
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.
The Apple Store Online is back, so what's different?
Today, as is frequently the case, the Apple Store Online was taken down and modified to feature new goodies from our favorite fruit-flavored technology company. Now that the store is back up and ready for your ordering pleasure, what's changed?Well, Apple introduced a whole slew of new and updated products today. Here's the highlights of what's new and different at the store:New iMac - Revamped to include, among other new features, LED-Backlit screens, dual core and quad core processors and up to 16GB of memory.New MacBook - Entry level MacBook redesigned to feature unibody enclosure, built-in battery and LED-Backlit screen.New Mac mini - Revised to include more memory, larger hard drives and with a special "Server" version featuring dual 500GB hard drives and Snow Leopard Server.New "Magic" Mouse - Gone is the trackball, replaced by a seamless top-shell design that acts as one button or two, It also features a Multi-Touch surface with gesture support.New Apple Remote - Not as exciting as new Macs but still, kinda cool if you like to control your Macs, um, remotely.Other items of note reflected in the new products today include the removal of Firewire 400 from all Macs and the removal of the last Mac with a replaceable battery. End of an era folks, end of an era.Be sure to keep it right here at TUAW all day for in-depth reports on all of today's Apple announcements.
Mini gets a server-style upgrade
Apple has given the mini a bit of a bump this morning, including a mini without an optical drive, twice the storage and of course a copy of OS X Server. It is meant to be a solution for those small businesses out there that are too small to need an Xserve, as well as media enthusiasts who are looking for a quick and easy way to share their stuff. Since it lacks an onboard optical drive, it works with the USB Super Drive, originally meant only for the MacBook Air, for disc-required functions. The Mac mini server sells for $999US.
Apple gives Mac mini a spec bump, adds dual-HDD Mac mini server
Apple's high-noon extravaganza is touching just about every aspect of the company's consumer lineup today, and considering just how long it's been (okay, so maybe not that long) since the Mac mini saw any love, we're thrilled that it's amongst the crowd seeing updates today. The new $599 Mac mini configuration gets fitted with a 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo CPU (up from 2GHz), 2GB of RAM (up from 1GB) and a 160GB hard drive (up from 120GB). The $799 build features a 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB of memory (up from 2GB) and a 320GB hard drive (same as before), and both machines sport the same GeForce 9400M GPU and 8x SuperDrive as they did in March. The most intriguing news on the mini front, however, has nothing to do with the standard rigs. Apple is today introducing an all new machine in the Mac mini server, a system that's formed in the exact same enclosure as the standard mini but without an optical drive of any kind. Instead, there's room for an additional hard drive, and the $999 model ships with two 500GB HDDs. It also includes Snow Leopard Server (unlimited clients), a 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo processor, 4GB of RAM, a GeForce 9400M GPU and the same port assortment (meaning no mini-DisplayPort) as found on the other guys. It's hard to say just how well something like this will do, but we're guessing Apple doesn't much mind if it remains a niche product. Catch Apple's official blurb after the break. %Gallery-75968%
Apple Store down for updates, new iMac and more on the way? Update: part numbers!
And here we go: the Apple Store is down, presumably to update it with all the new gear we're expecting today. New iMacs, plastic MacBooks, multitouch input peripherals, maybe a new Airport Express -- we could get everything, we could get nothing. You'll know as soon as we do.Update: Kasper from AppleInsider just hit us up with some last-minute leaked part numbers, which reveal a new iMac with a 21.5-inch display, some new mini configs including a server with two hard drives and no optical drive, new AirPort gear, and yes, a new 60W MacBook power supply. See? Dreams do come true. Oh, and that's apparently just part of the list, so we'll see what else happens when all this stuff actually hits.MC207LL/A - K84 BEST BTR- USA MC238LL/A - MAC MINI 2.26/2x1GB/160/SD/AP/BT-USA MC239LL/A- MAC MINI 2.53/2x2GB/320GB/SD/AP/BT-USA MC340LL/A - AIRPORT EXTREME (SIM DUALBAND) - USA MC343LL/A - TIME CAPSULE 1TB (SIM DUALBAND) -USA MC344LL/A - TIME CAPSULE 2TB (SIM DUALBAND) - USA MC408LL/A - MAC MINI 2.53/2x2GB/1TB/NO ODD/AP-BT-USA MC413LL/A - IMAC 21.5"/3.06/2x2GB/1TB/4670-256MB-USA MC434LL/A - APPLE VESA MOUNT ADAPTER MC461LL/A - MACBOOK 60W MAGSAFE POWER ADAPTER - USA
Apple to introduce host of new machines, new multitouch input devices tomorrow?
We're not sure why John Gruber and Dan Lyons are having some sort of megalomaniacal Apple super-pundit standoff, but we'll sit here and take the spoils: Gruber's just one-upped Lyons's earlier vague tease of new Apple gear tomorrow with a pretty specific list of things he's apparently heard we'll see, including new iMacs and plastic MacBooks, revved Mac Minis (including one that runs OS X Server), a new multitouch "Magic Mouse" (ha!) and some sort of multitouch desktop trackpad accessory. That pretty much covers every rumor and vague whisper we've heard over the past few months, so it's actually a fairly conservative set of predictions, outside of that trackpad -- which itself may or may not be related to this multitouch input device patent from a couple weeks ago. We'll see what happens tomorrow morning -- at this point we're half expecting a tablet, a pony, and some sort of multitouch waffle maker as well.
MorphOS for Amiga adds Mac mini support, someone in Europe is delighted
Amiga owners are a loyal bunch. And they have to be -- stuck with a machine frozen in time (even if OS 5 was claimed to be "better than OS X") and little in the way of support, the manner in which they've stubbornly stuck with the platform over the years can only be described as a labor of love. If you've been wondering what all the fuss is about but no longer have a PowerPC-based Amiga system handy, the MorphOS Dev Team has just announced that its latest -- MorphOS 2.4 -- now supports Mac mini G4 machines. Available now, you can either hit the read link to download for yourself, or wait until the upcoming Amiga user group meeting in Bad Bramstedt, Germany. You know, whatever you find more convenient. As for us, we're going to go play a game of Ooops Up! for old time's sake.[Thanks, Antti Jarvinen]
Software Update Alert! Performance Update 1.0 available for download
Our sharp-eyed iPhone goddess, Erica Sadun, alerted us to the fact that there's a small, but potentially important, update that has just shown up in Software Update. Performance Update 1.0 "addresses intermittent hard drive-related stalls reported by a small number of customers." It may not show up for you, unless you have one of the following Macs:MacBook Air (Mid 2009), MacBook Pro (17-inch, Mid 2009), MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2009), MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2009), MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2.53GHz, Mid 2009), iMac (20-inch, Mid 2009), MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2009), MacBook (13-inch, Early 2009), MacBook (13-inch, Mid 2009), MacBook (13-inch, Aluminum, Late 2008), MacBook Air (Late 2008), MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008), iMac (24-inch, Early 2009), iMac (20-inch, Early 2009), Mac mini (Early 2009)If you own one of these models, be sure to load the update at your earliest convenience, especially if you have experienced the problem described in the update notes. Thanks to Erica and to Joachim Bean, who provided the link to the Apple KB article.
New iMac, Mac mini, MacBook ads spotted
As we and others have posted over the past few days, there is a rumor that a new or redesigned iMac, Mac mini and MacBook models are coming very soon. Now, this week brings reports of Google ads supposedly touting the rumored Mac mini, iMac and MacBook models. These ads have been spotted in several European countries, in Dutch and in a few other languages. They read as follows:"Apple's Nieuwste MacBook®" "store.apple.com/nl/macbook Dunner, lichter en krachtiger! Gratis bezorging. Bestel vandaag."Which translates to: "Apple's Newest MacBook ®" "store.apple.com/nl/macbook Thinner, lighter and stronger! Free delivery. Order today. ""Apple Store: New iMac""store.apple.com/nl-store Ultradunne 20 & 24 inch modellen. Vanaf slechts €1099. Apple Store"Which translates to: "Apple Store: New iMac" "store.apple.com/nl-store Ultra thin 20 & 24 inch models. From only € 1099. Apple Store""Apple's Nieuwe Mac mini"store.apple.com/nl-store Sneller en betaalbaarder dan ooit. Vanaf slechts €499. Bestel meeten."Which translates to:"Apple's new Mac mini ' store.apple.com/nl-store faster and more affordable than ever. From only € 499. Buy assay. "Again, this points to yet more reasons why there could be new iMac, Mac mini and MacBook models coming soon. These new models are expected to be released before October 9th, so keep a look out.[via AppleInsider]
Kanex Mini DisplayPort Adapter will take your Mac mini to HDMI town
Your Mac mini cranks out its video via DisplayPort and audio via a mini Toslink. Chances are your home entertainment system doesn't like either of those. It will, however, like the Kanex Mini DisplayPort Adapter, which can turn a DisplayPort video signal into a 1080p signal over HDMI, and will even integrate either digital or analog audio into the mix. It's USB powered, so there's no need for a clunky power adapter, and while $70 isn't particularly cheap for a chubby cable ($50 for the USB analog audio model), it's about the cleanest way to get your Mini pumping tunes and vids through your system. [Via The Unofficial Apple Weblog]
Google AdSense leaks Apple's refreshed iMac, Mac mini, MacBook?
This one is for all you online tea leaf readers and Apple SKU / crystal ball aficionados: Further confirming our suspicion that something more affordable may be on the horizon, Google AdSense this weekend started serving users in the Netherlands with ads for new iMacs, MacBooks, and Mac minis. Pointing to a dead link at the country's Apple Store, the ads read (via Google Translate): "Apple's Newest MacBook. Thinner, lighter and faster! Free delivery. Order today," "The Brand new iMac. Ultra Thin 20 & 24 inch models. From only €1099 (roughly $1,603). Apple Store," and "Apple's New Mac mini. Faster and more affordable than ever. From only € 499 ($723). Order immediately." (For a little perspective, that's €100 ($145) less than the cheapest Mac mini currently on the Netherlands online store.) Granted, whenever peeping purported translations from foreign tipsters we're always half-afraid that we're actually reading Celine Dion lyrics or dialogue from Caddyshack, but this one seems to be the real deal -- for whatever that's worth. Update: Apple's "New Mighty Mouse" advertised as well. [Thanks, Ronald V.]
Rumor Roundup: iMac and Mac Mini due to refresh before October 9th?
We have received countless tips about the availability of iMacs and Mac Minis, or lack thereof. AppleInsider posted earlier that Apple notified retailers that Mac mini orders will not be filled at the moment -- but soon. A later update states that the low-end Mac mini has been discontinued entirely, leaving us to believe that we'll be seeing a hardware upgrade shortly. Several of our tipsters work for Apple Authorized re-sellers who are running very low on desktop supplies; there's even an Apple Store employee tip saying they have 4 iMacs in stock. When I worked at the Apple Store, there were always 40+ iMacs in stock. Having 4 in a store is just unheard of -- unless there's something in the works. The day of, or a few before, the announcement, we would always get a couple pallets worth of machines that were labeled "Do Not Open Until" with either a date or "notification from corporate." Another tipster ordered a mini on September 18th, and received shipping information, but today received an email saying that their Mac mini order will ship on October 9th. Lastly, an Apple Store employee "confirmed" the rumor of new machines being out this October to one of our readers. I have to speculate and say that the employee (who we won't name) is probably reading too many rumor sites. Apple does not tell their retail employees about product refreshes for this exact reason. It's too risky -- one careless employee could essentially steal all of Apple's ability to announce a cool, new product. We're pretty good at digging the information up anyways... but why make it easy for us? We're hoping that these rumors don't amount to a minor speed bump... SD Card slots, Blu-ray, Cinema Display styled design -- If we don't see something new, we'll all be somewhat disappointed. We're also hoping for a MacBook refresh but that conversation has paled in comparison to the iMac and Mac mini rumors. We've been on the edge of our seats since Monday when the store went down twice. Each time gave us no fruit from the Apple tree, but we'll keep an eye out. Let us know if you hear anything else about it via our tips page or in the comments.
iMac, Mac mini supplies growing thin, refresh expected soon
Rumors of updated iMacs have been flying fast and furious lately, and now it seems like they're getting a bit of credibility -- AppleInsider says retailers, including Apple's own stores, have been told supplies of iMacs and Mac minis are "constrained" and that future orders will go unfulfilled. You heard that right -- the Mac mini, the red-headed stepchild of the Mac line, is now also officially on Refresh Watch. Combined with the rumors of revised and potentially cheaper plastic MacBooks and we're hoping Apple's about to get aggressive with its low-end pricing, but that's probably just wishful thinking. P.S.- Doesn't that seem like a lot of updates to dish out at once? The savvy rumor connoisseur would be expecting a couple random analysts to mouth off at this point, followed by whispers of an impending event and its cancellation due to "last minute issues." Gene Munster swirls his glass and predicts the MacBook will feature CableCARD slots and function as a DVR. Spring follows winter, winter follows fall.
Think different? You bet I do!
It's a common theory that Apple is a "hardware company" not a "software company." What does that mean? Doesn't it actually sell both? The idea is that Apple uses software to push more hardware sales. If Apple was a software company, you wouldn't see the fantastic and very useful iLife bundle of applications included for free on every new Mac, including the el-cheapo Mini. Instead, they might decide to charge $99 for it, or worse, break it up into pieces and distribute it as separate packages, each with its own price. Snow Leopard's price also seems to support this theory, especially when contrasted to Microsoft's pricing model. Any "dot-oh" operating system upgrade priced at $29 is simply amazing. And given the fact that you can upgrade a whole home or small office full of Macs for less than the price of an Xbox 360 game...well, that's just a special kind of awesome. The main OS competitor, however, has graciously offered its upgrade, similar in "just fixing stuff and making it run better" nature to Apple's update, at the low, low price of $129. Ouch! At least you can save a substantial amount by buying Microsoft's family pack at a tick under 150 bucks, but that discount will only get you three copies instead of Apple's five. And it's still three times the price of Snow Leopard's bundle! But I realized something interesting about the whole "hardware company vs. software company" argument. As a Mac convert, I've noticed that I think quite a bit less about the hardware than I do the software. In the PC world I still live in, we talk about processor benchmarks, motherboard options, frontside bus speeds, and other Ambien replacements. However, when I talk Mac, I'm often concerned much more with the software it's running, what OS version is installed, and where I can find a free app to do what I need.
Front Row performance on the mini takes a dive with Snow Leopard
Here's an interesting feature of Snow Leopard that you may or may not (probably not) find particularly useful. Apparently after upgrading to 10.6 several users at the Apple Discussion Forums -- mostly owners of Mac mini or MacBook models with the GMA950 graphics subsystem -- are reporting poor performance with Front Row. The performance issue seems to effect navigation as well as playback, resulting in jerky video/audio in the menu and when watching a movie. This is also not limited to pesky DiVx files or QuickTime plug-ins either, as some users are reporting seeing the problem with iTunes purchases and others are even running a completely stock installation. Interestingly enough, some of the same users with Front Row issues are not seeing the same problems when playing back with QuickTime X. In my opinion, this is not much of a surprise following such a major upgrade to many of the OS's underpinnings -- including an overhaul to QuickTime on which Front Row is largely based. This is the reason I did not upgrade the Mac mini in my living room. Aside from being a full-time webserver, I also rely on it for multimedia functionality as well. Some folks with complaints have found solace in either Plex or Boxee as these fine media players do not rely on QuickTime or iTunes. For most though, a working Front Row would be ideal. Personally, I have not checked for problems with Front Row since my multimedia Mac hasn't been upgraded. However, I did note some wonkiness on another machine when using QuickLook to playback some video files through Finder. I have a sneaking suspicion there is something going on related to QuickTime X being used by other programs (i.e. FrontRow or QuickLook). What say you dear readers? Is your Front Row experience causing you grief or are you simply smirking because you haven't received your pre-order upgraded yet? Thanks to Ivey for sending this in via Twitter.
Apple posts three new updates
After the big upgrade to Snow Leopard last weekend, Apple has posted three new updates, fixing various OS and firmware issues. The first is Mac mini EFI Firmware Update 1.2. This update "improves compatibility with the latest Apple memory kits on Mac mini computers." This update is only needed for Mac minis introduced in March 2009 or later. Next, there's an update to Mac OS X Leopard Server, Mac OS X Server 10.5.8 Update v.1.1, which includes general operating system fixes, as well as specific fixes for a few other issues. This update is available as a Combo or Standalone update. Finally, there's a firmware update for SuperDrives. This update "will eliminate the noise made by the optical disk drive during system startup and wake from sleep on your Mac." This update is only needed for iMacs and Mac minis introduced in March 2009 or later. As always, these updates are available through Software Update on your Mac, or you can download them from Apple's Support Downloads page.
Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard Server pricing is good for business
In this morning's rush to figure out what had changed at the Apple Store, one of our readers pointed out that Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard Server (US$499 for an unlimited license) was priced lower than Leopard Server (US$999 for unlimited users). While this is nothing new -- we've known about the price change since June -- it bears repeating. For businesses with small, single offices to large enterprises with racks full of Xserves, Snow Leopard Server makes a lot of sense. That $499 license provides a lot -- a mail server (not Exchange-compatible, however), CalDAV server for group calendars, group-wide Time Machine backups to a server, a podcast producer, a wiki server, an iChat server, and the new Mobile Access Server, in addition to a plethora of other administrative and client management options. Along with the Xserve, which I've found to be comparably priced to other enterprise-class servers, and the Mac mini, which makes a great little inexpensive headless server for small offices, Apple has created a set of powerful business tools. Considering that it's now half the price of Leopard Server, Snow Leopard Server is something that more system admins may want to look at, especially in Microsoft-dominated shops.
