I’m an old mac user. Still have my Se30, which I consider to be the best computer I ever purchased. When OSX was released, I hopped on the bandwagon and was unimpressed; so when it was time to upgrade my system…I built my own, left Apple and never regretted it.
Still, I missed the Mac, but I couldn’t justify the cost; especially as it was going to be the “house” machine. I could build a better Linux box for a fraction of the cost and I did. Every now and then though, I needed an old file that resided on the last Mac in the house, a beige G3 and was reminded of how easy is was. It all just… worked. Still I couldn’t justify the cost of new Mac, I just couldn’t do it.
Well we need another “house” computer, and Apple has finally released a ‘headless’ mac. The specs aren’t great, but for a “house” machine; its alright, the price could be a bit better, but no real complains. I’m interested.
So, is this Apple’s chance to finally get Windows users to drop, the “it costs too much” excuse or is it too little, too late?
Dell, for one example, has a $500 stock machine that comes with monitor and peripherals. It’s not a power machine by any stretch, but then, neither is this.
So, it might be a nice machine, and definitely an affordable option for folks who already use Macs, or want to convert for other reasons, but it’s definitely not competatively priced with regards to cheaper Wintel boxes.
I might get it. I think I’m exactly their target market. I’ve always used Windows PCs, and have less than thirty minutes of experience with all versions of the Mac OS. But I recently purchased an iPod and liked it. I’ve got several PCs at home connected to a KVM switch, so I could connect the Mac mini to my monitor via the KVM switch. (Unfortunately, I’m using a keyboard and mouse with PS2 connectors, so I may need to get a second one of each just for the Mac. Or I could switch my PCs to a USB keyboard and mouse.)
Yes, compared to the Windows world $500 is high, but it’s a relatively cheap way for someone like me to experience the Mac.
The machine that’s in the living room and is shared by all. Problem was, it was constantly infected and we switched that one from just XP to Ubuntu which we really like. It’s dual boot (XP for the kid’s educational programs), however the missus is using the machine 90% of the time now and everyone’s bitching. She’s forbidden to touch anyone’s else’s, cause she a magnet for virii…hence the Linux. It’s just easier, than constantly monitoring the system.
So a modern Mac would be perfect, the beige is just too old now. The kids can have their educational stuff, we can do the occassional websearch, letter or email and the infections are greatly minimized and all my old stuff should still work and the missus gets her own system.
Thanks for the explanation. What I may not have made clear is that I’m interested in this product as a convenient (and relatively cheap) way to experiment with the Mac OS, and not as my main system. So for me the lack of a keyboard, mouse and monitor isn’t a problem. In fact, the small size of this system appeals to me.
Good heavens, why is it that Apple is always on its last legs and every move must be a desperate last gasp? I swear I’ve hear that every time they come out with a new product since 1980!
They’ve got a decent biche market and really aren’t going away anytime soon. This is a chance to increase market share with the popularity of their iPod. Its a good opportunity, but hardly a ‘last best chance’.
Right, but you’re getting more than just the hardware. i think the software brings it past the cost/performance of the $500 stock Dell.ilife and the OS itself OSX. That’s alot of nice software for the $500 price tag.
Apple isn’t going anywhere, though you may see their market shifting.
They looked like they were going down… then they came out with the iMac. Dell came out and beat them at that game. They looked like they were going down again… then they came out with iPod/iTunes, which are a hit with PC users.
Apple seems to be winning the war against Microsoft in media formats. I suspect that their next generation lifesavers will be multimedia entertainment centers (similar to Microsoft’s Windows XP Media Center Edition, only good). They may surprise people and come out with a tablet PC counterpart - their laptops are pretty strong. Then there is always their ace product line, like Final Cut Pro, that will keep them alive in software - plus they’ve been moving away from licensing MS products like IE and Office (with Safari and Unix-based OSes). The completely own the high end multimedia production market.
10.4 isn’t released yet. Apple usually gives a free OS upgrade if you purchase a product within 90 days of the release of the new OS. I think…you might want to check the time limitation.
Take away Dell’s Monitor, and add a combo drive and they are the same price.
With Apple you get to use a more stable OS and do not have to deal with Spyware or the risk of getting a virus.
This is a computer for people who don’t like or don’t know how to troubleshoot those kinds of things.
I think that all three of those issues are hyperinflated. The Windows 2000 kernel, and from what I’ve seen of the Longhorn kernel, are far more stable than the Win95 kernel, and as a programmer, the environments are much more friendly and flexible. Now, if Apple adopted something similar to GNU and opened up their programming, they would have a competitive OS - but it would be inherently less stable. Most Windows crashes are 3rd party programs or bad drivers. I know for a fact that I’ve had my parent’s machine up and running constantly day and night for well over a year, and it hasn’t even hiccuped. The weakest point of the Windows system is the integrated IIS, which is just plain horrible and should be done away with; many security holes would vanish without it. Windows2000-kernel using Apache is a pretty solid server.
The virus and spyware issues are rather simple to explain; the people who make such instruments target the most popular systems (for example, look at the history of Java). If Apple had a miracle and had 60% market share tomorrow, there would be a whole slew of virii and crap targetted at Macs, and probably more at Unix-based systems. Though Microsoft hasn’t helped itself by making inferior products like Internet Explorer (blown out of the water by FireFox) and Outlook/Outlook Express. But as I said, it is simple enough to avoid them.
That’s the nice thing (and power) behind Windows - you have the choice to use whatever you want.
Then there’s the whole hardware deal. For the most part, a Mac upgrade is a checkbook.
A lot of people have been willing to plop down $300-$400 for just an iPod, so it’s conceivable they’d plop down $500 for an actual Mac. You gotta admit, that MacMini looks pretty darn cool.
I think it was smart they designed this thing to use non-Apple monitors.
I have been hearing that for years now, still no virii… I just don’t buy it.
Obviously no OS will ever be impossible to hack, but there are plenty of people out there who hate MAC and the ego driven hackers of the world would love to take credit for writting a virus that kills macs.
I am a computer consultant, and most (if not all) of my clients do not even know what Firefox is… They don’t want to download anything to make something more secure, they don’t want to run their anti-spyware programs, they just want their computers to work.
My clients who use mac don’t have the problems that my windows clients have… chalk it up to marketshare, 3rd party apps, whatever.
Until the day when people are targeting macs for spyware or virii, macs will be more secure, but not completely secure.