The Mac miniskirt has been annunciate , but it wo n’t arrive until January 22 . Until Macworld gets its hands on one to screen , we ’ve been gleaning what we can about the new $ 499 Mac from loving visits on the Macworld Expo show floor and proficient discussions we ’ve had with a few Apple officials . So here ’s what you need to know about the Mac miniskirt decent now :
The basics
The two base Mac mini models motley in only three shipway : processor speed , hard ride size , and price . For $ 499 you get a 1.25GHz G4 processor and a 40 GB campaign ; for $ 599 you get a 1.42GHz G4 central processor and an 80 GB drive .
However , if you put the Mac miniskirt directly from Apple ’s online store , you could load it up with extra feature that take it far beyond the realm of the $ 499 Mac . ( See the table “ Mac Mini Options , ” below , for a listing of options you may choose . )
That means that a $ 499 computer can become a $ 1,203 computer very rapidly , and a $ 599 computer can step up to a $ 1,253 machine just as fast — and all without keyboard , mouse , or display , mind you .
The size
Yes , the Mac mini is lowly . It ’s so small that you would have to heap five of them to equal the volume of the Power Mac G4 Cube , a system which sureseemedamazingly small-scale at the time . The Mac mini could be smaller , we suppose , but only if you did aside with the visual drive . Since there seems to be no end to the reign of five - inch candle and videodisc platters , this will in all likelihood be the smallest Mac for a good tenacious while .
The Mac mini ’s lilliputian motherboard is exactly the breadth of its Aries slot . That ’s because the Mac miniskirt utilize full - size PC2700 RAM . Apple could have saved some space by using laptop computer RAM , but it would n’t have help much , give the size of that plaguy optic drive . However , the Mac mini ’s laborious drive is the same kind you ’d feel in a laptop computer : it ’s a 2.5 - in , 4200 rev private road .
The feel
The Mac mini uses materials we ’ve all issue forth to expect from Apple ’s late design : its top is a white polycarbonate credit card , as you ’d find on the iMac G5 or iBook ; the sides are a ring of anodized aluminum , just like a PowerBook or iPod miniskirt ; and the bottom is the skid - resistant rubbery material you ’ll find on the bottom of an iPod dock .
RAM
The most widely criticize view of the Mac mini is its meagerly base 256 MB of RAM . However , the read/write memory expansion slot on the Mac miniskirt seems to be passably approachable ; if it turns out to be fair easy to crack a Mac miniskirt open , it seems that more read/write memory would be the easiest affair to instal . Keep in mind there ’s only a single RAM one-armed bandit , so if you want to advance your read/write memory after corrupt a Mac mini , you ’ll need to yank the pre - installed module first .
Wireless options
Despite Steve Jobs ’ lack of discussion of the Mac miniskirt ’s wireless capabilities at the Macworld Expo Keynote , the Mac minicando wireless . Due to the close distance within the Mac mini , both the AirPort Extreme card and Bluetooth faculty attach to the Mac mini ’s motherboard via a special connector .
Since we have n’t had a prospect to open up a Mac mini ( although we did get to handle a mere motherboard ) , we ’re not sure if that connector is included on all models , or only ace that have had AirPort or Bluetooth pre - installed . As a result , we ’re not sure if adventuresome types could purchase an AirPort Extreme card and install it in a Mac miniskirt themselves . Apple does n’t recommend it , however — they suggest that you have upgrades perform by an authorized Apple overhaul professional .
In previous Mac models , internal Bluetooth livelihood has been an option that ’s available only when you order the machine : if you do n’t opt for internal Bluetooth , you could never add together it later . But that ’s not the guinea pig with the Mac mini : the Bluetooth module attaches to the same limited connective coming off the motherboard . According to Apple , this think you ’ll be able to have an authorized dealer establish the national Bluetooth module later if you do n’t feel that you need it right aside .
The noise
on-key to Apple ’s recent ironware - design account , the Mac miniskirt has an independently - controlled rooter that turns on and off and adjusts its speed based on the Mac mini ’s cooling needs . accord to Apple , the fan runs at 22 decibels , fundamentally whisper - quiet . We had a hard time hearing any noise coming from the Mac mini ’s fan , but then , no room at Macworld Expo is quiet in the elbow room that a truly muted home or situation mise en scene would be . We ’ll have more on the Mac miniskirt ’s noise when we get one into the Macworld Lab .
Ports
On the back of the Mac Mini there ’s a DVI connecter ; if you want to use a VGA display , the computer come with a small-scale plastic DVI - to - VGA transcriber block . ( If you desire to tie to a TV via RCA or S - Video cable’s length , you ’ll need to corrupt a $ 19 adapter . ) Also on the back is a 10/100 Base - T ethernet jack , a 56 K modem , two USB 2.0 port , a individual FireWire 400 port , and an audio - out knave that can wield both line - out and headphone - out levels ( yes , there ’s also an internal loudspeaker ) . Above the porthole are a series of air vents , straddled by the power button and a Kensington - style security department slot .
Apple’s challenge
It ’s clear that Apple used the design and engineering skills that have crammed lots of computer big businessman into the iMac G5 , Apple ’s laptops , and the iPod to make the Mac mini a square block of a system . But to hear Apple representatives tell it , the party ’s substantial finish was not just to make a tiny Mac , or a low - cost Mac . It was , to rephrase one Apple executive director , to solve the trouble of how to make a $ 499 electronic computer without it being a art object of detritus . ( To get an approximation of the mini ’s microcomputer competition and what some of the PC military press ’s savant have to say , check out Dan Frakes’sComparing Apples and Orangesanalysis . )
The future
Of naturally Macworld will fetch you more in - depth coverage of the Mac mini once we get a few of our own , including reviews , research laboratory report , and the sleep . And in the come weeks we ’ll no doubt be seeing an avalanche of Mac mini - related to product . Anyone require to look how many days it ’ll be before the first troupe announces a mini - style external FireWire grueling drive that ’s designed to sit decent beneath the Mac miniskirt ? If the industriousness of the Mac market is any indicant , it wo n’t be a very large number .
Mac mini options
