Customer Reviews

Apple Mac mini M9686LL/B (1.25 GHz Power PC G4, 512 MB DDR SDRAM, 40 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD-RW Drive)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Mac Mini was released in January 2005 at Mac World, and was then updated, for the first time, in July 2005. This Mac Mini is the result of that update.

Improvements - The $499 Mac Mini now sports 512 MB of DDR SDRAM, which is twice the memory the original Mac Mini included. This is a significant upgrade. The majority of users can now buy, out of the box, a machine that performs beautifully and allows a fair amount of multi-tasking. The Mac operating system, Mac OS X Tiger, thrives on memory, and 512 MB helps to create a speedy experience, for users.

Besides the memory, the hardware on $499 Mac Mini has not changed, from the early-2005 version.

The Good Things that Continue to Shine with Mac Mini - A buyer of the Mac Mini will continue to enjoy Mac OS X Tiger, which is the best consumer operating system in the world. It works with the hardware beautifully to provide a simple, fast, elegant, and reliable experience. One of the favorite descriptions of Mac fans, to describe Macs, is simply, "it just works."

The Mac Mini continues to include iLife '05, with great applications such as iPhoto, iMovie HD, iDVD, iTunes, and Garageband. These are all included, with every Mac Mini. You will be challenged to find any PC that includes applications that come anywhere close to the iLife suite. Manage thousands of your digital images in iPhoto, create home movies in iMovie, and create professional music in Garageband.

Appleworks is included for simply word processing, spreadsheets, etc., but you might want to pick up Microsoft Office for Mac. A student/teacher edition is available, for just over $100.

Speed - The 1.25 GHZ PowerPC G4 processor makes the Mac Mini a very capable machine.

Hard Drive - 40 GB will probably be significant for a lot of people. You can enjoy a few thousand photos and songs with 40 GBs, plus lots of text files, but very little video. However, if you'd like to double the hard drive, pick up the $599 Mac Mini.


ComboDrive - The Apple Combo Drive allows you to burn music and data CDs, plus you can watch DVDs!

Drawbacks? The $499 Mac Mini does not include the wireless functions included, with the $599 and $699 Mac Mini. You will need USB keyboard & mouse, PC USB keyboards/mouses will work. Furthermore, you will need to connect to the internet via either dial-up on the internal modem, or via DSL/cable modem, which can connect to the ethernet port on the back of the Mac Mini.

Best value of the Mac Minis? The $499 Mac Mini is the cheapest way to get your hands on a Mac, and it is a very capable machine. However, the $599 model offers a lot of upgrades, for the extra $100.

Overall, Apple has created another fantastic product, with the Mac Mini, and the July 2005 update only made it better. You get more memory, for the same price. This Mac Mini really includes everything the average user needs to enjoy the internet, manage his or her digital life, and have fun doing it all.

Waited out the first generation and was rewarded for my wait by picking up an extra 256 MB of RAM and built in wireless and Bluetooth for the same price as the previous model. I am very happy with the performance of this Mac and find that it can drive my Samsung SyncMaster 191T with great resolution (1280x1024) as well as move through my Adobe Creative Suite 2 quite quickly. The unit is absolutely quiet unless you are accessing CD/DVD's which are a bit on the noisy side. The software package is as good as any Mac and is included in the purchase price which makes this even a better value. The only knock I would have on the system is that it has only two built in USB 2.0 ports so when you hook up your keyboard and printer you are out of ports. I found an acceptable solution by adding a Belkin High Speed USB 2.0 4-Port Hub made expressly for the Mac mini and sits directly underneath the unit. I opted not to spend the extra $100 for the SuperDrive as I do not intend to burn DVD's on this unit but the included DVD/CD-RW drive does a great job of burning CD's from iTunes. I am really happy with this purchase.

The Mac Mini was a great little machine, just what someone would need who was thinking of switching to a Mac. And for people doing office work who already had all their peripherals, this little guy was a beauty.

He had one little problem the, that 256 MB of RAM just didn't quite cut it, which meant if you really wanted a solid machine, you were going to have to add some RAM to a custom order. That's all changed now with this Summer '05 launch. Now the Mac Mini comes complete with 512 MB of RAM and, assuming you already have your own keyboard/mouse and monitor, it comes with everything you need right in the box! An excellent suite of software and just the right specifications.

Sure this little guy isn't the most powerful machine, but for someone looking for an entry level Mac, you can't beat the Mini! Recommended for people looking for a low-cost machine that already have old attachments, people looking to upgrade from an older, outdated Mac, or people new to the Mac world. In fact, the Mini was built with the Windows user in mind!

The mini is small enough that it'll fit snuggly alongside another machine, say a Windows Tower, and a whole array of additional accessories are available so that with a little networking you can have both machines use the same attachments! Brilliantly done on Apple's part, it's wonderful to see a computer that is not only affordable for people on a budget, but also isn't a rip-off!

I recall writing a short review just as I was ordering this piece of incredible ART OF A MACHINE! Steve REALLY KNOWS HOW TO TACKLE pc users and make believers OUT OF them! I seriously started to hate my PC Machine and not use it anymore. I am forced to though since my satellite connection is cross wired with my MacMini.

Tomorrow I am planning to take this little puppy to the office and work on it permanently! Too bad my company can't log it on their network (thanks Wintel)

Let me make it simple: if u have that little voice inside of u going (why are all the Mac ads and hoopla always cooler for Apple?) well its for real they are cooler!!

I have been using this little miracle for the past 3 months (I am a former Wintel Geek since 1987!) I find myself very relaxed in not answering or worrying about DLL's and those nasty questions like: Are you sure u want to remove this file which is shared with another....Blaaaa Blaaaa Blaaaa!

Guys if u r considering iBooks or iMacs today...hold on one second and take a deep breath and buy 2 things:

1. Mac Mini with everything including the internal modem and 512Mb ram
2. Get this amazing book called Switching to the Mac (Tiger Edition)
3. Your existing hardware all will work with this MacMini

Give it a few months and u will be a more creative individual and focus on your material rather than the tool! (even my Wife who is a Wintel fanatic is observing all the plusses of a Mac)

After writing this I am actually going to place an order for one of those new Intel CORE DUO iMacs which just got released. Cant wait!

This is a must have Home Appliance!
(notice I don't call it a computer or a PC or all that technical JAZZ!)

For all those people who are concerned about space restrictions and want a powerhouse computer that will not need a large footprint, the Mac Mini is the perfect solution. Packing a boatload of power into a computer yay bigger than a coaster, there is no better power/space combination in the entire computing world!

For all the Windows users who don't want to make the switch to the Mac, with the newest Mac OS you will not look back once you get used to the ways that Apple does things the way they are SUPPOSED to be done.

As per usual Apple, the design of the Mac Mini is perfect, and it's so quiet that your own heartbeat will no doubt be louder than this quiet monster.

If you need a solid family computer that will allow you to surf the net, work with spreadsheets, check e-mail, or just do 99% of the things that you would like to be doing (I don't say 100% because it's not a gaming machine), pick up a Mac Mini for your home office, kitchen, ANYWHERE and you will NOT be disappointed!!

***** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

When you replace your current CPU with this, you'll see a big difference on your desk. You'll see a cute grey box replacing your tower CPU, leaving more space for you to store other things. This Mac Mini is the second version. It has better specification and performance than the first one. You have enough hard disk space to store your files, music, photos, and videos. Fast processor and bigger RAM to launch more applications better and faster. You'll also get DVD/CD-RW drive to enjoy all the media you have and do some back-ups.

If you need more processor speed and hard disk space, you may want to choose another type of Mac Mini with adding $100.

Having your CPU replaced with Mac Mini means replacing your Windows with Mac OS X. Don't worry, it doesn't take much for you to learn how to use Mac OS X. Based on survey to the Windows-to-Mac users, all they need is spend a few hours on Mac and they'll know it well. With Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger), it is very easy to find your applications and documents (using spotlight), user automator to do tedious tasks, have useful widgets around you. To find more information about Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger), read the review on Mac OS X Tiger product page.

This Mac Mini is meant to those who are planning to move to Mac and having mouse, keyboard, monitors, and other devices that were used on Windows.

It's small, sleek, and I always glance at it to admire it's beauty every few minutes or so. It looks that good! Mine was originally the 1st "generation" with 256 MB but Apple-upgraded to 512. Thank goodness because I do get the spinning beach balls frequently. If you're gonna open more than 5 programs or 3 with lots websites you've visited, the memory will eat up fast. I recommend getting 1 gig, which I plan to do myself. There's a few stutters when many windows are opened during "Expose" and opening Dashboard. Things I love about Mac OS X are: easy language fonts (for typing in foreign language), Spotlight (to not having to dig through folders), Safari, of course iTunes, and so much more. Things are straightforward. Installations and uninstalls are huge improvements compared to Windows's. And it looks great! I kind of wish for more HD space, wireless internet, and more memory especially. But all in all I love it. O yea, the slot-loading is cool except you need to push the disk in more than you think. It goes well with my iPod (the 2nd main reason why I have this Mac, 1st one because of my friend). So 6 months strong. Hopefully this can last me for 3 1/2 more years until another Mac. I recommend the $599 version since it has more features at an awesome price.

This little fella does everything well. The operating system is intuitive and the help prompts are clear and written for the novice. I purchased the base model from Apple for $499.00 and was pleasantly surprised to learn that the processor had been upgraded to a 1.33 GHz G4 unit and had 512 MB of RAM. With the addition of a refurbished LaCie DVD/CD burner for $62.00, and my internet connection, I have been archiving a friend's 3000 piece, courtesy of Hurricane Katrina, inundated CD collection.
Itunes is able to convert the CD's at an essentialy lossless level to Mp3's which I have archived to DVD's. The CD's of a lifetime collection have been saved. The music now resides on a seagate firewire hardrive more convenient, searchable and portable than 3000 CD's.
If a mac mini is only used to hold your music collection it is well worth the price. With an Apple Airport Express $129.00 you can play your audio files over your home stereo.
This little puppy doesn't come with a monitor, keyboard or mouse. If you don't have an extra keyboard and mouse check out Amazon listed "Microsoft Business Hardware Pack" - $30.89. You can buy a 17 in Samsung CRT Monitor at Sam's for $99.00.
And what about the internet - at least for now - the Mac OS has been immune to almost every internet virus or spyware compromise.
When I was forced to evacuate the gulf coast for hurricane Katrina and Rita - the space in my car was at a premium. My mac mini was in the back seat - all my records, contacts, and personal information escaped with me.
Recently upgraded ram from 512 to a full GB. It's an easy do-it-yourself and was kind of fun.

caslo

I have switched from Windows to Mac w/ this Mac Mini, all of my PC accessories (except wireless card) worked w/o any drivers needed. It was paradise! I copied my iTunes music from my PC and it play perfictly. I am using ICS on XP and OS X picked up the connection instantly w/o having to do anything! As Apple says "It Just Works!"

I'm a long time Windows user, but liked the elegance of Macs and was keen to try something that "just works" as the sales pitch goes.
We'll the Mac Mini is a mixed bag. It makes a great table ornament, and it's great to marvel at what is a masterpiece of design and innovation.
But I was hoping for more than that.
There are pro's to this machine.
1. It comes with heaps of bundled software. However, you're going to get much the same functionality with Windows and any piece of software bundled with hardware that you might buy (eg. DV cameras etc.)
2. OS X is quite elegant in its design.

But there are major cons. I'm not sure whether this is because the machine is underpowered, or whether Apples are just not as good as the zealots might claim:
1. It crashes! Far, far more than Windows XP. Occasionally it's a turn-the-computer-off situation, but usually it's just an application crashing, often an Apple application. I think XP is more stable than OS X, despite what people might believe.
2. It's slow. Now this might be because of the low-spec computer, but I think an ugly Intel/AMD box costing about the same would be much faster.
3. Peripherals and drivers are not nearly as well set up for Apple as they are for Windows. The scanning part of my HP MFC just cannot be used on OS X, although it works perfectly on my wife's archaic laptop. My Sony-Ericsson K750i phone does not sync iCal with the USB cable, although it immediately works on Windows/Outlook.
4. The expansion options (apart from the fiddly RAM upgrade that I did) and speeding up the HDD, are negligible.
5. OS X is not nearly as customizable as windows. To customize things (and get some things working) you need to go deep into the directory structure and play around with text files.
6. I find OS X less intuitive than Windows XP, perhaps because I've grown up with Windows.

My advice: avoid the Mac Mini. Either don't make the switch, or invest more and buy a better spec'd machine and be prepared for the odd crash and incompatibility issue.