The Mac mini is an Apple Macintosh computer designed and marketed by Apple Computer. Intended as a way of capitalizing on the iPod's putative halo effect, it is designed to attract owners of Windows computers, iPods, and older Macintosh models. It was announced at the Macworld Conference & Expo on January 11, 2005. There are two different versions of Mac mini, both released on January 22, 2005 in the US (January 29 worldwide) to much fanfare and brisk sales.

Overview

The Mac mini is distinctive in its extremely small Power Mac G4 Cube-influenced size and form factor, and in the fact that the computer comes without a display, keyboard, or mouse. Many potential users have already invested in mice and keyboards (compatible with the cross-platform USB standard), and displays, all of which they can attach to the mini or share using a KVM switch. The Mac mini measures 6.5 inches (16.5 cm) wide, 6.5 inches (16.5 cm) deep, and 2 inches (5.1 cm) tall, and is the smallest Macintosh desktop computer ever produced. It weighs 2.9 pounds (1.32 kg).

The Mac mini ships with Apple's Mac OS X operating system preinstalled, and also includes software such as a chess game, AppleWorks, Apple's productivity software, and iLife, a set of five Apple-designed multimedia programs to create and manage videos, music, photos, and DVDs. It also comes bundled with the two commerical games Nanosaur and Marble Blast Gold.

With the inclusion of iLife and the optional SuperDrive, the Mac mini makes for a compact media editor/player.

Specifications

Two models have been announced so far:

• 1.25 GHz PowerPC G4 processor and 40 GB hard drive, for US$ 499 (€ 489 in the Eurozone, £ 339 in the UK, CDN$ 629)
• 1.42 GHz PowerPC G4 processor and 80 GB hard drive, for US$ 599 (€ 589 in the Eurozone, £ 399 in the UK, CDN$ 749)

Both models include:

• 256 MB PC2700 (PC3200 also supported at PC2700 speeds) Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM)
• Slot-loading CD-RW/DVD Combo drive
• ATI Radeon 9200 graphics card with DVI and VGA output (DVI to VGA adaptor supplied) and 32 MB(non upgradable) video RAM
• Two USB 2.0 ports and one FireWire 400 port
• Ethernet and 56 kbit/s modem
• Built-in speaker and headphone/line out socket

Additional options are:

• AirPort Extreme wireless network interface
• Internal Bluetooth 1.1 adapter (if added with AirPort Extreme, a dual purpose card is installed)
• RAM up to 1 GB
• Slot-loading CD-RW/DVD±RW Superdrive
• TV Output adapter (S-Video and Composite video)

Opening the case and modifications

Some Mac mini owners have managed to use a putty knife to pry open the computer's case, thereby gaining access to the interior and being able to install memory upgrades. (The main reason in doing this themselves is that Apple-supplied memory upgrades are more expensive than third party RAM.) Other modfications include overclocking the processor [1] and to install Linux on the machine [2].

Some speculate that some of the internal components imply that the unit was originally planned to feature a built-in iPod dock [3].

References

• Arthur, Charles (12 January, 2005). "Mac rumour sites get it right" at The Register

See also

• Disruptive technology

External links

• Mac mini product page
• "Apple unveils low-cost 'Mac mini'" at BBC news