I bought a Macmini

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Will your next computer be a Apple?

I already own a Mac
2
33%
I am thinking about it
3
50%
No way I would ever give up Windows!
1
17%
 
Total votes: 6
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ZIPPER
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I bought a Macmini

Post by ZIPPER » Thu Sep 06, 2007 7:25 pm

Two weeks ago I finally did it, I bought a Mac!

I have been wanting to own a Mac for about a year now and the situation finally arose where I had a place for a new computer. My 37" LCD TV in my bedroom was just begging to be used as a part time monitor. After looking around for about a month I had found a few small form factors that would fit the bill. The only problem was that all of them came with Win/Vista and didn't have very good reviews with performance. I actually went to buy a Accer at Circuit City when it dawned on me. I don't know if I really can trust an Accer. The price was about $100 more than I had thought it was a week before and it got me to think. For a few dollars more I could get the Apple Macmini and something that wasn't Vista.

After a few weeks of searching through many Apple forums I shot a few question's to the only person I knew that knew anything about Apple, Miftah. He answered the few questions that I was still unsure of and reassured me that I would love it. He was right!

The Macmini is a ultra small form factor. It leaves a footprint about the size of a CD case and is 2" tall. It has a DVI output and is capable of digital sound output. The processor is a Intel duo2 core running at 1.83mhz. A 60gb hard drive and 1gb of RAM. It comes with built in wireless and bluetooth. The components are basically the same as the Macbooks. There is no keyboard, mouse or monitor that come with the system, just a tiny iPod like remote that is used when browsing your media files.

Did I tell you that I love this thing? It is running at 720p on the TV and just looks great. We have all of the music files already transfered over to it and most of our pictures too. I have the audio split so that it is connected to the TV and the surround sound system.

The video is hooked up using a DVItoHDMI cable. It is capable of running up to 1080i on the TV but at that resolution it is too hard to see the text on the screen.

I wasn't to sure about Apple's Safari web browser, it seemed kind slowish, so the first thing I did was install Firefox. Firefox works great on it of course and with a few add-ons I had all my bookmarks and my theme.

Apple uses a program called Front Row to tie iTunes, Quicktime and iPhoto all in to one neat interface that can be used by the tiny remote. It is the same type of interface that the AppleTV uses. The remote is laid out like the iPod controls so that you have a ring with a button in the middle. When the mini is in sleep mode you can use the remote to turn it on, so if you just are using the computer for music you never have to touch a keyboard or a mouse.

For performance I would give the mini 4 out of 5 stars. The integrated graphics may be the weakest part of the whole system and with a system this small there is not much room for upgrades.

In the user convenience category I would have to give it 5 out of 5. Mac OSx is wonderful. It takes the system less than 20 seconds to load. The bundled iLife programs are very easy to use and the whole system is laid out very logically. To say it is easy enough for a child to use it is one thing, but for an adult who has never known much more than Windows is another.
"The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help. " -- Ronald Reagan
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