Mac Mini--no excuse now, folks

[DavidTO]

Starting at $499, you can now be the proud owner of a Macintosh.

Mac Mini (http://www.apple.com/macmini/)

[blackwaterstudio]

Starting at $499, you can now be the proud owner of a Macintosh.

Mac Mini (http://www.apple.com/macmini/)
Beat me to it :)

[DoctorIt]

no way, i was just looking for this a few hours ago! Been reading the spy reports and rumors for weeks!!!!

Oh my, what do I have to sell now... Anyone need a 75-300mm IS lens???

all mac house, here I come!!!

[dragon300zx]

I was going to buy this mini-mac but hey how much you want for that lens....

[mercphoto]

I was going to buy this mini-mac but hey how much you want for that lens....

I'm betting he wants $499.... LOL!

[cletus]

The $499 price point is about $498.97 out of my price range right now :D

Cool looking machine though.

[luckyrwe]

By the time I added RAM and other stuff I was up to $952. :scratch

[mercphoto]

By the time I added RAM and other stuff I was up to $952. :scratch

You're point being what? Do the same thing to a Dell, you arrive at the same price tag. But with the Mac your life is a lot easier.

[DJ-S1]

You're point being what? Do the same thing to a Dell, you arrive at the same price tag. But with the Mac your life is a lot easier.
Well, with a Dell you'd also get a monitor, printer, keyboard, mouse, speakers, and another optical drive...

[luckyrwe]

Life will be easier, till the wife finds out :>

[Nikolai]

Life will be easier, till the wife finds out :>
.. I just ordered a $3,000 Dell XPS system.
3.4Ghz P4 w/HT, dual optical drives, 160Gb 7200 rpm HDD, 20" widescreen rotatable LCD monitor (1000:1, 12 ms response), Win XP Pro..:deal

No payments for 90 days. No interest until 2006. :thumb

I don't care about the size or looks, I need a workhorse.

Wifie approved:-):clap

Absolutely no pun intended!:D

Cheers!:1drink

[mercphoto]

Well, with a Dell you'd also get a monitor, printer, keyboard, mouse, speakers, and another optical drive...

And a Celeron processor, most likely. Cheap printer. Cheap monitor. Its not the same as a Mac. And you'll never need to re-install your operating system.

The Mac mini is meant for switchers. Already have a monitor? Here's a cheap way to switch to a better computer.

[luckyrwe]

I bet I can get an A/B switch and put tis little guy on my desk ight next to the external hard drives and DVD burner :>

[pathfinder]

And a Celeron processor, most likely. Cheap printer. Cheap monitor. Its not the same as a Mac. And you'll never need to re-install your operating system.

The Mac mini is meant for switchers. Already have a monitor? Here's a cheap way to switch to a better computer.


I'm already a switcher and the miniMAC looks kind of interesting - a neat way to put my existing LCDs and keyboards to work for an internet access device in my office. Hmmm.... And Apple stock went down today too?? I may need to buy some of that also.

[DJ-S1]

Actually, you can get this:

Pentium® 4 Processor 520 with HT Technology (2.80GHz, 800 FSB)
512MB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 400MHz (2x256M)
80GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM)
15 in (15.0 in viewable) E153FP Flat Panel Display
Dual Drives: 16x DVD-ROM Drive + 48x CD-RW Drive

For $829

I was wrong, no printer bundled. And it's not cute.

[DavidTO]

Kinda sorry I started this thread.

You all know where I stand on the whole PC/MAC thing, but let's just enjoy this little marvel and just get along. If the peecee crowd can't appreciate what we've got, then so be it.

The little thing sure is cute, though, huh?

[dkapp]

How easy would it to buy a few of these and have them work as a cluster for distributed computing? Hmm...I'll have to give it a few weeks and see what other geeks like me come up with.

This is my other thought. It's the same size as the stereo in most cars. Put this with a bluetooth keyboard & mouse, a few displays & your set.

Anyone want to give it a go?

[wxwax]

Kinda sorry I started this thread.

You all know where I stand on the whole PC/MAC thing, but let's just enjoy this little marvel and just get along. If the peecee crowd can't appreciate what we've got, then so be it.

The little thing sure is cute, though, huh?
I share your sentiment. But think about the provocative nature of your thread title. :evil

[DavidTO]

I share your sentiment. But think about the provocative nature of your thread title. :evil
Yeah, but my non-provocative titles don't get nearly the action!

[mercphoto]

Actually, you can get this:

Pentium® 4 Processor 520 with HT Technology (2.80GHz, 800 FSB)
512MB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 400MHz (2x256M)
80GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM)
15 in (15.0 in viewable) E153FP Flat Panel Display
Dual Drives: 16x DVD-ROM Drive + 48x CD-RW Drive

For $829

I was wrong, no printer bundled. And it's not cute.

Mini Mac with 512M and 80G and keyboard and mouse: $682. And a cheap flat panel and the price delta is nil. All you are missing is the dual drives. What you gain is a computer that simply works.

And start adding the price of the equivalent software of the likes of iLife to the Dell.

I worked for Texas Instruments in the early 90s (chip sets for PC's), then Motorola (on PowerPC), and now AMD (x86 world again). Having been this immersed in the industry, trust me, there is a reason I'm still an Apple fan...

[DJ-S1]

Kinda sorry I started this thread.

You all know where I stand on the whole PC/MAC thing, but let's just enjoy this little marvel and just get along. If the peecee crowd can't appreciate what we've got, then so be it. What do you mean? Nobody has said anything bad about the new Mac, or the old ones either. I just have been looking at the Dell site recently for my mother-in-law, so I had some info. No big deal.

[wxwax]

trust me, there is a reason I'm still an Apple fan...
I trust you. It's the reverse that doesn't seem to be the case. :evil

[DJ-S1]

Mini Mac with 512M and 80G and keyboard and mouse: $682. And a cheap flat panel and the price delta is nil. All you are missing is the dual drives. What you gain is a computer that simply works. {sigh} OK, so go get a 15" LCD and an external CD-RW or DVD-ROM for $140 if you want.

For the last time. I do not hate Apple. I was just commenting on someone saying with more RAM and stuff the Macmini is $900+, and then someone else saying that a Dell is the same price. I happened to know that wasn't accurate, and wasn't "apples to apples", pardon the pun.

If you folks would get off your soap boxes for a minute, you might notice that not everyone is anti-Mac, and that just because someone offers a fact that may not be in your favor, that doesn't mean they are slamming your computer of choice.

Geez.

[wxwax]

Alright, a little heat! Been a while. :evil

[DJ-S1]

Alright, a little heat! Been a while. :evil
Not on this end, Waxy. Sorry to spoil your fun! :rofl

[wxwax]

Not on this end, Waxy. Sorry to spoil your fun! :rofl
Apples rule the world, all other computers suck. : :bad






























:ear













































:lol3

[Nikolai]

Kinda sorry I started this thread.

You all know where I stand on the whole PC/MAC thing, but let's just enjoy this little marvel and just get along. If the peecee crowd can't appreciate what we've got, then so be it.

The little thing sure is cute, though, huh?Of course it's cute. And of course it's an engineering marvel.:thumb

I have always been fascinated by Mr. Steve Jobs' engineering ingenuity. Once I got a chance to work with NeXT (if anybody still remembers such thing:-) - what an awesome machine that was..

Unfortunately, its own elitism carried the lethal poison. It was too expensive. There was no software. You'd have to create your own (Mac programmers - not "apple scripters" - please stand up and be counted:-), or pay a hefty amount of money to some person geeky enough to create one for you. That is if you manage to find this person first, and, secondly, this person manages to deliver the requested product "in time and on budget"..

"Machine for switchers", says you? Not likely, says I.
It's not "a machine" that counts. It's a software you run on it. More precisely - it's the real life tasks you're able to solve with its help.
You heard the old marketing pitch for Black&Dekker: "We're not selling drills. We're selling holes". Pay $499 - yeah, sure, it a fine price. Oh, you'd also need a keyboard. And a printer. And none of your software packages you have paid for (and spend time learning) would run on it - so you would have to buy them again. And learn them again. And yes, you probably won't need to re-learn Photoshop - $649 entry ticket covers the compatibility issues.
Add a few more convenience tools, add some hardware which simply could not fit into 6"x6" - and your light, elegant, small, cheap $499 pearl box transforms into $1800..$2200 collection of hardware and software, interconnected with the same amount of cables I showed you guys today:-)

That also goes to the "you never have to change your OS again" statement. I assume that implies you all are still running Apple Lisa, right? Or am I deeply mistaken and Tiger was introduced 10 years ago, in 1993? Or it's simply the same thing?:-)

----
Once again, I agree - it is a very nice piece of hardware. Really neatly done. Very stylish. A real gem.
Unfortunately, it cannot run Half-Life 2. Or Doom 3. Or Delphi/C#.. None of the "holes" I need are available...
But it surely looks great!:thumb

Cheers!:1drink

[wxwax]

:rofl

Now that's what I'm talking about!

:evil

[PerezDesignGroup]

I foresee many companies buying these as thin clients for their employees. This way, they can't install crappy spyware and security is rock solid. I'm quite happy that Mac stepped up their game to include the lower price point.

[wxwax]

I foresee many companies buying these as thin clients for their employees. This way, they can't install crappy spyware and security is rock solid. I'm quite happy that Mac stepped up their game to include the lower price point.
I read an interesting piece on the market economics of cheap boxes. Apparently only Dell makes a profit on them. Plus, Apple will have to learn how to market them and distribute them. No more "image" ads... instead, price-point type inserts in the Sunday paper, etc. An interesting challenge.

[onethumb]

Of course it's cute. And of course it's an engineering marvel.:thumb

I have always been fascinated by Mr. Steve Jobs' engineering ingenuity. Once I got a chance to work with NeXT (if anybody still remembers such thing:-) - what an awesome machine that was..

...and, of course, being Silicon Valley, there's a story here. Baldy used to work at NeXT, with His Holiness, all the time.

And I have something like 7 NeXTs gathering dust in my garage... They're special though: id Software built Wolfenstein3D and the first DOOM on these very machines.

They were sweet in their day. Mac OS X is essentially NeXTStep (the similarities are frightening. Especially when it (rarely) crashes and gives a NeXT error code!). There's another story buried here, too, that I leave up to Baldy to tell, if he will. Short version: In a twisted sort of way, he's partially responsible for Apple buying NeXT.

Don

[onethumb]

Once again, I agree - it is a very nice piece of hardware. Really neatly done. Very stylish. A real gem.
Unfortunately, it cannot run Half-Life 2. Or Doom 3. Or Delphi/C#.. None of the "holes" I need are available...
But it surely looks great!

Don't want to get a flame war going or anything, but DOOM3 runs on it. I know, I've played it. :) Remember Jobs demoing it? It'll be out one of these days...

And it comes with a *great* dev environment on every box, for free! Builds for C/C++/Objective C/Java I think. So while it might not have Delphi, it has plenty of other goodies, and no cost attached with the dev tools, unlike Windows where decent environments are $$$.

Finally, almost every single open source app out there for Linux/BSD/etc runs on Mac OS X. Thousands and thousands of them.

Other than some games (Half-Life 2 isn't destined for OS X ever, last time I asked Valve), it has pretty much anything you'd need. Office is better on the Mac than the PC, even!

If they'd just solve the video game thing, I'd be done with PCs for life. Instead, I use a Mac as my portable, and Windows for my desktop.

Oh well.

Don

[onethumb]

I read an interesting piece on the market economics of cheap boxes. Apparently only Dell makes a profit on them. Plus, Apple will have to learn how to market them and distribute them. No more "image" ads... instead, price-point type inserts in the Sunday paper, etc. An interesting challenge.

Or they could be using these as a means to gateway people into buying more Apple stuff. If you can sell someone one of these and break even, it's likely they'll fall in love and their next purchase might be a G5 instead of a Dell.

At least, that's what I'd be thinking if I were Apple. They have the cash and the growth to attempt it. And they are all about image. I don't see them getting away from that with this either.

The real win, though, is that it's not really that much more than an iPod. People are jamming their stores to pick up iPods. With this price point, they may just throw it in the cart, so to speak, along with their new iPod. No marketing dollars required.

Don

[Aaron Wilson]

That is a great price but im a pc man all the way (IBM).

[wxwax]

Or they could be using these as a means to gateway people into buying more Apple stuff. If you can sell someone one of these and break even, it's likely they'll fall in love and their next purchase might be a G5 instead of a Dell.

At least, that's what I'd be thinking if I were Apple. They have the cash and the growth to attempt it. And they are all about image. I don't see them getting away from that with this either.

The real win, though, is that it's not really that much more than an iPod. People are jamming their stores to pick up iPods. With this price point, they may just throw it in the cart, so to speak, along with their new iPod. No marketing dollars required.

Don

Hmm, very interesting stuff, Don. :thumb As I understand it, the key to making money on a low profit margin item is volume, mass sales. So unless they want to take a bath, I imagine they'll have to put some marketing and sales muscle behind the thing. But, there's a reason I'm on the creative side of my business!

[Nikolai]

...and, of course, being Silicon Valley, there's a story here. Baldy used to work at NeXT, with His Holiness, all the time.

And I have something like 7 NeXTs gathering dust in my garage... They're special though: id Software built Wolfenstein3D and the first DOOM on these very machines.

They were sweet in their day. Mac OS X is essentially NeXTStep (the similarities are frightening. Especially when it (rarely) crashes and gives a NeXT error code!). There's another story buried here, too, that I leave up to Baldy to tell, if he will. Short version: In a twisted sort of way, he's partially responsible for Apple buying NeXT.

Don
Original id machines..! I heard of that.. Wolf3D came out almost exactly around that time (couple years before) I started working with NeXTs.. Awesome, Don! Respect!:thumb
OS X reporting NeXT errors - I adore that:-)

Hopefully Baldy (wow!) will tell the story some day.. if not here, maybe at Wawona:-)

Cheers!:1drink

[Nikolai]

Don't want to get a flame war going or anything, but DOOM3 runs on it. I know, I've played it. :) Remember Jobs demoing it? It'll be out one of these days...

And it comes with a *great* dev environment on every box, for free! Builds for C/C++/Objective C/Java I think. So while it might not have Delphi, it has plenty of other goodies, and no cost attached with the dev tools, unlike Windows where decent environments are $$$.

Finally, almost every single open source app out there for Linux/BSD/etc runs on Mac OS X. Thousands and thousands of them.

Other than some games (Half-Life 2 isn't destined for OS X ever, last time I asked Valve), it has pretty much anything you'd need. Office is better on the Mac than the PC, even!

If they'd just solve the video game thing, I'd be done with PCs for life. Instead, I use a Mac as my portable, and Windows for my desktop.

Oh well.

Don
Forgot about about D3 demo, I read about it, thank you for refreshing my memory.

Dev tools.. If OS X really IS NeXT, as you just hinted, I can imagine that part. I liked Objective C, and the evironmnent was great. And when I did a little googling last nite I was surprised by the prices of MS software for Macs, even felt kinda jealous:-).

Anyway, most of customers (I lied: not most, all of them:-) I used to write code for are using PCs. Hence, there is no huge reason for me personaly to switch - as there is not much reason for a person with $$$ worth of canon glass all of a sudden switch to nikon just over a nicely done body - even if the body's price is only $499 :D

For starters, though - yes, I can see that. If Apple continues on this path, entry level/SOHO machines market can soon change - and maybe then some of the customers start choosing macs over pcs as their business platform.

And then we'll follow the cheese:-)

Thank you!

Cheers!:1drink

[mercphoto]

"Machine for switchers", says you? Not likely, says I. It's not "a machine" that counts. It's a software you run on it. More precisely - it's the real life tasks you're able to solve with its help.
Nik, you're believing the Gates hype. I have yet to find something I need to do on my Mac that I can't buy software for off the shelf. Same is true of most people on the planet. When someone asks me "look at all that software for the PC on the shelf at Best Buy", I then ask them "how much of it will you buy? How much of it is worth buying in the first place?". That is when they admit that most of it is junk not worth using.

That also goes to the "you never have to change your OS again" statement. I assume that implies you all are still running Apple Lisa, right? Or am I deeply mistaken and Tiger was introduced 10 years ago, in 1993? Or it's simply the same thing?:-)
We don't say you never need to change your OS again. We say you never need to RE-INSTALL it again. As in, Windows crashed so bad I need to re-install the very same operating system I was using just 10 minutes ago. I have never had to re-install Mac OS.

None of the "holes" I need are available...
If you wish to exchange security for "features', be my guest. But its why the PC world has virus issues.

[Nikolai]

Nik, you're believing the Gates hype.I think I've been around computers (programming them and using them) long enough to not believe to anybody's hype, even my own boss':-) Words are cheap:-) But once you start understanding what actually happens inside, what can be done and what not - hype is not an issue:-) You just KNOW:-)

I have yet to find something I need to do on my Mac that I can't buy software for off the shelf. Same is true of most people on the planet. When someone asks me "look at all that software for the PC on the shelf at Best Buy", I then ask them "how much of it will you buy? How much of it is worth buying in the first place?". That is when they admit that most of it is junk not worth using.Oh, don't get me wrong, I am positive that any modern personal computer platform (Mac, Windows, Linux, etc.) has enough beef to make an "average user" happy. And yes, in PC world there is a lot of junk. Funny, the reason is - a lot of people are programming for it. Don't you think that if the same amount were programming for Mac, shear "bell curve law" would increase the amount of junk in your world?;-)
And it also was "switching" what I was talking about. If you only gonna use PS, browser and email - sure, any platform will do. However, for people with huge "brain investments" in one of the platforms, that may be a very painful process..


We don't say you never need to change your OS again. We say you never need to RE-INSTALL it again. As in, Windows crashed so bad I need to re-install the very same operating system I was using just 10 minutes ago. I have never had to re-install Mac OS.OK, point taken.
But you know what? Since XP came out, I have never had to reinstall it either..:-)


If you wish to exchange security for "features', be my guest. But its why the PC world has virus issues.Well, come on now. It is not the true reason. The true reason is: not enough valuable information is stored on macs, and not enough ppl on the planet are running macs for a good hacker to bother. It's the same reason there is not enough viruses for Amigas and Atari - not enough ROI.
I can bet you one year of smugmug pro accout subscription fee: if, for whatever reason, macs start gaining popularity and reach, say, 20% of the market share, there will be "apple worms", too..

And just to make things clear: I'm not anti-mac person. I'm not anti-unix, anti-vb, anti-c or anti-nikon person either. But I'm definitely anti-"my system/car/camera/wife/house/etc. is better than yours" person.

Because it's never the size (or the price, or the megapixels, or any other valuable property) - it's always how you use it!

Cheers!:1drink

[fish]

there is no huge reason for me personaly to switch - as there is not much reason for a person with $$$ worth of canon glass all of a sudden switch to nikon just over a nicely done body - even if the body's price is only $499 :D
The Mac mini isn't for you, Nikolai. It's for others who are fed up with spending hours trying to keep an inherently unstable and insecure platform stable and secure.

BTW, your analogy doesn't work, because you can just dump your CPU, and plug your kb, mouse, monitor, and periphs into the Mac, but you can't very easily connect L-glass to a Nikon body.


The Mac mini is for people like my mom. Dump her CPU, plug in the stuff, and boom...she's got a mac.

btw, Splinter Cell and Halo run very nicely on my iMac :1drink. Doom3 and Halo2 versions are on the way for OS X.

[Ann McRae]

Starting at $499, you can now be the proud owner of a Macintosh.

Mac Mini (http://www.apple.com/macmini/)
Funny, a fellow photog and I were talking about just this last night - he uses mac stuff and I live in a pc household. He thinks I am silly not to be using macs.:scratch :scratch :scratch :dunno :dunno :dunno
I been thinking tho, that if I switched my photo stuff to a mac mini, I could have exclusive use in the household and leave the gamers and msners to the pcs!!!!!! This just might work! :thumb

However, as with everything, the mac mini is $750 cdn - a bit more than just plain exchange!:dunno :dunno


ann

[Nikolai]

The Mac mini isn't for you, NikolaiBullseye:-)
As I said - it's for those who don't know better.:bad

Peace, bro:thumb

Cheers!:1drink

[fish]

As I said - it's for those who know better.:bad

Fixed it for ya, Nikolai. :beer :D

[Nikolai]

Fixed it for ya, Nikolai. :beer :DIn Russia we have an expression "drinks like a fish"...:D (= "'can drink a lot")
Cheers! :beer

[DavidTO]

In Russia we have an expression "drinks like a fish"...:D (= "'can drink a lot")
Cheers! :beer

Same meaning here, I'm afraid.

I heard one. When you're really happy, you're "rolling in puppies". I like that one.

[fish]

In Russia we have an expression "drinks like a fish"...:D (= "'can drink a lot")
Cheers! :beer
I'll buy the first four rounds, Nik. Maybe that will make you forget about the Start button.

[Nikolai]

I'll buy the first four rounds, Nik. Maybe that will make you forget about the Start button.I don't programm when I'm drunk:-)
Had a bad experience: we downed a few shots at work and my boss asked me to fix his corrupted paradox database file he was working on for 3 months. Well, what do you know - we ended up deleting the whole thing... Boy, was he pissed.. But in Russia you can't be upset with a drink buddy - it's against the law:-)

I'm bying next four. Btw, are you coming to Yosemite?

[luckyrwe]

Another engineering marvel.


http://www.etedeschi.ndirect.co.uk/museum/picts/comptometer.jpg

[Nikolai]

..of a Mac Micro, where they also managed to add keyboard and a "scroller" (scroll-lever - brand new concept pointing device instead of outdated mice/joisticks) to the box, so you'd only need a monitor.
Now THAT is for "switchers":D
Cheers!:1drink

[gus]

Hey just live in my world...they both show pictures on a screen so either is cool.

[Andy]

I'll buy the first four rounds, Nik. Maybe that will make you forget about the Start button.

that there's no freaking start button on my new mac that's coming in a week? how the hell will i use it? :dunno :wxwax

[DavidTO]

that there's no freaking start button on my new mac that's coming in a week? how the hell will i use it? :dunno :wxwax

joyfully

[DavidTO]

from macfixit.com:

Today's Featured Article
Late-Breakers

Mac mini questions

Will users be able to upgrade the mini's RAM themselves? According to Apple's specifications, no. Authorized service technicians will have to install additional RAM modules. Any attempts at opening the case to install extra memory may void the computer's warranty.


Unfortunately, this means that Mac mini purchasers will be locked into buying RAM through Apple, which is significantly more expensive in some cases than buying from a third-party vendor.


Is the power supply internal? No. Power comes from an external "brick" adapter.


Does the Mac mini have audio-in capabilities? No. Audio-in is a feature on the eMac and iMac G5, but not the Mac mini.


Will the Mac mini support multiple displays? Though the Mac mini only has one display connection port, the included ATI Radeon 9200 (when ordered as a PCI card) does support multiple displays.


There are a number of "splitter" display adapters available that may be able to provide this functionality, but as of yet we've been unable to confirm whether or not this solution will actually work.


Will Mac OS X 10.4's (Tiger) Core Image system be compatible with the Mac mini? Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger), slated for release in the first half of 2005, will sport a new graphics technology called Core Image that provides enhanced optimization routines to developers and will result in greater performance from image-intense applications.


Unfortunately, the ATI Radeon 9200 card included in the Mac mini is not listed as a programmable GPU per Core Image's specs. However, the system will still be able to make use of Core Image to a limited extent, since Core Image (according to Apple) "dynamically optimizes for the CPU, automatically tuning for Velocity Engine and multiple processors as appropriate."


How will S-Video output work? The Mac mini provides S-video and composite video output, allowing the user to connect the unit directly to a TV or projector. This requires the Apple DVI to Video Adapter, sold separately)


Currently, Apple lists the DVI to Video Adapter as a US$19 accessory that is "for the Power Mac G5 only." We suspect that the same cable will work for the Mac mini, though we are awaiting confirmation.

[DoctorIt]

from macfixit.com:ouch. the part about the RAM is not so cool. Even my powerbook can be upgraded by me w/no problems.

[fish]

ouch. the part about the RAM is not so cool. Even my powerbook can be upgraded by me w/no problems.
In the past, companies have run into trouble by stating that the warranty is voided when you open the case to install more memory. I suspect standard RAM is used and users will be able to do it, though not easily.


Sounds like the mac mini may make a really nice home theater controller.

[fish]

that there's no freaking start button on my new mac that's coming in a week? how the hell will i use it? :dunno :wxwax

Click on an icon in the dock, desktop, or somewhere in a finder window. We don't need no stinkin' "start" button.

[luckyrwe]

Hmmm no audio input...but can I use firewire form my camcorder and input audio that way?

[DavidTO]

Hmmm no audio input...but can I use firewire form my camcorder and input audio that way?

Depends on what you want to do. If you're going to edit in iMove, FCP Express or Pro, yeah that'll work.

I think that audio in really only effects using a microphone, like with iChat, or using the voice commands.

[DavidTO]

For anyone seriously considering the Mac mini, here's some good, hard information:

http://www.macworld.com/2005/01/news/minioverview/

[JohnR]

I would imagine that the iSight will work with this, which will provide audio for iChat.

As for ram:
Memory, AirPort Extreme and internal Bluetooth upgrades must be performed by an Apple Authorized Service provider; fees may apply.

Which means you can buy cheaper ram, go to your local mac dealer and have them install it.

I think this is a nice little mac...would be awesome to have if I didn't have my G5 already.

[DavidTO]

Thought some of you might find this of interest, found on macintouch.com:


Apple provided MacWorld with an official response to the question of user-upgradeable RAM:

You do not void your warranty by opening Mac mini, unless you break something when you open it. Meaning, you can open it up to add memory and your warranty is still valid.

[DJ-S1]

CNET posted a full review of the Mac mini here (http://reviews.cnet.com/Apple_Mac_Mini__1_25GHz_/4505-3118_7-31256881.html?tag=tab), if you are interested. I usually use CNET reviews as a decent starting point when I'm researching a potential purchase.