Introduction

Apple Mac mini (Core Solo)

Manufacturer: Apple (product page)

Price: US$599

Up until Apple's "fun" announcement on the last day of February, there was really no indication of how Apple's low-end Intel offerings would be presented. Now that Apple has disclosed the specification and price points for their entry-level machines, we can get a better idea of where Apple is trying to take their product line. For those people who might be unaware, two new Mac Mini models were released and by most accounts, the products have been well received aside from a few quibbles over specifications.

The biggest topic of discussion and opinion slinging online is Apple's decision to go with an Intel integrated graphics chipset. That has reportedly caused a lot of people to postpone their purchases. There are a number of reasons for the outcry, and rest assured we'll touch on them throughout this review. Most importantly, we'll try our best to determine how much that decision will hurt the Mini's performance and possible future sales.

I am actually an owner of a first-generation Mac mini with a 1.25GHz G4 processor. I'll be using that machine to highlight that changes to the model throughout this review.

My G4 mini is currently exclusively used as a media center PC connected to our TV in the living room and attached to an ElGato EyeTV 200 for watching TV and scheduling television recordings. One of the biggest failings of the original Mac mini in my eyes was that Apple failed to anticipate the desire of users to connect their minis to their television and home entertainment centers for watching video, showing off slideshows of their photos, and listening to music. In essence, I think Apple blew a big chance to make their first foray into the living room by not shipping the original minis with an application like Front Row.

I'm sure that Apple had considered the possibility originally, and perhaps the rise of several open source projects and user-run blogs on the subject cemented their resolve to transition the miniat least partiallyto a device of this stature. This could all be wishful thinking, however, as I was one of those people running a blog dedicated to helping people use their mini in the living room.

Here's how the two new models stack up:

Mac mini Solo Mac Mini Duo Processor 1.50GHz single core Intel Core Solo CPU 1.66GHz dual-core Intel Core Duo CP Memory 512MB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM Hard drive 60GB SATA 80GB SATA Optical Combo Drive Double-layer SuperDrive Wireless 802.11g and Bluetooth 2.0 Graphics Intel GMA950 Price US$599 US$799



The new, Intelified mini sitting atop its older, PowerPC sibling

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