Apple has just announced an updated version of its oft-overlooked Mac mini with an Ivy Bridge processor, starting at $599. It's the first Mac mini update since mid-2011, when the optical drive was dropped, and it's a fairly incremental one. The cheapest model will include a 2.5Ghz dual-core i5 processor, with 4GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive. Above that, there's also a $999 server version, which will incorporate a 2.3GHz quad-core i7 processor and two 1TB drives.

The new minis include the same HD 4000 integrated graphics as the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro, and there appears to be no option to include dedicated graphics as you could in previous generations. However, it will be possible to use the new hybrid "fusion drive," which combines an HDD with 128GB of flash storage. Both models will be shipping later today, and details have gone up on Apple's site.

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