We've already put these new minis thru the paces here at Macminicolo and they're great. A few things to know:
-The RAM on these minis is VERY easy to upgrade. This machine comes with 2GB but can be upgraded to 8GB. Just twist off the bottom with your fingers and replace the RAM. (Literally, no tools required.)
- If you're looking to use the Mac mini connected to your TV, you'll be glad to hear that it now comes with HDMI. Nearly every current HDTV should have HDMI and it's a great fit.
- Speaking of TV watching, the new GPU (video card) is great. A wonderful upgrade.
- This Mac mini was reduced in power consumption AND the power brick is now internal instead of the big external one from before. That makes for a cleaner looking hookup.
- We use all our Mac minis as servers here and they're great. They run 24 hours a day and have no problems.
- This machine still has the IR capability so it can be controlled with the Apple Remote or one of the Harmony remotes with no problems.
All in all, a good upgrade. Apple Mac Mini MC270LL/A Desktop
The Mac Mini was updated on June 15th 2010. There are some upgrades and minor changes between the 2010 Mac Mini and 2009's model, detailed below.
UPGRADES
HDMI audio/video output (HDMI version 1.3 and supports up to 1920-by-1200 resolution and multichannel audio.) Allows you to connect the Mac Mini to your HDTV easily.
Nvidia Geforce 320 M integrated graphics processor. More powerful than last years Nvidia Geforce 9400 which was in the 2009 Mac mini. Useful for content creation.
320 gb hard drive - Last years base model had a 160gb hard drive.
Secure Digital (SD) memory card slot - Useful for transferring photos and videos from Cameras.
Unibody aluminum body.
STANDARD FEATURES - from last years model (minor changes noted in brackets) are
Core 2 Duo Processor ( 2.4 ghz - up from 2.26ghz )
2 GB 1066 MHz DDR3 Ram
8x slot-loading SuperDrive DVD burner
Mini DisplayPort video output with support for up to 2560-by-1600 resolution
Combined optical digital output/headphone output
Four USB 2.0 ports (1 less than the 2009 Mac Mini)
One FireWire 800 port
Wi-Fi - 802.11n specification; 802.11a/b/g compatible, Bluetooth 2.1 and Gigabit Ethernet -10/100/1000.
Software included is OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard and the iLife 09 suite of content creation tools. A 1 year warranty on parts and 90 day telephone technical support is standard.
As one can see, not much has changed. Apple is still using outdated Core 2 Duo processors while the rest of the computer industry has moved on to using Intel's "i" series of processors and it's still shipping the Mac mini with 2gb of ram which is completely inadequate for multi-tasking effectively.
However, whatever little has changed, is for the better.
Apple has finally acknowledged that people connect their Mac Mini's to HDTV's and use them as media centers. So it's added an HDMI port to the machine. This makes hooking up your Mac mini to a HDTV really easy. No Blu-ray drive though.
It's also included an SD card slot at the rear (Which also supports SDXC cards) - so you can transfer your photos / videos / data directly from an SD card without having to connect your camera / card reader to the machine.
Also, new in this year's Mac mini is a removable panel on the bottom of the Mac mini which allows you to easily upgrade the ram. This is a welcome addition considering that accessing the ram slots in earlier Mac mini's was a tedious and time consuming process. And since the Mac mini only comes with 2gb of ram, a ram upgrade should be one of the first things you choose to do. Kingston Apple 4GB Kit (2x2GB Modules) 1066MHz DDR3 SODIMM iMac and Macbook Memory (KTA-MB1066K2/4GR) for [...] currently. The operating system STRUGGLES with multi-tasking when there's only 2gb of ram present. Note to Apple. Stop skimping on the ram. Thanks.
Unfortunately, there are some negatives too.
First up is the power supply unit. In the 2009 Mac mini, the power supply was an external power adapter, which meant if anything went wrong with it, you'd take the adapter for servicing, not the whole machine. However, the power supply unit is now inside the June 2010 Mac mini. This may look better / cleaner from a design / clutter point of view but it also means that if it ever malfunctions, instead of the power adapter, you'll have to take your Mac mini in to an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Store Provider and leave it there for repairs which may lead to more downtime.
The SD card slot is at the back of the machine, and reaching behind to insert a card gets tedious fast.
Also, the machine is STILL not designed to not let users access the hard drive easily (or without voiding the warranty). This forces the customer to be dependent on Apple for servicing, replacing or upgrading the hard drive. Considering the amount of confidential data customers store on their computers, they should be allowed to take out the hard drive when they need or feel like instead of being forced to take their machines into an Apple store if there are any issues. This is definitely a privacy / security risk for many customers and Apple should address this in the next iteration of the machine.
Also, because of the closed design of the Mac Mini, Applecare will always be a requirement, since you can't replace anything in the machine if something goes wrong except for the ram. Power supply goes bad - no Applecare - pay Apple big money. Hard drive dies - no Applecare - pay Apple big money. So Applecare becomes a $ 150 requirement to protect yourself from Apple's exorbitant repair costs. It's like a hidden cost, You don't see it until you realize you're probably going to need it.
The price has also gone up by $ 100. Cost is an important aspect to consider. If you decide to upgrade the ram and also need to purchase a LCD monitor, keyboard and mouse, once you total it all up, the Mac mini will end up costing almost as much as a Macbook(which is more portable) or the entry level iMac (21.5 inch screen, 4gb of ram, dedicated graphics and bigger hard drive). If that's the case, you better off examining those machines as purchase options instead of buying a Mini.
The Mac mini is a capable machine for general tasks such as watching videos, working on documents, listening to music and surfing the web. It's small and occupies very little space. It's also very energy efficient which is good for the environment and your energy bill. I would have loved to rate it 4 stars but I can't ignore Apple still including only 2gb of ram which is inadequate for multitasking, not including a Blu-ray drive, STILL not allowing customers to access the hard drive AND increasing the price by $ 100.
If the issues mentioned above don't affect you in any way and you want a small, power efficient and capable machine (After upgrading the ram) the Mac Mini may be the machine for you.
Hope this helps!
NOTE - Mar 18 2011. The Mac Mini is now extremely out of date compared to other computer makers current products. C2D processor, 320 GB 5400 rpm hard drive, 2 gb ram (stutter stutter). In 2011, these specs for $ 700 + $ 150 Applecare = very bad value for money.
Forget about the superficial things like how small it is. Instead buy a $ 700 dollar HTPC(Home theater PC), Excluding the operating system (which is always a matter of personal preference) you'll get a lot more bang for your buck with regards to hardware. IF you must buy a Mac Mini, wait for Apple to update it so that the hardware will justify the cost.'
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