Mac Mini
11 January 2005, mid-afternoon
So the rumors were true. Damn. Rishi is going to bust a nut.
The Mac mini looks like a 3” tall CD drive. A short cube. All the connections, DVI and VGA. The Mac mini fits in the palm of your hand. Hook it into your own keyboard and mouse, or Apple’s. Comes with Panther and iLife 05. Price point:$499 $599.
Live updates of Jobs Keynote address at MacMerc.com. The computer is supposed to be available on January 22nd. The rumors about a new word processor called “Pages” were also true apparently. And the rumors about the iPod flash player were also apparently true.
iPod Shuffle: really tiny (smaller than most packs of gum), no screen, weighs under 1 ounce.
Apple has updated their homepage:iPod shuffle, Mac mini, iWork. I suspect 2005 is the year Apple takes over the world.
I’m so hyped. I’ve waited too long for somethign like the MiniMac. Everyone’s going to own Apples now. It’ll be like 1983 all over again.
by rishi on January 11 2005, 5:21 pm #
Seriously. I feel like running around my office to tell them about the new Macs. But I don’t know if people actually care. I think this year, this quarter in particular, is going to be really big for Apple. I wonder how their stock is doing right now.
by ramanan on January 11 2005, 5:34 pm #
I started a Metafilter thread on the subject.
by ramanan on January 11 2005, 5:54 pm #
I’m interested in seeing some shuffle reviews. I’d consider it for the gym.
by mk on January 11 2005, 7:15 pm #
What do the Apple people mean by “A short cube”? (Shouldn’t they know better?!)
by martha on January 11 2005, 9:12 pm #
They mean it the new computer is like a short version of the old G4 Cube, not that the computer is a short cube (which would make it a rectangular prism).
by ramanan on January 11 2005, 9:15 pm #
all this hype is great, but is my ipod mini any cheaper? Can Shima, the poor student with student loans and no income, be able to afford an ipod mini once and for all?
Really, isn’t that the most important question? I think so. I should call Apple up and give them a few pointers on how he can reach the student demographic more effectively.
by sh!ma on January 11 2005, 10:06 pm #
The mac mini is crazy. I wonder if they will make another one, but put a g5 in it. This will probably defeat the purpose of this computer, but it would still be nice to have their smallest computer, have their fastest chip.
by Krishna on January 12 2005, 2:46 am #
I was talking about that with Rishi. I don’t think they’ll put a G5 chip in the machine anytime soon. Not until the price of G5s goes down, and not until there would be something substantially different in the Powermac and iMac lines. I don’t think they want this computer to cannibalize sales of other Macs.
by ramanan on January 12 2005, 2:55 am #
I suppose. Regardless though, this computer will really help apple out. After being so successful with the Ipod, people will probably be willing to turn to their computers now. Also their new iWork seems quite nice. Their pages program had some really nice looking templates. Looks like a very promising alternative to MS Word. Will have to wait till some reviews come out to be certain about this though.
by Krishna on January 12 2005, 3:09 am #
A G5-class chip won’t be going into Mac mini’s anytime soon because of heat, not cost.
by Robert on January 12 2005, 3:44 am #
Plus you cannot price a G5 that low. It will kill sales of the new iMac.
Very much interested in the iPod Shuffle. The marketing behind this is brilliant. Not only will it attract folks desiring a flash based player, but also current iPod owners will find it useful enough to purchase. Brilliant! You just can’t go wrong with a 1GB USB stick!
by Sunny on January 12 2005, 7:21 am #
Well they have G5 chips in iMacs which have just as thin a form factor. I think they have figured out how to cool them well enough. Mind you, the chip is right above the hard drive which is also gets hot, so this may complicate matters. I still think the reasons are more political then anything else. And of course they are just more expensive then G4 chips.
by ramanan on January 12 2005, 10:38 am #
Does the Pages support the .doc format. Because if it doesn’t…good luck!
Ram, I have heard that the new iMac has major heating problems. And that is understandable given that its a first iteration. They will surely address that in the update. So if they wanted to, they could have used it in the Mini. But they had a specific price-point in mind, and so it was a G4. You cannot sell a G5 for that less. Maybe the next iteration!
by Sunny on January 12 2005, 8:18 pm #
Here are some instructions for opening the mini’s case.
by Robert on January 22 2005, 5:49 pm #
Now you can get a Mac Mini for free. See my blog for details.
by Mike on February 15 2005, 1:22 am #
Yes, and you only have to whore yourself and your friends out. Awesome!
by ramanan on February 15 2005, 1:29 am #