Comments on: Mac Mini a maxi deal? Depends what you want
When it comes to Apple Computer's new Mac Mini, beauty is in the eye of the person holding the wallet. 
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GarageBand + iMovie + iDVD. iWork = Pages + Keynote.
Plus, you don't have to buy Anti-Virus software, which should
save you a few bucks a year.
And you get all that desk space back, since you don't have one
of those ridiculously large PC boxes hanging around, making
noise.
GarageBand + iMovie + iDVD. iWork = Pages + Keynote.
Plus, you don't have to buy Anti-Virus software, which should
save you a few bucks a year.
And you get all that desk space back, since you don't have one
of those ridiculously large PC boxes hanging around, making
noise.
get a PC cheaper! Fine buy your POS eMachines box and leave us
alone to our quality machines.
get a PC cheaper! Fine buy your POS eMachines box and leave us
alone to our quality machines.
Some people will prefer the Macintosh OS and the iLife suite. Others will favor Windows XP and the various programs that a PC manufacturer might bundle in. Some people will put a premium on style, with the Mac mini winning, because of its small "footprint". Others will put a premium on upgrade options, with the discount PC winning, because of its full-size case.
For a thorough comparison of the hardware, prices, and upgrade options (with the Dell Dimension 2400 as the sample PC), see my related post, "Apple, Dell neck-and-neck on price", at http://news.com.com/5208-1042-0.html?forumID=1&threadID=4124&messageID=23469&start=-128
There *are* some rather curious comparisons in the CNet article.
I am perplexed by this comparison: "Sony and others now make handheld PCs complete with screens that beat the Mac Mini in size, but these cost $1,600 or more." There's no relationship whatsoever between a portable, battery-powered computer and a plug-in desktop system.
I am also suspicious of this comparison: "Is it a good value compared to the entry-level PC that you can find at Best Buy or Wal-Mart? The answer, I think, is clearly no."
The cheapest desktop PC I could find at BestBuy.com was eMachines' T3624 model. We aren't going to split hairs over the fact that the T3624 costs $410, or the fact that Mac mini ships for free, or the fact that T3624 has a 60 GB hard drive, or the fact that the Mac mini has a DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive, or ... The offers are very similar, and each has small advantages and disadvantages. There is no "clear" winner, as the NPD analyst alleges.
We can repeat this exercise with direct offers from Dell and Gateway and retail offers from Best Buy and Wal-Mart. If we ignore a very short-lived $150 mail-in rebate from Gateway, Wal-Mart is the only one of the channels mentioned in the CNet article that can beat the $500 PC price point, *consistently* and by a *wide* margin.
There's nothing wrong with Wal-Mart's $260 "Balance" PC. It too is perfect perfect for a person who needs a basic computer. But the NPD analyst should have limited his comparison, instead of implying that all channels and vendors sell their entry-level PC's at such low prices.
Paul Marcelin-Sampson
Santa Cruz, California, USA
they do far out perform your comparable CPU, especially in
video editing, and graphics.
You might even come to appreciate underlying power of the
operating system and how incredibly easy it is to do tasks,
without even realizing it, that you would find difficult or even
impossible to do on your PC (without upgrading).
That last point is why so many "Mac-heads" love their machines.
It really isn't all about style. When you realize that you actually
have to upgrade less, to get more out or your Mac, it's because
the only thing they will upgrade is memory. For the graphics
professionals, they really should buy what matches, but we are
talking about an entry level machine. ... I don't think the Mac
mini is an entry level machine, for the average consumer. I think
it is an entry level machine for a PC user. Hence, no keyboard,
mouse or monitor.
Unfortunately, many stores have taken actual working copies of
software off of their display Macs, and replaced them with
dazzling yet boring demos.
If you ever get the opportunity, and you are truly curious, then
you should sieze on the chance to try one for a day or two. Only
then will you begin to understand, how a single computer
company, with a minor market share, garners the loyalty it does
from its conumers. And how that loyalty overshadows that of all
the PC manfacturer consumers combined.
level of quality, support or features of the Mac Mini, nor the
equivalents from Dell, Gateway, HP, etc. Comparing, um, apples
to Apples, you see that there's basically no difference in cost/
features between the Mac Mini and these other "tier 1" offerings.
The Mac Mini will sell to those who already have the junk that
came with their Windows system, but want to dump the Windows
headaches. This includes my father, who was looking for an
alternative to his aging Win 98 system. We're going to check it
out at the Apple Store when he visits later this month.
Some people will prefer the Macintosh OS and the iLife suite. Others will favor Windows XP and the various programs that a PC manufacturer might bundle in. Some people will put a premium on style, with the Mac mini winning, because of its small "footprint". Others will put a premium on upgrade options, with the discount PC winning, because of its full-size case.
For a thorough comparison of the hardware, prices, and upgrade options (with the Dell Dimension 2400 as the sample PC), see my related post, "Apple, Dell neck-and-neck on price", at http://news.com.com/5208-1042-0.html?forumID=1&threadID=4124&messageID=23469&start=-128
There *are* some rather curious comparisons in the CNet article.
I am perplexed by this comparison: "Sony and others now make handheld PCs complete with screens that beat the Mac Mini in size, but these cost $1,600 or more." There's no relationship whatsoever between a portable, battery-powered computer and a plug-in desktop system.
I am also suspicious of this comparison: "Is it a good value compared to the entry-level PC that you can find at Best Buy or Wal-Mart? The answer, I think, is clearly no."
The cheapest desktop PC I could find at BestBuy.com was eMachines' T3624 model. We aren't going to split hairs over the fact that the T3624 costs $410, or the fact that Mac mini ships for free, or the fact that T3624 has a 60 GB hard drive, or the fact that the Mac mini has a DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive, or ... The offers are very similar, and each has small advantages and disadvantages. There is no "clear" winner, as the NPD analyst alleges.
We can repeat this exercise with direct offers from Dell and Gateway and retail offers from Best Buy and Wal-Mart. If we ignore a very short-lived $150 mail-in rebate from Gateway, Wal-Mart is the only one of the channels mentioned in the CNet article that can beat the $500 PC price point, *consistently* and by a *wide* margin.
There's nothing wrong with Wal-Mart's $260 "Balance" PC. It too is perfect perfect for a person who needs a basic computer. But the NPD analyst should have limited his comparison, instead of implying that all channels and vendors sell their entry-level PC's at such low prices.
Paul Marcelin-Sampson
Santa Cruz, California, USA
they do far out perform your comparable CPU, especially in
video editing, and graphics.
You might even come to appreciate underlying power of the
operating system and how incredibly easy it is to do tasks,
without even realizing it, that you would find difficult or even
impossible to do on your PC (without upgrading).
That last point is why so many "Mac-heads" love their machines.
It really isn't all about style. When you realize that you actually
have to upgrade less, to get more out or your Mac, it's because
the only thing they will upgrade is memory. For the graphics
professionals, they really should buy what matches, but we are
talking about an entry level machine. ... I don't think the Mac
mini is an entry level machine, for the average consumer. I think
it is an entry level machine for a PC user. Hence, no keyboard,
mouse or monitor.
Unfortunately, many stores have taken actual working copies of
software off of their display Macs, and replaced them with
dazzling yet boring demos.
If you ever get the opportunity, and you are truly curious, then
you should sieze on the chance to try one for a day or two. Only
then will you begin to understand, how a single computer
company, with a minor market share, garners the loyalty it does
from its conumers. And how that loyalty overshadows that of all
the PC manfacturer consumers combined.
level of quality, support or features of the Mac Mini, nor the
equivalents from Dell, Gateway, HP, etc. Comparing, um, apples
to Apples, you see that there's basically no difference in cost/
features between the Mac Mini and these other "tier 1" offerings.
The Mac Mini will sell to those who already have the junk that
came with their Windows system, but want to dump the Windows
headaches. This includes my father, who was looking for an
alternative to his aging Win 98 system. We're going to check it
out at the Apple Store when he visits later this month.
100% ORIGINAL and LICENCED... iLife 05, itunes, Garageband,
iMovie, etc. all for 500 USD.
...And Don't have SPYWARE, for safe navigation... NO
ServicePacks, NO security holes of Internet Explorer, NO time
wasted in "anti-spyware" scans... Mac
Mini "just Work". And Match with iPod... :)
100% ORIGINAL and LICENCED... iLife 05, itunes, Garageband,
iMovie, etc. all for 500 USD.
...And Don't have SPYWARE, for safe navigation... NO
ServicePacks, NO security holes of Internet Explorer, NO time
wasted in "anti-spyware" scans... Mac
Mini "just Work". And Match with iPod... :)
Apple is, as usual, selling design and some neat engineering. Come on... $150 will buy you a nice CRT, keyboard and mouse. And if you just hate your PC? Well, you've already got everything you need.
Techies and analysts are, I'm convinced, incapable of thinking like John Q. Consumer.
Apple is, as usual, selling design and some neat engineering. Come on... $150 will buy you a nice CRT, keyboard and mouse. And if you just hate your PC? Well, you've already got everything you need.
Techies and analysts are, I'm convinced, incapable of thinking like John Q. Consumer.
have a Keyboard and mouse attached to their PC. There IS
nothing else to buy. It's no wonder why analysts don't run
businesses. Good thing to.
have a Keyboard and mouse attached to their PC. There IS
nothing else to buy. It's no wonder why analysts don't run
businesses. Good thing to.
is Unix-based, it doesn't get 60,000 viruses or suffer from the
security issues, spyware, crashing, etc. that Windows users put
up with. Macs just work. So don't tell me that some crappy PC
from Wal-Mart is a better buy. And in PhotoShop and video
editing tests, the "slower" G4 processors DO outperform "faster"
Intel processors.
is Unix-based, it doesn't get 60,000 viruses or suffer from the
security issues, spyware, crashing, etc. that Windows users put
up with. Macs just work. So don't tell me that some crappy PC
from Wal-Mart is a better buy. And in PhotoShop and video
editing tests, the "slower" G4 processors DO outperform "faster"
Intel processors.
I went to Compaq and Gateway on the Web and checked out
those machines. Here is a true comparison...
The Compaq SR1000Z - Real Price $654.98
This prive in the review reflected a SR1000Z WITHOUT a DVD
player and with a cheapo integrated graphics card. After making
the corrections and confirming other stats 'matched' I also
added Norton Antivirus (not really an option any more is it?).
Gateway 3200SE - Real Price $594.98
Again?I had to add a DVD drive and Norton Antivirus and adjust
the other specs to match as closely as possible. This computer
also did not offer an alternative to the cheapo integrated
graphics card junk so, in my opinion, this machine can?t even be
used for comparison.
Both machines are ugly eye-sores compared to the Mac Mini (let
each purchaser weigh the value of that).
Finally, the Mac Mini comes with OS X. No viruses, incredible
system stability, elegant user interface, things that cannot be
said about bargain bin PCs.
I hope the Mini helps Apple win new users. At this price point, I
can see a lot of PC users buying one just to check out the Mac,
and that is all it will take to convert them. It is extremely rare for
me to find a person who says they ?hate Macs? who has actually
used one for any length of time.
Also, I've seen a few smaller wintel cases, but the ones I have seen, you have to build yourself (or spend a lot of money for someone else to do it), and none seem like they can be tossed in the front pocket of a backpack.
I went to Compaq and Gateway on the Web and checked out
those machines. Here is a true comparison...
The Compaq SR1000Z - Real Price $654.98
This prive in the review reflected a SR1000Z WITHOUT a DVD
player and with a cheapo integrated graphics card. After making
the corrections and confirming other stats 'matched' I also
added Norton Antivirus (not really an option any more is it?).
Gateway 3200SE - Real Price $594.98
Again?I had to add a DVD drive and Norton Antivirus and adjust
the other specs to match as closely as possible. This computer
also did not offer an alternative to the cheapo integrated
graphics card junk so, in my opinion, this machine can?t even be
used for comparison.
Both machines are ugly eye-sores compared to the Mac Mini (let
each purchaser weigh the value of that).
Finally, the Mac Mini comes with OS X. No viruses, incredible
system stability, elegant user interface, things that cannot be
said about bargain bin PCs.
I hope the Mini helps Apple win new users. At this price point, I
can see a lot of PC users buying one just to check out the Mac,
and that is all it will take to convert them. It is extremely rare for
me to find a person who says they ?hate Macs? who has actually
used one for any length of time.
Also, I've seen a few smaller wintel cases, but the ones I have seen, you have to build yourself (or spend a lot of money for someone else to do it), and none seem like they can be tossed in the front pocket of a backpack.
- You forget s/w iLife
- by anandpur January 13, 2005 5:19 AM PST
- You forget to mention software included with the system, iLife and there is no need of anti-virus or anti-spyware etc. that will reduce the TOC
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