CUPERTINO, Calif.--Apple Computer on Tuesday introduced its third Intel-based Mac, a revamped version of its petite Mac Mini.
The new Mac Mini will be available, starting immediately, in two models. The low-end model sells for $599 and comes with a 1.5GHz Intel Solo single-core chip, a 60GB hard drive and a combo drive that can play DVDs and burn CDs.
The higher-end version will sell for $799. It comes with a dual-core 1.67GHz Core Duo processor, an 80GB hard drive and a SuperDrive that burns CDs and DVDs.
Both models come with 512MB of memory, Gigabit Ethernet networking, FireWire ports and four USB ports.
"We think this is going to be a strong product for us," CEO Steve Jobs said at a special event at company headquarters here.
Apple also unveiled the "home stereo quality" iPod Hi-Fi, which Jobs said is of higher quality than the speakers available today. The large speaker system comes with an iPod dock built-in, as well as an auxiliary port to connect an iPod Shuffle or other device.
"It's really a home stereo reinvented," Jobs said. "It's home stereo reinvented for the iPod age."
Video: Apple's new Mac Mini At Apple headquarters, CEO Steve Jobs shows off the new Intel-powered Mac Mini to a group of reporters.
The iPod Hi-Fi will sell for $349 and goes on sale on Tuesday. The device can plug directly into the wall or run with six "D" batteries.
Jobs also introduced Apple-branded leather cases for the video iPod and iPod Nano. The cases will sell for $99 and will be available in mid-March.
The new Mac Mini does move Apple a step closer to offering a living-room PC similar to a Windows Media Center. The new computer is loaded with the company's "Front Row" multimedia navigation system, which allows viewers to use a remote control to browse and play music and video files, and the company showed its capabilities connected to a flat-screen Sony TV.
But Mini still lacks built-in abilities to record video from a television, which would turn it into a natural TiVo competitor, or a simple way to hook into a cable or satellite TV system. Analysts said that neither the industry overall nor consumer expectations have settled on a mainstream blend of computer and TV functions.
... OK, really a *hypothesis.* Could be that Apple was tentatively set to announce additional products today. They probably figured that a MS event attempting to "steal the thunder" was at least a possibility, and thus had a contingency plan to hold back on certain products. Since MS did exactly that, they put plan B into motion. Again, this is only a hypothesis...
BTW, Apple DID low-key this event. As others have pointed out: most of the HYPE of this event was generated by media, pundit- wannabees, etc. The whining, criticism, etc. is-- in my mind-- self-inflicted punishment resulting from unwise expectations.
Apparently, this Mac mini and virtually all Macs (and Vista PCs) will have media center capabilities. However, I do not believe Apple plans to participate in any Intel marketing programs (like Centrino Mobile Technology, ViiV, Intel Inside), though their computers will use the same processors and do the same things the PC counterparts will be able to do.
I'm a Mac FREAK and this was super, super, lame. An overpriced speaker? A new MacMini which is $100 more? What happened to the $500 dollar Mac? Oh well.
I think of it this way, sometimes you are walking your dog and he takes a crap. You look in your pocket and realize that you don't have any bags. At that point, you think to yourself "oh well, I can't win them all"
The base model mini did pick up built-in wireless networking and Bluetooth, which were add-ons before. Also has: much faster processors, Front Row and the remote, 2 more USB ports, digital audio out, and 20 GB more hard drive space.
On the downside, integrated Intel graphics. Still, on the whole, it's worth the extra $100.
I know that Apple needs to focus on getting the new Intel Macs out, but is anyone excited by it? Plus who has been dying for an Apple stereo? Hasn't everyone already figured out how to play their iPod on their current system.
Ok, new mac-mini's, fair enough. Fun? Exciting? Not so much, they don't really do anything new and with no native Tivo-ness going on, it's no media center. The inflation in price reflects their new found power, so why not market them to people that would need this increase in speed. Playing music and watching photo's and videos (which they're plugging) doesn't need this extra power and makes it look way over priced. The PC alternative, doesn't look so attractive to me now... not until a price drop!
New speakers...pish. If you really care about good quality sound that much chances are you'll own or want to own a good set of hi-fi seperates, which you can plug your iPod into and do a whole lot more with too, rather than blast your wallet with this purchase.
$5 piece of cow skin + Apple logo = $99 iPod case. They're really aiming for the more money than sense crowd now then.
Your turn Microsoft. (Though whats happening on 1st April?)
Yes, Mac Mini's are still nice machines, more than enough features and power for for 95% of all non gamers. Dual boot OSX and Vista would be the best of both worlds (provided Vista isn't bug riddled still needs a service pack to be truly complete).
Ditto on the iPod HiFi. If you want REAL hi-fi, and not just hi-fi in name, Apple shouldn't be your first stop. Of course marketing means more than real world performance, go figure.
I'm using a PowerMac G5 with two 20-inch screens right now. The videocard installed in it? A GeForce FX 5200 with 64 Mb of VRAM. So 64 Mb is perfectly fine for routine work, which squares nicely with the target customers of the Mac Minis.
Yeah, I have Intel integrated graphics on my PC and I can't play any games...(mine you it is 4 years old now, but couldn't do much back then either)...
The GMA950 uses "Dynamic Video Memory Technology" (DVMT) to support up to 224MB of video memory; system memory is allocated where it is needed dynamically. It has 64MB of DDR2 SDRAM of its own, shared with main memory
Still, on paper, the GMA950's specs best those of the Radeon 9200 card used by the PowerPC-based Mac mini. For instance, the GMA950 claims 1.6 billion pixels per second vs. 1.1 billion pixels per second for the Radeon 9200. And the GMA950 includes a 256-bit graphics core running at 400MHz while the Radeon 9200 uses a 400 Mhz 128-bit core.
Again, benchmarks have yet to be recorded, but we wouldn't be surprised if the new Intel-based Mac mini's integrated graphics performance exceeds that of the previous PowerPC-based generation with a separate graphics card for most tasks.
No, Intel graphics is not very exciting. But be real, people. You're not going to get a hot gaming machine for $599 or $799, from Apple or from anyone else. If you want a fast processor and 256 MB of DDR3 VRAM, you're going to have to pay A LOT MORE, and you're going to have to put it in a much bigger box (with a bigger power supply, bigger cooling fans, bigger everything). This machine is very well designed for the job it is intended to do.
And no, it is not a step back. The early benchmarks make the graphics out to be more than twice as fast as those of the G4 Mini. Doesn't seem to be a step back to me.
Apple never promised anything other that new fun products, and that's what they delivered. Anything you guys are mad at is because you all over hype anything they call call attention to. Apple never said they were after the Tivo market, never said they would release a new iBook, what do you guys want!?! Seriously! Did they rent out a convention centre? Did they Send out an invite saying they were changing the way you view television? No. They are new products that Apple thought needed more explaining then just posting on the website and a PR release. The mini looks awesome and I like the new feature in front row (I'll be upgrading) and the HIFi sounds like it has some killer audio reproduction. Nothing was promised, so you can't feel let down. Stop putting so much weight behind rumors. Also, they sent out emails. They didn't take out full page ads in the Times or buy air time during "24", so how did apple over hype?
Wow just what I really needed a piece of leather for $99. Come on Apple, branding is cool until you start ripping off your base of supporters. It's not what was promised but how little was delivered. Seems that evverything has been done before by 3rd party suppliers and cheaper too..
Why would anyone like to hear about the hardware updates which isn't anything new. They could have announce it last time. PC users can do it on fly buying it from outside.
Who would like to buy a 100$ case for 145 $ nano? its crazy. The speakers sound interesting but price to statisfaction ratio will be a big deal.
$340 for iPod Hi-Fi. For crying out loud...over prices Bose SoundDock costs $299! I doubt anybody in their right mind would pay $340 for a boombox. But then, if your are in your right mind your are not a fanboy.
I wonder how hard it would be to load Windows XP on the Intel Mac Mini. I've been looking for a small, very quiet (preferably fanless) PC with gigabit ethernet for awhile now. This might work, but I have all Windows software and won't be switching to another platform.
this parson asked for PC able to run XP, quiet, Gigabit Erth <a class="jive-link-external" href="http://aopen.jp/products/baresystem/mp915-b.html" target="_newWindow">http://aopen.jp/products/baresystem/mp915-b.html</a> cant find item in ENG page of the same company HP im sure ordering through JP using just English is possible
Intel Mac Mini, nice machine overall, will the price increase defeat its purpose?
Ipod Cases: Big **** deal, like that has not been done before, you can get a nice leather case for a lot less then 99 bucks, 10 bucks leather 89 buck apple logo
Hi-Fi system, again big **** deal, I have a Bose surround system and a high end reciever, why would I pay 3xx bucks for this? ok so its portable on batteries, so what if im outside im not expecting the greatest sound in the first place.
ME, you usually keep it short by just saying anything Apple does sucks. Why the full paragraph? A person who would buy a Bose sound system would also buy the new Apple sound system. You are either insincere or a liar.
You are complaining how lame this announcement was and that is should have been more. it was not apple who made this a big media event. It was the MEDIA that made this a big event. Remember this took place in a small room with limited invitations. It was not suppose to be a big deal.
So would everyone quit whinning....if you think apple should come out with this product or that product...well then build it yourself if you think it is so easy.
i never believed those retarded rumors people were putting out. ipod video or apple tablet? the patent was JUST accepted! how could you expect the product to come immediately after the patent? no, ill say either the end of the 4th quarter or 2007.
all this over-hype about an announcement that was clearly not big news. if it were huge new products, they would have made it public and not just secretly to the media. the public wasnt even supposed to know about this announcement.
this announcement was leaked to the public by the media but apple never intended this to happen. wait until next macworld
The patent does not necessarily have to be applied for before the product release. So, Apple could have releaed the touch-screen device today if it wanted to...
Honestly, who would be caught dead with that thing in an office, living room, or kitchen? It's a disgustingly massive, completely spartan, totally non-Apple design they should be ashamed to put in their product lineup.
I can only hope Ol' Jobsy's flogging the design engineers as I write this.
it looks to be the highest quality all-in-one ipod speakers available. i think it was absolutely excellent of apple to go high quality sound instead of skimpy cheap tinny speakers like most every other accessory maker did.
kudos to apple for going for big heavy GOOD sound!
What makes you think groundbreaking stuff would be released today? Especially after Steve Jobs started the event talking about "mid-level" stuff.
And why would they possibly release groundbreaking stuff now, half way through a quarter, especially when their 30th anniversary is 32 days away? (April Fool's Day.)
I would expect more to be announced on their anniversary.
...that some people use their brains. I mean, people actually thought they were going to announce a VIDEOGAME system? As much as I'd love to see an aliance between Nintendo and Apple, I don't believe it would happen.
I know I enjoy the Apple mystique. But I can only imagine how the tech press feels schlepping all the way to Apple Headquarters via a mysterious invitation? I know as a consumer how I feel. That's it? A friggin iPod case?!
I can only assume Jobs is giving Gates the opportunity to shine today with whatever he's announcing. Unless it's a leather case for carrying around your Windows install cd!
The financial markets, consumer markets, music markets and film markets as a whole have been looking as Apple/Jobs as the innovators and visionaries of the tech sector leader for the future of technology innovation. They lost a lot of credibility today in my opinion. Calling an event and summoning the press to them for a truly non-event amazes me. And I bet everyone else too. As the stock fell almost $3.00 so far.
I'm an Apple devotee. But a non-event is damaging to Apple and the leadership they've earned the last two years.
Stop stroking your ego Steve with the ability to make the press jump. You introduced nothing today. These items are a press release at best. But in reality these products should have just shown up in the Apple store and marketplace.
A friggin leather iPod case. I got mine on eBay for about 10 bucks each. Yes for my 40 gig, 20 gig, mini, 30 gig video, 60 gig video and shuffle ipods. So yes I am a Mac person. Always will be. But today is a shame. or sham?
DM (Dyspeptic Man), it is not Steve Jobs' fault you prefer to buy also rans at a discount from eBay. Those of us who prefer quality believe the three items announced today live up to Apple's reputation.
Apple promised 'fun' items and delivered. No rational person really believed it was going to produce peripherals for the Game Boy or a rival for the Tmobile Sidekick. People who held unrealistic expectations should blame themselves, not Apple.
I also am not expecting Yahoo's subscription service to suddenly become iPod friendly or Microsoft to co-brand a new Apple product, either. That is because I'm realistic person. Reality, more people should try it.
New intel mac mini more expensive????? what is the point in that Just got MacBook Pro battery life is only 2.4 hours. I am not kiding. I wa on the phone with apple they sad that they have no stats but i measured it myself. My 15inch G4 gets around four. I am shocked. SRY didnt know where to post this
I'm not aware of an official announcement. Seems to me that a low-end computer with a screen is still needed for the elementary school market. Laptops are more suitable for tweens and teens.
A lot of the people complaining are regular Apple bashers. They've said in the past they would never buy any Apple product. They were going to ***** and moan regardless of what was released today.
I think the reasons Apple is producing these items are obvious to people who follow the company.
1) Designer iPod cases are selling very well, including in Apple Stores. Apple decided to collect some of that bling for itself.
2) The Mac mini is the ambassador computer for Apple -- the inexpensive model first time Mac buyers are urged to try. So, it makes sense that it get the Intel processor. It is also the closest thing Apple has to a Tivo-type device. A larger hard drive for storing video was a must.
3) Bose has done quite well with high-end home audio for the Mac. I will hazard a guess Steve Jobs thought that a device could be even more iPod friendly. So, he had Apple produce that device.
Apple has withdrawn products from the market, such as the Cube. But, to prematurely find fault with new releases is naive. Time will tell.
I'd rather see the iMac used as the ambassador computer for consumers. When the average person sees "Mac Mini for $599", they will be shocked to discover that it doesn't come with a monitor, keyboard, or mouse, while the $299 after-rebate PC counterparts (regardless of how bad they are)come with all of that.
Don't get out much, do you, Phil? There are designer cases for the iPod in the $200 range. Apple decided to take a middling stab at getting some of those elitist purchases for itself.
say that! With Apple you are not paying for the prodct. You are paying for the design excellence and the quality of engineering..hmmm..wait. OK I give up.
I was very excited about Apple making the announcement today. While I was disappointed, I know that is no one's fault but my own. I, like many of you, had great dreams of what might be introduced today. But Apple is not responsible for us, media, etc. reading a lot more into the invitation than was there. That is a dangerous game, sometimes you win sometimes you lose. Just take it for what it is.
Web giant is spending $120 million to beef up its Mountain View, Calif., headquarters, according to filings with the city reviewed by the San Jose Mercury News.
The Samsung Galaxy Mini 2 S6500 could make its debut at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona later this month, according to a leaked promotional image.
MIT creates a simulation to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Spacewar. A relic of the early days of minicomputers, it was one of the first computer video games and set the stage for many others, including Asteroids.
tille April 1st. Ekscuse my Englisch.
set to announce additional products today. They probably
figured that a MS event attempting to "steal the thunder" was at
least a possibility, and thus had a contingency plan to hold back
on certain products. Since MS did exactly that, they put plan B
into motion. Again, this is only a hypothesis...
BTW, Apple DID low-key this event. As others have pointed out:
most of the HYPE of this event was generated by media, pundit-
wannabees, etc. The whining, criticism, etc. is-- in my mind--
self-inflicted punishment resulting from unwise expectations.
Watch for the 30th anniversary event...
a boom box
some cases
and a bumped price mini?
thats all.....
WEAK
<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://70.84.186.131/content_images/idf_images/goldengate4.jpg" target="_newWindow">http://70.84.186.131/content_images/idf_images/goldengate4.jpg</a>
I think of it this way, sometimes you are walking your dog and he takes a crap. You look in your pocket and realize that you don't have any bags. At that point, you think to yourself "oh well, I can't win them all"
Bluetooth, which were add-ons before. Also has: much faster
processors, Front Row and the remote, 2 more USB ports, digital
audio out, and 20 GB more hard drive space.
On the downside, integrated Intel graphics. Still, on the whole, it's
worth the extra $100.
but is anyone excited by it? Plus who has been dying for an Apple
stereo? Hasn't everyone already figured out how to play their iPod
on their current system.
they don't really do anything new and with no native Tivo-ness
going on, it's no media center. The inflation in price reflects
their new found power, so why not market them to people that
would need this increase in speed. Playing music and watching
photo's and videos (which they're plugging) doesn't need this
extra power and makes it look way over priced. The PC
alternative, doesn't look so attractive to me now... not until a
price drop!
New speakers...pish. If you really care about good quality sound
that much chances are you'll own or want to own a good set of
hi-fi seperates, which you can plug your iPod into and do a
whole lot more with too, rather than blast your wallet with this
purchase.
$5 piece of cow skin + Apple logo = $99 iPod case. They're
really aiming for the more money than sense crowd now then.
Your turn Microsoft.
(Though whats happening on 1st April?)
Ditto on the iPod HiFi. If you want REAL hi-fi, and not just hi-fi in name, Apple shouldn't be your first stop. Of course marketing means more than real world performance, go figure.
a big step backward, but I guess they had to skimp somwhere to
keep the price down.
videocard installed in it? A GeForce FX 5200 with 64 Mb of VRAM.
So 64 Mb is perfectly fine for routine work, which squares nicely
with the target customers of the Mac Minis.
The GMA950 uses "Dynamic Video Memory Technology" (DVMT)
to support up to 224MB of video memory; system memory is
allocated where it is needed dynamically. It has 64MB of DDR2
SDRAM of its own, shared with main memory
Still, on paper, the GMA950's specs best those of the Radeon
9200 card used by the PowerPC-based Mac mini. For instance,
the GMA950 claims 1.6 billion pixels per second vs. 1.1 billion
pixels per second for the Radeon 9200. And the GMA950
includes a 256-bit graphics core running at 400MHz while the
Radeon 9200 uses a 400 Mhz 128-bit core.
Again, benchmarks have yet to be recorded, but we wouldn't be
surprised if the new Intel-based Mac mini's integrated graphics
performance exceeds that of the previous PowerPC-based
generation with a separate graphics card for most tasks.
And no, it is not a step back. The early benchmarks make the graphics out to be more than twice as fast as those of the G4 Mini. Doesn't seem to be a step back to me.
My $.02.
and that's what they delivered. Anything you guys are mad at is
because you all over hype anything they call call attention to.
Apple never said they were after the Tivo market, never said they
would release a new iBook, what do you guys want!?! Seriously!
Did they rent out a convention centre? Did they Send out an
invite saying they were changing the way you view television?
No. They are new products that Apple thought needed more
explaining then just posting on the website and a PR release.
The mini looks awesome and I like the new feature in front row
(I'll be upgrading) and the HIFi sounds like it has some killer
audio reproduction. Nothing was promised, so you can't feel let
down. Stop putting so much weight behind rumors. Also, they
sent out emails. They didn't take out full page ads in the Times
or buy air time during "24", so how did apple over hype?
Who would like to buy a 100$ case for 145 $ nano? its crazy. The speakers sound interesting but price to statisfaction ratio will be a big deal.
The OS is the reason people buy Macs, their hardware is a bonus.
If you just want to run XP, buy a Dell. If you want XP on high quality hardware, buy Alienware.
Mactel computers are OS X only. As they should be.
<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://aopen.jp/products/baresystem/mp915-b.html" target="_newWindow">http://aopen.jp/products/baresystem/mp915-b.html</a>
cant find item in ENG page of the same company HP
im sure ordering through JP using just English is possible
Ipod Cases: Big **** deal, like that has not been done before, you can get a nice leather case for a lot less then 99 bucks, 10 bucks leather 89 buck apple logo
Hi-Fi system, again big **** deal, I have a Bose surround system and a high end reciever, why would I pay 3xx bucks for this? ok so its portable on batteries, so what if im outside im not expecting the greatest sound in the first place.
sucks. Why the full paragraph? A person who would buy a Bose
sound system would also buy the new Apple sound system. You
are either insincere or a liar.
So would everyone quit whinning....if you think apple should come out with this product or that product...well then build it yourself if you think it is so easy.
In fact it was Apple who made this a big thing by sending a mysterious invitation to the press.
all this over-hype about an announcement that was clearly not big news. if it were huge new products, they would have made it public and not just secretly to the media. the public wasnt even supposed to know about this announcement.
this announcement was leaked to the public by the media but apple never intended this to happen. wait until next macworld
I can only hope Ol' Jobsy's flogging the design engineers as I write this.
available. i think it was absolutely excellent of apple to go high
quality sound instead of skimpy cheap tinny speakers like most
every other accessory maker did.
kudos to apple for going for big heavy GOOD sound!
What makes you think groundbreaking stuff would be released
today? Especially after Steve Jobs started the event talking about
"mid-level" stuff.
And why would they possibly release groundbreaking stuff now,
half way through a quarter, especially when their 30th
anniversary is 32 days away? (April Fool's Day.)
I would expect more to be announced on their anniversary.
A friggin leather iPod case?
Yeah I know the mini and boom box.
That's it?
I know I enjoy the Apple mystique. But I can only imagine how
the tech press feels schlepping all the way to Apple
Headquarters via a mysterious invitation? I know as a consumer
how I feel. That's it? A friggin iPod case?!
I can only assume Jobs is giving Gates the opportunity to shine
today with whatever he's announcing. Unless it's a leather case
for carrying around your Windows install cd!
The financial markets, consumer markets, music markets and
film markets as a whole have been looking as Apple/Jobs as the
innovators and visionaries of the tech sector leader for the
future of technology innovation. They lost a lot of credibility
today in my opinion. Calling an event and summoning the press
to them for a truly non-event amazes me. And I bet everyone
else too. As the stock fell almost $3.00 so far.
I'm an Apple devotee. But a non-event is damaging to Apple and
the leadership they've earned the last two years.
Stop stroking your ego Steve with the ability to make the press
jump. You introduced nothing today. These items are a press
release at best. But in reality these products should have just
shown up in the Apple store and marketplace.
A friggin leather iPod case. I got mine on eBay for about 10
bucks each. Yes for my 40 gig, 20 gig, mini, 30 gig video, 60 gig
video and shuffle ipods. So yes I am a Mac person. Always will
be. But today is a shame. or sham?
also rans at a discount from eBay. Those of us who prefer
quality believe the three items announced today live up to
Apple's reputation.
Apple promised 'fun' items and delivered. No rational person
really believed it was going to produce peripherals for the Game
Boy or a rival for the Tmobile Sidekick. People who held
unrealistic expectations should blame themselves, not Apple.
I also am not expecting Yahoo's subscription service to suddenly
become iPod friendly or Microsoft to co-brand a new Apple
product, either. That is because I'm realistic person. Reality,
more people should try it.
Wow these are so FUN!!! Let's generate money for stockholders.
Guess it'll be that much harder for the media to care about Apple if this happens once or twice more.
Just got MacBook Pro battery life is only 2.4 hours. I am not kiding.
I wa on the phone with apple they sad that they have no stats but i
measured it myself. My 15inch G4 gets around four. I am shocked.
SRY didnt know where to post this
low-end computer with a screen is still needed for the elementary
school market. Laptops are more suitable for tweens and teens.
They've said in the past they would never buy any Apple product.
They were going to ***** and moan regardless of what was
released today.
I think the reasons Apple is producing these items are obvious
to people who follow the company.
1) Designer iPod cases are selling very well, including in Apple
Stores. Apple decided to collect some of that bling for itself.
2) The Mac mini is the ambassador computer for Apple -- the
inexpensive model first time Mac buyers are urged to try. So, it
makes sense that it get the Intel processor. It is also the closest
thing Apple has to a Tivo-type device. A larger hard drive for
storing video was a must.
3) Bose has done quite well with high-end home audio for the
Mac. I will hazard a guess Steve Jobs thought that a device
could be even more iPod friendly. So, he had Apple produce that
device.
Apple has withdrawn products from the market, such as the
Cube. But, to prematurely find fault with new releases is naive.
Time will tell.
I wont be touching these items.
iPod in the $200 range. Apple decided to take a middling stab at
getting some of those elitist purchases for itself.