...and for those that are wondering, it can be found here, at least for the time being.

It appears that the video could be part of Apple's official 'take-apart' guide. Interesting.

-Randy

Well I got one, and the good news is the AC adapter is auto ranging so the weak US dollar came in handy (the higher end model ended up costing about the same as the lower end model would have in the UK, after tax).

Oh it's cute... now to work out how to take it apart!

Rob

Here's another Cringely article on the Mac Mini. He sees it as the ultimate home theater PC and suspects Apple is cooking up some kind of HD movie downloading scheme as part of some future iTunes variant. Cringely feels that this will be part of the big roll-out surrounding OS X 10.4. He also feels that it's all about movie downloads, not prime-time HD. It would be extra cool if I could rip my DVDs into iTunes just like my CDs.

I have several problems with that article. First off, any movie file is going to be a minimum of a gig or more of data if it doesn't comprimise heavially on quality including subtitles and 5.1 surround sound tracks. So downloads are not going to be quicker then just going to Blockbuster.

The Mac Mini also lacks 5.1 surround out, and a component video out. He seems to think DVI will be good enough, but many US TVs still only have analog inputs. Sure, an optional adaptor can add composite and S-Video, but the 5.1 problem has to be addressed via a USB sound card.

Lastly, the 40 or 80 gig hard drive could be a limiting factor as well. If they release HD movies, it could be a minimum of 4 gigs per movie. And since not every Mac Mini comes with a DVD burner, people would have no way to back up these files.

I guess some people expect something more then a basic computer. I guess everyone expects Apple to follow Microsoft since MS seems to be hyping Media Center systems every chance they get, even though the media center boxes aren't selling all that well.

Tom, your points are pretty much on the money (except the sub-title part* ). This system is not intended to be the next big thing in the living room. It wasn't intended for the living room at all. If it had been, the requests would have been different for the support and hardware we supplied. The chip in it cannot do analog component output, even with an adapter. But anyone familiar with the product line knows there are other chips that would fit the form-factor and power requirements that can. Just wouldn't fit the same price. Everyone also knows Apple has digital audio output on other computers as well as higher-speed ethernet (which would be a good idea for moving HD content around).

I'm not saying that a revision won't make these things happen, nor that software isn't around the corner, but all this would be based on all the interest in the current machine and lateral thinking. It wasn't conceived to fullfil that need and it's not being marketed that way (yet).

As far as I've heard, this was actually a project that had the support of only *some* people at Apple, and actually lacked that of Mr. Jobs himself. Look how much time he gave the system during the keynote. Look how the iPod Shuffle commands the vast majority of front-page time at the website.

Bruno

*you can compress the video without affecting the subtitles.

With appropriate component upgrades, it's not too far-fetched to imagine a "Mac Mini AV" of some sort or another. The engineering problem for Apple will be keeping the price tag down. Still, even in its present, minimal configuration, you get a machine that can usefully replace a DVD player and add other useful features (iTunes, iPhoto, gaming).

And now someone's working on the missing piece for using the Mini with a TV: A Media-Playing front-end.

http://mrzippy.org.uk/macmediacenter/

Bruno

New prices announced.

I think whoever updated the prices on the UK store got things very wrong. It used to cost £290 to go from 256MB to 1GB. It now costs £561 !

(this is on the lower spec machine, on the higher spec machine the same upgrade is now listed as £220)

Quote:
Dear Apple Store Customer,

Thank your for your recent Apple Store order.

Today Apple unveiled a price reduction and we are pleased to report that the price of the product you purchased is less than previously indicated.

Accordingly, we are delighted to revise your recent order and offer you a refund of the difference in the new pricing.

If you are paying by credit card, loan, or leasing, the price will be adjusted automatically.

Kind regards,

The Apple Store

I am impressed

Cheers

Cris.

Better than the video is the PDF of (I assume) the dealer service guide. It's big (22MB) so here's a torrent link.

Rob

I find it quite amusing that a putty knife is a required tool and can even be ordered from apple. I'd always assumed the knife was a bodge.

Looks like Apple have started shipping for the UK today, I got my shipping confirmation from the UK Apple Store this afternoon

CAn't wait for it to get here now! Eventhough there isn't any where to put it yet, as I still haven't managed the time to build my desk yet, I best get them woodworking tools out and make a start...

Cheers

Cris.

Cool, if you want to upgrade to 1GB give me shout, I had to do some polyfillering a while ago and I've still got the appropriate apple memory upgrade tools.

So what is the first thing I do with my new Mac mini ???

Post on here durrrrrrrr!

I can hardly get my head around the fact this is a fully functional computer system, it's tiny! Doesn't seem all that quick to me, but it is installing all the latest updates as we speak.

I will post some pictures if anyone is interested, and if I can figure out how to load pictures onto this thing

Cheers

Cris.

What's the noise level like, does it have any fans ?

I got one myself last week with the combo drive, and it's also pretty loud reading discs, so it's not just the superdrive that's noisy.

So far after playing with it for almost a week now, I'm loving it, I'm also a PC person who decided to get a Mini since the price was right, and now I'm starting to drool over those Powerbooks since I'm really starting to like OS X.

I'm just amazed that I'm able to do stuff like plug in my camera and it just works, or connect to my bluetooth phone, and was able to sync with the address book without tearing my hair out like with the PC.

Who knows I might just switch, my Mini is able to play World Of Warcraft, well, much slower than my AMD64 system.

I did pick up Mac OS X Panther Hacks, it's not an intro book, but it's got a lot of neat tricks in it.

Oh, and another thing, Mini + GarageBand + GuitarPodXT == Nice little recording studio.

Pictures, we want to see pictures!!!!

The good think is Apple learned from a few mistakes on the Cube. While the case looked good, the acrylic shell often transferred drive vibrations from both the hard disk and cd-rom right into the desk it was sitting on. Most people who had problems with this isolated the cube base with rubber. Seems Apple paid attention to that with the Mini, since the base is rubber.

Here's something they don't show in the guide... How to overclock your Mac Mini:

http://dialspace.dial.pipex.com/prod/dialspace/town/pipexdsl/q/aqza37/macmini/index.html


Bruno

Here's the latest example of a MacMini being installed in a car, a 1969 Nova. Not too many details at this point, just that they're using a 7" touchscreen and a usb hub to facilitate the car's owner being able to record musical ideas (I presume via MIDI adapter) to the Mac. There is a short video of the iTunes visualization on the installed screen and more details to be added in the coming weeks.

This is looking like a very cool setup for an In Car Entertainment. Don't get me wrong, I love my Empeg, but maybe in my next vehicle (in another 4-5 years) I'll be installing a MacMini that will somehow emulate the Empeg software- version 3 or 4, of course.

Hope the finished version looks better than the photos.

Well, this is not fun, I stopped by the local Apple store asking to get the bluetooth and airport installed since I didn't get those when I bought it. They told me that they have no way to install Wireless or Bluetooth after the fact. The salesperson even told me the only way to get it that way was to ebay the old one and buy one with it already installed.

I'd like to call *censored* on this, and would like to know where I should go to find out if this is possible.