Mac Discussion

[Gil]

I'm looking at a Mac Mini.  Does anyone know how they are?

Depends what you're wanting to do with it. Obviously, they are at the very bottom of the line, as far as Macs are concerned, and mid-range as far as PC's are concerned. Not very upgradeable, you have to buy everything else extra (which adds up), and isn't capable of very much. Personally, I'd go for an iMac.

[Stephen]

Depends what you're wanting to do with it. Obviously, they are at the very bottom of the line, as far as Macs are concerned, and mid-range as far as PC's are concerned.

As Gil said, it depends on what you're going to do. If you plan on doing a lot of graphics work, then you should go up to a higher range model (such as the iMac, for example). However, if you don't plan on doing those things and just using it for basic tasks (well, you can do graphics work on the Mini, but you might find yourself limited, in terms of RAM and graphics capability), then the Mini would be the most affordable option for you.

you have to buy everything else extra (which adds up)

No you don't. That's why it's called Bring Your Own Display, Keyboard, and Mouse, not Buy Your Own Display, Keyboard, and Mouse.

[tpirfan28]

I'm looking at a Mac Mini.  Does anyone know how they are?

Depends what you're wanting to do with it.

Getting used to the OS (my advisor has told me that I need to be familiar with Windows (both XP and Vista), OSX, and Linux), basic web design (text-based, maybe some graphic-based)...nothing too powerful...the most powerful thing I might do is slideshow movies.

[Stephen]

Getting used to the OS (my advisor has told me that I need to be familiar with Windows (both XP and Vista), OSX, and Linux), basic web design (text-based, maybe some graphic-based)...nothing too powerful...the most powerful thing I might do is slideshow movies.

Then the Mac Mini should do the job just fine.

[Gil]

you have to buy everything else extra (which adds up)

No you don't. That's why it's called Bring Your Own Display, Keyboard, and Mouse, not Buy Your Own Display, Keyboard, and Mouse.

Most people buy those things.

[Gil]

I'm looking at a Mac Mini.  Does anyone know how they are?

Depends what you're wanting to do with it.

Getting used to the OS (my advisor has told me that I need to be familiar with Windows (both XP and Vista), OSX, and Linux), basic web design (text-based, maybe some graphic-based)...nothing too powerful...the most powerful thing I might do is slideshow movies.

It should be fine. Just note that a mini isn't very upgradeable, so you should not count on it being a long-term machine. I've also heard rumors that Apple is going to discontinue the mini in the near future, but i have no idea when.

[tpirfan28]

Much nicer considering I get a $50-75 student discount.   

[beanboy89]

IMO, the best small desktop Mac was the G4 Cube. I have no idea why they stopped making it, though (bad sales, apparently). The Mac Mini replaced it, I guess.

[Gil]

Gil is going to buy a Mac Mini, via eBay.

I was going to buy an iMac G4, but most are out of my price range.

[Mike M]

IMO, the best small desktop Mac was the G4 Cube. I have no idea why they stopped making it, though (bad sales, apparently). The Mac Mini replaced it, I guess.

Yeah, I liked the design of the Cube too (along with the other computers in that era). It was discontinued in 2001, and then there was no mini computer made by Apple until the Mac Mini came out in 2005.