Apple’s Mac Mini attracted a lot of attention when it was first released almost two years ago, thanks to its combination of low price and compact design. Those features also made it attractive to schools, as they could buy the Mini for as little as £350 and then use it with spare keyboards and monitors they already had.
It was therefore a little disappointing to see that this new version of the Mac Mini is nearly £100 more expensive than the previous version. There are two models available, with the cheapest starting at £449, and the more expensive model costing £599. But, to be fair, the new Mini is quite a bit more powerful than its predecessor, and has extra features as well, so it’s still good value for money.
The main improvement is that, like the new iMac and MacBook, the Mac Mini now uses an Intel processor that provides much better performance than the former Mini’s IBM PowerPC processors. The £449 model has a Core Solo processor running at 1.5Ghz, while the £599 version has a Core Duo running at 1.66GHz (the Core Duo is a “dual-core” processor, which is effectively two processors in one, and therefore significantly faster).
Both models have built-in wireless networking and digital audio input and output, but the £599 model has a DVD-burner, while the £449 version only has a DVD-Rom/CD-RW. If you’re going to be doing a lot of video work you’ll probably need the more expensive model so that you can create your own DVD disks.
Remember, though, that the Mini’s price doesn’t include a monitor, mouse or keyboard, so if you don’t already have these available you’ll need to budget a little extra in order to put together a complete system.
One interesting detail is that although it doesn’t include a monitor, the Mini is now supplied with a little hand-held remote control and Apple’s Front Row media-player software. This allows you to control the Mini from a distance and play any audio or video files stored on its hard disk, so it might come in handy for presentations or lectures. And the wireless facility can be used to find and play iTunes sound and video files from other Macs and PCs within range
However, it’s the new Intel processor that really makes this new Mini different from its predecessor. You will notice a difference when running programs such as GarageBand or iMovie. The Mini now runs much more smoothly when handling large audio and video files, so it’s a lot more suitable for video editing and multimedia projects.
Unfortunately, there’s one big, albeit temporary, drawback with all these new Intel-based Macs, as they will only give you top performance when your software programs have been updated for the new Intel processor. The iLife suite that Apple includes with all Macs (including GarageBand and iMovie) has already been updated and runs really well on the Mini. However, there are some important programs – such as Adobe Photoshop – that haven’t yet been updated, and so actually run a little slower than normal.
If the Mini were still priced at £350 then we’d accept that limitation without worrying too much – after all, such a low cost machine isn’t really designed to run heavy-duty software such as Photoshop in the first place. However, now that the Mini is a bit more expensive you’re entitled to see a significant improvement in performance.
PRODUCT INFORMATION
Price: £449
Specification: 1.5GHz Core Solo processor, 512Mb RAM, 60Gb hard disk, DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive; £599 with 512Mb RAM, 80Gb hard disk, DVD±RW drive, built-in AirPort Extreme wireless networking and Bluetooth. (Prices do not include keyboard, monitor or mouse.)
Contact: Apple UK
Phone: 0800 039 1010
