Mac mini to the max -- Part 1

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January 31, 2005 (Computerworld) -- Here's how I know Apple Computer Inc. has a hit on its hands with the new Mac mini.
No sooner had I opened the box than our Technology editor joked: "Who wants that cheap Mac thing?"
Now, when's the last time someone used the words "cheap" and "Mac" in the same sentence? Another co-worker almost grabbed it from my hands; still another popped up, gopher-style, over an office partition to ask how much it weighed; yet another asked whether it could be used for digital video editing (yes, it can).
All this commotion, and the mini -- sent out by Apple for review purposes -- still had the plastic wrapping on it.
This particular model comes with the entry-level 1.25-GHz G4 processor, a combo drive, 512MB of RAM and a 40GB hard drive, and it's equipped with Apple's AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi card and Bluetooth wireless technology. In other words, it'll work perfectly with my 20-in. Apple Cinema Display and wireless network at home.
Apple officials have made it clear that they're aiming the new Mac mini, unveiled earlier this month at MacWorld San Francisco, at the consumer market. And I have few doubts it'll do well there, given both the interest here in the office and from the crush of sales that has led to lengthy delivery times for computers ordered after the MacWorld event. Currently, you're looking at a three- to four-week wait, if the timetable on Apple's online store is correct.
But I also have a hunch this will be a godsend to IT departments in mixed environments where Macintoshes and Windows-based PCs have to play well together. Why? Because a lot of companies likely have extra keyboards, monitors and computer mice lying around. And since the Mac mini comes with none of those peripherals, it's perfect for IT folks eyeing Mac upgrades for older models -- or thinking about trying a Mac or two in their corporate environment to see how it might work.
The Mac mini, which measures just 6.5 in. square by 2 in. tall, starts at just $499. But that price is much like the "low, low, low, buy-it-today" price you see in newspaper car ads. It's designed just to get you in the door. Once there, you'll want to upgrade to something spiffier. It's the same with Mac mini. That $499 can jump quickly by the time you go for the faster 1.42-GHz processor (which comes with an 80GB hard drive -- twice the size of the entry-level version), add a RAM upgrade, opt for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and tack on the SuperDrive so you can make your own DVDs.

Suddenly, you're out $873 for a Mac with the previous-generation processor and only 512MB of RAM. (Go for the whole enchilada and buy 1GB of RAM at Apple's inflated prices, and you'll be shelling out $1,123.)
The Mac mini may be small, but that price tag isn't.
Okay, so let's back up a bit and think like our hypothetical IT guru. Forget the SuperDrive, as employees won't likely be burning DVDs at work unless they're in the industry, in which case they'll want a Power Mac G5 anyway. Forget the wireless. Too many security issues out in corporate land right now. Drop the RAM back down to 512MB, which should be enough to handle most day-to-day word processing, e-mail and Web-related tasks.
You still get the faster chip and the 80GB hard drive. Price: A reasonable $674. Even if you decide you just have to have the wireless options, that adds but $99 to the bottom line. That makes the out-the-door price $773.
And as one co-worker noted, it's really a portable without the screen. So if you've got all of your work on your Mac mini and are going somewhere else that has a monitor keyboard and mouse -- to another office or just back home, for example -- you can just unplug your peripherals at work and take your entire workload with you.
So how well does it work? I'll be taking a closer look at performance in the next week or so after I've had some time to put the Mac Mini through its paces. But as is usually the case with Apple hardware, setting it up was a snap. After pulling the Mac mini out of its box -- more than one person noted the carrying handle and said it looked like a lunch box -- I plugged it in, connected my monitor and fired it up.
The Mac mini quickly found my Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, and after transferring files from my larger Power Mac G5, I was ready to go. Sitting next to the Power Mac, the Mac mini looked even smaller than it is. Of course, the Power Mac, with two 2-GHz G5 processors, will run rings around a Mac mini when it comes to working with data. But again, the Mac mini isn't meant to be a speed demon.
It's meant to be Grandma's or Junior's first computer, or maybe a second or third computer for the house. Or maybe, for those enterprising IT folks out there, it's meant to give them a chance to try out a Mac at work to see whether it has a place there, too.
My hunch is that it does.

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