Apple Unveils Intel-Based Mac mini
By Alexander Grundner |
February 28th, 2006
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OK, OK… so it’s not a Home Theater PC on par with current Windows Media Center Edition offerings that many of us were hoping for, but for less than $800 you get a sleek little powerhouse that has the “potential” to be expanded for other uses. According to CNET’s Gadget Blog, “Jobs announced two models of the Mac Mini. One, for $599, has a 1.5-GHz Intel Core solo processor with a 60GB hard drive, combo drive that plays DVDs and burns CDs and 512MB of memory. The other, which goes for $799, has a 1.67-GHz Core Duo processor, an 80GB hard drive, 512MB of memory and a SuperDrive that burns CDs and DVDs. Both will be available starting today.”
Other Mac mini features of interest include:
- Apple’s Front Row media experience app is now standard (includes remote)
- The Mac mini can be upgraded with a maximum of 120GB of storage and 2GB of memory
- Instant zero-config networking via Bonjour
- Built-in 802.11g Wi-Fi / Gigabit Ethernet / Bluetooth 2.0
- DVI video connector for up to 1920 by 1200 pixels resolution (DVI to HDMI converter cables are available for your HDTV sets)
On the negative side:
- If you want PVR functionality in your Mac mini, you’ll still need to pick up Elgato’s EyeTV and its compatible hardware
- And it looks like Apple dumped ATI’s decent Radeon 9200 graphics for Intel’s GMA 950 integrated graphics platform (review details not pretty)
Filed in: Entertainment PCs