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Mac mini

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Mac mini
Image:Mac mini Intel Core.jpg
2006 Apple Mac mini
Type: Desktop
Developer: Apple Computer
Released: January 22, 2005
Processor(s): 1.25 - 1.5 GHz PowerPC G4 / 1.5 GHz Intel Core Solo or 1.66 GHz Intel Core Duo or 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo
Base Price: USD$599 (as of 2006)
Website: www.apple.com/macmini/

The Mac mini is the smallest desktop computer marketed by Apple Computer. It is designed to attract owners of Windows computers, iPods, older Macintosh models, and anyone interested in a low budget, easy-to-use personal computer. It was announced at the Macworld Conference & Expo on January 11, 2005. Two models of the Mac mini were released in the U.S. on January 22, 2005 (January 29 worldwide). Slightly updated versions were released on July 26, 2005, new models with Intel Core processors were released on February 28, 2006,<ref>Apple Unveils Mac mini with Intel Core Duo. Apple.com. Retrieved on February 28, 2006.</ref> and slightly revised models were introduced on September 6, 2006.

Contents

[edit] Introduction

The original Mac mini was announced at the same time as the iPod shuffle. Both are scaled-down products which have been introduced at lower price points. These two products together can be seen as a conscious effort on the part of Apple management to target a lower-end market and increase visibility in the mass-market.

[edit] Overview

The Mac mini is distinctive in its extremely small size and form factor, and in the fact that the computer comes without a display, keyboard, or mouse. (The tagline is "BYODKM — Bring your own display, keyboard and mouse".) Many potential users already own mice and keyboards (compatible with the cross-platform USB standard), and displays from a Windows PC or an older Mac. They can simply attach these to the mini or share them with another computer using a KVM switch. The Mac mini measures 6.5 inches (16.5 cm) wide, 6.5 inches (16.5 cm) deep, and 2 inches (5.1 cm) tall, and is the smallest Macintosh desktop computer ever produced. It weighs 2.9 pounds (1.32 kg) and it was advertised as being easily portable (similar in concept to the Nintendo GameCube), being able to be picked up and moved easily throughout the house. Soon after the introduction of the Mac mini, Apple lowered the price of their keyboards and mice, as the Mac Mini does not come with either of them.

The Mac mini ships with Apple's Mac OS X operating system preinstalled, and also includes software such as the Safari web browser and the iLife suite of Apple-designed multimedia programs to create and manage videos, music, photos and DVDs. Intel Mac minis also come with Front Row, an application which integrates the media management features, and the Apple Remote.

With iLife and the optional SuperDrive, the Mac mini makes for a compact media editor/player, like Media Center PCs from Microsoft, except in a much smaller form factor (although S-Video out requires an optional adaptor).

[edit] Specifications

[edit] January–July 2005

Two models were originally announced on January 11, 2005 at the MacWorld Expo in San Francisco:

  • 1.25 GHz PowerPC G4 processor, 256 MB RAM, and 40 GB hard drive, for US$499 (€489 in the Eurozone, £339 in the UK, $629 CAD) (Model # M9686LL/A)
  • 1.42 GHz PowerPC G4 processor, 256 MB RAM, and 80 GB hard drive, for US$599 (€589 in the Eurozone, £399 in the UK, $899 CAD) (Model # M9687LL/A)

Each model also included:

Optional built-to-order add-ons included:

[edit] July–October 2005

On July 26, 2005, slightly revised models were made available. The biggest change was a doubling of each unit's shipping amount of RAM, from 256 MB PC2700 (or PC3200 supported at PC2700 speeds) Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM) in the prior units to 512 MB in the newer models (256 MB having been widely considered insufficient for OS X and its applications).

  • 1.25 GHz model (M9686LL/B at US$499)
  • 1.42 GHz model (M9687LL/B at US$599)

At this time, the 1.42 GHz model stopped including the internal modem as standard equipment, however it could still be purchased as a BTO (build-to-order) option.

In addition a high-end model was introduced:

  • The 1.42 GHz model could be purchased with a Slot-loading CD-RW/DVD±RW SuperDrive for US$699 (M9971LL/B).

Recurring complaints about the mini's USB ports being too few would not be addressed until the introduction of the Intel minis.

Image:MacminiWhiteBGSmall.jpg

[edit] October 2005–February 2006

The Mac mini was quietly upgraded in October 2005 to 64 MB VRAM, and either a 1.33 GHz (up from 1.25 GHz) or 1.5 GHz G4 (up from 1.42 GHz) processor, with 512 MB of PC3200 RAM while underclocking it to PC2700[citation needed]. The 80 GB drive was a Seagate Momentus 5400.2 ST9808211A, which runs at 5400 rpm with a 2 MB cache. The SuperDrive is a MATSHITA DVD-R UJ-845, which supports +R DL burning, and may also have unofficial support for DVD-RAM. The serial number and specifications sticker on the underside of the machine itself do not carry the actual specs of the upgrade. For example, on a 1.5 GHz model, 1.42 GHz is listed. The product packaging also did not reflect the upgrade.

Apple did not revise the official specifications on their web site. This may be to avoid issues with discounting or discontinuing of old stock.

[edit] February 2006–September 2006

Two new Intel-based models were announced on February 28, 2006, replacing the older line:

  • 1.5 GHz Intel Core Solo processor, 60 GB SATA hard drive, and Combo Drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW) for US$599 (MA205LL/A)
  • 1.66 GHz Intel Core Duo processor, 80 GB SATA hard drive, and Double-Layer SuperDrive (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) for US$799 (MA206LL/A). The SuperDrive is a MATSHITA DVD-R UJ-846.

Both models include:

[edit] September 2006–present

On September 6, 2006, Apple increased the speed of the $599 model to a Core Duo 1.66 GHz [MA607LL/A], and the $799 model to 1.83 GHz [MA608LL/A]. With this change, all currently shipping Macs use dual-core processors.

[edit] General Intel Mac Mini Information

Although it has been removed entirely from the mini's design, an Apple modem is still available - only now it is external, USB-based, and costs US$49.

Both Core Solo and Core Duo CPUs provide Intel Virtualization Technology (VT-x or Vanderpool) even though Intel documentation has suggested VT-x was not to be a feature of the Core Solo.

Previously, a firmware bug existed that caused difficulties with VT-x for Intel Mini's that have not been updated with firmware 1.0.1 or later<ref>http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/macminiearly2006firmwareupdate101.html </ref>. With firmware 1.0.0 or earlier, both models have experienced problems with the intermittent availability of VT-x which appears to be due to a firmware bug: byte 0xe7 of the Setup variable is set to 0 rather than 1 which tells the firmware to configure the ia32_feature_control MSR with value 5 enabling VT-x. A temporary fix is to sleep the Mac mini and wake it <ref>http://forum.parallels.com/thread1508.html</ref>. Another solution is to run a small program (source <ref>http://forum.parallels.com/showthread.php?t=577&highlight=vt-x</ref> or binary <ref>http://i30www.ira.uka.de/~joshua/vmx.zip</ref>) at boot-time under EFI using the rEFIt boot loader <ref>http://refit.sourceforge.net</ref>. These fixes are essential if you wish to run a virtualization application such as Parallels Workstation 2.1 at maximum speed.

[edit] Graphics

The decision to use an 'integrated' graphics chip, the GMA950 GPU, on the Intel-powered Mac mini is a contentious issue for some, who feel the inclusion of an integrated chip cheapens the machine and the Apple brand, which has previously never used integrated chips. This is further supported by the fact that in Apple's early marketing of the G4-powered Mac mini, it claimed superiority of the use of a discrete ATI Radeon 9200 32 MB graphics card over the integrated graphics included in many budget PCs.<ref>Mac Mini G4 Graphics. Apple.com. Retrieved on March 12, 2006.</ref>

Lock the Target
Or one 3D game. Go ahead, just try to play Halo on a budget PC. Most say they’re good for 2D games only. That’s because an “integrated Intel graphics” chip steals power from the CPU and siphons off memory from system-level RAM. You’d have to buy an extra card to get the graphics performance of Mac mini, and some cheaper PCs don’t even have an open slot to let you add one.

—Apple Computer, Mac Mini G4 Graphics

Conversely, the GMA950 graphics chip itself is a relatively advanced model specifically optimized for video playback - exactly what Apple is emphasising in its marketing and branding of the Mac mini. Furthermore, despite the use of main system memory in the integrated graphics chip, the GMA950 has some advantages over the Radeon 9200, allowing for the use of 32 MB more memory (64 MB vs 32 MB) and support for Apple's Core Image technology. A fuller comparison of the two GPUs is listed below:

GPU Pipelines Fill rate RAM Core speed Core Image support
ATI Radeon 9200 4 1 gigapixel/second 32 MB of DDR 200 MHz 250 MHz No
Intel GMA950 4 1.6 gigapixel/second up to 64 MB of DDR2 667 MHz<ref>The Intel GMA950 uses system RAM, thereby reducing the available system memory.</ref> 400 MHz Yes

Apple’s senior director of desktops, Tom Boger, has recently claimed that the company has seen increases of between 10 and 40% in framerates of unspecified 3D games compared to the previous PowerPC Mac mini. This claim has been disputed by some observers who, when playing Unreal Tournament 2004 (UT2K4), have witnessed no change or even a decrease in framerates when using Core Solo models. However, it is important to remember that UT2K4 is a heavily processor-bound game and a fast GPU is less important to functionality - a modern processor such as the Core Solo or Core Duo used in the Mac mini may well help.

Performance in mainstream 3D games that extensively utilize a computer's graphics processor has not yet been extensively tested. Because many of the features of the GMA950 rely on software emulation, while the Radeon 9200 has hardware shaders, this can lead to 3D performance issues (slow vertex shaders) and incompatibility with some games.

[edit] Opening the case and modifications

Some Mac mini owners have managed to use a putty knife to pry open the computer's case, thereby gaining access to the interior to install cheaper 3rd-party memory upgrades <ref>The Mac mini: Inside and Out. MacWorld.com. Retrieved on March 12, 2006.</ref>. Apple Computer has also sent its dealers putty knives. In fact, the official Apple Service Source manual for Mac mini describes this procedure in detail. While opening the case does not actually void the Mac mini warranty, anything broken while the case is open is not covered. Other modifications include overclocking the processor <ref>Overclocking Apple Mac mini. Leo Bodnar. Retrieved on March 12, 2006.</ref> and installing a Linux-based operating system on the machine. <ref>Linux on the Mac Mini. William R Sowerbutts. Retrieved on March 12, 2006.</ref>

Some speculate that some of the internal components imply that the unit was originally planned to feature a built-in iPod dock <ref>Was the Mac mini Intended to Have an iPod dock?. Slashdot.org. Retrieved on March 12, 2006.</ref>. They found that the optical drive's riser also included a FireWire bus. It may have been removed due to the iPod line's switching to a USB-only connection in 8-9 months. Another theory behind this is that it was just going to be used for another FireWire port which was removed from the design.[citation needed]

With the switch to the Intel Core Solo and Duo line, Apple has begun to use a socketed CPU in their desktop computers. This allows for a processor replacement and could lead to a large scene for modification of the Mac mini, similar to the Power Mac G4 Cube enthusiasts. It is possible to replace the processor with an Intel Core 2 Duo ("Merom") processor on Intel-based Mac minis.

[edit] Accessories

Like the iPod, there are many third party accessories being released for the Mac mini. For example, the MiniMate adds up to 400 GB of hard disk space and three additional USB and FireWire ports. Other accessories include stands and lights designed around the Mac mini's shape. <ref>miniMate. MicroNet Technology. Retrieved on March 12, 2006.</ref> Kits and custom installation for automobile mounting are also available (Rizzo, Ch. 12).

[edit] Mac mini and the preceding G4 Cube

Image:PowerMac G4 Cube.jpg

The Power Mac G4 Cube was Apple's previous attempt to produce a quiet, fanless, and compact Macintosh computer. Besides some of its design flaws and impracticalities, the Cube proved too costly for most consumers to justify its innovative design and, after a year, it was quickly discontinued. Unlike the expensive Cube, the relatively inexpensive Mac mini has been praised by reviewers as making Mac OS more accessible. Although reviewers noted that an Intel-based PC was still cheaper than the Mac mini, they acknowledged that the design (low power usage, low noise, low heat, and smaller than any commercially available Intel machine with equivalent features) and availability of Macintosh applications would justify the small premium of the mini.

[edit] Notes

<references />

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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 Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Apple hardware since 1998
Consumer Macs: iMac | iMac G3 | iMac G4 | iMac G5 | iMac Core Duo | iMac Core 2 Duo | Mac mini | eMac | iBook | MacBook
Professional Macs: Power Macintosh G3 | Power Mac G4 | Cube | Power Mac G5 | Mac Pro | Xserve | PowerBook G3 | PowerBook G4 | MacBook Pro
iPods: iPod | iPod mini | iPod photo | iPod shuffle | iPod nano
Accessories: AirPort | iSight | Cinema Display | Xserve RAID | Mighty Mouse | iPod Hi-Fi
Italics denote discontinued products
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