Posted on 04/05/2005 7:00:01 PM PDT by Swordmaker
Apple confirmed Tuesday its budget-priced Mac mini computer is being carried by electronics superstore Best Buy. The Mac mini will be sold at all Best Buy in the U.S., and has been on some store shelves since last weekend.
"Starting at just $499, Mac mini is the most affordable way ever to get started with Mac OS X and Apple's award-winning iLife suite of digital lifestyle applications. We are pleased to offer Mac mini at Best Buy stores nationwide," said Apple in a statement offered to MacCentral.
"We're excited to carry this latest innovation from Apple," said Best Buy spokesman Kevin Cockett. "It adds to our assortment of computers and gives our customers more choice."
Cockett told MacCentral that Mac minis are on the way to all Best Buy stores nationwide, though the vagaries of distribution mean that they may not all show up at once. Some Best Buy stores already had Mac mini models on shelves this past weekend -- the new retail push began at the start of the month.
Apple debuted the Mac mini in January at Macworld Conference & Expo in San Francisco, Calif. The tiny computer measures 6.5 inches square and is two inches tall. The Mac mini includes a 1.2GHz G4 processor, 256MB RAM, ATI Radeon 9200 graphics, FireWire, USB 2.0, DVI video connector, 10/100baseT Ethernet, a 56K modem, a slot-loading "Combo" drive capable of reading DVD's and writing CD-R and CD-RW media and a 40GB hard disk drive. A higher-priced model upgrades the processor to 1.42GHz and adds additional storage.
In introducing the Mac mini, Apple CEO Steve Jobs described the device as "BYODKM," or Bring Your Own Display, Keyboard and Mouse. Unlike many Mac models, the Mac mini ships without these accouterments, but it's compatible with off-the-shelf USB keyboards, mice, and using an included adapter, VGA displays designed to work with Windows-compatible computers.
Analysts expect the Mac mini appeals to first-time Mac buyers who have been put off by the high price of Macintosh computers, including PC switchers fed up with endless Windows security problems and iPod owners. The system has also apparently gained traction among existing Macintosh users looking for an inexpensively priced second or third computer. Some experts hope the crossover appeal of the iPod and the low price of the Mac mini will help drive a "halo" effect, increasing Apple's personal computer marketshare.
Best Buy already sells Macs, Mac software and some Mac-compatible peripherals through its online store, and sells Apple's iPod music player through its retail channel as well. Apple and Best Buy started a pilot program in 2003 to sell Macs through select Best Buy retail stores, but that program was discontinued.
Best Buy will carry the Mac Mini at ALL stores.
If you want to see a Mac Mini, you no longer have to go to an Apple Store...
Want on or off the Mac Ping list? FreepMail me.
They sold me a computer and when I tried to get the rebate I was told that the rebate had already been paid out. Yes, Best Buy sold me a used computer as a new one. They were forced to replace it with a new one but they will only cheat me once thank you.
Not entirely sure why anyone would want to go to Best Buy or CompUSA and pay full retail when you can go to an Apple Store, not get treated like cattle, and get out the door for the same price.
Not everyone has an Apple Store nearby... but Best Buy is ubiquitous...
I've got one. It's cute but I don't like the interface. In particular I hate not being able to maximize a window. The default fonts in the word processing programs are too small to read on a 17" monitor without making changes. I find the UNIX file structure to be a PIA also.
The whole thing seems less intuitive than Windows. I've only had it a few weeks so I'l reserve final judgement for a few months. I paid $529 including our MS Office for Mac license and installation.
It's very cute.
'Best Buy' = 'Worst Buy' (or 'GoodBye') at their Orange, CT location. Go, look, ask questions they cannot answer, twiddle the knobs; buy it at a reputable store. They were the 'cat's [backside]' when they opened a few years ago but nobody where I work will go there anymore (horror stories abound).
This is a GREAT idea. I'd like to test drive one, for speed.
It's really tempting, given the monitors and keyboards laying around here...or better yet, a KVM switch.
But I gotta have the big one (the $600 version).
What resolution are you running your 17" screen at? And check the Word settings - for some stupid reason, M$ decided to set default page view at 125%, so the fonts look tiny.
Maximizing a window - hit the green sphere in the upper right.
Open MS Word, set the view you want (200%) and then save the doc... quit from Word. When you open a new blank doc, it should open at 200% view.
I find the UNIX file structure to be a PIA also.
In what way? The directory tree concept works essentially the same way. Are you bothered by having multiple Libraries? There are security reasons for the structure. Let me know if you have any questions.
The whole thing seems less intuitive than Windows.
That probably is because you are used to Windows... I've taught new users on both OSX and Windows... and in the vast majority of cases, the newbiess caught on to OSX easier and faster than Windows. However, going from Windows requires you to change some things you have learned.
Also, if you don't like it, I'd be interested in buying it off ya. :)
Er, that should be "at 75% for some reason on some versions".
"Maximizing a window - hit the green sphere in the upper right"
That was the easy part. Maximizing only occupies about 70% of the screen, however. I have to drag it all over the screen to get full size. I can get it there, but the next time I start it, I'm back to small size again.
It just pisses me off that things don't come back on the way I left them.
The file structure bothers me because I have no clue where all of the files are or what they are named. I preferred the old DOS installations where all of the files were in the program directory or a subdirectory.
I've got to set up the folder views differently as well. I hate Icons! Give me the detailed list (ls -l) every time. I can't stand having to scroll around the screen to find things.
I've always preferred a command line system like pure UNIX or DOS. The Windows shell seems a little better than the Mac shell. I'm sure part of that is my familiarity with it, but the Mac shell just seems to irk me for some reason.
It is, however, very cute and it doesn't make the Microsoft Sound when it starts. I'll bet I will hate the MacIntosh sound soon enough.
I guess I'm going to have to buy filemaker pro if I plan to use any databases on this system.
Oh yeah! The marble madness game sucks. Gnome Mahjong is way better.
I have my $200 WallyWorld Fedora Linux box on a KVM switch with the Mac. Two ScrollLock presses and it looks like I'm doing actual work on the Mac. It's like the old (B)oss key on Leisure Suit Larry version 1.
CompUSA did the same thing to me. I bought a computer from them and it crashed midway through the software installation process. Took it back. Exchanged it for another one, got that one home, and found that it already had a disk in the drive and the hard drive had been renamed (it's a Mac). It obviously had been bought and returned to the store, then repackaged and sold as new. I took it back again and went apesh*t on the manager, got a full refund, and went to the Apple store. Never again. I hate CompUSA.
Most Mac programs "remember" the window size and placement. Office sometimes doesn't, don't know why. What app are you having problems with? You can also try hitting the green sphere again.
As for where things go - I always hated the random and undocumented way most Windows apps used when they installed. On OS X most applications that use an installer will put their executables in /Applications and their DLL-equivalents in /Library/Application Support/-nameofprogram-/ or /User/-yourusernamehere-/Library/Application Support/-nameofprogram-/ depending on whether they are installed for everyone's use or just one account's. Preferences are saved to /Library/Preferences/ or /User/-yourusernamehere-/Library/Preferences/ . That said, most OS X apps do not need an installer and are simply self contained - they don't put anything in Application Support, and they only put their preferences (in the above-mentioned place) outside themselves. When saving a file, the dialog box will default to your home documents folder - /Users/-yourusernamehere-/Documents/ . It's all very logical, unlike Windows/DOS's random distribution of files. This is straight out of *NIX.
If you hate icons and want an ls -l like view, just go to the Finder menu (in Finder) and select Preferences, then check "Open new windows in column view." Also, go to the Advanced tab of same and check "Show all file extensions."
You can change the CLI shell on OS X if you don't like tcsh (which is what it ships with). bash is still there.
Marble Madness is a cheap shareware game included. If you want to compare the two OS's native included games - Windows XP comes with Solitare. OS X comes with Chess.
The UNIX Terminal app is in the Utilities folder. Log files are viewable with the Console app.
The Windows shell seems a little better than the Mac shell. I'm sure part of that is my familiarity with it, but the Mac shell just seems to irk me for some reason.
I prefer the Mac environment, with a few minor changes to the default System Preferences. Here are some things to try -
- In the Dock, set Automatically hide and show. Adjust Size and Magnification to your preference. Customize the Dock to contain your favorite apps and remove the rest. It's handy to have the calculator in the Dock, for instance.
- Set Displays, Sound Output volume, etc. to show in the menu bar. (Also, iChat has a menu option in Preferences.)
- In Expose, set All Windows to Middle Mouse Button
- In Energy Saver, set Processor Performance to Highest
- Set Desktop background color to a solid dark blue
That was the easy part. Maximizing only occupies about 70% of the screen, however. I have to drag it all over the screen to get full size. I can get it there, but the next time I start it, I'm back to small size again.
This has more to do with Microsoft's choices than the Mac. To solve this problem, open a default blank document (the one you set the view percentage will be the one that opens) and drag the screen to position and size you prefer. Quit Word without closing the document. The next time you open a new blank document it will open where and at the size you want.
The file structure bothers me because I have no clue where all of the files are or what they are named. I preferred the old DOS installations where all of the files were in the program directory or a subdirectory.
While they can be put almost anywhere, by default OSX Programs are in:
Macintosh HD/Applications
Legacy programs from OS 9.2 and lower will be found in:
Macintosh HD/Applications (Mac OS 9)
Note that you can also put applications in your home directory by creating an Applications folder in your home director. The purpose of this is to limit a specific application for your own use and easily keep others from using it. This can also be handled by the permissions when you set up the other users' with limited accounts with you as Administrator. It also limited users the opportunity to install some programs only for their use... if you allow it. I recommend you do not permit it... place all apps in the systemwide Applications folder and user permissions to allow or disallow access.
Your personal document files will be in:
Macintosh HD/Users/Poser/Documents
Your music files will be in:
Macintosh HD/Users/Poser/Music
Your Movie files will be in:
Macintosh HD/Users/Poser/Movies
Your Photos and Picture files will be in:
Macintosh HD/Users/Poser/Pictures
Note that in the Terminal Application (command line) you can access your home directory using "~" as in "~/documents". You can also change the name of your hard drive from "Macintosh HD" to anything you want... such as "Poser's HD".
I've got to set up the folder views differently as well. I hate Icons! Give me the detailed list (ls -l) every time. I can't stand having to scroll around the screen to find things.
Open a Finder Window of the HD by double clicking on the desktop icon. Just below the close - minimize - maximize buttons to the right of the back - forward buttons are a set of three buttons. The first with the four boxes is "Icon View", the second is the same as the Detail Listing you get in Windows when you select "Details" and the third provides a Finder Window that follows the directory tree in each successive frame to the right. If you select the "Detail View" and close the window, THAT folder's window will always open in that view until you change it. Set each folder's window the first time you open it as you want it... and it will remember what you prefer.
In the last six months, they have successfully driven that rating to less than half of that - 0.76. If it wasn't for having decent pricing, it would be worse than that. A Customer Service rating of 0.20 is a remarkable accomplishment. See the following from Best Buy Customer Ratings, Reviews and Prices at ResellerRatings:
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My kind of MAC.
You call that a ping? ;')
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