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For six years, the Internet Nexus served as my technology blog, but I've since started blogging at the SuperSite Blog instead. If you're looking for the blog, please head there. --Paul

Wednesday, April 06, 2005

The Mac Mini: Apple's (not quite) budget computer

Consumer Reports (subscription required):

For many Mac Mini users, upgrades will be a virtual necessity that cost more than upgrades to a Windows PC (see Battle of the budget PCs). And they're even costlier if you don't order them when you buy the computer (at which time labor is free), because they must be performed by an authorized Apple dealer or the Apple store (www.apple.com). Some important upgrades include: doubling memory to 512 MB (recommended if you run more than one application at a time), adding an internal AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi card (if you have a wireless home network), and adding a wireless keyboard and mouse or a DVD burner. There are also no audio inputs--just a stereo headphone jack in the back of the case--though Apple sells a $35 sound adapter that provides an input.

There are other hidden costs. For example, the Mini's peripheral connections are meager. A non-Apple mouse and keyboard will quickly take over the unit's only two USB 2.0 ports, leaving just one FireWire port for other peripherals. Adding extra USB ports via an external USB hub solves that problem--for an additional $10 to $70. The most costly upgrade is the one you'll need if you can't spare a compatible monitor, keyboard, and mouse. That could cost you hundreds, just as with any other computer.

I've become a bit disillusioned about the Mac mini. I mentioned previously that it could have been just 25 percent bigger and included much-needed improvements, like a real desktop hard drive. But when you add up the features Consumer Reports recommends here, the $499 "cheap" Mac suddenly costs about $1000. I purchased an amazing x64 PC for about $800 recently, and its specs blow away the Mac mini. It's not even close.

We bought and tested the $599 Mini. Its performance closely matched Apple's older, $799 eMac, which is also built around the last-generation G4 processor. (Compared with the diminutive Mini, the eMac is a hog for space on a desktop, but it has its own display.) Though no speed demon, the G4 provided adequate processing power for basic computing needs at home or school, including playing music and DVDs. As with Windows-based budget PCs, the Mini doesn't have the horsepower for serious performance gaming or heavy-duty video editing.

Oh wait, they tested the $600 model. Add the suggested peripherals and add-ons, and the cost is about $1100, close to iMac territory. Actually, Consumer Reports notes that, as configured, the Mac mini costs $1175. They compare it to a Dell that includes a real hard drive and costs just $756 (which would be $656 at today's prices; the Mac mini price hasn't changed).

If you can redeploy an existing monitor, keyboard and mouse and live with its modest standard configuration, the Mini does offer a stylish, space-saving, and low-priced entry into the world of Macintosh computing, with its advantages of reliability, support, and freedom from most viruses and spyware. Otherwise, upgrades can quickly jack up its price toward or past $1,000, a point where better-performing Windows-based desktops and laptops are available.

Yep. And that's the rub, really. It's cute. I understand why people "want" one. But "want" and "need" are two totally different things. The Mac mini, clearly, is a case where the heart wins out over the mind.

[ Posted at 9:38 AM | Permalink ]