New Mac Mini

http://store.apple.com/uk/browse/home/shop_mac/famil...

Made of aluminium now.

I really would like to know what Apple are smoking though, £649?!!?!! it doesn't even come with a screen. By the time you've added a £200 screen you might as well have bought an iMac (if you want to use it as a desktop).

At least it now has HDMI with audio. I may consider selling my Mac Mini to get this one simply for that, since I hate having an adaptor hanging off the back.

Plus you seem to be able to open the bottom now to upgrade the RAM.

lol your right they havin a laugh

I think the state of Sterling has a lot to do with the price.

They always have been outrageously overpriced given their spec. Much as I love my PPC Mac Mini I'd never have bought an Intel one.

The Mini looks gorgeous though doesn't it? I'll probably replace my current Mini Server with it, or maybe replace the Apple TV on the projector now that HDMI is there.

They're not smoking anything, they just know that the iSheep will buy an anything with an Apple logo on it. Especially with the iPhone, £599 for 32gb? I think I'll give that a miss and get a HTC Desire.

iSheep get to enjoy some of the best technology in both form and purpose - iCheap are free to enjoy a different experience. Pleasure is only measurable by our own desire.

I like you. I like you a lot! That comment just made me smille haha.

FYI: 3 hour ago I bought an iPhone 4 16GB

its bumped prices up 10% I think... euro is even worse though which suprised me

It is all about currency risk Th euro is worse, but the pound is still terrible and expected to get worse - which makes imports more expensive and £:$ is the key one for us.

All importers have to cover that risk as best they can (my brother once lost £25,000 between billing and payment because of currency movements). Apple will have all sorts of hedging instruments, but in the end at least part of the risk must be born in price.

£599 for an unlocked iphone 4g 32-gb.

HTC Desire is about £380-400 unlocked. By the time you've added a 32gb card (£90) then a HTC Desire is only about £100 cheaper, yet it looks about £300 cheaper in terms of design. It's horrid.

Well it's just the price is edging closer to the macbook all the time. It's almost like Apple want to kill it off.

The external brick PSU is gone! Now that's impressive.

In reply to a post by krazykizza:

FYI: 3 hour ago I bought an iPhone 4 16GB

I'll be joining you just as soon as I get back from holidays in July - looking forward to reading the first reviews from my deck chair in the sun.

Actually the best value is the Mini server. Dual 7200 drives and OSX server with an unlimited client license is pretty good going for a small workgroup server.

OK before anyone says, I know you could build a cheap linux server in your garden shed, but it's not strictly comparable.

you could build a cheap linux server in your garden shed

Or you could buy a reliable server with a quad-core processor, RAID 5 disks, and plenty of room for expansion for far less than the cost of a Mac Mini server.

Take your pick of OS, Linux or FreeBSD (I'd go for the latter) - cost zero, a wealth of expertise available, and far more programs avaiable than OS X can offer. Doesn't look as cute, but who cares for a server?

I care! My Mini Server is also the media box for TV et al so its visible and contributes to the character of the room. You can keep your spare parts and garden shed

Well yes, but I suspect that you're not in the market for Snow Leopard server with unlimited client licences. That's more likely a business scenario than a home one.

In reply to a post by AnotherExPipex:

Well yes, but I suspect that you're not in the market for Snow Leopard server with unlimited client licences. That's more likely a business scenario than a home one.

Actually we use one of the previous mini servers to co-ordinate a small research project with several remote users. It sits in the corner and hums away with no bother at all.

I know it's possible to get cheaper Linux/BSD based servers, but it's simply less trouble to use the Mac. We're only a small workgroup and the Mini copes adequately, but if we needed something to do some heavy duty stuff a Linux box would be more cost effective, unlimited OSX client license or not.

In the end it comes down to ease of use and I can certainly see them being used as home media servers.

I'm not so sure tbh. Ignoring sterling, when the Mini first came out it was $499 in the US, now it's $699.

The trend with most computer kit is that prices have gone down, the "race to the bottom" if you will.

I like Apple, I'm typing this on an iMac, but I look at the Mini and I think they just got greedy tbh.

I probably don't need unlimited client licenses but that's what you get with this deal. I have the previous generation.

I can certainly see them being used as home media servers

I'm not really convinced. No optical drive and I can't see what Snow Leopard server gives you that you can't get with ordinary Snow Leopard (and perhaps a little additional free software).

For a media server I'd go for the normal Mac Mini.

I bought the USB Super Drive to solve that one, preferring to have 2 HDs rather than disc. The Server isn't necessary for a media centre but the beauty is you can have both in one.

when the Mini first came out it was $499 in the US, now it's $699.]

Nope - there were two models, $499 and $799. Now there is one (excluding server) and they have split the diff.

But, re UK prices, currency markets have been all over the shop since 2005 anyway (and Apple has never, ever, got involved in a race to the bottom)..

True. For a low end model it should maintain its entry level price. It's just not a tempting proposition anymore.

This was the Mac that switchers would buy to see if they could get on with a Mac. I did myself and spent just over £400. I wouldn't have bothered for £649.

Or you could buy a reliable server with a quad-core processor, RAID 5 disks, and plenty of room for expansion for far less than the cost of a Mac Mini server.

But then you've got to buy the server software. Yes, you could set it up as a Linux server for 'free', but then you've got to pay somebody to set it all up and maintain it.

Small workgroups often purchase the Mini server because the server tools are just so easy to use. Apple have spent a lot of time on them. They even have three sets of tools depending on how technical you want to get.

That's what a lot of people appreciate and are willing to pay a little bit more for. It's what I'm willing to pay a bit more for, for sure. I'd rather spend my time doing something I'm good at and bill the customer for that. You pay somebody else to do the other things.

Yes, you could set it up as a Linux server for 'free', but then you've got to pay somebody to set it all up and maintain it.

I can only think that you haven't much experience of modern Linux distros. They are very easy to set up and configure.

But each to their own. Personally I wouldn't trust server type stuff to something like the Mac Mini. I'm more used to redundant power supplies, RAID-5, and teamed network cards.

I'd certainly use a Mac Mini as a home server (hey - I do!), but you don't need OS X server for that; plain workstation is fine. It even makes a very nice little Linux machine!

I plan to use it as a console box (with just some form of SSH) and a Plax media centre.

As soon as it was unboxed, went right near the tv - what a lovely machine though.

Matt

Not with a commercial Unix OS pre-installed.

They try to be, but in the end if you do something the distro maker hasn't thought of then you'll still dive into the command line with an editor and edit some files in /etc

I can only think that you haven't much experience of modern Linux distros. They are very easy to set up and configure.

I have actually, and they're all still pretty poor. There's a reason why the joke of 'this is the year of the Linux desktop' persists every year.

Where does somebody who wants to setup a small workgroup server buy a Linux server anyway? I've never seen them in the shops.

If you require RAID arrays, multiple network cards, redundant power supplies etc. then this little server really isn't close to what you want.

The desktop version of Snow Leopard can be configured to do nearly everything you want from the server version. However it requires a fair amount of knowledge to do it on the cheap. That knowledge doesn't come cheap for most professionals. They'd rather be out earning money doing what they do best than fiddling with config files in /etc

Who needs a commercial Unix OS?

you'll still dive into the command line with an editor and edit some files in /etc

...as you have to do with OS X occasionally. Try adding a persistent static route, for example.

If you require RAID arrays, multiple network cards, redundant power supplies etc. then this little server really isn't close to what you want.

Something we can agree on.

You're right that not many retail shops will sell you a computer with Linux pre-installed (although plenty of independents will as will a number of on-line retailers). But not too many business users buy their servers from PC World. Not many shops will sell you a server at all.

Whatever, each to their own. I wouldn't use a Mac Mini as a server in a business (if I wanted to keep my job), but if others feel it is useful then fine. I guess the sales figures for Mac Mini servers, or OS X servers in general would tell the truth. But Apple tend to be a little reticent to divulge that sort of information.