Apple Mac Mini is the Apple’s most affordable offering. The word “affordable” may come as a surprise, as we all know that Apple computers are pricier/expensive compared to PCs (or call it as Windows PCs). In July 2011, Apple updated their Mac Mini product. The new Mac Mini comes with some interesting new features, hardware upgrade and talk of the town – Mac OS X Lion operating system. As per Apple – it’s mini in size only.
Closer look at the Apple Mac Mini 2011
If you’re already familiar with the last refresh, then you won’t find anything new looks wise. From the outside, its all the same but from the inside, its powerful. And that’s because of the powerful Core i5 and i7 processors, more RAM and larger hard drives. There are two models, both having different technical specs.
The new refresh of Mac Mini has one glaring omission and that is no optical drive. Yes, there is Mac App Store for downloading apps, but those who are on slower internet connection will need to suffer here. Also what if a Mac Mini owner wants to watch that classic movie DVD or want to listen that music CD? There’s no way for this and the only solution would be to purchase an external optical drive.
The inclusion of Thunderbolt is something that will entice many users, but then again not many devices support Thunderbolt. It combines display port and super fast storage connection port. For most people, the HDMI output will be more useful. Lack of eSATA and USB3 ports is definitely a minus point.
Talking about different connections and ports, it features Thunderbolt port, firewire port, four USB 2.0 ports, HDMI, SDXC card slot, Gigabit ethernet port and audio in/out. Connectivity wise you can find Wi-Fi 802.11n, Ethernet (RJ 45 connector) and Bluetooth 4.0.
Mac Mini is priced reasonable as per Apple standards. The system is quite, fast to boot and consumes remarkably little power. It’s quite and that’s why it will make a great choice for those who does not like even little noise. This can be an ideal bedroom computer or living room media center.
For those who are in doubt, you will need to purchase a keyboard, mouse, and display device (LCD). So those who are buying this may first wish to set aside their budget for these things. If you want to use OS X Lion’s features, then you will need to get Apple’s magic mouse and keyboard, which are wireless devices that means no cable clutter.
One thing that definitely will be missed is the age old optical drive. Not everyone can always stay connected to the internet and there are some bandwidth limits also for some users, therefore some will really miss optical drive. Or they could have at least provided an option to add a Blu-ray drive.
Specs of Apple Mac Mini
Processor: 2.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 (with the option to get 2.5GHz Core i5 or 2.7GHz Core i7)
Memory: 2GB of 1333MHz DDR3 memory (configurable upto 8 GB)
Storage: 500 GB (5400 rpm) hard drive
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 3000 processor (or AMD Radeon HD 6630M graphics)
Video support: Thunderbolt port, HDMI port, DVI output using HDMI to DVI Adapter (included)
Audio: Audio line-in and line-out, built in speaker
Connections and Expansions: Thunderbolt, Firewire, USB 2.0, SDXC card slot, Gigabit Ethernet
Communications: Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
Software: OS X Lion and Lion Recovery
There are more configurable options included, so that you can configure it as per your choice. The box includes Mac Mini, HDMI to DVI adapter, Power cord, printed and electronic document.
Coming to the pricing part, Apple Mac Mini costs $599 and $799, for 2.3GHz and 2.5GHz respectively. There are some more differences between both models and you can check it out from here.
You may also be interested in knowing Mac Mini Price in India
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