All 'roided up
The Mac Mini is known for its small size, energy efficiency, and good performance. And now it's back and more beefed up than ever without a bigger box. This model has 160GB of storage space, a 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, and a full 2GB of RAM. It's also got an NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics card for great picture output. It's the mightiest Mini yet. And it accomplishes all this without actually getting any bigger, and without losing its energy-sipping reputation. Plus, it's still very affordable, being Apple's most inexpensive computer line.
And the winner is . . .
Apple makes most parts that go into their computers, from hardware to software. They even make the operating system they use. This offers several benefits including the ability to design smaller computers without sacrificing power, and the ability to make products that "just work." Another benefit of doing most of their building themselves is the ability to design computers with components that work together to maximize energy efficiency. Using their clever engineering, they were able to make the Mac Mini the world's most efficient desktop computer while giving it plenty of computing muscle. The new Mac Mini retains that crown. How does it accomplish that? Well, everything from the hardware, like the energy-efficient power supply, to the software, which spins down hard drives when not in use is looked at. Apple selects powerful components that won't waste energy. They consider every little detail, from the production, to shipping, to use, to end-of-life measures. And they consider such small details that they even regulate power between keystrokes. All these energy-saving measures help give it ENERGY STAR certification, so you can count on it saving resources and electricity costs. But ENERGY STAR isn't the only certification the Mac Mini received. It was also a Gold EPEAT winner, the highest award they give. And EPEAT considers more than just energy usage. They liked measures like smaller shipping boxes. They also liked the absence of many toxins like BFRs, lead, and PVC. And of course, like you, they liked that the aluminum and polycarbonate are both recyclable. It's safe to say the Mac Mini is still the world's greenest desktop computer, despite its souped-up power.
Equally unassuming
So, when Apple calls it a Mac Mini, the question is, how small is Mini? After all, most desktop computers, even smaller ones, are about the size of a purse. How much smaller is the mini? Well, it's a little bigger than a couple CD cases stacked up. No joke — it's only 6.5" squared and 2.0" tall. It really is tiny for a desktop computer. The Mini's little footprint gives you the freedom to place it anywhere within a cord's reach. Or, you could even get creative with it and use it as something like a home theater component. But however you choose to use it, and wherever you choose to put it, the Mini is aptly named.
At ease
If you take a look at the Mini, you might immediately be swayed by its sleek appearance. After all, Apple is known for excellence in the visual design of their products. But then you might start to wonder — the slot-loading SuperDrive is easy to find, but where are all the connections? After all, you'll need to plug in a monitor, keyboard, mouse, and some other accessories time to time. Well, one look at the Mac Mini's back panel will assuage even the biggest worrywart. For your devices, there are five USB 2.0 ports for items like keyboards, mice, external hard drives, monitors, and flash drives. There's also a FireWire 800 port as an alternate connection. Gigabit ethernet lets you hook up to a wired network if you elect not to use the built-in wireless support. As for the monitor , there are two different ports you can use. The first is a mini-DVI port. The second is a mini-DisplayPort. What's cool is that with the right adapters, you can use two displays with the Mac Mini — one displaying up to 1920 x 1200 pixels and the other up to 2560 x 1600, using either extended desktop or mirroring. For sound, it's got a built-in speaker, but if there are people around who might not appreciate your particular tastes in music, there's a headphone output, as well as a mini-pin input for audio. With so many connections, there's no need to worry that the Mac Mini won't have a port for your favorite accessories.
Grr.
The new Mac Mini comes with Apple's latest operating system, known as Snow Leopard. Snow Leopard provides a lot of behind-the-scenes advancements to speed up your work, offering much quicker operation than previous operating systems, as well as more hard drive space, and even better power management. But it also comes with a lot of sweet applications designed for computers like the Mac Mini. iTunes 9, Quick Look, Spaces, Spotlight, Dashboard, Mail, iChat, Safari, Address Book, Quicktime X, iCal, DVD Player, Photo Booth, Front Row, and even Xcode developer tools come standard. A few minutes working with Snow Leopard and you'll want to purr.
Get a life . . . an iLife
The new Mac Mini also includes the latest version of Apple's highly-praised creativity suite, iLife '09. Included in iLife '09 are iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, iWeb, and Garageband. Whether you're determined to make an HD movie that will become the latest YouTube sensation, or just trying to make a slideshow of your family get-together, iLife has you covered. But you can do a lot more than that. iWeb makes creating and publishing stylish, easy-to-use web pages a cinch. iDVD lets you publish that masterpiece movie to discs for your friends complete with custom menus, titles, and chapters. And Garageband provides you the recording tools to create or record your latest musical endeavors. Whatever creative project you've got a bent for, iLife has a program for.
But that's just the beginning
Like with almost any computer, you're going to want to expand the number of programs you've got on your computer. Now, Macs have a reputation of not being able to run most software, but that's a reputation that's no longer deserved. With Boot Camp, you can buy and install a copy of Windows to your computer on a separate hard drive partition, to natively run any Windows programs. And as far as industry standards like Microsoft Office and Photoshop, you can easily snag a Mac version. Or, in the case of Office, you can use Apple's own iWork '09 software to read and write PowerPoint, Word, and Excel files that are fully compatible with Windows machines. But those won't be all you want. There are many more programs that come in both Mac and Windows versions than most people think, including games. Here's a tip: unless there's an Apple store or an Apple specialist near you, your best luck in getting all the great programs you want is online. And while you're there, you can download a lot of great applications, many of which are available for free like Mozilla Firefox web browser, Adium universal instant messaging service, or VLC media player. And downloading and installing those programs is effortless without tons of anti-virus software, pop-up warnings, and permissions needed to keep Windows computers safe.
