14 DAY TRIAL // Yesterday, Apple unveiled the new Mac mini. While it is nowhere near the hyped up expectations of the community that has been running wild on rumors, the new models offer significant improvements over the previous ones.
?With the new Mac mini, Apple has now moved 50 percent of its entire product line to Intel within 60 days?a record transition,? said Philip Schiller, Apple?s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing in the press release. ?The new Mac mini is now up to four times faster with the Intel Core Duo, includes even greater expansion in the same incredibly compact design, and is the most affordable way to enjoy Front Row and iLife ?06.?
The new Macs mini is now powered by Intel processors, making it two to four times as fast as the previous model, much like the new iMac. Some of the other improvements include a 667 MHz front-side bus and 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM memory expandable to 2GB, built-in 10/100/1000 BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet for high-speed networking, built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11g WiFi for fast 54 Mbps wireless networking, built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) and a total of four USB 2.0 ports.
The Mac mini includes a DVI interface and a VGA-out adapter making it easy to connect to a large variety of displays, among which many of today?s flat panel televisions. Furthermore, it now features both analog and digital audio outputs to easily connect to a home stereo.
The new 1.5 GHz Mac mini, for a suggested retail price of $599 (US), includes: ? 1.5 GHz Intel Core Solo processor ? 512MB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable up to 2GB ? a slot-load Combo (DVD-ROM/CD-RW) drive ? 60GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm ? Intel GMA950 graphics processor ? built-in AirPort Extreme wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.0+EDR ? Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000 BASE-T) ? four USB 2.0 ports ? one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog ? DVI-out port for external display (VGA-out adapter included, Composite/S-Video out adapter sold separately) ? Infrared Apple Remote.
The new 1.66 GHz Mac mini, for a suggested retail price of $799 (US), includes: ? 1.66 GHz Intel Core Duo processor ? 512MB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM expandable up to 2GB ? a slot-load 8x SuperDrive? with double-layer support (DVD+R DL/DVD?RW/CD-RW) ? 80GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm ? Intel GMA950 graphics processor ? built-in AirPort Extreme wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.0+EDR ? Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000 BASE-T) ? four USB 2.0 ports ? one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog ? DVI-out port for external display (VGA-out adapter included, Composite/S-Video out adapter sold separately) ? Infrared Apple Remote.