[cjrivera]

I'm sure Mr. Jobs is quaking in his boots at the sight of this....

http://www.windowsfordevices.com/news/NS4589525979.html




Runs WinCE, 10gb HD, 128 DDR, no USB2, no Firewire, VGA out, nothing about 802.11 or bluetooth, no optical drive (that I saw). And fugly.


ugh. The boys at AMD are likely not happy with the mini Mac at this point.

[Disgruntled Head of C-3PO]

Well it came out october last year.

Also, it is not the same market at all. This is targeted to countries that cannot afford computers yet want internet access.

They do not need "USB2, Firewire, VGA out, 802.11 or bluetooth, optical drive"

Plus it is $185

[Lancer409]

i heard about this. wont be sold in the united states or any developed country anyways. and .. the mini's still cooler. lol

[Eriamjh]

The PIC is junk. It won't connect to your iPod! No USB2!

[Wiskedjak]

Originally posted by Disgruntled Head of C-3PO:
Well it came out october last year.

Also, it is not the same market at all. This is targeted to countries that cannot afford computers yet want internet access.

They do not need "USB2, Firewire, VGA out, 802.11 or bluetooth, optical drive"

Plus it is $185

Less than half the price, including mouse, keyboard, monitor and Internet access/email.

I'd say the Mini's closest competitor is a Shuttle PC. 5x larger (but still 20% the size of a desktop), using desktop HDs and your choice of video card with prices ranging from $100 less than the Mini to several hundred more than the Mini. Cases aren't bad looking either.

[mdc]

Originally posted by Eriamjh:
The PIC is junk. It won't connect to your iPod! No USB2!

since it runs windowsCE it wouldn't run iTunes even if there was usb2
and damn it's ugly

[Wiskedjak]

Originally posted by mdc:
since it runs windowsCE it wouldn't run iTunes even if there was usb2
and damn it's ugly

Is iTunes functionality an issue for 3rd World computing? As for design, it looks to me like it's intended to be rugged, which makes sense for 3rd world use.

[B Gallagher]

yeah, but it's still damn ugly.

[Spheric Harlot]

You don't get it: That is not a Mac mini competitor. No machine running Windows can ever be a Mac mini competitor.

There IS NO COMPETITION for the Mac mini. It is aimed exclusively at Windows users who wish to give Mac OS X a try. (With an incidental market for Mac users looking for a slim additional machine.) Whether or not a different platform may offer more or less horsepower or hardware features for the same price simply does not matter.

-s*

[willed]

$249 includes mouse, keyboard and monitor... shame about Win CE though!

[Apple Pro Underwear]

WNE NSHTOSE

[BasketofPuppies]

Originally posted by Spheric Harlot:
You don't get it: That is not a Mac mini competitor. No machine running Windows can ever be a Mac mini competitor.

You keep telling yourself that.

[ManOfSteal]

Wannabe<--X-------------------------------->Mac mini

[willed]

Originally posted by Spheric Harlot:
You don't get it: That is not a Mac mini competitor. No machine running Windows CE can ever be a Mac mini competitor.

Correctinated.

[BasketofPuppies]

Come to think of it, what is preventing businesses from getting inexpensive Windows CE systems like that one?

Typical employees only need office suites and Web browsers (if that). Microsoft makes all of that for Windows CE. The nature of CE prevents employess from doing much of the stupid, dangerous, time-wasting, money-wasting, bandwidth-wasting things that drive IT departments mad.

Is it only because neither Microsoft nor any computer manufacturer has ever thought of promoting Windows CE systems as primary desktops for business use?

[strictlyplaid]

$500 for a Mac Mini would be 25% of a person's per capita income in a lot of places, way way more than most people are willing to spend. And that's with no keyboard/monitor/mouse. The Mac Mini isn't shooting for that market. Thank god for that, as we wouldn't think much of it.

[rozwado1]

If you think of it in a broad sense, the only competition to the Mac mini would be other Macs. Nothing else will run OS X. You can have a windows box with similar features, but it's not competition bc it runs windows. Talk about a monopoly...

[Wiskedjak]

Originally posted by rozwado1:
If you think of it in a broad sense, the only competition to the Mac mini would be other Macs. Nothing else will run OS X. You can have a windows box with similar features, but it's not competition bc it runs windows. Talk about a monopoly...

The Mac Mini is intended as a platform to lure Windows users over to the Mac. Do you still think the Mac Mini doesn't have competition? By it's very nature it has competition and it's competition doesn't need to be running MacOS to be competition. Every single Windows box under $700 is competition.

[goMac]

Originally posted by BasketofPuppies:
Come to think of it, what is preventing businesses from getting inexpensive Windows CE systems like that one?

Typical employees only need office suites and Web browsers (if that). Microsoft makes all of that for Windows CE. The nature of CE prevents employess from doing much of the stupid, dangerous, time-wasting, money-wasting, bandwidth-wasting things that drive IT departments mad.

Is it only because neither Microsoft nor any computer manufacturer has ever thought of promoting Windows CE systems as primary desktops for business use?

A lot of businesses want to be able to run any new software they want, which is a problem with Windows CE.

[MilkmanDan]

The Mac Mini has already caught the eye of several PC loving friends and relatives. The Mac Mini is defiantly a switcher computer, or those who want a cheap second computer. Now if only Apple would put a cable in connection on it, it would make an awesome home media center.

[BasketofPuppies]

Originally posted by goMac:
A lot of businesses want to be able to run any new software they want, which is a problem with Windows CE.

So it's one of those "just in case" things.

Still, considering most employees only need office suites and Web browsers and most businesses, for better or for worse, have standardized on Microsoft Office and Internet Explorer, it would make sense for some IT departments to consider getting CE boxes like that one for their employees.

[Disgruntled Head of C-3PO]

What do you think of this computer in comparison. Other than the OS...

http://www.gateway.com

The laptop for $649

[goMac]

Originally posted by MilkmanDan:
The Mac Mini has already caught the eye of several PC loving friends and relatives. The Mac Mini is defiantly a switcher computer, or those who want a cheap second computer. Now if only Apple would put a cable in connection on it, it would make an awesome home media center.

I think it would be neat if El Gato made a little matching TV tuner box you could stack the Mac Mini on top of.

[CharlesS]

Originally posted by Disgruntled Head of C-3PO:
What do you think of this computer in comparison. Other than the OS...

http://www.gateway.com

The laptop for $649

Integrated Intel Graphics...

No CD burner?!

[willed]

Originally posted by CharlesS:
Integrated Intel Graphics...

No CD burner?!

But still, it includes monitor, keyboarrd and mouse and of course portability.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally posted by BasketofPuppies:
You keep telling yourself that.

*I'm* not telling myself that.

My *customers* are telling me that.

The Mac mini is aimed at people who wish to try Macintosh but haven't yet because they couldn't justify $1200 for redundant equipment (monitor, keys & mouse).

Pre-orders speak a clear language here.

-s*

[Superchicken]

The Mac mini is both a Switcher comp and a I need a non main system comp. That said so far I know a Mac mini is going to my mom, and a kid at my Church's youth group also is planning on getting one... dang when I was his age I had to get my parents to help me lay down two grand for a Mac... now he gets comparable performance for 600... oh how the times have changed...

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally posted by Superchicken:
dang when I was his age I had to get my parents to help me lay down two grand for a Mac... now he gets comparable performance for 600... oh how the times have changed...

Fact of life: technology advances.

I paid several hundred dollars for a whopping 2MB RAM upgrade for my Mac SE in 1990.

[BasketofPuppies]

Originally posted by Spheric Harlot:
*I'm* not telling myself that.

My *customers* are telling me that.

The Mac mini is aimed at people who wish to try Macintosh but haven't yet because they couldn't justify $1200 for redundant equipment (monitor, keys & mouse).

Pre-orders speak a clear language here.

And Steve Jobs described initial Power Mac Cube sales as good.

If the largest group of Mac mini users turns out to be Windows users with available monitors, USB keyboards, and USB mice - a market I'm convinced exists in large numbers only in Steve Jobs's mind - I will eat my dying 21" Apple Studio Display with ColorSync CRT monitor.

[Superchicken]

Well my mom is one of those people. Keep in mind most PC users have monitors. They can juse use their current ones.

[Mastrap]

Originally posted by BasketofPuppies:
And Steve Jobs described initial Power Mac Cube sales as good.

If the largest group of Mac mini users turns out to be Windows users with available monitors, USB keyboards, and USB mice - a market I'm convinced exists in large numbers only in Steve Jobs's mind - I will eat my dying 21" Apple Studio Display with ColorSync CRT monitor.

I'd start looking for recipes now if I were you.

Do you really think that a corporation the size of Apple would not do their homework, i.e. research the market, before launching the mini?

[chris v]

Originally posted by BasketofPuppies:
And Steve Jobs described initial Power Mac Cube sales as good.

If the largest group of Mac mini users turns out to be Windows users with available monitors, USB keyboards, and USB mice - a market I'm convinced exists in large numbers only in Steve Jobs's mind - I will eat my dying 21" Apple Studio Display with ColorSync CRT monitor.

pixplskthanksbye

[BasketofPuppies]

Originally posted by Mastrap:
Do you really think that a corporation the size of Apple would not do their homework, i.e. research the market, before launching the mini?

Yes.

Steve Jobs has said Apple doesn't do market research; it makes products it thinks are cool.

That's why we saw the Power Mac Cube: a product with a market that existed only in Steve's mind.

Apple claimed the Cube was aimed at professionals and power users, but few of them were willing to buy systems without the expansion they needed (or claimed they needed).

Of course, consumers liked the Cube, but the price made it cost-prohibitive for them and Apple's efforts to make it more appealing to consumers (read: lower the price) were half-hearted.

The same thing happened with the first LCD iMac. Initial sales were strong, but the fact Apple was selling a $1400+ computer during an economic downturn took its toll after a few months. Not to mention schools weren't willing to buy computers with less durable LCD screens.

Fortunately for Apple, it was smart enough to keep the CRT iMac in production, which prevented the first LCD iMac from being seen as a complete disaster by the press.

I am not expecting the Mac mini to be a failure. I do, however, doubt most customers will be "switchers" and that the market for switchers with available monitors, USB keyboards, and USB mice is anywhere near as large as Steve Jobs thinks it is.

[chris v]

Wait... This just handed to me... Basket of Puppies does not like Mac Mini! Product doomed to failure! Jobs said to be in tears, entire research team fired, one commits suicide! Over to you, Jan.

[BasketofPuppies]

Basket of Puppies does like the Mac mini and will probably buy one when it comes with Tiger. He never wrote it is doomed to fail. However, he doubts most of the people who will buy them are the people Apple claims are its very specific target market.

[chris v]

I don't get the attitude of people. For five years, people all over the web have been clamoring for Apple to release a low-cost Mac that will work with their old peripherals. Even if market research consisted of nothing more than surfing Mac fora across the web, they'd have seen plenty of demand for exactly the machine they've built.