[MDWeezer]

So I have a Mini on the way, i'm incredibly excited.

I think i've read every review and Mini document out there . However i'm just looking for others opinions out there on the Mini.

I own a iPod so naturally I will sync up with my Mini opposed to syncing on my Thinkpad w/pcmcia firewire adaptor (so sloppy).

I decked out the Mini (1.25 version), AE + BT, Superdrive, 512mb RAM and 80gb HDD.

I'm going to pick up the Apple bluetooth keyboard sometime soon from my local Apple store. It'll be hooked up to a 17" CRT (not sure how of a res it can go up to, hopefully a step above 1024x768), I have a nice optical mouse and a set of 5.1 speakers (obviously won't get true 5.1).

I might head to Barnes and Nobles to look for some OS X books too, can anyone recommend a good book? I heard the "missing manual" book or whatever is really good, plus it offers some of the UNIX backend stuff. I'm no stranger to Linux so it'll be nice having a terminal to play with.

Any cool apps I should check out that?

My expected ship date is on or before 3/1 Although thats the Apple ship date of 3-4 weeks, some on the forum have said they're shipping in about 2 weeks. So I hope I get mine way before then.

I'll be sure to post photos of my setup, it'll be in my dorm room on a desk with my turntable (The Mini will run through my mixer), so it'll look pretty slick .

Take care everybody and I look forward to joining the Apple community! I also can't wait to get a Apple sticker to put on my car

[Hi I'm Ben]

I wouldn't worry about books. Dive in and when you have trouble run a search on here or on google.

You'll learn the most by getting stuck and there's lots of nice beginner topics that are on here.

anyway, enjoy your mini. they're sweet.

[typoon]

Another good book is the OS X unleashed book. It's as thick as a phone book but it covers pretty much everything. IT is pretty comprehensive. The missing Manuals book gives you some good tips and it also gives you some ideas of what good shareware/freeware is out there. Also don't forget to use the Forums.

If not just dive right in and if you need help we are all here to help in the forums.


Welcome to the Mac.

[b11051973]

I got my 1.42 mini with superdrive and bluetooth last Friday. I upgraded the RAM to 1 gig myself. I love the thing. It feels quite a bit faster than my 12" 867 megahertz PowerBook.

When I bought my PB, I also got the Missing Manual. I had a PowerMac 7100/66 in college. So, I was familiar with how a Mac OS worked, but bought the book anyway. The main thing I learned was little tips and tricks.

[andreas_g4]

Congratulations to your choice. You will not be disappointed!

But I recommend you to get 1 Gig RAM for your Mac mini. It really is worth the extra 100 bucks (or so). The difference to 512 MB is significant if you want to use more apps at the same time, which is most probably what everyone does (iPhoto, Safari, Mail, iTunes, illegal PS etc.).

[BkueKanoodle]

I second the recommendation on the OS X Unleashed. There is simply no more comprehensive Mac book out there. If you can't find it in there, you don't need it.

[Goofas]

Before I ordered my eMac I bought "Mac OS X Simplified". It is a great book from Barnes and Noble. It is easy to read and has great color examples. I felt like an Mac pro once my eMac arrived. Too bad it died in less than a week! Apple replaced it and I have been sailing away since last May!

[Zubir]

Originally posted by MDWeezer:
So I have a Mini on the way, i'm incredibly excited.

I think i've read every review and Mini document out there . However i'm just looking for others opinions out there on the Mini.

I own a iPod so naturally I will sync up with my Mini opposed to syncing on my Thinkpad w/pcmcia firewire adaptor (so sloppy).

I decked out the Mini (1.25 version), AE + BT, Superdrive, 512mb RAM and 80gb HDD.

I'm going to pick up the Apple bluetooth keyboard sometime soon from my local Apple store. It'll be hooked up to a 17" CRT (not sure how of a res it can go up to, hopefully a step above 1024x768), I have a nice optical mouse and a set of 5.1 speakers (obviously won't get true 5.1).

I might head to Barnes and Nobles to look for some OS X books too, can anyone recommend a good book? I heard the "missing manual" book or whatever is really good, plus it offers some of the UNIX backend stuff. I'm no stranger to Linux so it'll be nice having a terminal to play with.

Any cool apps I should check out that?

My expected ship date is on or before 3/1 Although thats the Apple ship date of 3-4 weeks, some on the forum have said they're shipping in about 2 weeks. So I hope I get mine way before then.

I'll be sure to post photos of my setup, it'll be in my dorm room on a desk with my turntable (The Mini will run through my mixer), so it'll look pretty slick .

Take care everybody and I look forward to joining the Apple community! I also can't wait to get a Apple sticker to put on my car

Grats on your first Mac. The optimial resolution for a 17" CRT, in my opinion, is 1152 X 870. The icons on the desktop are way too big at 1024 X 768.

There are a couple of things you need to know about the Mini, since you're coming from the PC world. First, it's Apple's low-end laptop (iBook) without the LCD, or keyboard. Second, the G4 processor is like a same speed Celeron in the PC world, you've got a Radeon 9200 w/32 MB of ram, and if you're lucky, a 5400 RPM hard drive instead of a 4300 RPM one. Third, the only things you'll ever be able to upgrade is the optical drive, hard drive, and RAM.

The Mini is more computer than most people need, and the software that comes with it is worth the price alone. Just don't expect to play Doom 3 on it, and you'll be perfectly satisfied.

[I WAS the One]

Originally posted by typoon:
Another good book is the OS X unleashed book. It's as thick as a phone book but it covers pretty much everything. IT is pretty comprehensive. The missing Manuals book gives you some good tips and it also gives you some ideas of what good shareware/freeware is out there. Also don't forget to use the Forums.

If not just dive right in and if you need help we are all here to help in the forums.


Welcome to the Mac.

It's true. Since I discover this site I am truly happy with the help Mac Users like me provide for everyone. I always learn a lot here, and the things I know I will always share them with everyone here!!!

congratulations on your new Mac...
Now you will understand why 2005 won't be like 2005 anymore.

[macaddict0001]

Originally posted by Zubir:
Grats on your first Mac. The optimial resolution for a 17" CRT, in my opinion, is 1152 X 870. The icons on the desktop are way too big at 1024 X 768.

There are a couple of things you need to know about the Mini, since you're coming from the PC world. First, it's Apple's low-end laptop (iBook) without the LCD, or keyboard. Second, the G4 processor is like a same speed Celeron in the PC world, you've got a Radeon 9200 w/32 MB of ram, and if you're lucky, a 5400 RPM hard drive instead of a 4300 RPM one. Third, the only things you'll ever be able to upgrade is the optical drive, hard drive, and RAM.

The Mini is more computer than most people need, and the software that comes with it is worth the price alone. Just don't expect to play Doom 3 on it, and you'll be perfectly satisfied.

icon size can be adjusted from 16x16 pixels to 128x128 pixels, you do not have to change the overall resolution for that. A 1.25 g4 is more like a 1.8 celeron. and they ship with a 4200 rpm drive.

[LisaM10023]

I just received my Mac Mini on Monday and can't stop playing with it. Before it arrived, I bought David Pogue's Missing Manual for Panther and read most of it. I think it definitely helped to familiarize me with the way that Mac does things. It also alerted me as to what not to do when setting up the Mini for the first time, etc...

Now I am looking to buy a similar manual for ilife 05 so that I will have some idea how to use it.

Enjoy your Mini...I definitely am!