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Spaceman Spiff · Oct 29, 2005, 04:57 PM

Originally Posted by hangtown

If by the upgrades you are indeed referring to the 1.5 Ghz cpu, the 5400 rpm drive, and the 64 meg radeon, they are here now. Yesterday I bought my mini at the local apple store and I did get all those things.

Did it have a 8x SuperDrive (with Dual Layer support)?

hangtown · Oct 29, 2005, 06:44 PM

Originally Posted by Simon

Did you buy the SuperDrive version? Did the box mention the updated specs or did it give the old ones (1.42GHz, etc.)

Yes, the superdrive version ($699 version here in the US). It did NOT mention the new specs, it still states it has a 1.42Ghz cpu, 32MB DDR video memory, etc.

I didn't know until I got it home and fired it up and checked the system profiler.

hangtown · Oct 29, 2005, 06:44 PM

Originally Posted by Simon

Did you buy the SuperDrive version? Did the box mention the updated specs or did it give the old ones (1.42GHz, etc.)

Yes, the superdrive version ($699 version here in the US). It did NOT mention the new specs, it still states it has a 1.42Ghz cpu, 32MB DDR video memory, etc on the box.

I didn't know until I got it home and fired it up and checked the system profiler.

hangtown · Oct 29, 2005, 06:45 PM

Originally Posted by Simon

Did you buy the SuperDrive version? Did the box mention the updated specs or did it give the old ones (1.42GHz, etc.)

Yes, the superdrive version ($699 version here in the US). It did NOT mention the new specs, it still states it has a 1.42Ghz cpu, 32MB DDR video memory, etc on the box.

I didn't know until I got it home and fired it up and checked the system profiler.

hangtown · Oct 29, 2005, 06:49 PM

Sorry for the double post, I got an error indicating my post wasn't successful but obviously it was.

macanon · Oct 29, 2005, 06:54 PM

Stealth upgrades...Apple sure is sneaky!

hangtown · Oct 29, 2005, 06:55 PM

Originally Posted by Spaceman Spiff

Did it have a 8x SuperDrive (with Dual Layer support)?

It has a Matshita UJ-845. It is dual layer according to what I've found on the web.

macanon · Oct 29, 2005, 07:02 PM

Stealth upgrades...Apple sure is sneaky!

Spaceman Spiff · 11:37 PM

Originally Posted by hangtown

It has a Matshita UJ-845. It is dual layer according to what I've found on the web.

I wonder if they blocked it out to keep it "consumer." They blocked out DVD-Ram support on all models, so they could do it with Dual Layer too.

Simon · Oct 30, 2005, 02:06 AM

Darn. This stealth update crap sucks. I want to get the Combo 1.42 GHz version to drive my projector, but there's no way I won't wait till I'm sure I'll get the 5400 rpm drive.

vinster · Oct 30, 2005, 02:23 AM

Originally Posted by hangtown

It has a Matshita UJ-845. It is dual layer according to what I've found on the web.

Unless Apple's updated the firmware, the UJ-845 won't write dual-layer DVDs. I have this drive in my Powerbook and while it will read a burned DL from my Plextor external it won't write to blank DL media.

hangtown · Oct 30, 2005, 06:04 AM

Originally Posted by vinster

Unless Apple's updated the firmware, the UJ-845 won't write dual-layer DVDs. I have this drive in my Powerbook and while it will read a burned DL from my Plextor external it won't write to blank DL media.

Ah. Thanks.

macanon · Oct 30, 2005, 08:06 PM

So there is a downside to it afterall. You don't know what you are going to get.

Spaceman Spiff · Oct 31, 2005, 02:03 AM

Originally Posted by vinster

Unless Apple's updated the firmware, the UJ-845 won't write dual-layer DVDs. I have this drive in my Powerbook and while it will read a burned DL from my Plextor external it won't write to blank DL media.

So the only way to find out if they changed the firmware is if a new Mac mini (1.5 GHz) owner tries to burn to the Dual Layer media. (and tells us about it.)

hangtown · Oct 31, 2005, 03:19 AM

Alright, I'm definitely not new to computers, but I am new to OSX, and none of my PC's have dual layer burners so I know nothing about dual layer. I'll have to first find out how it works and then get a dual layer dvd and then give it a try.

That brings up another question, does iDVD support dual layer? Yes, I'll go search for myself but if anyone does know the answer, feel free to post.

Don't hold your breaths waiting as it might take me awhile to get around to trying this. It's pretty low on my to-do list. But when I do I promise to post the results.

wilsonng · Oct 31, 2005, 03:30 AM

I intend to get an external DL burner so that I can use it in any one of my Macs. Of course I'll probably miss the feature of using it in the Apple Pro apps but "win some, lose some..."

hangtown · Oct 31, 2005, 05:06 AM

Answer to my own question about iDVD from the Apple iDVD page:

With a supporting SuperDrive, you can now burn DVDs in the following formats: DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, and DVD+R DL.

So I guess I need to purchase a DL dvd and test it out.

mduell · Oct 31, 2005, 03:08 PM

Originally Posted by wilsonng

I intend to get an external DL burner so that I can use it in any one of my Macs. Of course I'll probably miss the feature of using it in the Apple Pro apps but "win some, lose some..."

Apple's Pro apps have supported external burners for a while, and now their iApps support some too.

dale · Nov 4, 2005, 01:54 PM

Maybe the stealth upgrade thing is through necessity.

Maybe Apple are planning to release their most consumer focused Mac product ever in the run up to Christmas (in the form of a Mac Mini with FrontRow and apple remote and digital audio out).

If they had run out of components for the old Mac Mini, they wouldn't want to make an interim announcement of small upgrades and then make the large announcement about additional functionality (rather than just moreof what it already has). Maybe they want people to hold off buying for mid novemeber to take account of the Christmas rush?

Maybe!

Vidal · Nov 4, 2005, 08:07 PM

Originally Posted by dale

Maybe Apple are planning to release their most consumer focused Mac product ever in the run up to Christmas
Maybe!

Now that is a very interesting point indeed!

As an explanation that would make a lot of sense since they had already upgraded the spec in July and we were all beginning to question why Apple would change from their more carefully planned upgrade cycle to something more ad-hoc.

The plot thickens....

Tuishimi · Nov 5, 2005, 01:19 PM

My off-the-wall hope is that they are just running out of the lesser components because they are getting ready to introduce the Mactels.

I know I know. Not happening until next July. But a guy can always dream.

Tuishimi · Nov 5, 2005, 01:20 PM

...of course... that would not explain the 64MB VRAM.

Simon · Nov 7, 2005, 01:54 PM

This AI article claims (once again) that Intel Macs might arrive earlier than expected. They say MWSF could bring us Mac minis with Yonah. That CPU would also fit the iBook, but they claim it might give the iBook too much power compared to the (then still PPC) PowerBook making the mini the ideal candidate to launch Yonah in the Apple world.

Hmm, that would be great. A Yonah-based mini in January. Something to look forward to.

westrock · Nov 8, 2005, 09:29 PM

Maybe they were able to get better process yield and are able to up the CPU's while keeping it stable. I've had my 1.25 at 1.5Ghz for like 6-8 months, and it hasn't given me one problem. It was as simple as removing 3 resistors on the motherboard....something even simpler at the factory (and saves them the money of the resistors

)

All the other parts are just stuff they had lying around. Although, has it been comformed on the 64mb of memory yet? Maybe the price fell so that it was the same as 32mb, or hell maybe the supplier dropped the 32mb for 64mb as the bottom of the barrel

dale · Nov 9, 2005, 08:21 AM

Just thought of another use for frontrow and the apple remote (in addition to making a mini into a media center).

If the new powerbook (intel based, due early next year) had both Forntrow and the remote as standard, presentation software could be integrated to appear as an icon option when launching frontrow. The remote could then be used to control the presentation.

The presentations are usually delivered via a projector hooked up to a laptop. I use PC's laptops for work (work pay for these) and some of them have remotes as an option, although single button "next page devices".

Apologies if this idea has been raised somewhere else. I would have posted this on the powerbook forum but I am too junior a member to create threads.

Simon · Nov 28, 2005, 06:07 AM

Just to add something about the stealth upgrade.

I recently bought the 1.42GHz Combo model as a media center for home. When it arrived the box label said 1.42GHz. But according to System Profiler (and a serial number check) it's the 1.5GHz, 64MB VRAM, 5400RPM HDD model.

I'm fine with that (especially the 5400 RPM drive is important to me), but I'm really wondering what Apple is doing here. How come there's no official update, even if it were just a quiet one? Are they so afraid of making the Intel update at MWSF look less interesting? Weird.

dale · Nov 28, 2005, 07:54 AM

I think you are right.

I think components of the required specification have become scarce so they are using updated components. If you make a big song and dance about an upgrade at this point, it will take away from a likely big announcement in January of new iBooks and new Mac Mini (both with Intel chips). I just hope that the new mini includes a remote and front row!

Simon · Nov 28, 2005, 08:39 AM

That might explain the 5400RPM disk, but what about the 64MB VRAM? And the 1.5GHz G4? Both iBooks are still using 1.33 and 1.42 GHz components. This just doesn't make very much sense to me.