Review: Intel Mac mini

[Magnus]

When launched early 2005, the Mac mini was arguably an instant success. I know I wanted one from the day I read about it, and later in the year we did buy a G4 Mac mini. The mini was and is a great concept that has found a wide range of uses. It's being used as an entry-point into the Mac-world of computers, it serves as a media center in many homes, and it's found a niche as a cheap and small server. It's a very versatile computer. In a small and attractive package you get a reliable, high-quality computer that runs the best operating system available today, Mac OS X. That's hard to beat.

The G4 mini has run for a long time in our office as the main machine for one of us. Now we've had a chance to take a look at the recently introduced Intel Mac mini. A big thank you to Apple IMC Middle East for providing the test computer.

Specification

First the specs of our review machine:

• 1.66GHz Intel Core Duo processor.
• 2MB on-chip L2 cache.
• 667MHz frontside bus.
• 512MB of 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300).
• One FireWire 400 port.
• Four USB 2.0 ports.
• Apple Remote.
• Intel GMA950 graphics processor with 64MB of DDR2 SDRAM shared with main memory.
• DVI and VGA video output.
• Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45 connector).
• Built-in 54-Mbps AirPort Extreme wireless networking (based on 802.11g standard).
• Built-in Bluetooth 2.0 + Enhanced Data Rate (EDR) up to 3 Mbps.
• 80GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard disk drive.
• Slot-loading SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW).
• Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger (includes Spotlight, Dashboard, Mail, iChat AV, Safari, Address Book, QuickTime, iCal, DVD Player, Xcode Developer Tools).
• iLife ’06 (includes iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie HD, iDVD, iWeb, GarageBand), Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac Test Drive, iWork (30-day trial), Quicken 2006 for Macintosh, Big Bang Board Games, Comic Life, Omni Outliner, and Apple Hardware Test.
• Front Row.

Performance

It seems like what Apple did when they designed the first mini was essentially to take an iBook and to redesign motherboard and other components to fit in the mini's small case (see it being disassembled). The mini was never meant to be a particularly powerful computer, and arguably it was enough for most users and tasks, but we always want faster and better. The new Intel Mac mini delivers on that and gives users more power in the same small package. Among the updates in the new mini we find a faster system bus (667MHz vs. 167MHz), faster RAM (667MHz DDR2 SDRAM vs. 333MHz DDR SDRAM), and more L2 cache (2Mb vs. 512Kb), and you can have 2Gb RAM as opposed to 1Gb maximum in the G4. You can see some benchmarks here.

With the arrival of the Intel Mac mini, Apple has a very small desktop computer that can rival most other makers' offerings. It delivers more than enough power for its intended use and users. iLife 06 was an improvement in speed over the 05 version even on a PowerPC computer but it really shines on Intel. In an earlier review of iLife 06 which we carried out before the Intel Macs had arrived in the UAE, we complained about the poor performance of especially iMovie, iDVD, and iWeb. On the Intel Mac mini we have no such complaints. Sure it could always be snappier but it performs very well and most users should be happy with the mini's overall performance for most tasks. Make sure you get at least 1Gb of RAM though because Mac OS X as well as any applications you run require memory. Especially if you are going to run any older PowerPC software (in emulation with Rosetta) you want as much RAM as you can afford.

Storage

The mini uses a notebook hard drive (2.5 inches) which is slower than most hard drives in desktop computers. For most users that won't make any difference, but in disk-intensive operations, like video editing, it will suffer a bit in performance. The 80Gb is getting a bit on the small side today, with growing iPhoto and iTunes libraries. With an 80Gb drive it's hard to keep enough music in iTunes to fill a 60Gb iPod.




Expansion

Because of it's small package, the mini was never a computer meant to have its internal components changed and upgraded. Realistically, the only expansion you're going to be able to do is through USB and Firewire ports. Apple did a really good thing by putting four USB 2.0 ports in the Intel mini (the G4 had two). It's also good they retained the Firewire port, although some may argue it should have been a Firewire 800 instead of 400. We don't think that matters much because the intended market doesn't really need Firewire 800. The four USB ports should be enough for most users but you can easily expand with a USB hub that won't cost much. If you do get a USB hub make sure you get a self-powered hub. That means it has it's own power supply and doesn't rely on the computer's power. Many USB devices relies on having enough power available on the USB chain, and if you add too many on just the computer's USB, they will not get enough power.

Graphics

Much was written about the graphics in the new mini when it was launched. The G4 mini had a dedicated graphics adapter while the Intel mini has integrated graphics which uses system RAM as video RAM. This means that even though you may have 512Mb RAM you actually have 64Mb less than that available since 64Mb RAM is taken up by the graphics. A bigger problem right now for the Mac mini when it comes to graphics is that there are hardly any games that are Universal Binary so it's hard to judge whether the graphics really are any good. Just using software like iWork and iLife doesn't really say much about the graphics. So what we can guess, at least, is that the graphics are going to be good enough for most mini owners. It's been said that the integrated Intel graphics are especially made for delivering high-quality video and other multimedia and that that's one of the reasons why Apple chose it over something else. That may be true, but more believable reasons include saving space and money, and that it was something Intel insisted on.

Communications

The mini has most of what you would need in terms of communication. It comes with an Ethernet port for wired networking, Airport Express for wireless networking, and Bluetooth for wireless communication to other devices, like mobile phones. Apple decided to remove the option of a built-in telephone modem in the new mini, betting on the fact that most users will not need it. If you really need a phone modem, Apple sells an external USB model. We really don't think is a big deal for a lot of users since broadband is growing in popularity. However, for the few users who really need a phone dial-up connection, it may be a nuisance.



Front Row

Front Row is the media center software that Apple ships on their newer models in which you can control playing music and videos, and watch photos by using a small remote control that comes with the mini. You get access to your iTunes and iPhoto libraries as well as movies stored in the Movies folder in your home directory, via Front Row and the remote control. This seems to be Apple's very first attempt at creating some form of home entertainment center centered on a Mac. Via the iTunes Music Store you can purchase and download a long line of TV shows... just not in the UAE of course. Ever since the introduction of the first mini, rumors have circled about it eventually being able to record TV. That, of course, hasn't happened yet, other than with third-party add-ons, and we don't know if Apple will ever support something like that. They seem happy selling you TV content through their store, at least for now.

Wrapping up

The Intel Mac mini is a welcome improvement of an already very successful concept. It's not the almost revolutionary introduction the G4 mini was in 2005, but Apple has done a good job of maintaining the fundamentals and improving them in several areas. Obviously, the big change is the switch to an Intel processor, which brings with it improved performance. Arguably you get more computer with the Intel mini compared to the G4 mini, but we still don't think that justifies the increased price. According to our Pricewatch, the low-end Intel mini goes for AED2600 and the G4, where it's still on sale, for AED1825. For the increased price you do get a faster processor and Airport Express and Bluetooth as standard. That is a still considerable difference in price, and one that is hard to justify for many customers. Perceptions matter in the minds of consumers, and the perception is that the new mini is a lot more expensive.

That said, the new price still gets you a very good computer. If you're considering trying out Mac without investing heavily there's no better way. BYODKM as Apple says - Bring Your Own Display, Keyboard, and Mouse. Any computer monitor will work, as well as pretty much any USB keyboard and mouse. If you already have a G4 Mac mini the question of whether you should upgrade is a bit harder. If you feel your mini is really slow, then perhaps you should consider an Intel mini. If you're happy with your G4, however, there's probably not much need to upgrade. If you want a second Mac for a server or just as a backup, the Intel mini is also a very good choice.

[dandantheitman]

Hey Guys,

i don't suppose that when the lads over at apple were nice enough to drop off the intel mac mini for testing they told you whether they had any of the modems in stock ?

As a broadband user myself, I am not really concerned about the lack of modem, however if a home user without broadband buys one and is not informed about the modem, or lack thereof then there could be some seriously disgruntled home users out there.

On a passing note, itunes does work within the UAE, you just have to have a credit from a country where itunes is available.

daN

[drake]

Hi Dan,
yepp you can get iTunes with a credit card from where iTunes is available, but in the agreement (in iTunes) it says that you will only listen to it in the country, where where you got the song. So, while you can do it, it just may not be legal.

[drake]

Dan you have a good point about the modem, and I did hope that the sales people, inform people about that. Nothing is worst than thinking that you are all set, and then finding out that you are not.

[Magnus]

Dan, I think I saw the external USB modem at the Abu Dhabi mall last week. You should check with the stores.