Apple Mac mini with HDMI
Apple today revealed the latest Mac mini with HDMI output. I have been waiting for this for a while and now the wait is over! It is sort of a quiet announcement. There is a small mentioning here. Maybe because it is the same day that you can start ordering the iPhone 4, this new product is a bit overshadowed by all other iPhone 4 pre-order craze news.
The most important thing I look forward to is the HDMI port. This will become my main entertainment unit in the living room, connecting to my TV. I tried the WDTV Live and it was a good option. It plays HD content very well, even the 1080P MKV files play wirelessly. However, it does not offer much file management capabilities. Also browsing for files over the network with a tiny remote control is a bit of a problem. The scrolling takes a bit too long for it to be entertaining…. Looking forward to using the usual apps on my iMac on the bigger screen with the Mac mini in the living room.
I will try to get my hands on this new Mac mini as quickly as I can and I will let you know how it goes :) In the meantime, you can read all about this new Mac at http://www.apple.com/macmini/
Oh, all images captured from http://www.apple.com/macmini/
Update: 2010-06-16 – Apple Store in Pacific Centre does not know when they will get stock. They asked me to call back. They get stock daily but they don’t know what they will get tomorrow. Really? I mean, REALLY???? Also called London Drugs and they do not know when they will get the new Mac mini as well. Oh well…. Just have to be patient.
Update: 2010-07-05: Deboxing photos and article is up, read more about it here.
I instantaneously fell in love with this new Mac-mini but my illusion quickly disappeared when I saw the European price (779,00 ‚¬).
Wow, really??? 779,00‚¬ is insanely expensive. How would anyone be able to buy Apple products over where you are???
Not all apple products are as expensive as this one here in Europe, they are certainly more expensive than their American counterparts but not by a whole lot (considering VAT and whatnot).
The thing that surprised me the most is how the mac mini went from ‘the most affordable mac ever’ to a luxury gadget (at least for us Europeans). Back in 2005 the mac mini cost 489,00‚¬. Now if you buy this new model plus an apple keyboard/mouse you’ll be spending 917,00‚¬, which is just about 100‚¬ away from the iMac 21.5″. Of course with an iMac you get a monitor, a keyboard, a mouse and an overall better hardware.
With the new HDMI output is clear the new direction the mac mini is heading to, which is to work as our media center instead of an entry-level mac. But at least for most Europeans this simply won’t do.
I’m going to do the ‘switch’ this summer and although I didn’t know for sure which mac would I get, I can say for sure it won’t be a Mac mini albeit I love its design *sigh*
I really enjoy using my iMac. I often get frustrated using Windows now. I would not mind trying a MBP when the time comes :)