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Apple Trips on Mac Mini IT-Observer.com Reader comments I just purchased two iMac G5 computers. That is right, two. Why? Our home PCs are ripe for replacement, we are switching back, and we are looking for something with style. The mac mini looks nice and once the soon-to-be-renamed Mac Media Center project gets something up and running, I will probably stick on under my tv. - Tony Unlike other Manufacturer, Apple only competes needs to compete on price once. Afterwards: Tiger update add $179. IWork, 99 Final Cut express. $399 Itunes, 0.10 x 1000 Cinema Display. $$$ - Daniel Grice APPLE IS A SOFTWARE COMPANY :: This is a key point you're missing. Think of this as a "Premium" version of Mac OS X bundled with a computer, instead of comparing it with Windows-based PCs (or, in the case of some idiots, Linux-based PCs!), and you'll get a better idea of why it's the way it is... - Peter da Silva I am an ex-IBM systems engineer who has been using Macs since the mid-80s. I upgrade my top-end Power Book about every 18 months. My kids got their first iPods this Christmas and last week my family of frustrated PC-users enthusiastically voted for a MacMini. They can hardly wait. I can assure Jeremy that Mac fans like myself are not going to become price-conscious because of the Mini. On the other hand, I very much expect that after their experience on the Mini, the next family upgrade will be to an iMac or beyond. - Dr. Rikki E. Watts (PhD, Cantab) It is, and always will, be about the software. Yes the form factor is exciting, but the software is revolutionary. Why not report that 10 minutes out of the box, and you can be surfing the web, using your PC keyboard, monitor, mouse. No configuration, no authentication, no spyware, no virus protection- it just works. - Bill Gordon Point taken on competing on price with Dell, but don't forget the real differentiation - yet another variant of Widows XP compared with Mac OS X. If just a few go with it, word of mouth will ensure a lot will follow. - Pat Kelly Apple isn't competing on price. It's creating a new product category that's inexpensive. - Jeff Barbose Why is there no mention in this article about the lack of viruses, spyware, authentification steps, lack of really comparing what comes built in on a mac mini to what you really get with a low end pc, all of the great software and Mac OS X, etc., etc., etc. Very big ommissions! - Jimmy Another reviewer who fails to grasp that Apple is on the rise, bigtime. I'd love to see what he has to say a year from now about his take on the Mac mini. To get OS X & all that software for 5 or 6 hundred dollars is a steal, & the market will prove it. Watch the Mac mini sell like hotcakes. Watch Jeremy C. Wright eat his words. - Tigerboy Price has only a weak bond with marketing. The emotional spark of the Mac mini is its size and style. It is my first Apple. I am a long time advanced Windows user. Price wasn't what made me decide this was the Apple I had to have. Price may matter to some of the buyers, but those that think low price is the only story here are missing the mark. I see this as a brilliant example of product development and a real marketing opportunity. The price is only one element and perhaps a minor one of the total story. This will eat into higher cost WinXP machine sales more than it will cannibalize higher priced Apples. It may impact the cost-conscious buyers, but it will be the opinion leaders that matter the most. It is so distinctive (like the iPod), that owning a minimalist Mac mini will be a status statement. I'm a Windows veteran and this is clearly a win for Apple in my reckoning. - Daniel Winegarden This article is written by someone who obviously doesn't understand the market. The author contends, "However this newest move pins the future of the company on the “Fickle Consumer” – the one who looks for price, features, value and customer service above how cool, hip or well designed a product is. These are the consumers who buy vehicles based on gas mileage, buy houses because interest rates are low and wait until Christmas to buy computers because that’s when the best deals are. " Apple is not, and will never try to appeal to the "Fickle Consumer" (Dell and HP can have that segment of the market). The customers they want don't buy vehicles based on gas mileage, buy houses because interest rates are low or wait until Christmas to buy computers. The customers they want have flocked to buy ipods in the millions, not because they are the cheapest, or the best value, but because they are beautiful, and elegant, and simple to use. Many of these customers are PC owners, and they have already proven that they will pay a premium for great design and ease of use. The other customers Apple wants are the people who are tired of viruses, and spyware and blue screens of death, and just want a computer that works. For many customers who have not used an Apple computer, a high price tag for a machine with an operating system they are unfamiliar with is a risky investment. Apple is simply reducing this risk. Rest assured that Apple will make a healthy profit margin on the Mac Mini. They are not competing in a "commodity" marketplace. You can still by a PC for less (for those of you who are concerned). But why buy a cheap PC, when you can get price, features, value, customer service and a product that is cool, hip and well designed? - T Apple has always had a cheap alternative. The LC series, standing for Low Cost, were an example. These became the ill fated Performas and there was, and still is, the eMac, which is actually cheaper than the Mini if you buy new peripherals. Yours sincerely, John Davis - John Davis When oh when will reviewers be able to see BEYOND THE BOX. The great value of the Mini is that it is a Mac and runs OS X and comes with the iLife Suite with iPhoto, iTunes, iMovie, iDVD, and Garageband. (as an aside it also comes with iChat AV for video conferencing, MS Office compatible Appleworks for basic word processing, presentations, databasing, and spread sheets, quicken for running your finances, iCal as a scheduler, address book, email app, safari for browsing, Preview for viewing pictures and pdf files, the functionality to convert any file into a pdf, iSync to sync with your pda and phone and more, and even a couple of games - think of it as a $499 bundle of stellar software and a rock solid OS, cheap at the price, with a free Mac mini computer thrown in to run it). OS X is also inherently more secure and currently there is ZERO malware that affects OS X. That's right ZERO. No viruses, no trojans, no worms, no adware, no spyware. The small form factor and stylishness of Apple products is only one aspect. It is the functionality and ease of use that is the real keeper. The mini is an entry level computer designed to let people try out the Apple experience of everything just working right. Author Wright wrote: "Apple is creating a second tier of products. It is a tier which is admittedly designed to make it palatable for those wanting to switch but not wanting to spend thousands of dollars – but also a tier which hopes that users won’t ask “are the other product lines worth the money?” " WRONG - they are creating a tier that they DO HOPE will ask “are the other product lines worth the money?” - Because the answer is YES. The Author should try out using a mini for a few months see for himself what all the people who use Macs are so ardent about. There really is a reason and it is NOT because they look stylish (although that is of course nice too) - Jack A Apple computers run Mac OS X - THAT is what you're paying for (along with the great iLife and other apps). So to compare a Mac with a PC doesn't fly. Also, Apple can also sell services (.Mac) along with those Mac minis. Also, with the money Apple has pulled in with the iPod and consequently greater brand recognition and its stores means they can start pushing these computers in higher volumes, thus greater discounts on parts meaning they will have some profit from this. Personally, I think they are going to make a killing. I bought my first Mac in November 2004. Mac OS X is superb. - MacDan2004 The author is uninformed. I am the “Fickle Consumer” of which the author speaks. I've owned 2 Macs but I've never owned a new one. It's irrelevant. What MAC is really selling is OS X. I've been using it now for 3 years. There is no going back to Wintel. I'll take a 2001 Imac DV with OS 10.3 over ANY new Wintel desktop system. Using a Wintel desktop is like working in a cubicle with a buzzing flourescent light over your head on a desk that rocks because one leg is shorter than the rest. Not only that, you're a non-smoker but for some reason a big ceramic ashtray of a bear is stuck to the desk and you can't get it off. That's what using a Microsoft product is like compared to Mac. OS X is better than anything Microsoft could ever dream of making. End of story. - John Di Cesare I don't get it - when Apple only had "expensive" computers everyone was raging about how unaffordable it is. When Apple finally decides to make it affordable, everyone seems to be saying how they are diluting their brand. Can we really be happy with any decision that Apple makes? - Joseph Not everyone wanted a Hummer. I don't know anybody that ever did. More people will want a Mac I'm sure. I've bought mine and will wait unti they're ready to send it to me, and I've been a die-hard Windows user all my computing life. - Ordered My Mac Mini Apple is damned whatever it does. If they don't bring prices down then they're condemned for being an elitist toy maker and Jobs is dismissed as just a hypnotist extraordinaire. If they bring their prices down then they're hurting their bottom line. Quite the contrary, I think the Mac Mini is a bold move and combined with their Xserve strategy intended to grow Apple's market share in new areas. - Jose L. Hales-Garcia The author seems a little bitter, like this is a personal vendeta against apple for making a product that appeals to the masses. It seems to me that the perspective of this article is written by a person who has no understanding that not everyone can afford a "Real" macintosh or ipod. The Bottom line is both of these products are great, because they put the power and stability of macintosh into more users hands. - Ryan Author Wright is seriously guessing about this subject and has no idea what is going on. What he doesn't understand is the massive crossover of PC users to the original iPod. Now that they have an iPod and see how cool it is and have paid their $499 it is a short jump to a $599 Mac mini to "serve" the iPod. It's sort of a "reverse sell." The iPod Shuffle is a clever way to capture the market who CAN'T AFFORD the full blown iPod. And that market us a huge amount of teenagers. The author's contention that when Apple sells a price-competitive product that it is in the throws of its demise makes him just another predictor of Apples downfall. But if you look at the company's numbers it is a healthy company. And then finally you have to bank on Steve Jobs' marketing genious. And this from someone who doesn't use Macs very often but who owns Apple stock. I could have made up a more informed article than this one. - George Kaufman Obviously, as you stated, you don't get it. - WiredGuy WRONG everyone wanted a Hummer but who could afford one? Oh look an H2, I can afford that and still look badass. With the cheaper Mac people can be cool w/o having to shell out the bigger BUX. and what about everone who loves thier Mac at work, but has to have a PC at home cuz of cost? Yeah a G4 1.2ghz isn't the best Apple has to offer, but I'd take it over a CELERON any day! What a no brainer! Hum... A crippled Pentium prosessor with malware ridden OS, or a RISC based prosessor w/ a UNIX based OS? Choice is pretty obvious to me. How many street racers would't love a 4-banger Farrari with cloth seats and no AC for 20 grand? It's STILL a Farrari! - Darwin was Wrong WRONG everyone wanted a Hummer but who could afford one? Oh look an H2, I can afford that and still look badass. With the cheaper Mac people can be cool w/o having to shell out the bigger BUX. and what about everone who loves thier Mac at work, but has to have a PC at home cuz of cost? Yeah a G4 1.2ghz isn't the best Apple has to offer, but I'd take it over a CELERON any day! What a no brainer! Hum... A crippled Pentium prosessor with malware ridden OS, or a RISC based prosessor w/ a UNIX based OS? Choice is pretty obvious to me. How many street racers would't love a 4-banger Farrari with cloth seats and no AC for 20 grand? It's STILL a Farrari! - Anonymous And Mercedes A might have an iPod dock too! Ha Ha. I have both a PC and a Mac. When I want to get work done I use the Mac. When I want to troubleshoot I use the PC. - Max I'm inclined to disagee: iPos shuffle is cheaper than its older siblings but it's still more expensive and better quality than some of its competition. Likewise the Mac mini can appeal to the affluent who'll attach a 20" Cinema Display, while not shutting out those who can only afford a cheap CRT. There may be some potential sales of G5 iMacs lost to the mini but they'll be more than compensated by the big expansion of potential customer. Pyramids are wider at the bottom. - Ian O Just a note, I work with several writers, designers and the like. As you would expect we are mostly Mac addicts. A brand new Mini sets on the last Windows/Intel hold out. In this office the battle and the war have been won! Sorry Bill. - Anonymous Just because Mercedes put out the A series doesn't mean that they are pinning their entire future on it. Just because Mercedes put out the A series doesn't meant that they are pinning their hopes on the fickle, price-concious consumer. Just because Apple puts out the Mac Mini doesn't meant that... - John Just because Mercedes put out the A series doesn't mean that they are pinning their entire future on it. Just because Mercedes put out the A series doesn't meant that they are pinning their hopes on the fickle, price-concious consumer. Just because Apple puts out the Mac Mini doesn't meant that... - John I've been a lifelong PC user and the mac mini is allowing me a chance to test the waters especially now that I realize I don't want a general purpose, home and work PC. I want a compact appliance that I can store my photos, videos to easily connect via DVI to the LCD TV I bought this Christmas. Something that I will put on top of the DVD recorder or behind it on the book shelf. I don't care of the $100 difference between dell and the mini mac. Both will be fully depreciated in a couple of years. For $100 the ease of use is priceless. - Frank in Portland Article is a bit lean on imagination. Imagine a Mini built into your car with wireless and VoiceXML along with a small built-in digital camera on the dash. You dictate an email, then a jerk in an SUV cuts you off and you say "JERK" and a photo of the idiot and license plate is captured. You finish your dictation, drive into your garage and say "Export to home". All is sent to your Mini (loaded with PostgresQL 11) in the living room that is recessed into your wall (of course this will be standard in new homes), along with a 30" flat screen (also recessed). The web is now IP v6, so you say "website" & "get home objects". At > 4 gig per second, it is there before you say "lamp-on", which has embedded flash. Now send an email to the local PD and complain in photo detail about Mr. SUV. 3 years max... maybe longer for IP v6. - Just got cut-off Um. The stylish consumer (as you put it) is not disappearing. Apple is ADDING the budget concious consumer to its potential customer group. The rumors of the mini help keep 1 coworker and 2 friend from replacing their fried Wintels (running Win98) with new Dells. 1 has acutally purchased the mini, 1 bought a G5 iMac and 1 can't make up his mind, still on the fence. The mini is a gateway drug for PC users with cash and fed up with the spyware/malware hell they deal with everyday. The mini is a solution for the cost-concious consumer who couldn't afford a mac in the past. I welcome this new demographic to the Macintosh fold. The old demographic isn't going anywhere - that is your fallacy in this argument. "New demographicans, your cups of Kool-aid are on the left table just past the Jobs RDF beam. Enjoy. We'll see you in the next year at the Apple Store buying much more expensive equipment now that you are hooked." - Peter I'm so sick of people droning on about how the Mac Mini is this less powerful Mac. It's not less powerful (just the video card). It's got the same CPU as a $2500 Powerbook!! It's not a G4-Centrino neutered CPU, it's a full-fledged G4!! No, it's not as powerful as the new iMacs with a G5 chip - but it's just as powerful as the expensive Powerbook line. Being the owner of nine computers (6 Linux boxes and 1 Windows box), two of which are Macs (933Mhz G4 PowerMac and 1Ghz Titanium Powerbook); I can see that this new Mini is more powerful than either of my Macs (except for video). And I've no trouble running all the latest software on the Macs I currently own... This is not a stripped down Mac CPU!! - Scott This is a horrible article on so many levels it's hard to know where to start. Let me just say that if you want a real, in-depth look at the mini and what it could me to most folks take a look at the article at anandtech http://www.anandtech.com/mac/showdoc.aspx?i=2328 Don't know how much this site will like me posting that link but screw it. - hotblack All Mac folks will drool over the MacMini. Some uneducated PC folks may pickup a MacMini looking to switch. However, once anyone really looks at the specs MacMini they will realize it is just a laptop with no mouse, keyboard or monitor. If I wanted a laptop, I would get a laptop. If Apple does update the MacMini with more full sized hardware and not all the laptop centered stuff, then I forsee a short future for the MacMini. - Chris Been a long time PC user, and bought a Mac Mini. It's so much more of a system than the usual $500 specials. The author of the article makes it sound like they are worried the ranks of the Mac 'elite' will be sullied with the 'dirty common folk'. Guess what? Get over it, most of the economy is built on the those common folk, and they couldn't afford to buy the undoubtedly overpriced Macs before. Now whine if Sun ever makes an UltraSparc that humans can afford. - Euchre just don't see the point in minature mac, unless your going to do a vehicle install with it why bother? - bob While i see your point, i'd like to add that Apple *IS* competing with dell on price, they are NOT competing at dell's game. Dell has a one up on every other computer maker because it can undercut them on price. Apple brought down it's prices, but it is in no way equal to what you can get at dell for the same amount of money. By excluding the monitor, the keyboard, and the mouse, Apple is competing with dell, but I still see them making a healthy margin on the mac mini. Something the other competition isn't doing in competing with dell. So while they are competing with dell, they're not playing their game. And that's what makes the situation different. - art_vandelay I don't see how the Mini can be a problem. Being a cheap Mac, it shuts up the people who said Macs were too expensive. Apple can count on a certain number of people liking it enough to want a better Mac. The Mini is so basic that its true mission is probably to be a "gateway drug" offered by Apple to get people to buy the high-margin Macs. It has been said that if a fraction of iPod owners picked up a Mac, Apple's market share would multiply profoundly. That's waht the Mini is really for. - Bob To put the Mac Mini in perspective for our Windows friends: The Mac Mini is $2,000.00 of incredible software applications and the best Operating System ever created, integrated in ways only dreamed of in Windows land, all for $500.00. As a FREE BONUS you get a balanced mid level perfectly integrated hardware solution thrown in. Try to get something similar in a PC mini box maker and you get a crippled processor with shared video RAM and NO software in a box twice to ten times the size for two to six times the price. It's no wonder the price is everything drones from Windows land haven't bought mini PCs so far. - Jan Flowers Your ABSOLUTELY WRONG! No Mac user is going to stop buying the upscale Mac products, they will simply add another Mini where they want a computer that they wouldn't have purchased anything for before. PC drones will buy cheap because thats all they know, price being the only differentiator, between boxes of Microsoft infested hardware. Every box uglier than the next and louder than a jet engine. Enormous virus and malware magnets but all clones equally infested with Windows. - Clue Giver Analysis is flawed. The Mac platform is not *open* to competition from other vendors, so this is not a price war. It is a volume play to achieve economies of scale for Apple. Apple already has the brand and they want everyone to get a piece of it. The only competition is Mac platform vs. the PC platform is the eyes of the users and the likes of Dell can do precious little to make the whole PC platform better. - Trasnfigure_ii Personaly I don't see why alot of "analysts" are seeing the Mac Mini as a way for Apple to compete with anyone. Perhaps they just want a bit more market share - not necisarily more than any particular company (such as Dell). Also, the new Mac Mini is more powerfull than my QuickSilver, and I have no problems running any of the latest software (except maybe Doom since it requires a G5). So perosnally I think this is a mix of a couple things from Apple - 1 the Mac Mini definantly has style, there are plenty of Small PC's but none look as cool as the Mini, and 2 they are finally delivering a product that many users want, i.e. an alternative to Windows that doesn't require you to be a Computer Geek to run. People have said Apple is on the verge of collapse for years - but yet their bottom line is better now than it has been in many years. I think they'll do just fine as they allways do! :) - Chrispc88 The mini-mac is more powerful than the computer you use. - dan |
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