Remember the G4 Cube?

Well it's back, albeit in a less cool looking form (in my opinion). The Mac Mini is a fairly nice looking machine. For $500 you get a very functional computer that costs about the same as an inferior Dell computer.


Since Apple's rebirth in 1998, they've once again become the leading innovaters in the computer technology industry, creating such (now) standards as USB, Firewire, Bluetooth, Airport (wireless networking), and the velocity engine. They've also for the past seven years excelled in fitting excellent hardware in small packages. The original iMac was a miniaturized beast that was only a little larger than the monitor that was built in to it. Subsequent iMacs, the eMac, iPod, and a myriad of other devices as well. The Mac Mini is no exception.


The first thing I read about the Mac Mini was on MSN.com, and it called it a "stripped down Macintosh" so I was apprehensive at first. But then I looked at the technical specs and it's actually a very good deal, especially considering that their eMac, which in all rights is an inferior machine, costs about $500 more.



My question: who would consider buying it? Here are the tech specs .

Not a bad find Hodge but to quote James coates in the LA Times
Personaly, I still think it looks like an electric toaster

The G4 Cube was prettier... Still, it is a good machine. Bluetooth, Airport, and wireless keyboards and mice cost extra on all Apple models, although the superdrive comes standard on the higher end models. The only real problem I have with Apple is their monitor policy. They never sell monitors with the computer like Dell or Compaq do, and monitors can be pretty expensive.

talking about computers, i am getting ready to invest in a a state of the art system.any suggestions?

Power Mac G5


State of the art, super powerful, super expandable and expansive, what more could you want? The OS it runs on is also the most stable and second easiest to use (easiest would be the classic Mac OS, but let's not speak of that) yet at the same time allowing you to play God if you have the know how.

It really depends on your needs, though. No sense in getting a supercomputer if you're only going to type things... And if you want to play games, then you'd probably be better off with an Alienware or something.

As always Apple delivers a beutiful child among the sea of boring looking boxes.

I love Apples innovation (USB wasnt Apple) but in all honesty they lag behind techwise(definatly now, not in the past) on so many things and yes, I use Macs aswell. (lets not have a flame war over this...it hurts my fingers).

As far as I can see the system bus is too slow and only a shader compliant 1.4 card is included with only 32meg onboard....if this system is cheap enough it could be the new Amiga....I hope so.

You're right, Apple was just the first to implement USB. They did invent Firewire, however.


They don't lag behind in technology, though... The G5 is, quite simply, the most powerful processor you can buy. And the high end dualies are nothing to sneeze at. If you can fork out the $3,000 for a high end Power Mac G5, there's really no limit to what you can do.

I think the Mac Mini will take off quite well. In addition to being chic like the iMac is, it's also much more affordable than any Apple computer has ever been.

Here we go (its all pointless after all)....The G5 has some advantages over the HTP4s and theres visa versa too. Dont get me wrong, I love Macs, I really do but they lied too often about the PowerPC layout performance to really take on face value anymore..There are plenty of places that show the G5 doesnt have the advantage you hope there is....real benchmarks stuff on the net.

As for the G5 being the most powerful processor, well it depends on how you play with words doesnt it. If the Atlon 64s,P4s and G series all have advantages and disadvantages then all are the fastest...its hype a lot of it.

If you want to look at a mass produced proccesor par se for ultimate hyperthreading (because thats we are talking about here) then (you may laugh) the PS2s vector processors crap on all of 'em pound for pound and next up is the Sony "CELL" chip....that will be in the shadow of a NEW CRAY.

i mostly want it for research for my books.always want every thing i need at my finger tips.

If its thats you are after then a mid range MAC (G3 upwards) or PC (celeron or P3) would be fine. In fairness the Mac is easier to use, more pleaseing to the eye BUT more expensive to upgrade and less options if you stray into unformiliar territory..

But if you want to take the time and learn how to use the UNIX command line, you can play God. And playing God is soooo cool!


A G3 is, in my opinion, the best processor ever. It was revolutionary, it barely gives off heat and doesn't need a fan (compared to today's monsters that have upwards of 4 fans), and it consumes very little power. The G3 is my favorite. Followed by the G4, although the G5 disappoints me by having a longer pipeline than a P4, and that's pretty damn long.

I'd go with an eMac (like I have) or a Mac Mini or something... Hell, go on eBay and get an older computer. If you're just doing research and need storage space (and internet capability) then nearly anything should do.

Don't get a Celeron or a Pentium of any kind. If you can hear the processor thinking through the box, you don't want it. Nasty little critters... And all the heat they give off! Oh my! If you must buy a PC, buy something running on an AMD processor.

Does it make coffee?

How things change.....The old Apple worshipper would never consider command line interfaces as it was viewes as retrograde.Now Win XP is very GUI-ish and Mac OsX has a command line......its all smoke and mirrors....believe nothing, its the safest bet.

It's a bit too mini for my likes Hodge. Besides, the specs arent that great, but for carrying out regular tasks it should be ok, although personnaly I see no point in buying a mac unless it's for graphics.

Liquidus....Unless you are talking the print industry which Macs have still got the major foothold PCs are more than capable of graphics manipulation....I was very Macite until I used PCs in traditional Mac strongholds.

Macs are much better with graphics... Apple processors still reign supreme (as of last time I checked—early 2004) when it comes to crunching large amounts of data in a relatively small amount of time. They're also better on power consumption and not melting the components around them than Intel chips are.


And you don't have to use the command line on Mac OS X... It's just there if you're UNIX savvy. And UNIX is the best OS ever.

As far as I know the processor is not manufactured or designed by Apple...

ok , then , all i want is something that can type, print, and make writing a snap with out all the things that make it a pain for me. please give me the 5 top best for what i am seeking.

A typewriter and carbonpaper?