Technology Anyone has used Mac Mini???
- Thread starter Santiago
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Santiago said:
What exactly are you looking for? Specific questions about the Mini, or more general questions about the Mac OS?
I don't have a Mini, but I've used countless Mac Pluses, iMacs, iBooks, PowerBooks, Performas, and G4's. I'm typing this now on a PowerBook G4.
Feel free to direct any questions my way. 😀
hi,
I have never used a Mac.
I wanted to know how good it was for a first time user who shifts from the windows platform to the Mac?
How comfortable is Mac for day to day work?
I am not a high end user. Just routine MS Office, surfing, photo editing ,etc and a few other applications.
Thanks..
I have never used a Mac.
I wanted to know how good it was for a first time user who shifts from the windows platform to the Mac?
How comfortable is Mac for day to day work?
I am not a high end user. Just routine MS Office, surfing, photo editing ,etc and a few other applications.
Thanks..
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It's pretty easy to transition. I love the OS X look and fell. Much better than Windows in my opinion.
For Office, surfing, and email, the G4 processor in the Mac Mini will be just fine. For photo editing, well, that's another story. Basic photo editing should be fine, but if you're doing high-end Photoshop stuff or doing multiple images, then you might run into a problem if you are under time constraints. (The Mac Mini will handle it, albeit slower than a G5 processor, which is a 64-bit processor.)
You'll have to upgrade the memory. There is only *one* memory slot, so if you buy directly from Apple's online education webstore, you should probably order the amount of memory that you think you'll need (I suggest at least 512 MB, but OS X seems to run best with 768 MB - 1 GB of memory). Before you do this, however, make sure you check Crucial.com and a few other memory websites to see if it will be cheaper to order from Apple (and thus not have to discard the 256 MB chip that comes with the system), or whether it will be cheaper to just throw away (or eBay) the 256 chip and order a 1 gig chip yourself.
Be careful when opening the Mac Mini. If you're overly aggressive, you'll warp the aluminum case.
For Office, surfing, and email, the G4 processor in the Mac Mini will be just fine. For photo editing, well, that's another story. Basic photo editing should be fine, but if you're doing high-end Photoshop stuff or doing multiple images, then you might run into a problem if you are under time constraints. (The Mac Mini will handle it, albeit slower than a G5 processor, which is a 64-bit processor.)
You'll have to upgrade the memory. There is only *one* memory slot, so if you buy directly from Apple's online education webstore, you should probably order the amount of memory that you think you'll need (I suggest at least 512 MB, but OS X seems to run best with 768 MB - 1 GB of memory). Before you do this, however, make sure you check Crucial.com and a few other memory websites to see if it will be cheaper to order from Apple (and thus not have to discard the 256 MB chip that comes with the system), or whether it will be cheaper to just throw away (or eBay) the 256 chip and order a 1 gig chip yourself.
Be careful when opening the Mac Mini. If you're overly aggressive, you'll warp the aluminum case.
Thanks a lot.
I am starting my residency and want to go for Mac. I have stashed up 3 grand and want to buy a notebook and a desktop.
Initially wanted a Sony Vaio desktop and an ibook.
Now want to go for Mac Mini and an ibook.
the other discussion on ibook and powerbook is also making me sway towards Mac on both fronts.
Will have to take a final decision soon..
I am starting my residency and want to go for Mac. I have stashed up 3 grand and want to buy a notebook and a desktop.
Initially wanted a Sony Vaio desktop and an ibook.
Now want to go for Mac Mini and an ibook.
the other discussion on ibook and powerbook is also making me sway towards Mac on both fronts.
Will have to take a final decision soon..
Santiago:
I think you will really like the Mac platform. It is much easier to use, but then again I might think that because I've been a life long Mac user who's often had to use PC's in classrooms etc, and have found PCs to be very complicated and backwards in comparison. Not trying to insult anyone here!
Mac OS X is very attractive, easy to use, and very stable. Safari is a wonderful web browser, and the iLife applications (iPhoto, iMovie, iTunes etc.) are so much fun and so easy to use.
Microsoft Office for the Mac supposedly includes some features that Windows users don't even get with their software. I don't use Office because it is too expensive and I got a free word proccessor with my Macs, Claris works and now Appleworks.
And contrary to the popular myth, lots of software is made for the Mac, it just isn't sold in your regular stores like Wal-Mart. You usually have to go to an Apple Store or go online to find software, but there are tons of titles available.
Congrats on deciding to become a Mac user. The Mini is a great deal, and I wish I had one! I do have a PowerBook, so I guess I don't need another desktop. But still, they're so nice! 😀
I think you will really like the Mac platform. It is much easier to use, but then again I might think that because I've been a life long Mac user who's often had to use PC's in classrooms etc, and have found PCs to be very complicated and backwards in comparison. Not trying to insult anyone here!
Mac OS X is very attractive, easy to use, and very stable. Safari is a wonderful web browser, and the iLife applications (iPhoto, iMovie, iTunes etc.) are so much fun and so easy to use.
Microsoft Office for the Mac supposedly includes some features that Windows users don't even get with their software. I don't use Office because it is too expensive and I got a free word proccessor with my Macs, Claris works and now Appleworks.
And contrary to the popular myth, lots of software is made for the Mac, it just isn't sold in your regular stores like Wal-Mart. You usually have to go to an Apple Store or go online to find software, but there are tons of titles available.
Congrats on deciding to become a Mac user. The Mini is a great deal, and I wish I had one! I do have a PowerBook, so I guess I don't need another desktop. But still, they're so nice! 😀
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Actually more stores will be carrying Apple software. Mac sales are way, way up, and now that BestBuy and several other large retailers are carrying Mac Minis, it's very likely that Mac sales are going to increase exponentially.
The more users we have, the more likely we'll find software in stores.
The more users we have, the more likely we'll find software in stores.
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Hey, I was looking into buying a mac mini. But, the flat screen monitors that apple sells are like $1000 +. Can I get a different brand monitor? Are other monitors compatible with mac? Also, one other thing, they have Virtual PC and then there is Windows for Mac. I just want to be able to view window applications on my mac, which program should I buy, or should I buy both. Thank you!
I believe that you can hook up any old monitor to the mac mini... you can look on the apple site for the name of the port, but I think that's one of the reason's they sell them w/o monitor/keyboard/mice (since most people have those lying around already)
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You can use any monitor with the Mac Mini. If it's a standard VGA cable, then you'll need to purchase a $20 or so DVI-to-VGA adapter.
You can also use your USB keyboard and mice, although I highly recommend the Apple Bluetooth keyboard and mouse.
You can also use your USB keyboard and mice, although I highly recommend the Apple Bluetooth keyboard and mouse.
hellokitty76 said:
Just to clarify, any Windows or Mac compatible monitors supposedly work with the Mini. I don't have one, but this is what the advertising says.
If you're looking to open Windows applications on your Mac, you can sometimes do this in the regular Mac OS, without having to use Virtual PC. maybe you could elaborate about which applications you want to use and then we could answer your question? 😀
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They get that hot? Or are you joking?heldicus said:
Hello
Just to add to the discussion. I have bought a Mac mini, and used it for about 3 days. Unfortunately I found it to be more challenging than expected (for a windows user). In addition, the open source software that I am used to is not ported to the Mac platform (openoffice.org), and also there is no mic input, so I would have to buy a USB audio cardo to be able to use my headset with the Mac.
I am so used to the XP way of doing things that I just thought it made no sense (for me) to go through adaptation once again. Some folks might have been fine with doing it, but it just seemed a bit too much for me.
I used my PC monitor with the mini and it worked fine, as well as my USB keyboard and mouse. Of course my webcam wouldn't work, since there are no drivers for the mac for that particular camera.
Another point is that I have a windows notebook (Dell 700m), that I really enjoy, so it would be a pain to be switching file formats back and forth. In addition my Dell Axim would need an additional piece of software to sync with Mac OS.
Still, I think the OS and look are better in general, but the best computer is the one that suits the user. With this in mind I kept my current setup. Maybe I will think about it again in another year. By then, Longhorn will be out (yeah, right) and we'll be able to revisit these issues.
regards,
Leo
Just to add to the discussion. I have bought a Mac mini, and used it for about 3 days. Unfortunately I found it to be more challenging than expected (for a windows user). In addition, the open source software that I am used to is not ported to the Mac platform (openoffice.org), and also there is no mic input, so I would have to buy a USB audio cardo to be able to use my headset with the Mac.
I am so used to the XP way of doing things that I just thought it made no sense (for me) to go through adaptation once again. Some folks might have been fine with doing it, but it just seemed a bit too much for me.
I used my PC monitor with the mini and it worked fine, as well as my USB keyboard and mouse. Of course my webcam wouldn't work, since there are no drivers for the mac for that particular camera.
Another point is that I have a windows notebook (Dell 700m), that I really enjoy, so it would be a pain to be switching file formats back and forth. In addition my Dell Axim would need an additional piece of software to sync with Mac OS.
Still, I think the OS and look are better in general, but the best computer is the one that suits the user. With this in mind I kept my current setup. Maybe I will think about it again in another year. By then, Longhorn will be out (yeah, right) and we'll be able to revisit these issues.
regards,
Leo
SouthernDoc-- I wouldn't be surprised if the mac mini does get that hot. My iMac got really hot the first couple of weeks that I had it (to the point where the fan kicked in at full speed, which has never happened to me as long as I've used a mac), but it seems normal now. Perhaps its something that gets better with time?
southerndoc said:
The mini's are exceedingly hot. It's very difficult to cool a system that's built in something smaller than a shoebox. And apple didn't try very hard to boot. They actually have advisories on them that say they shouldn't be placed adjacent to other mac minis.
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