
- #Apple mac mini 2011 install
- #Apple mac mini 2011 software
- #Apple mac mini 2011 Pc
- #Apple mac mini 2011 mac
- #Apple mac mini 2011 windows
#Apple mac mini 2011 mac
Compared with a slim-tower HP desktop in the same price range, the Mac Mini's core components aren't actually that impressive. You also get twice the hard-drive space, with a 500GB drive, as well as a discrete graphics chip for the first time in a Mac Mini, by way of the lower midrange AMD Radeon HD 6630M. Apple has bumped the RAM to 4GB of 1,333MHz DDR3 memory, from 2GB 1,066MHZ RAM on the older model. Along with the new CPU come a few other features. If the benefits of Thunderbolt aren't obvious, the new Core i5 CPU in the Mac Mini has a more noticeable impact. Otherwise, given the expense of current Thunderbolt devices, and the lack of variety, it's hard to see how many consumers will put the Mac Mini's Thunderbolt port to immediate use. Prices for Thunderbolt devices will surely come down as more products hit the market, and those who use the Mac Mini for more specialized purposes, such as in a design studio, or as a server, may find that the still-limited Thunderbolt universe makes sense today.

As for the Promise RAID array, pricing starts at $999 for a 4TB model. The Thunderbolt Display looks sharp, but the Mac Mini won't benefit from its built-in ports like the new MacBook Air, and you can buy an HDMI-based 27-inch display with the same 2,560x1,440-pixel resolution for under $800 from NewEgg. To date, shipping Thunderbolt devices include only Apple's new $999 27-inch Thunderbolt Display and the external Pegasus RAID arrays from Promise. It will also be hard for consumers to understand the benefits of the Thunderbolt port, a new high-speed data port that debuted in Apple's most recent iMacs this past spring. The new Mac Mini features a Thunderbolt port among its other inputs. You can read our review of Lion here, but note that because the Mac Mini does not include input devices, you will need to purchase the $69 Apple Magic Track Pad if you want to use Lion's new gesture-based input commands. Other updates to the Mac Mini include a move to Intel's new second-generation Core i5 CPUs, a new version of OS X, code-named Lion, and, of course, the high-speed Thunderbolt port.
#Apple mac mini 2011 software
Given the amount of downloadable software available for purchase from Amazon, the iTunes Store, the Mac App Store, Steam, and elsewhere, we find Apple's anti-disc stance reasonable.


#Apple mac mini 2011 install
These users can also rely on an external optical drive to install legacy disc-based software, but the impact of the lost DVD drive for traditional computing is less severe than in the living room. Those interested in the Mac Mini for day-to-day computing or for office work will also have to endure the inconvenience of an absent optical drive. You could consider adding an external USB optical drive, and Apple offers one for $79, but that would arguably compromise the appeal of the Mac Mini's tidy design. The HDMI port still allows you to connect it to a TV, but with no DVD drive (give up on Apple ever supporting Blu-ray, by the way, if you haven't already) you will need to weigh the importance of your disc-based media. The absence of the optical drive on the Mac Mini will likely provide the biggest point of uncertainty for shoppers contemplating a purchase, particularly for those hoping to bring the Mac Mini into the living room. As with last year's edition, which debuted the new Mac Mini chassis, a plastic piece on the bottom twists off to allow user memory slot access.Īll new Mac Minis now lack an optical drive. We expect that some potential buyers would happily sacrifice the new clean look for an optical drive, but with or without the slot, the Mac Mini remains one of the best-looking computers available. The only major design change to the new Mac Mini comes to the front panel, which now has a continuous aluminum face instead of a slot for Apple's SuperDrive DVD burner.
#Apple mac mini 2011 Pc
Value shoppers and living room PC enthusiasts with large DVD collections, this is not the desktop for you. If you're a member of a niche who might benefit from owning an affordable Mac desktop with decent performance and a promising new input standard, the Mac Mini is a reasonable deal. That decision makes the Mac Mini more of a niche computer than ever before.
#Apple mac mini 2011 windows
Competing slim-tower PCs from the Windows side of the aisle offer more features for the same price, among them optical drives, which Apple has left off its new small form factor desktop. No other system in its price range comes close to the Mac Mini's pleasing, compact design, and this $799 model brings some welcome performance improvements, along with the still-developing potential of its Thunderbolt port.

Apple's new Mac Mini features some welcome updates and a controversial omission, but overall it remains in the same competitive middle ground as its earlier incarnations.
