Product Description

Apple Mac Mini with Intel Core Duo - Packed inside the Mac Mini's 6.5" square body is some of the latest technology for home desktop computers. Foremost among them is the powerful 1.66GHz Intel Core Duo. It has two cores, so it's like having two 1.66GHz processors in one! Compared to the previous version of the Mac Mini, you get up to 4x the horsepower! Another new feature is on the software side, with Front Row and Bonjour. When you connect the Mac Mini to your TV, Front Row gives you an easy-to-use graphical interface that can be navigated with the included remote control. It's an easy way to relax on the couch and enjoy your pictures, music or videos. Bonjour expands that content by letting you view and play media on your other Macs on your home network. 80GB SATA Hard Drive Slot-loading SuperDrive (DVD+R DL/DVD-R/DVD+R/DVD-RW/DVD+RW/CD-RW) - up to 2.4x Double-Layer DVD+R, 8x DVD-R, 8x DVD+R, 4x DVD-RW, 4x DVD+RW, 8x DVD-ROM, 24x CD-R, 16x CD-RW, & 24x CD-ROM Intel GMA950 graphics processor with 64MB of DDR2 SDRAM shared with main memory Video Output - 1 DVI Out (supports up to 1920x1200), 1 VGA (with included adapter - supports up to 1920x1080), 1 S-Video, & 1 Composite Audio Input - Combined optical digital audio / audio line Audio Output - Combined optical digital audio / headphone Built-in Speaker Built-in 54Mbps AirPort Extreme Wireless Networking (based on 802.11g standard) Built-in Bluetooth 2.0 + Enhanced Data Rate (EDR) up to 3 Mbps 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet 1 Firewire 400 Port 4 USB 2.0 Ports Unit Dimensions - 2 (h) x 6.5 (w) x 6.5 (d) Unit Weight - 2.9 lbs.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1549 in Personal Computers
• Brand: Apple
• Model: MA206LL/A
• CPU: Intel Core Duo 1.66 GHz
• Memory: 512MB DDR2 SDRAM
• Hard Disk: 80GB
• Processors: 1

Features

• Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger, iLife '06, and Front Row software included
• 1.66 GHz Intel Core Duo processor with 167 MHz system bus
• 512 MB DDR2 SDRAM (expandable to 2 GB), 80 GB hard drive, and slot-loading SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+R DL/DVD??RW/CD-RW)
• One FireWire 400 port; four USB 2.0 ports; DVI output; VGA output (using included adapter); S-video and composite video output
• Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit), built-in 54 Mbps AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi (802.11g); and built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) module

From the Manufacturer
Live the digital life in stylish simplicity--up to four times faster. Just 6.5 inches square and 2 inches small, Mac mini lets you have more fun with your music, photos and movies, more quickly and more easily. Enjoy them up close or far away with the included Apple Remote. The most affordable way to Intel Core, iLife '06, and Front Row.

Power has never been this economical
Mac mini makes it easy and affordable to work with digital photos, movies, music, and the web. And now it all happens with the blazing speed of the Intel Core, in either Solo or Duo configurations. Choose the Solo for a low-cost entry to iLife '06. Or select the Duo model for unprecedented power in such a small package--up to four times faster than previously. Coupled with an all new architecture and the world's most advanced operating system, Mac OS X, Mac mini runs all your modern and innovative software, speedily.

Your digital life starts here
Mac mini comes with iLife '06, a suite of easy-to-use applications that make the spectacular part of your everyday life. Enhance, organize and share your photos via iPhoto. Create calendars, books, and cards. Make an epic starring your kid in iMovie. Turn your photo and movie creations into professional DVDs with iDVD. Create original music in GarageBand, even if you can't carry a tune. Make podcasts and blogs. Then publish them online via .Mac and the all-new iWeb.2 You’ll be amazed at how quickly, easily, and beautifully you can share your digital life.

Now showing
The full-screen Front Row media experience--with its intuitive menus, large text and brilliant graphics--lets you browse the music, photos, and videos on your Mac mini as easily as you browse music on your iPod. The included Apple Remote lets you enjoy your media from anywhere in the room from your desk chair to favorite sofa. Front Row and Mac mini can even play music, photos, and videos saved on other computers in the house,thanks to Bonjour instant networking.3 So gather your friends and dazzle them with a slideshow of your vacation pics, a home movie, your latest playlist, or a DVD.

More Mac per square inch
Inside its petite 2-inch tall, 6.5-inch square anodized aluminum enclosure, Mac mini houses that fast Intel Core processor, a 60 or 80 GB hard drive, slot-loading Combo or SuperDrive, as well as built-in wireless--all whisper-quiet. This modular design lets you upgrade your current system to the elegance, simplicity and reliability of Macintosh without a lot of extra expense. BYODKM: Bring your own monitor, keyboard and mouse (or buy new ones). Either way you'll be up and running in minutes.

Mac mini also gives you plenty of room to grow, with more expansion options than previous models. Simply connect your digital devices, such as cameras, iPod, printer, camcorder or keyboard to the Mac mini over USB 2.0 or FireWire. Share files around your house at blazing speeds with built-in 10/100/1000 BASE-T Ethernet. Enjoy high quality sound on almost any speaker system with double-duty analog/digital audio. Record digital and analog sources through the line in, perfect for your latest podcast in GarageBand. Mac mini gives you built-in amenities you need to enjoy the digital lifestyle.

Customer Reviews

Not just a 2nd computer ...
The reviews I've seen, recently, on Mac Mini's seem to be geared to the non-Intel machines. The new Mac Mini's are unbelievable --- and this comes from a (now former) WinTel bigot! I am absolutely blown away with the speed, stability, and all that comes in a package smaller than a portable CD case! I've had my new Mac Mini about a week, and am having more fun than I deserve. I think this machine is the answer for those people looking for an inexpensive (and secure) way to do most of those things PC's have promised to do for us --- E-Mail, WEB browsing, word processing, music & movies. This is the most exceptional buy I've had in years, and I'm a techno-junkie who's been in this before Windows. I do want to make one point --- this is not a "gamer's" platform --- this machine is for the rest of us.

Fast, compact and stylish!
I have a Mac Mini Duo and I love it. It's fast. I'm a programmer who does a lot of compiles and it was an order of magnitude faster than my iBook. It's compact. There's nothing like free desk space and it's super silent too! Moreover, it's quite stylish. Most people don't realize that it's a full fledged computer. The remote control is awesome. Now if it could only tune television, this would be the ultimate home theater PC. I will definitely buy this again and probably another one soon.

I haven't seen any of the problems that others wrote about - and as a developer, I really stress out the system. I wonder if they ran "Software Update" or not. People who know the real history behind OS X (NextStep) know that it has been running on Intel for over 10 years. It's solid. Buy one (or two)! You'll love it.

UPDATE: 7/31/2006. The system is as solid as ever. WHAT A GREAT SYSTEM!!!

small footprint, well designed home appliance computer
My mother recently purchased the Mac mini along with a wireless keyboard and mouse. She purchased it on my advice, and once it arrived, she remarked how small it was. Once we opened the package, she exclaimed "That's the whole thing?!?". And that it was...

The reasons this computer is great is as follows:

1) Soundless: There is no loud fan.

2) Small: It really does disappear into the room. This unit is going to be used as the entertainment hub in the living room, attached to a 40" Samsung LCD HDTV.

3) Mac ease of use: My mother thought it would take hours to set up the computer, but it took just a couple minutes to plug it in, let the wireless devices pair up, let the wireless internet find the wireless router all by itself, and self-calibrate to the LCD we plugged into it. It all did it very painlessly and without her having to know anything about the operating system or other stuff.

4) It has an application called Front Row. It ships with a remote, so when you press the remote, you have access to your iTunes, DVD player, iPhoto, and something else (I forget). The remote works out of the box. My mom was thrilled to see that she could control it from the couch. All her media from one place!

5) It can run Windows if needed. My mother was hesitant about purchasing a mac because she uses Microsoft Office at work. I explained that no only are there Microsoft Office software packages for the Mac, but that the Windows operating system can be both self-booted and virtualized using a program called Parallels, so she could run her applications using basically a Windows computer on a Mac computer. She'll have two computers in one if needed. But I also explained that she can get great Mac programs like Pages and Keynote, that are easy to use. (No I don't work for Apple).

6) The ports on the back of the machine are well-designed. There are 4 USB ports: she used one for her printer, one for her iPod Mini, one for her digital camera, and had one left. The bluetooth module is inside the unit, as well as the wireless card, so there are no antennas sticking out. It has a firewire port, to connect a digital video camera. It also has a DVI and a VGA adapter, so she was able to plug her Viewsonic LCD monitor right in. There is a headphone jack and some other audio jack (I forget at the moment.) It has an ethernet port, to plug into a cable modem. All the ports well laid out in a row on the back of the machine in an intelligent manner.

7) It's a very clean design. She remarked that the DVD Drive was so nondescript. The unit, once next to the HDTV, will look like a little silver and white brick.

All in all, she was surprised, excited, and happy about the Mac. I showed her how to use Keychain Access (which stores all your passwords) and how to use Dashboard and Expose, other great OSX features. I also showed her how easy internet security was: we just went into the System Preferences panel and hit the Turn Firewall On button under the Shared folder.

If you are looking for a general home desktop replacement and are considering a Mac, it's much easier to deal with than Windows, and a lot of fun to use. If you are a big gamer, you're still going to want a higher-end PC, but for general multimedia/entertainment, a Mac mini is a fine choice. I would advise those of you multitaskers out there to get more RAM, but for general use, it's really okay out of the box. I have 4 GIGs of RAM on my work computer (G5 2.5 DP PPC Mac), but I do intensive video rendering. This is not the computer to do that on. You'd want to get a higher-end G5 to run any Pro Apps (and lots of RAM).