Apple tempts pennywise PC users with new Mac Mini

by Stevie Smith - Jun 15 2010, 15:18

For many prospective computer buyers, opting for a Windows-powered PC over an Apple Mac is a decision largely based on pennywise pragmatism as opposed to favoured branding – indeed, this starving writer is tapping on a sensible Dell Dimension but would much prefer a sassy Apple desktop.

That being said, while much of Apple’s product portfolio exists beyond the $1,000 USD marker, the Cupertino-based gadget specialist is clearly intent on making the Mac a more attainable piece of hardware.

Case in point, Apple has this week unveiled a newly redesigned version of its energy efficient Mac Mini, which comes equipped with a new HDMI port, a microSD card slot, and double the graphics performance of its predecessor – and all for a starting price of just $699 USD.

Described as being “the most affordable way to enjoy Mac OS X, iLife and the Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server,” the fresh-faced Mac Mini sports a compact aluminium unibody construction that measures a mere 7.7 inches square and is just 1.4 inches thick.

“The sleek, aluminium Mac mini packs great features, versatility and value into an elegant, amazingly compact design,” trumpeted Philip Schiller, senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing at Apple. “Customers are going to love the new Mac mini.”

Other features packed into the latest Mac Mini offering include a new integrated power supply that eliminates the need for an external power adapter, 20 percent less system volume, and a removable underside panel for quick memory expansion access.

In terms of what that $699 USD starting price gets you, the Mac Mini comes with a 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, a 320GB hard drive (can be upgraded to 500GBs), 2GBs of 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM (expandable to 8GBs), AirPort Extreme 802.11n, Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR, four USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire 800 port, and NVIDIA’s capable GeForce 320M graphics processor.

Around the Web