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Mac Mini Idea *sorry bad mockup*

svndmvn said:
People might still need a cd/dvd for their desktop, this is not an ultraportable like the macbook Air, and I don't know how that would look with
apple-mbair-superdrive-1.jpg
next to it, I think it's bigger.
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It isn't now. It could become one though, creating a computer for your pocket. I also like the idea posted before about integrating a superdrive into the AEBS. That would solve the optical drive problem. A mac mini about double the size of an iPod Classic would enable it to be used in the same way people use portable Hard Drives, just incorporating the computer into the case so it can run OSX on the go.
 
bjorn989 said:
It would therefore be a kind of revolution in the way people think about stationary computing. If you use one of these for web browsing at home, you could just slip it in to your pocket and bring it to work for other uses and use the work screen/keyboard/mouse, without lugging around a laptop.

The more I think about it the more this makes sense. If the Macbook Air sacrifices optical drive, ports, speed etc. for portability, why would the Mac Mini need to be any different. While Apple trimmed those features from the Macbook Air to increase portability, the Mac Mini (or Mac Air) could be a Macbook Air without the screen, Keyboard and trackpad.
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I have made a very very very very very bad very cheesy demonstration video (using only keynote and iMovie) if you want to see. atm the moment its private on youtube seeings as its not that good.
 
mini living room pc thingy :)

There it is!

Get a macbook air, remove screen, remove battery, add displayport, add DVD drive.

Call it "Apple Spectrum +4" FTW :)
 

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yoyo5280 said:
the mini I own now is a first generation G4 1.25GHz...atom can't be any worse than that and I do eeeeverything on my mini.
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Atom would be alot faster than a G4. It would have more up to date instruction sets and it use less power than the G4 and produces less heat than the G4. Looking at performance here is a comparson:

G4
Speed: 1.5Ghz
Cores: 1
L2 Cache: 512kb
FSB: 167Mhz

Intel Atom
Speed: 1.8Ghz
Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 4Mb
FSB: 800Mhz

Granted I pulled the G4 from the old Mac Mini and the Intel Atom from the current Macbook Air, however it would be similar in the new Mac Mini. I think and Atom Mac Mini would be fast and would work great, and would a nice upgrade to what we have now. I like the smaller design. However I also understand people wanting a Mid Tower from Apple instead of just the Mac Pro.

Heheheh I still think they should bring back the Power Mac and that should be the new Mid Tower!!!

-iGrant
 
yoyo5280 said:
so whats the point of the current mac mini then?

To be honest I hardly ever use the drive in my current mini at all and I really do see apple getting rid of it (selling some software would get difficult though :s)

fair enough about the flash memory, I dont know much


You are obviously not a mini kind of user, however somebody like my sisters would love it. Stylish, and does just what they want (however no more than that :p)

P.S. I am not saying that mine is stylish, but knowing apple an uber small computer obviously will be.
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The current Mini is small, but not to the point where it sacrifices all other attributes in favour of form factor. To get the Mini to the size you're talking about you would have to strip out the CD drive, give it an underpowered processor, reduce the number of ports, and give it an even-smaller, lower-performance harddrive.

And why? So that it's tiny? Desktops are not portable machines - making it smaller for the sake of making it smaller serves no purpose. You're compromising the computer's performance so that it takes up less space when it sits on the desk... A MacBook in a different case makes a lot more sense as a computer, though.

That said, Apple might just go for smaller = better with the Mini. But I don't think we'll see a computer quite this small yet. Maybe the size of an Apple TV in the short term, though.
 
iGrant said:
Atom would be alot faster than a G4. It would have more up to date instruction sets and it use less power than the G4 and produces less heat than the G4. Looking at performance here is a comparson:

G4
Speed: 1.5Ghz
Cores: 1
L2 Cache: 512kb
FSB: 167Mhz

Intel Atom
Speed: 1.8Ghz
Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 4Mb
FSB: 800Mhz

Granted I pulled the G4 from the old Mac Mini and the Intel Atom from the current Macbook Air, however it would be similar in the new Mac Mini. I think and Atom Mac Mini would be fast and would work great, and would a nice upgrade to what we have now. I like the smaller design. However I also understand people wanting a Mid Tower from Apple instead of just the Mac Pro.

Heheheh I still think they should bring back the Power Mac and that should be the new Mid Tower!!!

-iGrant
Click to expand...

Actually, one of the consequences of the Atom's low power is that it has a much simpler core; no out-of-order execution and the like. A G4 of that speed with equal speed memory would beat a single core Atom.

I do think that apple combining the apple TV and mac mini or at least putting in dual core atoms and making it smaller. It would be a shame though. The mini had so much more potential.
 
Great idea (I could never make a picture like that). I really like the idea of the curved-edged aluminum on the top (like the new macbook), however, I'd prefer the bottom part to be anodized aluminum too.

I really hope apple announces a new mac mini like this at macworld 2009. It would complete the look of their product lineup.
 
zap2 said:
Alright


Make it, ship it for 399(give it an Atom, 160Gbs HD, etc) then ship out a Mid range tower, 899

Also a nice netbook with equal specs(as this new Mac Mini) for 599.

Then we're good....4 desktop and 4 laptops.

I'll pick up a netbook day 1, and the mid range tower when money allowed.
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im calling the cops. you read my mind perfectly.
 
plinden said:
Apple's policy is not to even look at unsolicited ideas it receives. If Apple implements something that looks even remotely like an unsolicited idea, it faces lawsuits (it faces them anyway, I know, but if it holds on to ideas people send them there will be real evidence that someone in the company stole the idea).
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Apple discourages people from sending ideas, but the written policy leaves the door open for submitting ideas like this, provided you are willing to accept their terms:

TERMS OF IDEA SUBMISSION
You agree that: (1) your submissions and their contents will automatically become the property of Apple, without any compensation to you; (2) Apple may use or redistribute the submissions and their contents for any purpose and in any way; (3) there is no obligation for Apple to review the submission; and (4) there is no obligation to keep any submissions confidential.
Click to expand...
 
iisarenotnobody said:
im calling the cops. you read my mind perfectly.
Click to expand...

"We don't know how to make a $500 computer that's not a piece of junk." Steve Jobs

A Mini with an Atom would be exactly that, junk.

"Apple's market share is bigger than BMW's or Mercedes's or Porsche's in the automotive market. What's wrong with being BMW or Mercedes?" Steve Jobs

Again, Apple made a mistake even making the Mini in the first place.
Look at their current sub-$500 computer, the :apple:TV- 1GHz Pentium M, 256mb of ram, 40/160gb HD, GeForce Go 7300, 64MB vram and it cant even play 1080p video. A Mini with an Atom processor wouldn't be much faster or better than that.

If Apple wanted to make and sell cheap junk they would buy Dell.
 
Pretty neat concept. I'd consider it if I didn't already have a MBP and an iPod Touch, but it doesn't quite seem to be unique enough to justify it as a purchase.
 
I don't think that the optical drive is dead yet as many people use mac minis for media and the majority of consumers have their music and films on discs.
 
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