The most overrated Apple

[HilbertSpace]

Had the non expensive toe-in-the-water systems not been available, I'd still be using a PC.

Instead, I'm writing this post on a 27" iMac. Our Point of Sale system is a 21.5" iMac, and my wife, who needed a laptop has a 15" MacBookPro with an external 27" Apple LED Cinema Display. For our server we bought a MacMini server.

This.

I've been using computers since my first PC as a kid, a TI-99. I've been using MS-based computers since DOS 3.0, and have usually run some version of Linux since around 1994/5. My first-ever Apple product was the Newton (I've also been a tablet enthusiast, since, well, forever), but I did not get another until I bought an iPhone 3GS.

I was enthusiastic enough from that purchase that I ended up getting a 2009 Mini. It was mostly because I was curious about iOS development work, and it was very much a toe-in-the-water kind of thing. Of course, it ended up becoming the thin end of the wedge.

The little Mini that could went from becoming a machine that I occasionally used to the little computer that could. First, I ended up sticking my main computer (yet another in a long line of fairly powerful PCs that I built myself) off to one side (it was so much louder than the Mini that I didn't like leaving it on in the bedroom). The Mini became my main personal computer at that point. The Little Computer That Could ended up becoming my most reliable computer, too, when my high end Lenovo tablet running Win7 began acting erratically and costing me a serious amount of lost production time (grant proposals and papers with tight deadlines). I ended up using the Mini more and more.

I am now waiting on the delivery of a top-of-the-line iMac (personal computer), as well as a fully upgraded MacBook Pro (work laptop). I have a personal iPad, and another for work. I'll be upgrading the Mini to 8GB RAM and a larger HDD, and it will probably end up becoming either a server, an HTPC, or something along those lines. The next family laptop will probably be an MBA (wife is a composer currently using a 17" C2D Vista laptop, which has been no end of headaches).

Had the Mini not been available, and an *almost* spur-of-the moment purchase, I might never had made the switch.

 

[flopticalcube]

I still believe it's not possible to build a sff PC for much less than the cost of the mini if you wish to replicate performance and styling but it's tech is getting along. If it had SB, and it probably will soon, it would be very competitive against similar sff PCs. I think Apple is waiting for the new processors for both the Airs and the mini. Love my 09 mini, btw. It's size makes placement flexible and low power draw means 24/7 operation with no worries.

 

[QuantumLo0p]

The day the 2010 mac mini came into production it was a bad deal and it is a hands down winner as overpriced gear.

Hmmm, that's an odd statement. Before I bought a 2010 Mini I read many reviews and every article came to the same conclusion; while not the best in every category the Mini was the best overall choice in its class.

C'mon OP-troll, you have to do better than start a thread which can be easily addressed. Next time please put a bit more effort into it!

 

[tamvly]

The Lisa

Ha! Of course, and for $10,000 no less.

 

[rcp27]

My early 2008 black Macbook is probably the worst. $1,500 for 2GB of RAM and a crappy integrated X3100 that struggles with Unreal 2004.

The Black MacBook at that time was a particularly bad deal given that if you started with the high end White MacBook and increased it's specs as a BTO to match the BlackBook it actually worked out cheaper (I bought my White MacBook at that time and was quite amused by that "black tax")

 

[MacHamster68]

I still believe it's not possible to build a sff PC for much less than the cost of the mini if you wish to replicate performance and styling but it's tech is getting along. If it had SB, and it probably will soon, it would be very competitive against similar sff PCs. I think Apple is waiting for the new processors for both the Airs and the mini. Love my 09 mini, btw. It's size makes placement flexible and low power draw means 24/7 operation with no worries.

SB only another reason for Apple to top up the price by another £100 making the mini £712 ...Apple is heading towards a one price for all ..if they continue to up the price of the mini and cut the price of the iMac
they only need to cut the price of the MacPro and we are all happy £1000 for the mini £1000 for the iMac £1000 for the MacPro base model , would certainly simplify the buying decisions

when the original mini came to the market it was a under £400 computer and if apple would have left it there ,it would have been a winner ,OK their profit would have been less , but the mini would outsell any computing device on that planet made by apple..and for whats inside , a core duo and a shared GPU a under £400 price tag would be possible for a company like Apple as the production cost are likely under £200 , most do forget that Apple does not pay retail prices for their hardware

 

[mrklaw]

didn't the 2010 mini stay at the same price? only reason it increased price in the UK was due to the weak pound. Apple tends to only refresh prices with new products, so you could argue they were losing money towards the end of the 2009 mini as they kept prices firm until the 2010 was introduced.

(of course 'losing money' is a relative term. More like 'reduced margins')

 

[lvlarkkoenen]

Here's a really crude way to measure relative value. Geekbench score (base models) divided by price. http://www.primatelabs.ca/geekbench/mac-benchmarks/ Higher is better.

Ahem..

I'd like to get on the 'what is value?' bandwagon here.
As I posted somewhere before, one could define value as in highest GeekBench-score divided by it's price. In that case, MBA is the worst value portable Mac out there. Yet some people will want it more than a 13" 2,3GHz MBP (which is 'highest value' among the portables, 2,5x as high) And some people will want the 13" 2,3GHz MBP precisely because it has more bang for buck.

 

[MacHamster68]

didn't the 2010 mini stay at the same price? only reason it increased price in the UK was due to the weak pound. Apple tends to only refresh prices with new products, so you could argue they were losing money towards the end of the 2009 mini as they kept prices firm until the 2010 was introduced.

(of course 'losing money' is a relative term. More like 'reduced margins')

the dollar was weaker is was a increase in VAT (value added tax )
but my point was actually the hike from a under £400 computer in 2004 to a mid range price of over £600 in 2010 where you get elsewhere i7 PC's for
http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/hp-pavilion-p6769uk-desktop-pc-09885807-pdt.html
sure its bigger , but not many really small PC's out there apart of some nettop's with atoms inside

 

[OllyW]

didn't the 2010 mini stay at the same price? only reason it increased price in the UK was due to the weak pound. Apple tends to only refresh prices with new products, so you could argue they were losing money towards the end of the 2009 mini as they kept prices firm until the 2010 was introduced.

(of course 'losing money' is a relative term. More like 'reduced margins')

The cost of the mini went up from £499 to £649 when it was updated in June 2010.

The price was dropped down to £599 in November but went up again to the current £612 with the VAT increase in January.

 

[MattyO]

I went to an Apple store fully prepared to buy my wife a 21.5" iMac. But then reality step in and she decided that at the location that we have our computer, that the glare would be a killer.

So we ended up with a Mini, a wired keyboard and a mouse. We did reuse our old monitor. Add in AC and a few other things and by the time we were done, it was close to $1K. Yes, an iMac would have been a better deal, but it didn't really fit what she WANTED. She didn't want the iMac with the glossy screen.

Between her and our daughter, they surf, write some school papers and edit a few photos. Not anything the mini can't handle.

And if and when the refresh happens, I will upgrade them and they likely won't even know.

But not all decisions come down to dollars. Some come down to sense and to what works best for the person buying the computer.

I agree totally with you.

The iMac screeen is the reason I chose not to go the iMac route.

I am a college student and could not bear to stare at that mirror for hours on end writing papers.

All I need s a system that lets me surf the web, email, Skype and some minor photoshop work.

I bought a used (great condition) LG 26' monitor for $150, a wired apple keyboard off ebay for $8 and have a BT mouse already.

I am waiting for the refresh and will buiy it as soon as it is out.

 

[MacHamster68]

here is the competition of the mini , ok it is slightly bigger , but much more powerful for about the same price range but starting for about £100 less with a i3 processor ...i5 and i7 cost a bit more then the mini
from ASrock , but as a htpc more suited then a mini as they come with a blue ray drive
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDGUmawdCPc

 

[mrklaw]

here is the competition of the mini , ok it is slightly bigger , but much more powerful for about the same price range but starting for about £100 less with a i3 processor ...i5 and i7 cost a bit more then the mini
from ASrock , but as a htpc more suited then a mini as they come with a blue ray drive
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDGUmawdCPc

nice, but ugly front ports. ugh, front fold down flap please.

but same form factor roughly as the previous mini, shows what you can squeeze into that if you try. Current form factor is very restricting and was IMO a mistake

 

[steve_hill4]

Not applicable. The Lisa was pre-Macintosh and this thread is about bashing (and defending) the Mac's honor.

The Lisa was resold as the Macintosh XL (albeit at a much lower price, $3,995 opposed to $9,995), so you could technically class it as the most overrated Mac.

As to the current range, the Air and Mini both hit a niche, as does the Mac Pro. They're only overrated if they don't fit your bill. Yes, if you have a particular setup that requires a Mac Mini for space constraints it's a bummer you can't get top spec for the price and size, but that's the trade off. A close friend of mine recently upgraded to the Mac Mini Server due to footprint and he's delighted with it as a replacement for his iBook G4.

 

[MacHamster68]

nice, but ugly front ports. ugh, front fold down flap please.

but same form factor roughly as the previous mini, shows what you can squeeze into that if you try. Current form factor is very restricting and was IMO a mistake

i agree , i too liked the old aluminum case more with the white top, certainly more space inside ..and space means air and more air means better cooling , and yes the unibody can help cooling and if i imagine a i7 inside the new mini and think how warm a 27" i7 gets with that huge unibody case a hotplate springs in my mind ...the mini might lack the blueray drive , but you can keep your coffee nice and hot and you can boil eggs on it