Mac Mini provides maximum fun
The conventional way to produce a PC for users with shallow pockets is to start subtracting features from a more expensive model until you reach the price point you want. Then toss the works into the same dull cabinet as the pricier offering.
But Apple has shown over the years that it doesn't have a penchant for conventional thinking or for anything dull. Priced at $499, the Mac Mini turns commodity computing into fine computing. Moreover, it makes it affordable for many PC users enamored with Apple's iPod to test the OS X waters.
If you're new to computing, that $499 price tag will start moving upward when you have to buy a monitor, keyboard, and mouse. And even if you have extra parts collecting dust in a closet, you're probably going to want to upgrade the Mini's paltry 256 megabytes of memory to 512 megabytes immediately.
The Mini impresses with its size (6.5-by-6.5-by-2 inches) and weight (2.9 pounds). Its design conveys innovation, not repackaging. From its slot-loading optical drive to the rounded corners of its anodized case, the Mini bespeaks elegance.
One way to reduce costs when producing an economy PC is to skimp on software. That's not the case with the Mini. It includes the iLife '05 suite of programs that Apple bundles with its higher-end machines. iLife's applications let you manage and edit digital images (iPhoto), manage, play and purchase digital music (iTunes), edit video (iMovie), author DVDs (iDVD), and create music (GarageBand).
Another shortcut taken by computer makers is to unload the burden of processing graphics onto a system's main processor and memory. That's not Apple's style. The Mini has a dedicated graphics processor, the ATI Radeon 9200, and 32 megabytes of dedicated memory to handle its graphics chores.
The Mini comes in two flavors. A basic version with a 1.25-gigahertz Power PC G4 processor and 40-gigabyte hard drive and, for about $100 more, a 1.42 gigahertz model with 80 gigabyte hard drive.
As attractive as the Mini is, it's definitely a hands-off machine. Adding wireless and more memory post-purchase requires a trip to an authorized Apple service provider.
An obvious advantage of a computer that's the size of the Mac Mini is that's it's not hard to locate the mighty mite near a towering desktop relative. That can be appealing to keyboard jocks who want to straddle the line between PC and Mac.
In fact, by means of a switching cable, the Mac Mini and another computer can share the same keyboard, mouse, and monitor. As I discovered, though, this cabling arrangement doesn't work for everyone.
I tried to tie a Mac Mini and my PC together using the Iogear MiniView Micro USB Plus KVM switch and cable, which sells for $40 to $80 on the Internet.
After making all the connections, I fired up both computers. The PC end of things worked fine. So I tried moving to the Mac by tapping Scroll Lock twice.
Initially, nothing happened. But repeated taps of Scroll Lock finally displayed the Mac on my monitor. Unfortunately, the keyboard and trackball were unresponsive in Mini mode.
Since I was using a wireless keyboard and a wired trackball, both made by Microsoft, I thought that could be the source of my problems. Both devices use custom PC-based software for their operation.
When I replaced the Microsoft trackball with one from Logitech, the device worked on both computers. But when I swapped an Apple keyboard for the wireless one, it worked on the PC but not the Mac.
Eventually, I just gave the Mini its own keyboard, monitor, and trackball and let it coexist separately from my PC.
While the Mini's $499 price may smack of advertised prices for new cars, the additional $100 or $200 -- if you have a spare keyboard, display, and mouse, or have better luck with a switching cable than I had -- is a worthwhile outlay for a machine that can bring so much fun to your computing experience.
John P. Mello Jr. is a freelance writer. He can be reached at jpmello@cox.net.
