New Mac Mini announced, and the crowd went “meh”
So the new Mini is announced. Let’s forgo the cheaper model as pointless, and focus on the higher-end one. Here’s the relevant differences IMO:
- Dual-core Intel CPU (yay!)
Yeah baby, bring it!! This is the oomph the Mac needs. My 1.42GHz mini is definitely underpowered. Definitely the highlight. - Cheesy onboard graphics chip (boo!) with shared RAM (mega-boo!)
Sorry, but the Intel GMA950 seems pretty lame for 3D performance. I suppose gaming isn’t the Mini’s (nor Apple’s, for that matter,) forte, but still. Can this thing pump out 1080p HD via the DVI port? Yeah, but don’t expect to do any cool frontrow effects on it smoothly. And what’s with the shared RAM? - DL DVD-R drive (sure, fine)
Yeah, whatever. If it helps bring down the cost of blanks, I’m all for it. My mini is already upgraded to this, so obviously I think it’s got some value. - Port changes
The subtracted the modem (yay!) and 1 FW port (boo!), add more USB ports (uh, mild yay).
Who is going to use a mini via dialup? Nobody, exactly. They’ve wisely ditched the useless modem and added USB ports. I’m guessing the FW port is only staying there at all because of legacy iSights and harddrives… but sounds like USB2.0 is definitely the wave of the future. Honestly, I think this is a Good Thing, even though FW seems to be a technically superior (certainly, more sophisticated) design, and faster in practice. - Up to 2G RAM (big yay!)
And even better yet, the mini gains another DIMM slot, so you can populate it with 2×1G DIMMs. Nice. Why no go with a 4G max then, I wonder? - SATA drive (yay) but still 5400rpm (boo)
Right interface, wrong rotational speed. Sounds like this is going to cripple the video streaming capabilities out of the box. Again. Can’t they just punch a few holes in the lid to let the few degrees extra heat from the faster-spinning drive, out the top?
There’s some other changes as well, like audio in as well as out, which are nice but nothing amazing–they’d be big disappointments if they were missing, however. iLife 06, great, I just bought that anyhow. [Update: I just discovered it does NOT come with the Mini standard, but is a full-price option!] Bluetooth 2.0 is a nice upgrade, although unlikely to matter for most folks.
Looks like I won’t be upgrading, as much as I really really want the dual core Intel and 2G RAM. I’m hoping there’s a version that’s 1″ taller, with dual 7200rpm SATA drives and a better video chip in the future. Hopefully, this will be timed well with a new OS and iLife upgrade so I can save $200 or so on those, as well 
But I am interested to hear how this is working with large LCD panels for HTDV/HTPC playback use… I suppose I could still be swayed, but it’s over a $1000 investment–considering the base model is $799, and gotta upgrade to 2G RAM as well.