Mini Me

I have formed an opinion on the Mac Mini (previous status — undecided).

First off, I think it appeals to many, not just Windows users tempted by the unusually low price. Students, parents, offices, libraries, schools, Mac heads, teenagers, retirees, executives, designers, programmers, system admins, and many others looking for a small, easy to use, affordable, well valued computer will find the Mac Mini hard to resist. If you have an extra decent monitor or KVM switch lying around it won’t cost much to grab one of these.

At first sight it is a thing of beauty, brilliant form indeed. Though it may be on the lower end of the performance scale, there is a lot for the money. The video card memory may be a touch low, 64 MB would be better, but it will do quite well for the vast majority that pick it up. Yes, as stated redundantly, a RAM upgrade would need to be done for optimal performance.

It is not cheap, it is affordable. The Mini provides a balanced set of hardware and features and allows to be used as a versatile box. Wherever you might need a desktop computer with a basic feature set, the Mac Mini should be considered.

I was at the Apple Store ten minutes too late on Saturday, I shed tears in the store, needing to use the genius bar as a makeshift physiatrist’s chaise lounge. No, I’m not one to wake up at the crack of dawn to get in line. I had the desire to bring home a Mini but now I have chosen the convenient home delivery method — marketing spin. I currently don’t own a Mac, but used to and will again soon; a 1.42Ghz Mini should be headed my way in a couple weeks.

I’m quite skilled on both platforms, a great resume feature, and am comfortable on both. Os X is just so gorgeous and working with multimedia files is a dream on the iLife programs. iCal, Address Book, and Mail are top notch back-to-the-basics programs. It provides a comfortable feeling deep inside, something you can’t get with the sterile and cluttered Windows programs.

So as I wait to welcome the Mac into my home and sit here looking at my twenty inch Cinema Display — yes I couldn’t leave the Apple Store empty handed — join in my anticipation. Do you like the Mac Mini? Have you said “Mini me”? If you have one and have reviewed it, post a link. I’d love to read it.