I’ve been deluged today by people who think I care about the Mac mini rip-off for some reason. For beginners, it’s not even a real computer yet, just a proof-of-concept plastic case. Secondly, it should surprise no one that the PC world has once again taken it’s design cues from Apple. That’s not news, it’s commonplace.
I received a call from my friend Todd last week. He has a customer that wants to set up a secure web kiosk cheaply. He asked if I thought the Mac mini would be a good choice for such a project.
Great idea!
And you thought I forgot about the Mac mini!
I used to be one of those people who built my own computer every year or 18 months because I could customize a machine cheaply and get exactly what I wanted for my money. As keeping up with the plethora of hardware choices became more difficult, as the substantive differences between generations of hardware became less pronounced, as the hardware I had chosen came back to bite me in the ass in unanticipated ways later, and as my time spent researching, assembling, and building homemade boxes became needed in other pursuits, I gave up rolling my own.
However, as I’m sure you’re aware, there are still many people out there who do, and a motivating factor among those who build rather than buy is price. The Mac mini has received quite a bit of attention recently, and because of its low price, Apple’s least expensive machine, fairly or not, gets compared to these very inexpensive do-it-yourself computers. If Macs really are as great as I’ve heard, some people reason, perhaps it’s worth a comparatively modest expenditure to try it and see what I think.
Such was the case with Mick, a build-it-yourselfer. When rumors were flying about a potential headless Mac, I asked in my forums whether Windows users would really consider buying such a thing. Mick said he would, and now that the Mac mini is a reality, I’ve followed up with him to find out whether he has a Mac mini yet, and to discover the reasoning behind his decision.
OK, I read this fantastic review of the Mac mini this morning and I had to pass it on.Give it a read:
Mac Mini: The Emperor’s New Computer
Before you burst into indignant flames, it’s a joke. Here’s the real kicker: I can easily see this article published in any newspaper or industry magazine and taken as legitimate fact. Anyone who watches press coverage of the Mac has seen pieces equally as bad as this, and they weren’t supposed to be funny.
Shame on you, horrible tech journalists!
Most people I know who want a Mac mini want to run it concurrently with their existing Windows machine. Usually that means you need a KVM switch to change a single keyboard and mouse between systems. If you have two displays, one USB keyboard, one USB mouse, a Mac mini, and a Windows system, there is a free software solution that will spare you the cost of a KVM switch.
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