localnet

Hey guys,

Apple computer, the iPod guys, just announced there new Mac "Mini" computer. It is a 6.5 x 6.5 x 2 inch little box. Prices start at $499.

Check it out! http://www.apple.com/macmini/

It runs on OSX and has firewire 400, usb 2, combo or super drive, DVI out, etc... Also has NO fan, total silent running. You supply the monitor mouse and keyboard. There is also wifi and bluetooth available, and up to 1 gig of ram. 2 gig option comming soon. Buy and install your own ram, Apple asks to much.

This would be pretty cool to hook up to the home entertainment center. So small, just can't ignore this. With a few little extras, you could have a nice "LITTLE" media/home theater computer. Or stick one in the truck, hook it up to a monitor. You could run diagnostic stuff off the trucks computer and monitor the action. Or put one in the bathroom, the kitchen the laundry room...

I'm going to pick one up and hook it up to my home theater.

I just think this thing is pretty cool, thought some of you may get a kick out of it. It is sparking allot of interest on the home entertainment front. See the link below to the AVS Forums.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...hreadid=367783

Mike

doomgaze

Pretty neat, but the one glaring imperfection is that its still a Mac and you still have to run it with Mac OS.

There is a reason that Windows is the most widely used operating system in the world. Have you ever used Mac OS? I used some of the older versions and it was awful. Maybe it has changed, I don't know.

In any case it wouldn't be overly difficult to make a PC that small. Some of these handheld game systems that are coming out now are extremely powerful and also extremely small.

Hannibal

I just bought a V2135 Compaq laptop that's smaller. It's a 14" wide screen. Nice little machine. I like smaller. My previous laptop was like opining up a ping pong table!
Back to Mac. I wanted to look at some Mac laptops while I was at Comp USA but they were very busy and with two of the one I bought left, I wanted to grab it while I could. The salesman said the new Mac is a good laptop but I could run into conflicts with our network of Winders based units. I really would like to see Mac come back big and compete with Windows OS brands. Competition is a good thing for the consumer.

localnet

Doomgaze,

Fords are the most popular trucks on the road, does that mean that they are the best?

You guys don't know what you are missing. The Mac OS has been totally revamped a few years ago. It is basically a Unix OS with a graphical user interface. Incredibly stable and very user friendly. You are even able to run different OS's on the Mac. How about, Windows, Linux, Unix and Mac OSX/OS9, all on the same computer. And the kicker is, Windows is much more stable on the Mac. Sure, there are a few programs and games that are not available on the Mac, not really a big deal to me, I have a personal confuser too. Another nice thing about the Macs, is the software, everything most people would need is included. Its all there, movie, dvd, music, internet, email, photo, word processing, spreadsheets, bluetooth iSynch, day planner/calander etc... It is all there, and not a trial gig, its yours, you bought it. All very stable, and very easy to use. Apple has gotten some incredible press regarding their software and hardware, it all works seemlessly.

As far as networking, the Mac can't be beat, incredibly simple, a networkers dream. It hooks up easily via wifi or ethernet to a pc or another Mac. Hannibal, you must have caught a pc guy in the Mac department, because he had no clue of the Macs capabillities.

As I said, I do own both platforms (I just had to try a pc). I have several Macs, typing this on a 12 inch iBook. My pc is a 5 mos old Compaq RS3000 laptop (sits on coffee table under magazines), 16:9 screen, XP Pro, 2.4 mhz Pentium 4 with Nvidia video card, wifi, etc... All the bells and whistles! But, this little iBook I am typing on, blows the Compaq out of the water. I wake it up, it hooks itself to the net (wifi) and I go to work. And the darn thing at 600 mhz is almost as fast as the Compaq! But best of all, no blue screen of death. My Macs have never crashed with OSX, never even turn them off. And best of all, there is no need for virus software, never had one in 12 years of owning macs. Now the pc, that's another story.

The new pc: Turn it on, sometimes it may wake from sleep, usually have to reboot. Get it going, wait and wait, virus protection screen pops up. Input secret code, checks system, about 20 seconds to a minute. Wait some more, hit netscape, wait some more. Everything stops, virus update is downloading, wait some more. Screen pops up, downloading and running, please wait. Wait some more, hit netscape, wait some more. Netscape finally starts (wifi), home page downloads. Internet Explorer pops up, security alert from MicroSoft, updates are ready for download and on and on and on........... Usually in about 10 to 30 minutes, I can use the computer, if it lets me without rebooting, and going through all of the same crap again. And believe me, I have everything stripped off the hard drive. It is a basic internet surfing machine, no games, movies, etc... All the extras are gone, no bloat ware, etc., and virus protection was installed immediately upon purchase. And I scan it for viruses, adware, spyware, etc... on a regular basis. A real pain in the rear, bought it to run accounting software, that is now available for the Mac, what a waste of money.

Don't be so quick to dismiss the Mac till you have taken a test drive. As far as Windows being the most popular, of course it is, 10 million IT jobs are on the line.

Mike

doomgaze

While it does sound like MacOS has changed some since I last tried it, I'm still not anywhere near ready to say Macs are ready to challenge the PC yet.

I build my own computers so I enjoy the ease that the PC affords me in doing that. Components are readily available and cheaper than components for Macs.

I believe that your problems with the Compaq you have is that it is just that, a Compaq. I've never seen one of these assembled machines (with the exception of the Alienware brand) that can compare with a machine built yourself. These companies are constantly search for ways to cut corners and make their electronics cheaper. There is no industry that the saying "you get what you pay for" is more true in than the computer world.

I used my previous machine for 4 years with so much as a hiccup running Windows 98/XP. My current machine I built back in June. I can honestly say I've never had it lock up, show a blue screen of death, or anything. It's rock solid and blazing fast. In fact, while running Windows XP I have never even seen the blue screen of death on any of my computers (Windows 98 is a different story, however).

And the primary reason you get the blue screen of death? Hardware conflicts. PCs are made by many different companies with many different setups. Considering the almost infinite number of possiblities Windows is extremely stable. Apple has it easy. They are the only maker of Macs. So of course their software is going to be a bit more stable. They know exactly what the write the code for.

I use my computers for playing games, doing work, watching movies, surfing the net, basically everything. There is but a fraction of the software available for the PC ported to the Mac. I would not be very far off if I guessed that 1 in 20 games is ported to the Mac. The numbers seem similar for my work applications, too.

You mentioned virus threats, as well. That is very easily explained. It has nothing to do with the fact that the MacOS is more secure. Virii are written for specific operating systems. Everyone uses Windows, so it will be the OS under attack. Why would hackers write virii for an OS that only has 3% of the market share? In fact, I am willing to bet the Mac isn't even close to being as secure as Windows. Microsoft is constantly fending off attacks, so it would make sense that they are learning from every single attack. Apple has very few attacks so there is a tendancy to be more laxed about security.

I will agree with you on the networking part, though. Networking a PC can be a nightmare. I don't know how the Mac is for networking, but it wouldn't be hard to beat the PC in that category.

P.S. Nice looking truck, by the way

HOHN

MAC OS version 10 is the best operating system out there, imho.

If you STILL have an OS hangup, get "Virtual PC" for your Mac. A Mac runs Windows better than a PC does!

Justin

HOHN

VIRII???

http://www.linuxmafia.com/~rick/faq/...-of-virus.html


Justin

Hannibal

The salesman didn't say for sure I'd have conflicts. He didn't know that I wouldn't. I'm sure he's not very knowledgeable. That's why he's wearing the striped shirt on the sales floor.
I still may opt for a Mac laptop one day. The show ain't over yet! But I don't have any horror stories about the Compaq. I don't even have any horror stories about Microsoft's OS. My new laptop takes about 20 seconds to boot up and it's internal wireless network card is ready to go. I don't use an ISP with an interface so I don't have to wait for that either. AOL is like taking the bus while using your own browser is like taking your car... Norton Internet Security runs in the background and updates automatically as does Windows without interuption. I don't know why some folks have so many problems with Winders and other don't. I'm mainly interested in the Mac as they make a smaller laptop and from the people who own them they have a great reputation. The folks who owned one in '90 aren't any more enlightening than someone who owned their last PC when the Tandy 1000 was the top of the line.

localnet

Doom,

You really need to check out the "Dark Side". Personally their is really no comparison, XP/OSX.

The Mac gui is just to intuitive. Wake it up and go. Put it to sleep, go do something else. Simple is good, that is why I went with the CTD and use Mac computers.

As far as software, there are thousands of titles, and more and more comming out everyday, as the Apple market share continues to grow. Personally, I have not had a problem finding any software, other then the one accounting one. But, that is now available for the Mac OSX. There is some industrial/technical software titles that may not be available for the Mac, but I don't worry about that. And I know that if software is made for a Mac, it will work right out of the box, software conflicts are virtually unheard of on the Mac. This is due to very stringent controls put on the develepment crowd. Apple wants everything to work seemlessly, and they have done one heck of a job. Sure, there are millions of pc titles out there, but how many identical programs do you actually need? And this has happened to me more then I can count over the years. I buy some PC software that I need to do a certain task, only to find that it is buggy and locks up my pc. Yep, millions of titles, but how much of it will actually work as advertised? Mac has that problem solved, stringent development procedures. It better work as advertised, or no Mac license.

As far as hardware, I don't know of any Laptop kits out there. I wanted a laptop, as my house is totally set up for wifi thanks to Apple Airport/Express (printing, music, internet). I like sitting out in the living room or outside during the summer months. So, I really had no choice in going with a store bought laptop unit, I chose Compaq. When it works, which is most of the time, it is still a pain in the butt to use. And that is not a hardware problem, its the goofy Windows XP Pro operating system. Everything is backwards, and simple tasks take longer compared to the Mac OS. Why do I have to hit the start button to turn the darn thing off? It's the simple and little things that make the Mac a pleasure to use. Downloading, same thing, on the Mac, I just hit a few buttons and it downloads and launches the program. On the Windows, I have drives, promps, virus software to navigate through etc. And I hate those DOS codes, I am not a computer engineer! It is just archaic and physically slow navigating all of the stuff to make anything work on XP. It is like some ****, hiding in the closet, hates society in general person(s), designed the Windows operating system. I like to do what I want to do, and go on to something else. It's like having to adjust your valves evertime you want to go to the store for a loaf of bread.

Owning my PC, is like owning a Ford 6.0, will it work today? That question is always stuck in the back of my mind. And then there are all of the viruses, worms, adware, etc... Always paranoid in that regard, I don't want a $1700 paper weight, or have to spend a weekend uninstalling/installing software or damaged hardware. And there are multiple security issues with Windows. I wish the screen savers of old, TechTV, was still on. They used to do a Windows security report most every night, at least you were able to get a heads up to protect yourself. Miss that show.

Networking, Mac is KING, nuff said.

And thank you for the truck compliment.

Mike

doomgaze

Heard it both ways to be honest. I even had some college profs say "virii". Typed in "virii" on Yahoo and I got about 50/50. Some pages using "viruses" and others using "virii".

I can't spell anyways... I leave that up to Webster

jfpointer

I want one of those Mac Minis, they're cute. More importantly, they're somewhat affordable, which is the Mac's biggest downfall, in my opinion. Monopolies lead to high prices.

One bad thing I heard is that if you upgrade your own memory on the Mac, they void your warranty. Can anyone confirm that? Doesn't seem very "user-friendly" to me, and just about anyone who can figure out which end of a screwdriver to put in the screw should be able to upgrade memory.

Patrick Campbell

I just just bought a new dell from Dell for $245 including shipping. Celeron 2.5ghz, 80GB HD, 512MB RAM, CD-ROM, integrated video and gigabit nic. $20 CD-R and $20 sound card. Nothing amazing but it does the trick.

localnet

jfpointer,

You can install your own memory, it won't void the warranty. The trick is getting all of the tabs to release holding the lid on. This has been hashed out on one of the Mac forums already.

Mike

localnet

Here is an insightful article on the new Mac, what it is, and what it isn't: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...1&u=/zd/142646

Mike