Apple Announces Intel Mac Mini

Although many would say that Apple’s special event on the 28th didn’t live up to expectations, Apple did announce the new Mac Mini. The Mac Mini is currently Apple’s cheapest range of personal computers. Unlike the previous G4 range, Apple’s new range features two models - one featuring a 1.6 GHz Intel Core Duo and the other a 1.5GHz Core Solo processor. Both feature 2MB of L2 cache and a 667MHz front side bus. However, the starting price for the Mac Mini range has been bumped up from $499 to $599 for the Core Solo model, whereas the Core Duo is prices at a $799.

The Mac Mini has so far been a computer for digital lifestyle enthusiasts, but the better Intel processors open up new areas for the Mac Mini to explore. Apple claims a that the Intel Core Duo is 4 times faster at integer and floating point calculations that the 1.4 GHz PowerPC G4, but the effect in the real world will be far less. Also, the new Mac Mini feature Front Row (Apple’s media center software) and an Apple Remote to operate it with.

The new Mac Mini also feature HDTV output and your HD videos would go along well with it. For more on how to connect a computer to an HDTV, read here. Too bad HDTV’s are virtually impossible to find in India. If I’m ever asked to make an entertainment center in my home, I’d surely get one of these, but for everything else, my PC suffices.