Apple Mac mini MB139LL/A
 | Average Customer Rating: Recommend The Mac Mini features the powerful 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor. It has two cores, so it's like having two 2.0GHz processors in one! Another great feature is the suite of applications in iLife '08. A full-featured collection of programs that are designed to let you easily take control of your creative projects. iPhoto organizes your digital pics, and has a cool feature that groups them by event. iWeb makes it easy to create… Product details and pricing info |
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73 Customer Reviews Posted
- Great little media PC
- I have been toying with hooking up a old laptop with Windows to my new HDTV screen, when the harddrive failed, I decided to try a mac-mini. I am very happy with the purchase, the integrated front row application lets you view pictures off of network drives, movies downloaded from Itunes and radio from Itunes. This was really killer, my wife has a home based business making purses and I created a picture show of her creations with music, this was the hit of the show.
Pros: Small form factor, great software
Cons: Could follow what the laptop industry has done, add more memory by opening up a small compartment, not breaking into the thing with a putty knife.
One last note, I have been a Windows/PC user for most of my life, conversion to this OS is not that hard. The software can be a bit expensive, but you can run some of the opensource products without a problem. - 2008-03-22, 9 of 9 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Nice Little PC
- I got the Mini for a Media Center PC and for that it is more than enough PC to do the job. As a desktop PC it would be very good for day to day business tasks (email, Word, Web, media) but don't expect it to play 3D games other than Flash Games. The graphics card is not very capable even compared to the grahics chips used in the rest of the line of Macs. It is very capable of HD video though so that is not an issue. Who buys a Mac for games anyway...
If you are getting this for a desktop, I would strongly suggest that you skip the Apple keyword and mouse, which look great, but are just plain bad in the agronomics department. Go with a decent USB Mouse/Keyboard setup from Logitech (the Wave is nice).
One more warning, the thing is sealed tight, so if you put sensitive data on it, you will want to wipe if before shipping it out etc. So I highly recommend creating a second partition for data so that the OS (OS X) sits on one partition and you home directory (account) and data sit on the second. Thats easy enough to do but honestly, it should come configured with the user folder on a second partition anyway because it just makes good sense. That way you can just back (or use Time Machine) on that folder and do a clean re-install when things go bad or you just want a fresh install or erase the data partition if you need to take it in for a repair.
Because you can not take the drive out of it or upgrade it, it does have some serious limitations long term but if you want a very slick and pretty fast/small PC and want to try out OS X, this is a good choice.
Keep in mind, you can spend less money on a small Linux or Windows PC but for the less tech savvy this would make the better choice.
Being a long time Windows user, it took a bit to get used to but I am also a long time UNIX/BSD fan so having that under the hood is very nice. The Menu interface to the apps also has a more consistent presentation which is really nice. There are certainly some GUI issues with OS X but in general I find the design much more thought out than Windows. - 2008-03-22, 4 of 4 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Especially for those who like to customize peripherals (4+ stars)
- This little Mac CPU is perfect for people who want a powerful but inexpensive CPU without the frills. Just 2.5" high and 6.5" square, it fits almost anywhere: on a desk, in a drawer, on a narrow shelf. The unit comes with a Mac SuperDrive for burning and playing DVD/CDs, a remote control, BlueTooth technology, the iLife Suite (iPhoto, iTunes, Garage Band, Photo Booth, iMovie, etc.), and the newest OS X Leopard (on CDs, not installed.) That's it. You have to buy your own keyboard, mouse, monitor, and anything else you'd like to add.
Pros:
-- This little guy is fast and reliable. The 1 GB RAM is good enough for most users, although you can expand to 2 GB. (See Cons.)
-- Size. No more towers!
-- Leopard is utterly fantastic. Make sure you take the "tour" to fully appreciate its capabilities and features since many aren't immediately obvious. It allows easy sharing of files within a network, wireless or otherwise, automatics back-ups to an external hard drive (purchase separately) that can be accessed according to a specific date and time, and in-network video conferencing (again, you have to supply the web cam.) My favorite feature is setting my computer to turn on at the same time every day so it's ready to go when I walk into my home office.
-- The no-frills package allows users to buy their preferred size of monitor. Since monitors bought separately usually cost far less than what Apple charges, this ends up being a cost saver as well. The Apple keyboard works best with the Mac mini since there's a special key for ejecting CD/DVDs, but any keyboard will do.
Cons
-- The memory upgrade is not as easy as it should be. Look online for detailed instructions, including removing the Blue Tooth antenna. (Ignore instructions for the old version of the Mac Mini.) You'll have to take the unit partially apart to get to the memory slots. If you are at all intimidated by working inside a computer, get the extra memory pre-installed.
-- The power button is on the back of the machine, while the Super Drive slot is in the front. This means that the unit must be accessible, both front and back, unless you set the system to turn on automatically. This is the main reason I cannot give this unit five stars.
-- The Super Drive is noisy when it starts up.
For people who want to keep their current monitor and other peripherals, the Mac Mini is an excellent and economical choice. If you need to buy all the accessories, the price can start to add up, and you might want to look at a different computer. Even so, the small size can be a huge bonus for those who are short on space.
I love my Mac Mini, and I've never regretted purchasing it. - 2008-03-16, 33 of 34 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- little ellen
- I purchased a Mac mini after using for several years a different type of PC. At 83, I am technologically "retarded", but with the help of two friends, I now have it up and running, and find it pretty easy to use. I get befuddled some times, but that is not necessarily the fault of the computer. And it is quick! All in all, I am quite pleased with it.
- 2008-03-15, 3 of 5 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Agony
- Agony is the only way I can describe the past three months of owning this machine. What an expensive mistake, especially in time, lost work, and lost information. I need a tool, not a toy. Today my new Dell PC was installed, and I am happy to be back in PC land. Luckily, my old one is still on hand, so was able to transfer everything from it, at least. I did have to buy some software in order to retrieve some work I did on the Mac though.
- 2008-03-10, 2 of 82 people found this review helpful, Rated:
