Mac mini

The Mac Mini (trademarked as Mac mini) is a desktop computer made by Apple Inc. Like earlier Mini-ITX PC designs, it is uncommonly small for a desktop computer: 6.5 inches (16.5 cm) square and 2 inches (5.1 cm) tall. It weighs 2.9 pounds (1.31 kg) and its external power supply is roughly one third of the size of the computer itself.

The Mac Mini is the first Macintosh desktop not to include a keyboard or mouse. In addition there is no included display. The primary intended market for the Mac Mini was for "switchers" (users moving from PC/Windows to Mac) who would already own a display, USB keyboard and mouse, and other customers could easily purchase these if needed

History:

The Mac Mini was introduced at the Macworld Conference & Expo in January 2005, and has been updated with newer processors and other expansions several times since. It was announced at the same time as the iPod Shuffle, both scaled-down and less expensive alternatives to the company's main products in those lines. It was described by Apple CEO Steve Jobs at the time as the "most affordable Mac ever".


On March 3, 2009, 19 months after the previous update, Apple updated the Mac Mini, featuring new nVidia chipsets and the new mini DisplayPort that has become standard on all the current Macintosh computers. It also features new peripherals, but it still looks almost the same as its predecessor. The new Mac Mini featured an nVidia GeForce 9400M, allowing for more graphically intensive applications to be run than before. This model shipped with 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo standard, upgradable to 2.26 GHz, at the same price as earlier versions in the U.S. The Mac Mini came with 1 GB RAM standard and 2 GB in the higher-end model, although it was expandable to 4 GB. Also, the wireless networking had been upgraded to 802.11n, the number of USB ports had been increased to five, and the FireWire 400 port was replaced with a FireWire 800 port.

The current Mac mini was released on October 20, 2009, and was introduced with a new server version that lacks the optical drive but features a second hard drive. The standard amount of memory has been increased to 2 GB, expandable to 4GB, and the Mac mini now features a 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor standard, upgradable to speeds as fast as 2.66 GHz



General Mac Mini information;

Although it has been removed entirely from the Mac Mini's design, an Apple modem is still available, only it is now a USB-based external one, and costs US$49 (UK£35).
While the industrial design of the Mac mini is handled entirely by Apple's in-house designers, some of the hardware has been engineered by Sparkfactor Design.


The first generation G4-based Mac Mini was originally to include a built-in iPod dock connector in the white plastic top. The feature was left out, but on the G4 Mac Mini an additional FireWire port can be found unwired on the secondary board hardware attached to the optical drive.

Both Core Solo and Core Duo CPUs provide Intel VT (VT-x) even though Intel documentation has suggested VT-x was not to be a feature of the Core Solo.[original research?]


Initially, the Intel-based Mac Mini was shipped with a bug that caused difficulties with VT-x. Apple subsequently released a firmware update that fixes this bug.
The Mac Mini integrates a 2.5 inch hard disk drive (ATA in the G4 models and SATA in the Intel models), CPUs and other components originally intended for mobile devices such as laptops, compared with regular desktop computers which generally use lower cost, but less compact and more power-demanding components. These mobile components help keep the power consumption down: according to data on the Apple web site, the first-generation PowerPC Mac Mini consumes 32 to 85 Watts ,while the later Intel Core machine consumes 23 to 110 Watts. By comparison, a contemporary Mac Pro with quad-core 2.66 GHz processors consumes 171 to 250 Watts.[citation needed]

Graphics:

The current 2009 Mac Mini has a nVidia GeForce 9400M sharing up to 128 MB or 256 MB of DDR3 SDRAM with main memory. The decision to use a less capable 'integrated' graphics chip, the GMA950 GPU, on earlier Intel-powered Mac Minis was criticized by those wishing to play games and use other graphically heavy applications, who felt it was a step down from the still earlier G4 models.


In Apple's early marketing of the G4-powered Mac Mini, it touted the superiority of the use of a discrete ATI Radeon 9200 32 MB graphics card over the integrated graphics included in many budget PCs:[24] The GeForce 9400M in the 2009 model is considered competitive with the graphics in other computers in its price class.



Home theater:

A Mac Mini as a home theater PC

The Mac Mini is also well suited for home theater or media center applications. The small footprint, CD/DVD player, multi-format video output, digital audio output, remote control and much more powerful Intel Core 2 Duo Processors make it relatively easy to use the Mac Mini as part of an entertainment system.


It can be classified as an HTPC (home theater PC) with some limitations. The Mac Mini does not include a tuner card and cannot be upgraded to integrate one internally. Instead external devices like Elgato's HD HomeRun can encode and manage broadcast television from a cable or satellite receiver.


The video connector on pre-2009 Mac Minis was compatible with DVI, HDMI (video only), SVGA, S-Video, composite video and component video with the appropriate adapter. Sound is provided by a combination jack that uses both Mini-RCA (analog) and optical fiber cables (digital).

Unlike the Apple TV, the Mac Mini is backward compatible with televisions that have only composite or S-Video inputs. With the release of the March 2009 revision of the Mac Mini, the computer now supports the 9400M GPU and Mini Display Port technology to more easily run high resolution media. It is also no longer compatible with composite or S-Video without a third-party scan converter.
Because of the similar form factor, remote control, and media browser interface, some users see the Mac Mini as an Apple TV alternative. It has both iTunes for media rental, purchase, and management, and a user interface with Front Row, based on the Front Row of the version 1.0 Apple TV. The Apple TV is limited to video in the mp4 format, whereas Mac Mini users employing the appropriate QuickTime codecs can watch other video formats like Divx, Xvid, and Mkv without resorting to hacks.


The faster of the original intel Mac Mini models can display video at a maximum resolution of 1080p, compared to the AppleTV's 720p.[26] The Mac Mini can also incorporate third-party front-end applications like XBMC Media Center, Plex, and Boxee.


Opening the case and modifications:

Some Mac Mini owners have managed to use a putty knife or a pizza cutter to pry open the computer's case, thereby gaining access to the interior to install cheaper 3rd-party memory upgrades.


In fact, the official Apple Service Source manual for Mac Mini describes this procedure in detail, even including an official Apple part number for a "modified putty knife". It's also possible to use wires to pull the white plastic bottom case out of the metal top case.

While opening the case does not actually void the Mac mini warranty, anything broken while the case is open is not covered. Other modifications include overclocking the processor (G4 Only)and upgrading the wireless networking to 802.11n. The 2009 model can have its SuperDrive replaced with a 2nd SATA hard drive.


With the switch to the Intel Core Solo and Duo line, Apple initially used a socketed CPU in the Mac Mini that allowed the processor to be replaced, however they switched to a new glue process with the 2009 model that does not allow for an easy upgrade.