Apple Mac mini (MA206LL/A) Desktop
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- Form Factor: Desktop Slimline
- Operating System: Apple MacOS X 10.4
- HDD Size: 80 GB
- Installed Memory: 512 MB (DDR2 SDRAM)
- Processor: Core Duo 1.66 GHz
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My first Mac and the experience is positive! *Plus 5 year update
Pros
Small size and weight, quick and easy set up, elegant style, energy efficient, retains value
Cons
Its costs more to go with a mac vs a PC, at least initially.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
I would recommend this computer with the understanding that it won't meet the needs of everyone, out of the box.
This is my first Mac and I am sufficiently happy with it that I may purchase only Macs in the future.
There were several appealing attributes that this Mac possessed that prompted me to "make the switch."
1. The size of the computer itself. At only 6.5"X6.5"x2", the size and weight of this computer still amazes me, even almost one year after purchase. It is so easy to find a place for it and should you decide to move it, it is an easy task, unlike with a standard desktop.
2. Less worry about viruses, etc.
3. Very quiet, except when you load or run a disk, then you can hear mechanical or whirring sounds.
4. I have it connected to an LCD TV/monitor so one screen acts as both a TV and a computer monitor. With the press of a button on the tiny included remote, the Mac mini becomes a DVD player, iTunes player or photo displayer. Because of this, I was able to get rid of my old bulky DVD player and thus reduce a lot of clutter.
5. Out of the box setup was extremely quick and easy.
6. When I connected a HP 1012 printer to the Mac, it just worked. I didn't have to install any drivers, etc. The Mac identified the printer and made any necessary adjustments on its own. Same with my LCD monitor, wireless mouse and Kodak digital camera.
Some disadvantages:
1. Although it came with the popular iLife software, it didn't have any productivity software, except for 1-month trial versions of iWork and MS Office for Mac. I downloaded the Neo Office software (free) but I am not really happy with that (maybe because I am not familiar with it and it doesn't seem to run quickly on the computer) I plan to buy iWork which is Apple's version of office productivity software, but have heard that a new version will be released soon so am waiting for that to come out.
2. Apple's browser, Safari, was not well supported by Yahoo Mail. I only had basic functionality. For example, when composing email, I lost the ability to choose font types, sizes and colors, etc. I solved this problem but switching my browser to Firefox.
3. I couldn't play certain video--Windows Media type. After downloading a program, I believe it was called flip4mac, everything was fine.
There are programs which enable you to turn your Mac into a PC but I haven't tried that yet. At this point I am trying to see if I can do everything I need without relying on Microsoft products.
Regarding rating the technical support, I haven't had a need for it so I cannot rate that. However I did read in Consumer Reports that Apple had the highest technical support ratings.
In summary, there is a lot of things which I haven't learned to use yet, but for basic computer functionality, this Mac works well. In addition, every time I do learn something new about my Mac, it is a pleasant surprise, and not a rude awakening. I believe that the Mac operating system truly is superior to Windows.
******
UPDATE after over 5 years of ownership, 11/15/11
I still love my Mac! I recently upgraded the operating system to Leopard which is OSX 10.5 Somehow the computer ran slower but I read that this was because I needed to upgrade the RAM which at 512MB was considered very small by more modern standards. So for $27 I purchased 2GB of new RAM from Amazon.
Next I had to gain access to the insides of my Mac mini. Opening the mini case is a somewhat involved process involving the use of a putty knife. There are instructional videos online, including on YouTube. You just have to search.
After installing the new memory, my computer works great again! I honestly believe that I can use this computer for at least two more years, with decent performance. This was a revelation to me. I can use the same computer for over 7 years!
I have not been able to do this with any Windows computer in the past. After just a few years, they would get extremely slow. I searched this topic online and there were many article/newsgroup/blog authors that agreed with my experience. There were a few that did not agree (saying that both computer types aged similarly) but they seemed to be in the minority. Plus this benefit came without me having to buy any security software with their yearly updates.
So overall, I believe my Mac experience has been very positive. I think I even saved time and money because I did not have to buy and install extra software annually (or even worry about viruses), or a replacement computer and face the hassle of migrating the old data to the new one. I have my same little but still stylish computer that although not as zippy as the newest models, is still happily doing its thing. On top of this, should I decide to upgrade to a newer model, I find that my Mac mini still has considerable residual value. According to my searches on Craiglist, I think it is worth about a third of what I originally purchased it for, after 5 years!
*****
There were several appealing attributes that this Mac possessed that prompted me to "make the switch."
1. The size of the computer itself. At only 6.5"X6.5"x2", the size and weight of this computer still amazes me, even almost one year after purchase. It is so easy to find a place for it and should you decide to move it, it is an easy task, unlike with a standard desktop.
2. Less worry about viruses, etc.
3. Very quiet, except when you load or run a disk, then you can hear mechanical or whirring sounds.
4. I have it connected to an LCD TV/monitor so one screen acts as both a TV and a computer monitor. With the press of a button on the tiny included remote, the Mac mini becomes a DVD player, iTunes player or photo displayer. Because of this, I was able to get rid of my old bulky DVD player and thus reduce a lot of clutter.
5. Out of the box setup was extremely quick and easy.
6. When I connected a HP 1012 printer to the Mac, it just worked. I didn't have to install any drivers, etc. The Mac identified the printer and made any necessary adjustments on its own. Same with my LCD monitor, wireless mouse and Kodak digital camera.
Some disadvantages:
1. Although it came with the popular iLife software, it didn't have any productivity software, except for 1-month trial versions of iWork and MS Office for Mac. I downloaded the Neo Office software (free) but I am not really happy with that (maybe because I am not familiar with it and it doesn't seem to run quickly on the computer) I plan to buy iWork which is Apple's version of office productivity software, but have heard that a new version will be released soon so am waiting for that to come out.
2. Apple's browser, Safari, was not well supported by Yahoo Mail. I only had basic functionality. For example, when composing email, I lost the ability to choose font types, sizes and colors, etc. I solved this problem but switching my browser to Firefox.
3. I couldn't play certain video--Windows Media type. After downloading a program, I believe it was called flip4mac, everything was fine.
There are programs which enable you to turn your Mac into a PC but I haven't tried that yet. At this point I am trying to see if I can do everything I need without relying on Microsoft products.
Regarding rating the technical support, I haven't had a need for it so I cannot rate that. However I did read in Consumer Reports that Apple had the highest technical support ratings.
In summary, there is a lot of things which I haven't learned to use yet, but for basic computer functionality, this Mac works well. In addition, every time I do learn something new about my Mac, it is a pleasant surprise, and not a rude awakening. I believe that the Mac operating system truly is superior to Windows.
******
UPDATE after over 5 years of ownership, 11/15/11
I still love my Mac! I recently upgraded the operating system to Leopard which is OSX 10.5 Somehow the computer ran slower but I read that this was because I needed to upgrade the RAM which at 512MB was considered very small by more modern standards. So for $27 I purchased 2GB of new RAM from Amazon.
Next I had to gain access to the insides of my Mac mini. Opening the mini case is a somewhat involved process involving the use of a putty knife. There are instructional videos online, including on YouTube. You just have to search.
After installing the new memory, my computer works great again! I honestly believe that I can use this computer for at least two more years, with decent performance. This was a revelation to me. I can use the same computer for over 7 years!
I have not been able to do this with any Windows computer in the past. After just a few years, they would get extremely slow. I searched this topic online and there were many article/newsgroup/blog authors that agreed with my experience. There were a few that did not agree (saying that both computer types aged similarly) but they seemed to be in the minority. Plus this benefit came without me having to buy any security software with their yearly updates.
So overall, I believe my Mac experience has been very positive. I think I even saved time and money because I did not have to buy and install extra software annually (or even worry about viruses), or a replacement computer and face the hassle of migrating the old data to the new one. I have my same little but still stylish computer that although not as zippy as the newest models, is still happily doing its thing. On top of this, should I decide to upgrade to a newer model, I find that my Mac mini still has considerable residual value. According to my searches on Craiglist, I think it is worth about a third of what I originally purchased it for, after 5 years!
*****
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