Mac Mini disappointment

I was recently burgled and had my Apple Cube stolen. The insurance company sent me a 1.25 GHZ Mac Mini as a replacement and I have to say that I'm disappointed beyond words.
The insurance company told me that they would send me extra RAM to match the amount that was installed in a the Cube. Thus an extra 500 mb RAM chip was sent, which proved completely useless to me when I opened up the Mini case to find that only one RAM slot was available.
Likewise, the Airport Extreme card that the insurance company sent was also useless, in view of the fact that you apparently also need to purchase an antenna and something called a Mezzanine board to take advantage orf Airport.
To add injury to insult, I also cut my finger badly on the razor sharp innards of the Mac Mini when I struggled to open the case. There's no keyboard, no mouse, no install disks, a minute 40 GB hard disk. I hate this machine.
I know I'm venting, and I know that others may point out that the Mini Mac is so much more powerful than my original Cube. But the Cube had style and substance, whereas the Mac Mini looks like an Apple branded ash tray. The Cube was easy to open and access its innards, whereas the Mac Mini is a death trap (mine is already scratched at the base after only opening it only once).
I'm really, really, really, really, disappointed with this awful machine. I'm going to throw it in the bin.

The Mac mini is exactly what it is - an entry level Macintosh designed and intended for those who don't know or care much about what's inside, and who have no interest in opening it up and messing with it's entrails. For PC users switching, or those who want a cheap Mac (and most importantly who are in charge of their own purchasing decisions) it seems to have proven to be a pretty resounding hit.
But that doesn't mean it's perfect, because it's not. Unlike the Cube, which was designed for style and function almost regardless of price, the mini is designed to fulfill a purpose at a very sharp price point. Having one foisted on you by an insurance company leaves little surprise that you'd be unhappy - not least because it's clear the insurance company have not the slightest idea what they're pushing in your direction, as evidenced by their lack of knowledge of the mini's architecture.
But it's not the mini's fault that your insurance company are a bunch of cheap bozoos trying to buy you off with the least expensive product they can find. You need to talk to your loss adjuster about the fact that the company have no idea what they're doing in replacing your stolen system and are instead attempting to spend as little as possible to meet your claim.
In the end, however, just as technology has moved on from the days of the Cube, so Apple has moved on from the days when it's entry level system cost more than an almost-new car!
If you check your insurance policy and consider the company is not honouring it's terms, the Trading Standards office and CAB may be able to help direct you to the appropriate mechanism to register a challenge to their notion of settlement of your claim.

Similar Messages

Best Buy messed up online mac mini order

I ordred a Apple Mac Mini, an Apple wireless keyboard and an Apple wirless mouse and my order was unavailable for pick up three hours later! I place the order at 5:53 call the store at 6:30 to ask where my order is and they didn't know. after talking to a customer service rep name Shelby who is very rude with me and gave me no information about my order except that they were having processing issues with their own credit card company. I asked to speak to a manager when I called back the second time it took them 25 minutes just to get Amanda on the phone.
I asked the store manager Amanda if she could please help me figure out why I can't pick up my order and she said that their credit card processing department was backed up all day long and that a new team apparently was coming on at 7:45 pm?
anyways after being on the phone for almost 2 hours with them I'm still here without my order, The manager suggested I could just cancel my order and they could sell me the stuff off the shelf but that wouldn't tell me having to wait for an $805 credit to my bank account which could be the middle of next week so I told her this was not an option. The reason I place my order for online pick up was so that I could bring my product home today not have to wait overnight into the next day for an order.
The service ive been given at this Best Buy location is absolutely reprehensible. The funds in my account are gone but I sit here without a product, how is this possible? I will never purchase from BB again...

Hello UNDERDOG-
Thanks for joining the forums to bring us your inquiry regarding the shipping status of your recent order. I'm disappointed to read that you've run into trouble placing order for Store Pick. I will be glad to try to provide you with some clarity as to the status of your order.
I understand that you reached out to the store to best assist you with your order, and were not able to find the stores answers meet your satisfaction. Using the information you supplied here on the forums, I was not able to locate your order. I do appreciate you logged on the forum and select the ‘Private Message’ option found after my signature, to provide your order number (BBY01-).
I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused, and I look forward to your reply.

2011 Mac Mini and Acer x222w monitor incompatible? HDMI to DVI adapter issue

I am totally bummed because I just bought a new Mac Mini thinking I'd be able to use the display from my old system, an Acer x222w, which has both DVI-D and VGA connections. I hooked the monitor up using the HDMI to DVI adapter included in the box with the Mini. On boot, I could see the Apple logo, though it was not centered, and when the set up screen came up to the select language screen, it flashed quickly and then turned to snow.
I was on the phone with Apple support for over an hour trying to troubleshoot this issue. I was a little disappointed that tech support didn't even seem to be aware that the Mini came with an HDMI to DVI adapter. It was then recommended that I try an adapter for the mini display port, which the 2011 Mini doesn't have.
I was able to borrow another monitor, a Dell with DVI-D, and it worked.
I have searched for specs/requirements that might explain why the Acer monitor doesn't work while the Dell one does. I cannot find anything from Apple. I just assumed any DVI connection would work. Has anybody else encountered this problem? Most of the issues I've found on the forums involve trying to hook up to a home theater LCD TV, which I'm not trying to do. If I had known my monitor wouldn't work, I probably would have just saved up for an iMac.
Thanks in advance for any thoughts or tips!

Try resetting the SMC andNVRAM
Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)
About NVRAM and PRAM
Next call Apple since yo have 90 days of free telephone support
Complimentary Support (USA)

Mac Mini problems

I received my Mac Mini yesterday and have come across a host of problems. Some are probably due to my setup, while others are probably due to the Mac itself. I'd appreciate help in solving some of these.
In order of "most important" to "least important":
1.) I'm trying to hook the Mini to a Yamaha receiver (http://www.yamaha.co.jp/english/product/av/libimage/rxv2500/rxv2500rtl.jpg). Previously, I had hooked my PC media center computer into the orange DVD coaxial digital input jack in the lower left. The other end is a mini plug (which fits both in my old sound card and the Mini). I tried hooking the Mini up this way and the Audio Output preference panel claims I plugged in a "Line Out", not a "Digital Output". I can't get the Mac to recognize it as a digital connection -- I get no sound. Keep in mind this receiver can pretty much play anything thrown at it (PCM, Dolby Pro Logic, Dolby Digital, THX, etc). Am I going to have to bite the bullet and buy a cable with Toslink (http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore?productLearnMore=TA9 68LL/A)?
2.) My goal of this setup is to take the movies I own and rip them to a "DVD jukebox" (a server I have in another room). Previously I was able to leave the ripped DVDs as "VIDEO_TS" folders on the hard drive, but Front Row doesn't like that. I've tried Handbrake a couple of times and the results aren't great (choppy video). Is there a guide to what settings are best for ripping DVDs to use in Front Row?
3.) Along that vein, I'm noticing Front Row is displaying my 4:3 videos in their original aspect ratio, rather than stretching them out to fill the widescreen. Is there a way to set this? (I noticed in the DVD player there's a video zoom option, but I don't see it in Front Row). My TV is a 4:3 HDTV, and the Mac Mini is displaying the desktop in 16:9 with black bars on the top and bottom. When it displays a 4:3 movie, it then puts black bars on the left and right. The video takes up 1/4 of the screen in the dead center -- it's like watching a postage stamp (I'm thinking of just dropping the resolution to 640:480 so it fills the screen).
4.) The range on the Bluetooth has been... not great. I bought an Apple wireless keyboard and mouse so I could sit on my couch and use the machine (similar to my old setup), but if I go farther than about 5 feet from the Mac Mini the mouse starts bouncing around the screen and occasionally gets disconnected. I tried a different wireless mouse and keyboard and got the same results. Bluetooth usually has a range much farther than 5 feet, so this is kind of disappointing. Is everyone else experiencing this?
Mac Mini (Intel) Mac OS X (10.4.5)

Chris,
You'll probably get a whole lot better responses and less chatter by posting each question separately, but we're here, so let's dig a bit on some:
1) No idea - it should just work. Are you sure you gently but firmly inserted the cable in both ends? Better to wait for someone with toslink experience on this one.
2) Not sure what forum this is best for - third party software questions? In general - you get better video settings by telling handbrake (or any codec) to not compress so much. Try giving it two passes to compress and allowing more data on the output end. There are lots of tutorials online
http://handbrake.m0k.org/documentation.php
3) Front Row is really basic - there is no user interface yet to even change preferences and looking at the property list it saves, there appears to be nothing to make that sort of control from the app. Best to re-encode your movies to signal the correct aspect ratio if you want to change how they play by default.
4) This may be the hardest to change since interference is most likely the issue and very hard to track (minute changes can make a big difference - not to mention that most of us fly blind while determining signal strength and trying to guess if there is interference or not). Try turning off other things that use that frequency. (Airport and home phones that use 2.4GHz are the worst typical offenders.) You might have luck having only air between you on the couch and the mini - but another technology might be needed if the interference is coming from a neighbor with a really powerful phone or a leaky microwave. There is no way a small mouse is going to out gun one of them...

Mac Mini behaves poorly through DVI at 1920x1080 on HDTV displays

I recently purchased a Samsung LN-S4695D - a 46" LCD TV capable of 1080p with HDMI and VGA inputs. I've had been using my 23" Cinema Display + a Mac Mini G4 + Rotel Amp as the centerpieces of my Home Theater, and decided to change out the display to accommodate a gaming system and perhaps some other digital or component inputs (and, of course, nab a larger viewing surface). It seems like a fairly standard use of the Mini, but unfortunately many of us are running into disappointing results using our Minis as connected to an HDTV display. I'm writing here to see if we can clear up the issue with the mini and to attempt to identify reasonable workarounds or solutions until Apple gets the Mini right for HD home theater.
The current problem with the Mini and the Samsung TV/Display is that when the Mini is connected via DVI-HDMI (with a Monster 400 2m cable) to the display and asked to run at 1920x1080 (60hz NTSC) it does a reasonable job until it is required to refresh a lot of pixels (scrolling through album art in iTunes, playing DVD or other video, etc.). At that point, the screen fills with bands of static, and (if the rate of change is sustained) eventually looses the signal all together. With heavy scrolling operations, the signal returns as soon as scrolling stops, but with full-screen video it usually stays out until the mac resets its video resolution. Another article shows examples of this "DVI static" here:
http://www.freewebs.com/themagius/minidvipics.htm
So it is clear that the Mini and HDTVs don't play well at 1080 resolutions, as many of you have attested to. The samsung seems to do a better job than most with the Mini in that it it actually renders the 1080 as well as other resolutions, but flakes out on fast updates. While some other resolutions are also problematic, it is important to note that 1280x720 runs flawlessly on the Samsung, and is currently how I have mine set up (VGA input was too disappointing compared to DVI, though it scanned great and fit the image w/o over/underscanning.). Also, my Powerbook G4 1.25ghz (older than the mini) powers the Samsung perfectly at 1920x1080 as a secondary display, running DVD video or anything else that I throw at it, which leads me to believe that the mini is the problem. Here is another story very similar to mine that reports almost the same results with a Sharp LCD panel:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=5940932
So I've three sets of questions for Apple and the rest of you on this forum:
1) Why does the Mac Mini underpeform with the LCD display? The Powerbook works great, and the mini works great with my Cinema display (also 1920x1080) - where is the disconnect between the Mini and the Samsung? I understand very little about the actual details of DVI signals being carried across the wire, and don't understand what would cause the Powerbook to succeed, but the Mini to falter.
2) Assuming the Mini video hardware is at fault, has Apple improved this with the new Core 2 Duo line? Has anyone had success where previous Minis or other Apple hardware failed at 1080? If not, is there any announced intention to make the hardware that is positioned as being most ideal for the living room (ie, Mac Mini) actually DVI/HDMI-compatible with the finest HD living room devices?
3) An unfortunate sideffect of the DVI connection to the TV is that it requires the image from the Apple device to be oversanned (about a menu-bar's worth of pixels disappear on each edge) or underscanned (2" of black space around the image). Is there a common industry standard to correct this? Who is managing the overscan - the TV or the Mini? Also, can any utility, such as ScreenResX correct this until Apple manages to build in correction options into the OS for their living-room devices?
Thanks for all the help! Hopefully we can outline clear answers here in this thread for everyone else having similar problems.
Mac Mini G4 Mac OS X (10.4.8) Samsung LN-S4695D, Monster 400 DVI-HDMI 2m cable

David,
Great post. There's a lot to digest here. Let's get started!
The first question relating to noise, or static, over a TMDS (DVI) connection has to do with with the interoperability of various TMDS transmitters and receivers and how they are implemented. At this point in the market place there are thousands of combinations of transmitter/reciever pairings and obviously some are working better than others.
If you were to observe a TMDS signal with a scope there is something called the "eye" which is framed by the swing voltage and the bit time. When the eye collapses and is encroached upon, digital noise is the result. The noise margin is degraded by higher bit rates. That is why the mini and your TV are working at 720p but failing at 1080p...because the dot clock is that much higher for 1080p. The solution for cases such as this is to build a custom 1920x1080 timing that has reduced blanking, which allows for the lowering of the dot clock. Generally you can lower the dot clock sufficiently to get the noise to stop. LCD displays are relatively immune to reductions in blanking time so you can squeeze a lot out of a timing that was designed more with a CRT in mind.
To answer your second question, you can't fairly say the problem is with the mini. When you consider TMDS compatibility between two devices you have to take a whole system view. This includes not only the transmitter (mini) but the transmission line (PCB traces from the TMDS transmitter inside the mini to the mini's DVI connector -> the cable -> PCB traces from the DVI connector on the TV to the TMDS receiver in the TV), and the receiver. All three have to work together to make things come out right. You could probably just as easily find a display that works well with the mini that doesn't work with your PowerBook. It can be really had to pin the blame down to one device except in the most obvious cases where a certain device seems to be incompatible with just about everything. But I don't think the mini can be labeled that way. Compatibility is definitely an issue the industry still struggles with, especially at the higher clock rates approaching the 165MHz TMDS speed limit.
As for question 3, overscan is being forced by the TV, not by the mini. And, no, utilities like SwitchRes X and DisplayConfigX cannot be counted on to reliably deal with this except in the case of pure analog displays with magnetic deflection systems (e.g. old TVs and monitors). Once you have a digital processor involved and a matrix addressed display, tweaks to porch timings and blanking and such do not have predictable results. It seems to work in some cases but it is basically voodoo when it does. Purely luck.
If you want, I can help you to build a reduced blanking, 1080p timing that will most likely eliminate the DVI static. But you'll still be stuck with overscan. I should point out that a lot of manufacturers are starting to "get it" with respect to the public's desire to attach computers to their hi-def LCD televisions. I see a real shift in 2006 models. I believe the current crop of FHD (Full HD; native 1080) LCDs from the three "S" companies (Samsung, Sharp and Sony) all can display 1080p bit-for-bit now, meaning no overscan. So at least that is changing for the better. Write back if you want help with the timing.
Cheers. And thanks for starting this great thread.

1.66GHZ Mac Mini DVI to HDMI worse than VGA??

I recently hooked up my Mac Mini to my new Samsung Series 7 55" LED TV and was disappointed to find that I can't get a better picture from my DVI to HDMI than the regular DVI to VGA what am I missing?
When I plugged in the HDMI I put the display setting to 1080p and the display comes up grainy and colors are almost fluorescent. I tried several other settings, but I still get a better picture through VGA. The DVI output on this model is single link. I am using a dual link DVI to HDMI cable, but this should not matter. Is it possible that this model is not capable of 1080p on this large a screen? Does anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks

Sounds like different settings are being applied on the TV on a per port basis. Many TVs can store settings unique to a particular input. But there are so many settings on that TV, it would be hard to say for sure which ones are causing what you see.
But for sure the issue is not with video coming out from the mini. The mini doesn't "flavorize" video in any way. It just sends out honest bits of video data. It's the TVs you have to watch out for. They have all kinds of unfettered processing possibilities, many under goofy, trademarked names.

Intel Mac mini and widescreen TV output (analog)

I just replaced my 1.25 GHz mini with a dual-core Intel one, and are really disappointed that the wide-screen resolution options are nowhere to be found. I'm using the Apple DVI-to-Video adapter with an S-Video cable.
On the G4 Mac mini, I would get 640x480 (NTSC 4:3), 800x480 (NTSC 16:9), 768x576 (PAL 4:3) and 1024x576 (PAL 16:9). Together with Overscan and Best for Video, I got a really nice picture on my 16:9 CRT TV (can display PAL and NTSC in either 4:3 or 16:9).
With the Intel Mac mini, I only get 640x480.
(The other available resolutions do not match with the actual NTSC or PAL frequencies or aspect ratios. For example, 720x480 or 720x576 is used as the pixel format for some digital media, but the pixels are not square, and so far, all software expects display pixels to be square. So it's actually quite useless.)
Is there a trick to get those resolutions to show up in Displays and become usable?

1.) I am using either 1920x1080 (interlaced) which is the resultion that has the worst problem with text sharpness. Now, I have discovered the Zoom feature in OSX and I can use it to some degree to make things readable. This may be my best option.
2.) I have done the calibraton and it does look quite a bit better. Those the DVD output is good but not great.
3.) Apparently, from what I have read, this is a common problem. Maybe a driver upgrade from Apple or Intel could fix?
I bought a Philips DVI cable. I know it's not the best but it should suffice. Monster cables seem to be overpriced. I plan to hook my PC to my HDTV with the same cable. My ATi card supports HD resolutions as well.
I also hooked the mini to my CRT that I have on my Dell and it looks very good there. I am impressed that OSX adjusts the resoltions that it can display upon boot. Even which switching displays.
Intel Mini Duo Core Mac OS X (10.4.5) 512MB RAM

New Mac Mini and TrueHD audio

Has any one know if it's possible to play back uncompressed audio streams from .m2ts streams thru the HDMI connector, or are the Dolby Digital and/or DTS the only streams that can play back thru HDMI?

Apple have only said Dolby DTS works, and PCM works. They have not mentioned TrueHD. However others have said that currently the chips used in the Mac mini do not support sending True HD via the HDMI, even though the HDMI specification obviously allows this.
The conclusion is that we would have to wait for another newer Mac mini model with a better set of chips.
I have seen less to nothing about the possibility of running TrueHD via the Mini Displayport and then an adapter to HDMI. It is the case that the Mini Displayport supports audio on the 2010 Mac mini but it is likely the same chip issue prevents True HD.
This is all very disappointing of course.
For the moment, I am sticking with an Apple TV running XBMC which is far cheaper but still does not support TrueHD.
PS. If the rumours are that the next Apple TV only does 720p are true, then Microsoft will (rightly) be laughing at Apple's feeble efforts.

How slow should a Mac mini with i7 2.3 GHz quad core be?

I am really disappointed about how mind numbingly slow this computer is for even the most basic tasks. I'm wondering is something wrong with it or is this just what happens when you don't have an SSD?
I have been using exclusively SSDs in my computers since about late 2009 or early 2010 and since then I have never really felt my computer was utlra slow. I got a Mac mini as a temporary computer when my MacBook Pro started blowing up logic boards every other week while it is endlessly being "repaired". Since this has the same exact processor I expected it to be reasonably speedy at least for simple tasks like web browsing, email, word processing, etc. (no heavy graphics work) but it's not. Every experience is hard drive *crunch* *crunch* *crunch*, wait wait wait, *crunch* *crunch* *crunch*. It's really very slow even on the simplest tasks and if I am running a few things it's like molasses. According to activity monitor as expected the CPU is not taxed in the slightest.
Is there something wrong or is this just what it's like going back to hard drives that spin? Is there something I should be testing or looking into? At least I can say that it doesn't crash.
Timed with a stop watch it takes about 10-15 seconds to launch any of the following with nothing else open: Excel (blank workboook), Mail app, Firefox, etc. It's worse with lots of things open. Always tons audible hard drive activity no matter what I'm doing.

First, back up all data immediately unless you already have a current backup. If you can't back up, stop here. Do not take any of the steps below.
Step 1
This diagnostic procedure will query the log for messages that may indicate a system issue. It changes nothing, and therefore will not, in itself, solve your problem.
If you have more than one user account, these instructions must be carried out as an administrator.
Triple-click anywhere in the line below on this page to select it:
syslog -k Sender kernel -k Message CReq 'GPU |hfs: Ru|I/O e|find tok|n Cause: -|NVDA\(|pagin|timed? ?o' | tail | awk '/:/{$4=""; print}' | open -ef
Copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C.
Launch the Terminal application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Terminal in the icon grid.
Paste into the Terminal window (command-V). I've tested these instructions only with the Safari web browser. If you use another browser, you may have to press the return key.
The command may take a noticeable amount of time to run. Wait for a new line ending in a dollar sign (“$”) to appear.
A TextEdit window will open with the output of the command. Normally the command will produce no output, and the window will be empty. If the TextEdit window (not the Terminal window) has anything in it, stop here and post it — the text, please, not a screenshot. The title of the TextEdit window doesn't matter, and you don't need to post that.
Step 2
There are a few other possible causes of generalized slow performance that you can rule out easily.
Disconnect all non-essential wired peripherals and remove aftermarket expansion cards, if any.
Reset the System Management Controller.
Run Software Update. If there's a firmware update, install it.
If you're booting from an aftermarket SSD, see whether there's a firmware update for it.
If you have a portable computer, check the cycle count of the battery. It may be due for replacement.
If you have many image or video files on the Desktop with preview icons, move them to another folder.
If applicable, uncheck all boxes in the iCloud preference pane. See whether there's any change.
Check your keychains in Keychain Access for excessively duplicated items.
Boot into Recovery mode, launch Disk Utility, and run Repair Disk.
If you have a MacBook Pro with dual graphics, disable automatic graphics switching in the Energy Saverpreference pane for better performance at the cost of shorter battery life.
Step 3
When you notice the problem, launch the Activity Monitor application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Activity Monitor in the icon grid.
Select the CPU tab of the Activity Monitor window.
Select All Processes from the View menu or the menu in the toolbar, if not already selected.
Click the heading of the % CPU column in the process table to sort the entries by CPU usage. You may have to click it twice to get the highest value at the top. What is it, and what is the process? Also post the values for User, System, and Idle at the bottom of the window.
Select the Memory tab. What value is shown in the bottom part of the window for Swap used?
Next, select the Disk tab. Post the approximate values shown for Reads in/sec and Writes out/sec (not Reads in andWrites out.)
Step 4
If you have more than one user account, you must be logged in as an administrator to carry out this step.
Launch the Console application in the same way you launched Activity Monitor. Make sure the title of the Console window is All Messages. If it isn't, select All Messages from the SYSTEM LOG QUERIES menu on the left. If you don't see that menu, select
View ▹ Show Log List
from the menu bar.
Select the 50 or so most recent entries in the log. Copy them to the Clipboard by pressing the key combinationcommand-C. Paste into a reply to this message (command-V). You're looking for entries at the end of the log, not at the beginning.
When posting a log extract, be selective. Don't post more than is requested.
Please do not indiscriminately dump thousands of lines from the log into this discussion.
Important: Some personal information, such as your name, may appear in the log. Anonymize before posting. That should be easy to do if your extract is not too long.

The Intel Mac Mini uses on-board graphics... how good are they?

I'm seriously considering getting an Intel Mac Mini and telling all my friends to get one, too. However, there's one problem - the graphics.
The whole reason I'd want an Intel Mac would be so that I could dual-boot into Windows Vista (when it comes out) in order to play the latest games.
How suitable are the on-board graphics for gaming? Would it be able to play Halo and Command & Conquer Generals well?
Basically, I want to know if it's the equivalent of a 64 MB graphics chip in speed, or if having on-board graphics makes it a bit slower. Does it have hardware acceleration? And is it suitable for smooth casual gaming at an average resolution?

I am very uneasy about finding integrated graphics in the new mini too.
When I first saw the new Mini website on Apple's website I was so excited "intel processor", "4 usb ports", "faster drives" but something was missing from the website; the "graphics" sub-category. I instantly wondering what was up with that, thinking right away obviously the graphics weren't good enough to brag about. I was right. On Apple's MacMini website, on the "Intel Core" sub-category page, bottom of the page, right side there's a weee comment on integrated graphics, "oh." was my only thought.
It's really disappointing to see integrated graphics in the new Mini. That AND the increase in price. The price of the Intel iMac dropped by $100 when it got introduced, but the Intel Mini's price goes up $100 upon introduction, further closing the price between the iMac and the Mini and making the iMac looking more and more attractice in terms of features-performance-price-value. I better run out and buy a Intel iMac before Apple removes the miniDVI-out port (which I'm predicting it will be removed in the next iMac revision)
Hopefully some Intel MacMini review tests in the coming weeks will reveal better-than-expected graphics performance.
I'm surprised nobody else has mentioned this but... doesn't anyone here see that Apple has given us a preview of what's to come by putting integrated graphics in the new Intel MacMini? -- Anyone? I'll tell you -- we're going to see the exact same integrated graphics in the upcoming Intel iBooks, that's what.
Mac Mini Mac OS X (10.4.5)

Please help me choose a Mac Mini

I have not owned any mac computer and have been waiting for the new mini for a few months. I need a decent mac computer without having to spend too much to program iOS and maybe some photo viewing and casual editing. So the OS X is important to me.
The new Mac mini is kind of disappointing. I would expect a better quad CPU and user expandable memory (still uncertain so far). So I am struggling between two choices:
1. I may choose the new 2.6 G model and definitely need the memory to be 16GB. I am not sure if I want the 1TB fusion drive for $200.
2. There are still some old 2012 quad models available at some online stores and I may get one and expand the memory to 16 myself. Can we easily swap out the hard drive and install one 1TB SSD? How do we transfer the OS and app with the box to the new SSD? The biggest concern on this option is if I can update the OS to OS X Yosemite and even later versions because I will use it for programming iSO apps and must be able to update to the latest OS X.
Thanks.

From what I see in the Apple Store, the new Mini still does not have a quad-core cpu
nor did the older Mini (Late 2012) across any they had listed. However if you need a
quad core model and performance, looking into the future, you should seek to inspect
the higher specification computers in the line. Since there is a limited upgrade, I can
see why the Mini is desired. If you get a Mini server model, internal storage options
can be increased. New MINI 16GB RAM upgrade is an Online Store-only upgrade.
http://store.apple.com/us/buy-mac/mac-mini
The only small computer with quad-core cpu technologies in the Store, is 15" MB/Pro
portable, offering several features but at a higher price; including a Retina display.
Of these, two models; both near & above $2K USD; the dual GPU model may have
gotten past the hardware earlier model owners cited issues with over a few years.
http://store.apple.com/us/buy-mac/macbook-pro
An SSD and RAM upgrade could make the MINI a fair computer, even though it only
has the Dual-Core technology. However the upgrade may affect AppleCare coverage.
There often are Late 2012 model Mini Macs in the official online refurb store page, &
they qualify for the optional AppleCare; however they don't offer custom upgrades.
The low-end MINI has similar specs to the low-end non-Retina MacBook Pro 13-inch.
A little faster bus speed, and a slightly newer graphic processor...
At least the newest Mini, according to the online Apple Store, says it will ship with
Yosemite; so with 16GB RAM, that can be a good start. You should ask an Apple
genius or specialist what they can do for you in the way of an upgrade to larger SSD
or HDD, after delivery, so AppleCare is not affected. If they still let you do anything.
In any event...
Good luck & happy computing!

My Mac Mini loses wifi connectivity once every other hour...

I noticed last night that web pages in Safari weren't loading at all, and that my Internet kept disconnecting me every couple of minutes. I restarted Time Capsule thinking it was the culprit. A few minutes later, the same symptoms persisted. This time, I simply turned Mac Mini wifi off and on, and that seemed to temporarily work each time. So that led me to believe that Time Capsule was fine, and that something was happened to my Mac Mini that required me to disconnect and reconnect to the network. Today, I've purposely been streaming music from the web to see how long it takes to lose signal. It hasn't been every few minues like last night. However, it's been just about every two hours. I turn the Mac Mini wifi off then on - and it's fixed. So what might be causing this? I will say the Internet speed is great when it works. But it's either there - or it isn't.
Thank you!

Please read this whole message before doing anything.
This procedure is a diagnostic test. It’s unlikely to solve your problem. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.
The purpose of the test is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party software that loads automatically at startup or login, by a peripheral device, or by corruption of certain system caches.
Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Boot in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem. Note: If FileVault is enabled on some models, or if a firmware password is set, or if the boot volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Ask for further instructions.
Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including sound output and Wi-Fi on certain iMacs. The next normal boot may also be somewhat slow.
The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin. Test while in safe mode. Same problem? After testing, reboot as usual (i.e., not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of the test.

Looking towards buying a Mac Mini

My G4 Cube has died it's last death. The HD is gone. I had backed up a couple of days before, so I'm not in hysterics, but I am bummed ( I did lose some stuff, but nothing that I hadn't printed out and saved). I'd owned the Cube since April 2001. It had been through two hard drives, one new video card, several crashes that were "fixed" via DiscWarrior, but this time the Tek Serve folks said, "it won't boot at all except form our bench drive." Meaning, my HD is no more. I could replace it for about $200.
But what's the point? At 500 MHz, it's too slow to run all the neat things I want it to run - including Classic Applications. I also had purchased an impressive (to me) collection of peripherals, like a DVD drive (my cube only had the CD RW), etc.
Thusly, my relationship with the Cube was bad generally. Analogous to the old car that kept on breaking down no matter what you tried. It was serviced under warranty, but now it's been classified as "vintage" so there's little support out there - why should I even bother with something similar...?
But: the Mac Mini is appealing because it's compact and will allow me to use all the neat peripherals I have, it's fast, etc., etc., etc.
Questions:
1. I am an engineer and have the desire to run some applications that would normally only run on windows, I would thus plan on using Parallels. From other discussions, Parallels works great!
2. [Edited by Host, please do not speculate on future Apple products.]
3. Overall, you Mac Mini owner, is the Mac Mini generally good? Are you happy with it? Is it robust? That is, do you expect it to start up regularly and use it 8+ hours a day for all sorts of things? Is it a good investment? I'd like to think that once purchased (with the Apple care and such) that I'd get five solid years' worth of production out of it.

[Post Edited by Hosts]
In addition, because of my generally BAD experience
with the G4 Cube, I don't want to get hosed by
purchasing a slower machine a month before a faster
one comes out. As a loyal Apple customer for quite a
while, I think I deserve to be a bit skeptical.
Whether you like it or not, attempting to discuss Apple's future plans or products that as yet don't exist IS a violation of the terms of use of the site here, because as you'll know as a long-time Apple user, Apple doesn't discuss it's plans or policies with anyone. As such, they created this site as a user-to-user forum for the specific purpose of discussion of technical matters relating to existing products. A brody may not have expressed it in an elegant manner, but your question could do nothing but solicit responses from those who can't contribute anything but speculative responses, and since those would be highly likely to get the thread removed completely, would not be in your own interests to see posted.
You are at liberty to avail yourself of any of the other sites which discuss Apple products and seek information about future plans there, though in truth you'll still get nothing more than guesswork - which seems to me a rather poor foundation on which to make a purchasing decision.
There is nothing, however, to prevent you seeking help with potential upgrades - as has actually been detailed here before, including information about possible processor swap-outs for minis which you'll find if you search for it.
That said, with a history of Apple systems use, you have earned the right to be a bit skeptical! All the more reason I'd think to ensure that regardless of what might or might not be the next product off the production line, the system you buy actually meets your needs, since if it does, the fact that it will be replaced at some point (as all systems are of course) will not matter because it will continue to meet that need.
The question therefore seems to me to be whether the current mini can run the software you need at sufficient speed to allow you to work, or whether you'd be better with a PC. Since it appears from your comments that you're going to require Parallels (or BootCamp) and Windows, the only advantage of buying a mini is if you would like to continue use of MacOS in addition to your Windows-based work or not. Only you can answer that, but it does reflect on the one real advantage of buying a mini - that doing so will give you the option to run both, while buying a PC will give you only Windows.
If, and only if, you would like the option to run both operating systems, the mini is an excellent system to choose. Not perfect and not lightning fast, but with 2Gb RAM it would outperform your now-deceased Cube by a significant factor. In context, it would give you roughly equal performance to a G5 dual processor system, and in processor-intensive work, actually be able to outperform it.
The limitations of the mini are that it contains a laptop 5400rpm drive and doesn't permit internal expansion (other than maxing out the RAM). However, it can be expended with additional storage and peripherals by adding them externally, so the core system does not really limit your options in the way that many people at first assume.
Since overall reliability seems to have been pretty good, there is not reason NOT to buy a mini unless the system isn't capable of supporting other needs, or if you have no wish to continue to run MacOS. I would certainly urge you not to base your choice on what may or may not be next - you will always be disappointed that way because even if you wait and get the latest/greatest thing when it comes out, it's not going to stay latest/greatest for long! My G5 was once the fastest system available, but while it's been overtaken by just about every mac in the product range, it still delivers the same power and runs the same software as it always did, and gives truly excellent service. In the world of Macs, as you'll know from your Cube, software does advance quite dramatically over time, but rarely to the point that it creases to be backwards compatible with earlier systems, so the imperative to keep hardware 'up to date' isn't entirely the same as in the Windows environment.

Fusion drive and mac mini overall

greetings, i'm thinking about getting a mac mini to augment my macbook pro. essentially i'm thinking of pulling my itunes, etc off my MBP to the mini. does anyone have experience or feedback on the fusion drive. i'm not sure i need it, but sometimes building it out with features gives me a longer runway with the machine. any other feedback on the mini? i currently have a 27" thunderbolt monitor that i use with my MBP. regards...

Hi, I've read glowing reports on the new Minis, drawbacks are mostly HDMI issues, but a few even via TB to even Apple's Monitors. if you can wait maybe 3 months to see if Apple offers something other than HD4000 for graphics, I'd do that.
PS. Disappointed in Apple more every day.

Apple remote doesn't work with 2011 Mac Mini

Purchased today, 8/17/2011, from Apple store new Mac Mini with Apple remote. Sucessfully paired the remote in "Security & Privacy" area, the "Disable remote" box is NOT checked.
When I press the menu button nothing happens. If I start a show in iTunes the "play/pause" buttons work but nothing else. Front Row doesn't show up anywhere. Apple rep said remote worked w/new Mini just like it does with all Mac's.
Anyone heard why it doesn't? Is this a Lion issue that Apple will remedy. Total deal killer for me, as we prefer to use the remote when watching shows
Very disappointed today

There's no FrontRow with Lion it's been discontinued ...
There's some possible work-arounds here:
http://www.tuaw.com/2011/07/21/how-to-install-front-row-on-lion/
http://macformat.techradar.com/blog/get-front-row-lion-29-07-11
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-20084238-263/how-to-install-front-row-on-os -x-lion/
I've not tried any of these.

Mac Mini disappointment

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