I bought my first apple computer - the mac mini, a year back when I had been to the US. After a long debate (with myself) regarding the premium I would be paying just for the brand, I decided to take the plunge to see what it was all about. Apple migrated to x86 architecture using Intel's processors from their previous Power PC architecture. This move nullified any hardware differences between a Mac and any regular PC that you build with off the shelf components. So I knew that if anything would hit the spot for me, it had to be the Mac OS.
I ended up paying around Rs.24,000 for the base configuration which came with an Intel Core 2 Duo 1.83 GHz Dual Core processor and 1 GB of RAM and an 80 GB Hard drive. Note that the Mac Mini is just the basic computer box with processor, memory, hard drive and interfaces for connecting other devices. It does not come with a keyboard, mouse and monitor all of which has to be purchased extra. The good part is that you can use any keyboard, mouse and monitor that you generally use with a PC and it will work with the Mac Mini.
I upgraded the memory to 2 GB for which I shelled out Rs.2000. I spent Rs. 2800 on the apple wireless bluetooth keyboard and another 1600 INR on a logitech bluetooth mouse. When I picked up my computer it came with Mac OS X Tiger. Shortly after I picked up my mini, Max OS X (10.5) - Leopard released and I spent another 4800 INR for the upgrade. In total, I shelled around 35,000 rupees for a configuration which if I had bought a PC with the same specifications, I would have probably spent 20-25k INR. If I had waited for a month, I could have picked up the new mac minis that shipped with the 2 GB RAM that I wanted and the Leopard OS at no extra cost. But a month I couldn't wait and ended up shelling up some extra money to satisfy my craving for technology. In the end, the big question is: Is it worth it? And the short answer to that is: Yes! In every sense of it. The rest of this article will give the long version of it.
Those who visit my pad always ask "Why did you have to buy the Mac mini when you already have a computer?". The answer is not: Because I love cool technology. The answer is: The need for a power saving, space saving media friendly computer. I already have a powerful PC loaded up with high end parts which I primarily use for gaming. Until I got the Mac Mini, this PC was also used to download stuff off the net and watch movies. With a 2 Mbps internet connection, that meant my main desktop which had a dual core processor, 2 GPUs, 2 hard drives, 10 fans etc, was running 24 X 7 skyrocketing my electricity bill. Add to that the noise of the system and I very badly needed a computer that didn't make much noise, wasn't as huge as my existing system, didn't consume as much power and met my basic computing needs like web browsing, watching movies and running 24/7. This is where the mac mini comes in. It is really small, just about a little bit bigger than tiffin boxes I used to take to school for lunch and the same size as my wireless router. It has just one fan that does a fairly decent job of staying silent and cooling the system. The Mini comes with 4 USB ports, connection for Mic, Stereo speaker, 802.11a/b Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and firewire. The mini box doesn't have a power supply integrated into it and comes with an external power supply like those found in laptops.
On the software side of things, I really liked the feel of the operating system. With all patches applied, the OS is really smooth and the initial quirks have been ironed out. The OS interaction graphics are visually pleasing and unlike Windows Vista, the visuals do not come at the cost of system performance. The OS is quite responsive, especially after I upgraded to 2 GB of RAM. Those unaware of the Mac world mostly are of the opinion that software for the Mac are expensive. This is not really true and just like in the PC world, the Mac side also has a lot of opensource/ freewares which do a decent job of satisfying day to day computing requirements. If there is a software for the PC, there is a very good chance there is an equivalent for the mac. The best Mac softwares can be found here. All things "Mac" have a very consistent beautiful feel to it, including all websites that are mac specific.
On the security side of things, I have not had anythign to worry about spyware/viruses. Being based on BSD which is a unix flavor, the system is quite secure and is not infected by viruses that are commonly found in the windows world. There is always news about a new mac virus on the prowl and that is probably because the few that exist get all the attention. Apple has been pretty good at frequently issuing system updates that fix security flaws in the OS. It is also very difficult to get the system to crash! I have tried everything possible and the OS simply does not crash. This is one of the most reliable operating systems I have worked on.
All said and done, the one software integrated into the Mac OS that makes my Mac Mini worth every paisa is Apple Front Row. Did I mention that the Mac Mini (and all other Macs) come with a remote? The apple remote, with just 6 keys, can turn your Mac into a media center. It provides the ultimate convenience of laying back on the bed and switching movies without having to go to the keyboard every time I want to increase the volume or change the movie. This simply is the killer selling point in the Mac mini for me. I have an external 1 TB Hard drive plugged into the Mac Mini and I have configured the system to pick off movies from this drive. And Front Row does a brilliant job of serving me movies at the touch of a remote. While this may sound trivial to those who are used to watching movies on DVD players, note that getting this done on a regular PC requires an IR receiver (which is integrated into all Macs), supporing OS and a remote. Its as easy as a breeze on the Mac Mini.
Having said enough praises, I do have a few complaints about the Mac Mini. I have some insider news that the new versions of the Mac Mini that is to launch soon will address most of my shortcomings:
1) Lack of support for anything beyond 2.1 speakers (this can be fixed by buying an external USB sound card)
2) Intel Integrated Graphics. The Mac Mini comes with Intel Integrated graphics which is one of the worst graphics options in the market. This in itself kills the Mac's ability to play games. Note that most popular games are available for the Mac. However, a Mac Mini is the worst option to do so because of the less than mediocre graphic hardware integrated into it. This cannot be replaced either. Even if you are not a gamer, it would help to have a Mac with integrated graphics from either Nvidia or AMD because these support video decoding. This helps by shifting video processing from Intel CPUs to the graphics unit, there by saving power and providing improved quality.
All in all, I am very impressed with the device and I look forward to upgrading my Mac mini to the newer model when it releases. The size of the device and its ability to satisfy basic computing requirements will satisfy most users. The mini definitely has a place in most households. The Mac Mini is available to purchase in India at the apple store. The base model sells for around 28,700. While this might seem a little steep, let me assure those looking for a pain free computing solution that this is what they are looking for. In fact, the Mac Mini would make the perfect gift for parents as a first computer or even as a replacement for your aging computer.
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