20.06.2010

The 2010 Mac Mini is here

The Mac Mini is the smallest desktop from Apple. The original model, launched in 2005, was 16.5 x 16.5 x 5.1 cm. The new one is slimmer but also wider and deeper (19.7 x 19.7 x 3.5 cm).

The Power Supply

Gone is the bulky external power supply; it has been shrunk and moved inside the case.

This not only saves space but also weight - about a pound in total, meaning the new model weighs in at just 3 pounds (1.37 kg).

The Case

One very welcome change is the 100% aluminium case, with a bottom plate that can be removed with a twist to fit more RAM and upgrade the memory. The original white plastic and aluminium case - which was largely unchanged from 2005 - was notoriously difficult to open. Users who took matters into their own hands commonly resorted to implements like a putty knife to open it up and install memory and processor upgrades; all in the past now!

The Connectors

The Gigabit Ethernet, FireWire 800, Mini DisplayPort, and optical and analog audio input/output are unchanged, as are the two video ports.

The Mini DisplayPort connector will cope with resolutions of up to 2560 × 1600 pixels (30-inch display) and means that dual display can be achieved simply.

There are 4 USB ports, one less than the previous model, but we doubt you'll miss one USB port given that it's been replaced by an SDXC memory card slot through which you can plug in over 2 TeraBytes of storage.

Also new is an HDMI port (High Definition Multimedia Interface) which allows uncompressed digital data to be transmitted and improves on the mini-DVI previously used.

The Rest of the Spec

The processor is a Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz (up from the previous 2.26 GHz).

Standard hard disk is 320Gb, upgradable to 500 Gb (although you're probably better off using an external drive via FireWire if you're going to need more storage space).

Only 2Gb of RAM as standard (upgradable to 8Gb) might not feel that generous, but the new graphics card is an Nvidia GeForce 320M which could well take up lots of the slack when it comes to graphics or gaming.

There's a DVD writer. The decision not to include Blu-ray (or throw in a free remote for that matter) seems a bit strange given that many customers choose a Mac Mini as a home cinema / media centre.

The Snow Leopard Server version of the Mac Mini (where the optical drive is replaced with a second Hard Disk) remains an option.

back to Desktops