Mac Mini - DPChallenge Forums

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

01/12/2005 06:54:20 PM · #76

Originally posted by Artyste:

I'm totally against a machine that limits one.. no matter what the cost

...and you use a PC? ;-) Bear in mind the target audience for the Mini. This is the lowest-end Mac, designed to do the basics. Any so-called limits would only apply to users with more advanced needs (my kids or grandmother would have no use for a PCI card).

Three friends with a Mac virus- that's a neat trick. I literally haven't seen a virus on a Mac since 1995. Of course, for PCs the response would be, "Wow! Only three?"

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

01/12/2005 06:57:16 PM · #77

They're up to 30 inches now ... or just hook it up to your plasma display.

Imagineer

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM

01/12/2005 07:38:58 PM · #78

Originally posted by Artyste:

The only thing it helps me is in pointing out your obvious bias.

Don't doubt it! What's so wrong if I speak from experience with both? Would I be criticised as biased for voting for a particular political party because they serve my country better?

Sorry, but PCs have always followed, never led, once Mac introduced the GUI with windows. PCs are like VHS to Betamax - inferior but with superior sales avenues.

My comparisons are general - PCs aren't beige anymore but they don't have the finesse of a Mac - inside or out.

nsbca7

Mattel Barbie Photo Designer Digital Camera

01/12/2005 08:10:30 PM · #79

Originally posted by Imagineer:

they don't have the finesse of a Mac - inside or out.

You really have to see, listen to and touch a Mac to see the obvious quality they put into these things. But once you get behind the wheel it's all over. The G5 is the king of multi-tasking.

maxj

Canon EOS-300D Rebel

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

01/12/2005 08:32:50 PM · #80

well..before this "mac mini", i always felt that PCs and Macs were the same...they kick ass fter you drop $2000 dolars for them. Macs have always been over priced (well..maybe not over prieced, but certainly expensive compared to PCs) with little software for the common person.

my school used to have old iMacs, which were the cheapest ones they could get, and i was never impressed by them.

01/12/2005 09:01:34 PM · #81

Originally posted by nsbca7:

You really have to see, listen to and touch a Mac to see the obvious quality they put into these things.

I second that sentiment. Raw technical specs don't tell the whole story. It's all the little touches and details that make the user experience so much better than a PC.

Our au pair wanted to use a computer to communicate with her boyfriend in Portugal. A few clicks of the mouse and she has a personal "space" on the laptop, with her own prefs and applications separate from anyone else. When I want to use it, I just select my name from a menu and enter my password, and the whole screen "rotates" like a 3D cube to show my space. Her native language is Portuguese, so 3 clicks and everything is in Portuguese in her space. With an iSight camera and iChat, she has real-time videoconferences with her PC-using boyfriend wirelessly from any room in the house- no configuration necessary. Just plug in the camera and enter his AOL screen name and she's seeing someone LIVE on another continent. We gave her a Powershot camera, and she uses it all the time with iPhoto. Zero learning curve. It has never crashed, and viruses are unheard of. She had never used a Mac before, and now doesn't want to use a PC again.

Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

01/12/2005 09:04:41 PM · #82

Originally posted by maxj:

my school used to have old iMacs, which were the cheapest ones they could get, and i was never impressed by them.

OS X on a modern Mac, with iPhoto, iMovie, iTunes, GarageBand and Safari is a totally different animal than an old iMac. There is no comparison.

bdobe

Canon EOS-1D Mark II

01/12/2005 09:10:22 PM · #83

I must confess... if my investment on WinTel software and hardware weren't so high already, I would switch in flash. As others have already pointed out, it's not merely about the processing speed and technical amenities, it's also about the "look and feel" of the product. Simply put, Apple does a much better job of integrating high-end design with practical functionality.

ScottK

Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT

01/12/2005 09:10:44 PM · #84

Originally posted by Imagineer:

Sorry, but PCs have always followed, never led, once Mac introduced the GUI with windows.

So that's why they're releasing the mini - a copy of the concept of the Shuttle mini PCs that have been around for 2 to 3 years? Granted, they do look cute.

And somebody's got to do it: Don't forget that Apple copied Xerox in designing their GUI. And OS X is built off UNIX, is it not?

Message edited by author 2005-01-12 21:11:10.

ScottK

Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT

Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

01/12/2005 09:18:53 PM · #85

Originally posted by scalvert:

Three friends with a Mac virus- that's a neat trick. I literally haven't seen a virus on a Mac since 1995. Of course, for PCs the response would be, "Wow! Only three?"

I've had PCs for the better part of 20 years, and used anti-virus software only sporadically (mostly when it came free with a new computer or piece of hardware), and I've had 0 virus'.

Artyste

Sony Ericsson W810i

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Pentax

01/12/2005 09:22:53 PM · #86

Originally posted by ScottK:

Originally posted by scalvert:
Three friends with a Mac virus- that's a neat trick. I literally haven't seen a virus on a Mac since 1995. Of course, for PCs the response would be, "Wow! Only three?"

I've had PCs for the better part of 20 years, and used anti-virus software only sporadically (mostly when it came free with a new computer or piece of hardware), and I've had 0 virus'.

forget it Scott.. Mac users live in the Mac universe. lol.

Gauti

Canon EOS-7D

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0L USM

01/12/2005 09:27:59 PM · #87

Well, this is a change from the usual Canon/Nikon debate :)
As far as I can tell the main difference between the two are that Macs are designed as a unit from the beginning with not that many different options. PC have only the name in common, different CPU's, motherboards, DDR's and everything. It's real easy to put together a PC, but can be next to impossible to get everything to function together at the same time, but when you reach that nirvana you have a fearsome machine.
I've had a PC for the last 15+ yrs and upgraded them piece by piece, next will be (probably) my video-card (or more memory). I've tried Macs and I like 'em, but I've not fallen in love with them.
If you like to cobble things together yourself, then PC on Linux are the way to go, but if you prefer a good, solid ready-made unit then it's Macs.

jazzmik

Nikon D300

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Nikon

01/13/2005 12:03:14 AM · #88

the Shuttle Mini PC looks like an ugly version of the Mac G4 Cube, which was introduced five years ago.

:-)

Originally posted by ScottK:

Originally posted by Imagineer:
Sorry, but PCs have always followed, never led, once Mac introduced the GUI with windows.

So that's why they're releasing the mini - a copy of the concept of the Shuttle mini PCs that have been around for 2 to 3 years? Granted, they do look cute.

And somebody's got to do it: Don't forget that Apple copied Xerox in designing their GUI. And OS X is built off UNIX, is it not?

Message edited by author 2005-01-13 00:04:02.