Mac Mini 2010 Model Unboxing & First Impressions

[Jason Dunn]

<p>Hi there. My name is Jason, and I just bought my first Mac: a Mac Mini. Here's a couple of videos about my first 18 minutes spent with it.</p><p><object width="600" height="360" data="http://www.youtube.com/v/8F7RerVhtp0&amp;ap=%26fmt=18" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"><param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8F7RerVhtp0&amp;ap=%26fmt=18" /></object></p><p>This is an unboxing and first impressions video of the new Mac Mini (2010 model). This <a href="http://tinyurl.com/2cjc37t" target="_blank">Mac Mini</a>&nbsp;[affiliate] has an Intel Core 2 Duo CPU running at 2.4 Ghz, 2 GB of DDR3 RAM, a 320 GB hard drive (likely 5400 RPM, though Apple won't say), an 8x slot-loading SuperDrive (DVD and CD burner), AirPort Extreme 802.11n Wi-Fi (which is compatible with 802.11a/b/g), Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, gigabit Ethernet, an SD card slot, four USB 2.0 ports, one Firewire 800 port, and an NVIDIA GeForce 320M GPU. Part two after the break. <MORE /></p><p><object width="600" height="360" data="http://www.youtube.com/v/usJmyASsBPI&amp;ap=%26fmt=18" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"><param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/usJmyASsBPI&amp;ap=%26fmt=18" /></object></p><p>One of the things I didn't mention in the video is how <a href="http://www.apple.com/macmini/environment.html" target="_blank">power efficient</a> the 2010 Mac Mini is: it only uses an 85 watt power supply, and that PSU is 90% efficient. Impressively, it only uses 10 watts of power at idle, and is Energy Star 5.0 compliant. I'll be testing some of these claims with a Kill-A-Watt, but I don't doubt that they're accurate.&nbsp;</p><p>I'll have a quick video coming up of how easy it is to upgrade the RAM in the new Mac Mini, and in a few weeks I'll have my review video of the Mac Mini. Knowing as little about OS X as I do, I'll probably end up asking more questions than answering them, but I'll do my best!</p><p><em>Jason Dunn owns and operates&nbsp;<a href="http://www.thoughtsmedia.com/" target="_blank">Thoughts Media Inc.</a>, a company dedicated to creating the best in online communities. He enjoys&nbsp;<a href="http://photos.jasondunn.com/" target="_blank">photography</a>, mobile devices,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.jasondunn.com/" target="_blank">blogging</a>, digital media content creation/editing, and pretty much all technology. He lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with his lovely wife, his wonderful son, and his sometimes obedient dog. He still feels a little queasy about buying a Mac.</em></p><p><em></em><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com//ppct/auto/1240336793.usr1.gif" /></p><p><strong>Do you enjoy using new hardware, software and accessories, then sharing your experience with others? Then join us on the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.thoughtsmedia.com/reviewteam.php" target="_blank">Thoughts Media Review Team</a>! We're looking for individuals who find it fun to test new gear and give their honest opinions about the experience. It's a volunteer role with some great perks. Interested?&nbsp;<a href="http://www.thoughtsmedia.com/reviewteam.php" target="_blank">Then click here for more information.</a></strong></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com//ppct/auto/1240336793.usr1.gif" /></p>

[crimsonsky]

Hee hee! :) Welcome to Appleholics Anonymous, Jason!

Glad the Mini fascinated you enough to buy it and I hope you really enjoy it. I'm a die-hard MacHead even though I run Win7 via Boot Camp and also on a netbook. And as much as I really enjoy Win7 (according to me, the best OS Microsoft has ever produced) I find Mac OS X to be more pleasing _to me_. Us Apple Heads will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have. And since we all know you to be a fair and reasonable person (seriously) I'm pretty confident you'll give a fair and honest review. Have fun!

[crimsonsky]

Oh, and by the way, I started down the slippery slope of Appledom when I bought the very first Mini in 2005. At the time I was still working as a network engineer and PC Tech and bought the Mini mainly because my son had been raving about his PowerBook and I always wanted a Mac to play with but they were always too expensive. The 1st PPC Mini was cheap enough that it was almost an impulse purchase. I never expected I'd become a full on convert to OS X and Macs back then. Not that I think that will happen to you :D but fair warning!

[Jason Dunn]

Us Apple Heads will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have.

Yeah, honestly, OS X makes no sense to me every time I've used it - so I'm hoping that, starting from scratch, I'll be able to grasp it better. Are you on Twitter? Follow me on Twitter and help me. :D

[crimsonsky]

I've been following you. I'm crimsonsky76 on Twitter.

[doogald]

When you are finished running Mac apps, Cmd-Q is your friend. Closing the window does not (usually) close the app. If there is anything that gets a heavy Windows user trying out Mac, it's that.

(Closing the window does close System Preferences, however.)

[Jason Dunn]

When you are finished running Mac apps, Cmd-Q is your friend. Closing the window does not (usually) close the app.

And if I was using a PC keyboard...would that be Control+Q?

[crimsonsky]

And if I was using a PC keyboard...would that be Control+Q?

Windows-Q. You can remap it to the ALT key in System Preferences. Moving and renaming files will trip you up too. Rename a file by pressing the return key on the file name (yeah, weird). Move files from one volume to another by holding the CMD key (or Windows Key or ALT key). If you see a green plus sign while moving a file, you're copying it and not moving it. But you ordered a Mac keyboard, so just use the CMD key.

[ctmagnus]

I sprung for a new MacBook Pro when they were refreshed a few months ago. The one thing that still catches me (and bugs the heck out of me) is that you can't do CMD+key shortcuts like you can in windows, such as Win+E, Win+F, Win+M. The fact that I was just getting used to Windows 7's Superbar shortcuts (Win+1, Win+2, etc.) only aggravates that more.

Thankfully there are third-party programs to bring some Windows functionality to OS X, such as MagicPrefs, Growl, and QuickSilver. And Address Book and Calendar play nicely with Exchange 2007 servers, albeit without categories.

[crimsonsky]

I'm a mouse man myself and hardly use keyboard shortcuts & don't even know what those Windows shortcuts you listed do for the most part. But I'd be surprised if there aren't MacOS equivalents to those keys. There are literally hundreds of keyboard shortcuts in OS X.

[Jerry Raia]

I don't use shortcuts either unless I have to. I found one thing though when I first started using my MacBook Pro after years of Windows, as soon as I started to think of it as a Unix system it got very simple to understand it. I know that's a terse statement but that really made the difference for me. Of course I started decades ago on Unix so all that stuff still was rattling around in my head.

[Jason Dunn]

...as soon as I started to think of it as a Unix system it got very simple to understand it.

Yeah, and for me, the amount of Unix I know/remember can fit on a single line of text, so that's not something that gets me excited. :D

[Jerry Raia]

Well then one way to think of it is you just bought your first Unix box :D

[Jason Dunn]

Well then one way to think of it is you just bought your first Unix box :D

Haha...that's a bizarre thought, but yeah, you're right. :eek: :D

[Deslock]

I'm surprised that you got one given that you are such a loyal Microsoft enthusiast with utter contempt for Steve Jobs and disdain for the cult of Mac.

Anyway FYI for anyone else looking at one, Apple's educational discounts (which almost anyone can get) are sometimes better in the store. The Mac mini discount on the website is only $50, but it was $150 off when I bought one on Friday. $549 US is still a lot pricier than your run-of-the-mill PC box, but is a decent deal for such a well equipped, silent, efficient, micro-form-factor machine; especially since it runs UNIX and comes with a free-after-rebate wireless printer (thankfully it's one of those easy online rebates too).

BTW, if you decide to keep the mini for more than 1 year, get the Applecare extended warranty. It goes for $50 on Ebay.

[Jason Dunn]

I'm surprised that you got one given that you are such a loyal Microsoft enthusiast with utter contempt for Steve Jobs and disdain for the cult of Mac.

That's probably the most accurate summary of my feelings I've read in quite some time. ;) Yes, I'm quite surprised I'm in the "Mac owner" camp now myself!

Anyway FYI for anyone else looking at one, Apple's educational discounts (which almost anyone can get) are sometimes better in the store.

Don't take this the wrong way, but how can "almost anyone" get an educational discount? Isn't it reserved for students?

BTW, if you decide to keep the mini for more than 1 year, get the Applecare extended warranty. It goes for $50 on Ebay.

Darn. Wish I'd known that - I bought the three year Applecare for $179...though I guess for three years it's not much more than $50/year...

[Deslock]

That's probably the most accurate summary of my feelings I've read in quite some time. ;) Yes, I'm quite surprised I'm in the "Mac owner" camp now myself!



Don't take this the wrong way, but how can "almost anyone" get an educational discount? Isn't it reserved for students?



Darn. Wish I'd known that - I bought the three year Applecare for $179...though I guess for three years it's not much more than $50/year...

I also dislike the cult of Mac. However, though Mac fanboys can be irritatingly smarmy, in my experience most are actually not as condescending or evangelistic as most Windows fanboys, despite the reputation/perception to the contrary.

Yeah, Jobs is a jerk. Then again, so is Gates (though he gets kudos for his philanthropy).

As far as the Apple educational discount goes, if anyone in your family is a student, staff, or faculty, you can pretty much get it. Regarding Applecare, if it makes you feel better, I meant $50 USD (though that's for 3 years, not per year).

[DaleReeck]

I am a Windows user who is now a (mainly) Mac user. It was more the hardware (Macbook Pro) that attracted me more than the OS. They cost more than a Windows laptop, but you can see the engineering differences and build quality.

As for the OS, Windows 7 and OSX each have their plus and minus issues (though I think OSX's graphics and fonts are slightly more appealing). But there are little things about OSX that I do like. For example, a simple pulldown menu for "Location" for different network card configurations. Or the fact that I can rename or move files in the OS for certain applications (like iTunes) and the app still knows where they went to.