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Apple Unveils All New Mac mini

CUPERTINO, California—June 15, 2010—Apple® today unveiled a completely redesigned Mac® mini, featuring up to twice the graphics performance, a new HDMI port and a new SD card slot, all in an amazingly compact aluminum enclosure. Mac mini is the world’s most energy efficient desktop and starting at $699, is the most affordable way to enjoy Mac OS® X, iLife® or Mac OS X Snow Leopard® Server.

“The sleek, aluminum Mac mini packs great features, versatility and value into an elegant, amazingly compact design,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “With twice the graphics performance, HDMI support and industry-leading energy efficiency, customers are going to love the new Mac mini.”

Created with the unibody construction process pioneered by Apple, the new Mac mini features a compact aluminum enclosure just 7.7 inches square and 1.4 inches thin. A new integrated power supply eliminates the need for an external power adapter, reducing overall system volume by 20 percent and keeping cable clutter to a minimum. A removable panel underneath provides quick access for memory expansion. Mac mini is incredibly versatile, effortlessly connecting to existing peripherals such as mice, keyboards and digital displays, while the new HDMI output connects Mac mini to an HDTV and the new SD card slot enables easy transfer of photos and videos from a digital camera.

Inside its sleek, compact enclosure, the new Mac mini includes the fastest integrated graphics processor on the market today. With 48 processing cores, the NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics processor delivers up to twice the graphics performance of its predecessor, making Mac mini ideal for graphics intensive applications or visually rich games. Mac mini comes standard with a 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 320GB hard and 2GB of RAM for $699.

With twice the graphics performance, the new Mac mini is still the world’s most energy efficient desktop.* The new Mac mini reduces power consumption by an incredible 25 percent to less than 10W at idle, less than half the power required by competing systems. Mac mini meets Energy Star 5.0 requirements and achieves EPEAT Gold status.** The new aluminum enclosure is highly recyclable and Mac mini uses PVC-free components and cables, contains no brominated flame retardants and features material-efficient system and packaging designs.

Mac mini comes with Mac OS X Snow Leopard, the world’s most advanced operating system, and iLife, Apple’s innovative suite of applications for managing photos, making movies and creating and learning to play music. Snow Leopard builds on a decade of OS X innovation and success with hundreds of refinements, new core technologies and out of the box support for Microsoft Exchange. iLife features iPhoto®, to easily organize and manage photos; iMovie® with powerful easy-to-use new features such as Precision Editor, video stabilization and advanced drag and drop; and GarageBand® which introduces a whole new way to help you learn to play piano and guitar.

Mac mini with Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server fulfills all the server needs of a workgroup or small business including email, calendar, file serving, Time Machine® backup, Wiki Server, Podcast Producer and more. Mac mini with Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server uses less than 11W of power at idle, a fraction of the power consumed in comparison to typical entry-level tower servers.*** Mac mini with Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server is faster than before with a 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, two 500GB hard drives now running at 7200 rpm, 4GB of RAM and supports unlimited clients for $999.

Pricing & Availability

The new Mac mini is shipping today and will be available through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers.

The Mac mini, for a suggested retail price of $699 (US), includes:

  • 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB of shared L2 cache;

  • 2GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable up to 8GB;

  • a slot-load 8X SuperDrive® (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;

  • 320GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm;

  • NVIDIA GeForce 320M integrated graphics;

  • AirPort Extreme® 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;

  • Gigabit Ethernet;

  • four USB 2.0 ports;

  • SD card slot;

  • one FireWire® 800 port;

  • one HDMI port and one Mini DisplayPort;

  • HDMI to DVI video adapter;

  • combined optical digital audio input/audio line in (minijack); and

  • combined optical digital audio output/headphone out (minijack).

Build-to-order options and accessories include up to 8GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, 500GB hard drive running at 5400 rpm, Apple Remote, Aperture™ 3, Final Cut® Express 4, Logic® Express, iWork® (pre-installed), Apple Wireless Keyboard, Magic Mouse, Apple 24 inch LED Cinema Display and the AppleCare® Protection Plan.

The Mac mini with Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server, for a suggested retail price of $999 (US), includes:

  • 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB of shared L2 cache;

  • 4GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable up to 8GB;

  • two 500GB Serial ATA hard drives running at 7200 rpm;

  • NVIDIA GeForce 320M integrated graphics;

  • AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;

  • Gigabit Ethernet;

  • four USB 2.0 ports;

  • SD card slot;

  • one FireWire 800 port;

  • one HDMI port and one Mini DisplayPort;

  • HDMI to DVI video adapter;

  • combined optical digital audio input/audio line in (minijack); and

  • combined optical digital audio output/headphone out (minijack).

Build-to-order options and accessories include up to 8GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, External SuperDrive, Apple Wireless Keyboard, Magic Mouse, Apple 24 inch LED Cinema Display and the AppleCare Protection Plan.

*Claim based on energy efficiency categories and products listed within the EPA Energy Star 5.0 database as of June 2010.

**EPEAT is an independent organization that helps customers compare the environmental performance of notebooks and desktops. Products meeting all of the 23 required criteria and at least 75 percent of the optional criteria are recognized as EPEAT Gold products. The EPEAT program was conceived by the US EPA and is based on IEEE 1680 standard for Environmental Assessment of Personal Computer Products. For more information visitwww.epeat.net.

***Claim based on energy efficiency categories and products listed within the EPA Energy Star Small Scale Server database as of June 2010.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution with the Apple II, then reinvented the personal computer with the Macintosh. Apple continues to lead the industry with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system, and iLife, iWork and professional applications. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store, has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced its magical iPad which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.

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Was waiting for the new model Mac mini to come out and - AC only!

Picked up one of the few remaining previous model Mac Mini servers available locally this afternoon as I need DC operation.

Seriously thinking about the new model for use with my TV.

David M

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Was waiting for the new model Mac mini to come out and - AC only!

David M

Here is some more info on the Mac Mini regarding the slim power supply now located inside the box:

- The new Mac mini’s power supply provides “a minuscule 7 Amps at 12V. Compare that to the 25.8 Amps at 12V cranked out by the 27 inch iMac, and you can understand how they fit the power supply inside the Mini.”

“The fan doesn’t have too much work to do, since the new Mac Mini is the most energy-efficient desktop, running on less than 10 watts at idle! In keeping with its space saving design, the fins directing air toward the vent hole are slanted to allow for better fan placement.”

This holds out the potential for easy 12 vdc operation?

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Looking at the iFixit teardown (www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Mac-Mini-Mid-2010-Teardown/3094/3), there's 8 wires coming out of the power supply. The issue here will be if the power supply just outputs 12 volts or if some of these wires are control circuits from the motherboard.

The power on/off switch appears to be directly connected to the motherboard. 

If it is just 12 volts, then a 30watt, 9-18  to 12 volt DC-DC converter will most likely work.

In the Mac Mini AC supplies, there's a substantial amount of RFI filtering and that would need to be replicated before the DC-DC converter to reduce the power supply noise going back to the 12 volt battery. This is really important if you want to power a computer and audio equipment from the same battery.

Hope to report back on this by the end of the year unless someone else (hopefully) beats me to it.

David M

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You know how Courtney is always talking about how the disc drives in all Apple products do not have the little pin hole to eject a disc...  we have all had the problem at one time or another, with the Mac desktops and laptops, of a stuck disc. Looking at a close up image of the new Mac Mini on Apple website, is that a pin hole eject just to the right of the slot? Sure looks like it but it may just be an imperfection in the image, not a real functioning pin hole on the unit. I will wait to see one in person.

-  Jeff Wexler

post-1-13081508707_thumb.jpg

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

(oops) Nicole,

Buying second hand is risky. The Mac-Mini's run hot on a cart and the chance of your logic board failing are high. I've owned three of them and two had logic board failures in the first year. Buying a new one at least gives you that first year warranty. Brand new they are not too expensive and a price that we've usually throw down for some new toy in our business with out thinking twice.

In a related topic; I've been using Boom Recorder since 2004 and FYI, Take is working on a new version of software that will fix the 48048 settings. I've been beta testing that fix. I'll let Take make any announcement about it when he is ready.

RL

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  • 1 month later...
  • 1 month later...

But still no FCP v7, since no separate video card?  Does it have enough VRAM for FCP?

Philip Perkins

Philip,

I purchased the Mac Mini Server (the new one with two internal drives). It runs Final Cut quite well. Although since it is server and not regular Snow Leopard, I'm starting to find strange quirks. Like um, my USB audio devices do not work :(

Guy Cochran

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someone has done the 12v mod but it involves cutting wires and may prove to be too noisy for sound cart use (from rfi point of view). it would be nice if the solution involved a 12v replacement power supply in the same space as the ac supply.  also,  cutting wires voids the warranty and as richard has pointed out,  it is handy to have the warranty due to how hot the mini runs on a sound cart and the likely hood of cooking the motherboard.

http://mikegyver.biz/gyverisms/files/category-diy-mac-mini-2010.html

I post the above link as a jump off point for further innovation.

ao

Looking at the iFixit teardown (www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Mac-Mini-Mid-2010-Teardown/3094/3), there's 8 wires coming out of the power supply. The issue here will be if the power supply just outputs 12 volts or if some of these wires are control circuits from the motherboard.

The power on/off switch appears to be directly connected to the motherboard. 

If it is just 12 volts, then a 30watt, 9-18  to 12 volt DC-DC converter will most likely work.

In the Mac Mini AC supplies, there's a substantial amount of RFI filtering and that would need to be replicated before the DC-DC converter to reduce the power supply noise going back to the 12 volt battery. This is really important if you want to power a computer and audio equipment from the same battery.

Hope to report back on this by the end of the year unless someone else (hopefully) beats me to it.

David M

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  • 1 month later...
  • 2 months later...

I don't remember seeing a link for these folks on this group,  posting it in case you want to secure your mac mini in a rack environment:

http://www.mk1manufacturing.com/www.mk1manufacturing.com/Computers.html

ao

Just got this rack mount and I must say its a little disappointing. Thin gauge sheet metal, and the switch attachment that is supposed to turn the mini on must be bent around one of the bolts that keeps the mac locked down. This means that the spring doesn't return the plunger and the mac switches off as pressure is kept on the button. To make this work I shall have to sit down and think a bit then rearrange things. There is a nice hole in the side though to poke a finger in to turn things on

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  • 1 month later...

Seems like Apple's design which is to make clean lines and little noise, mostly makes a beautiful thermos.  For professional use, wouldn't it be fine perhaps to take the guts out of the housing and just mount everything via standoffs to another enclosure?  I've worked with some of these rackmount fan units for installations, and inside they are mostly hollow - may experiment with a more pro format Mac Mini and plenty of room for a proper 12VDC regulator...

http://www.activethermal.com/page32.html

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