On the surface, that sounds like a great value. As it is with the iMac, each Mac mini comes with OS X Tiger, iLife ‘08, and an attractive form factor.

That’s the basic comparison. Inside, each Mac mini comes with an Intel Core 2 Duo that compares favorably with the basic iMac-- for about $600 less.

Macworld does a nice comparison of the new Mac mini with the new iMac. The 2 ghz models compare favorably in every way except graphics, where the iMac wins hands down in games where frame rate is important.

What’s not to like? The new Mac mini is the same price as the old version, still comes with Airport Extreme built-in, runs about as fast as an iMac, and now has a full gigabyte of RAM.

Is that a value, or what? The kicker, of course, is that the iMac comes with a mouse and a keyboard and a built-in display, not to mention quadruple the hard drive size, and SuperDrive (vs. the base Mac mini with a slower CPU and combo CD/DVD drive).

If your needs are for a basic Mac and you already have a keyboard, mouse, and monitor, then the Mac mini is a worthy value-- it’s a Mac in and out.

Getting the Mac mini to become a low end iMac is no mean feat, and an expensive one.

The 2 ghz SuperDrive Mac mini starts at $799. $874 with the largest hard drive option from the Apple Store. Add another $98 for Apple Keyboard and Mighty Mouse.

That gets the mini to $972. An Apple 20-inch display is somewhat comparable to the iMac 20-inch display, but costs a whopping $599 by itself.

That’s a grand total for a tricked out, pimped up Mac mini at $1,571 vs. the iMac at $1,199. That’s almost $400 more and there’s still slower graphics, no iSight camera, and a smaller hard drive.

So, where’s the Mac mini value now? That comparison starts to make the iMac look like Apple’s bargain of the 21st century.

But, different strokes for different folks. One man’s hamburger is another man’s steak. Or, something like that. The new Mac mini is a rugged machine that may not have all the bells and whistles of big brother iMac, but value is still there.

Back to Apple’s BYODKM policy. Bring your own display, keyboard, and mouse. IF you don’t need the high resolution of the Apple Cinema Display, and the iMac is overkill, then the Mac mini becomes the bargain of the decade for Mac users.

The Mac mini makes a great server, too. It’s cool, quiet, and faster than most of the older Mac PowerPC G5s, including the early Xserve models. Those were loud, hot, powerful beasts that cost about $3,000.

The Mac mini looks pretty good in a similar setting for a mere $599 (plus the cost of OS X Tiger Server).

For switchers from Windows, the Mac mini is an excellent way to get into the world of Macs without the expense of an iMac-- assuming the soon-to-be-former Windows user has a display, keyboard, and mouse that will work on the Mac mini.

Dollar for dollar, feature for feature, the iMac is actually a better value than a Mac mini, even at twice the price. But if your need for feature parity are less, then the Mac mini saves you plenty of money.

And it’s still a Mac.

There have been rumors that ”Steve Jobs hates the Mac mini.” Maybe so. There have also been rumors that Apple will drop the mini. Who knows. One thing is for sure-- those of us who have added a Mac mini to our home, office, or mini-server farm, are very pleased with the value Apple provides in the mini.

Are you a mini owner? Would you buy one now that they’re about as fast as the low end iMac? Should Apple drop the Mac mini from the line of Macs? Share your concern and considerations in the Comments section below.

Check out the daily list of our 9 Word mini-Reviews at NoodleMac, and Kate's daily in-depth Mac software reviews at PixoBebo.

• Article by Kate MacKenzie • Published on Thursday, August 16, 2007
• Category: Opinion • 16 Reader comment(s) • Email This • Digg This • Shop Now

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Readers Talk Back:

Sl33stak says:

I own a Mini and it has been my “gateway drug” into the Mac world. If Apple hadn’t made an entry level Mac I don’t know if I would have made the switch as soon as I did. I now have it hooked up to my 42” LCD tv and home theater reciever and use a wireless KB&mouse;. It works as an awesome HTPC and Frontrow on 42“‘s is stunning!

— Posted on Tue Sep 18 at 5:09 am by Sl33stak

John says:

Don’t forget that the new iMac 20 has TN panel so the monitor is not that good. So I think the comparsion with Cinema display is not fair!

— Posted on Sun Sep 02 at 4:35 pm by John

Grumpy says:

<<<<
As far as comparisons to the iMac, adding the cost of an Apple Cinema display is not fair. The Cinema Displays are very nice monitors, but are also EXTREMELY expensive.
>>>>

You just described my system. I do plan to move my display to a new system, when I get it. My problem is deciding between an iMac and a bottom end Mac Pro, that and raising the funds.

— Posted on Mon Aug 20 at 5:03 pm by Grumpy

Fernando Rato says:

I have two MacMini at home.
One is being used 24/7 as a download/HTTP server. It’s running 2 versions of windows with only 1GB of RAM. It is running Windows 2003 as the HTTP server and Windows XP as a download server. Mac OSX is being used as a file server. It is extremely quiet (even after a year of use) and it doesn’t get very hot. Also it consumes very little power.
The other MacMini is being used to play games (those small ones like Bejeweled, Zuma, etc) and to what movies on my HDTV. Even though I also have an AppleTV, I use the MacMini for movies because AppleTV doesn’t support subtitles and I need those.
So, personally, I think the MacMini is wonderful in many situations. It acts as a home server, mediacenter and it is great for demonstrations that don’t require fast access to a hard drive nor great graphics. I use one with a 23 inch ACD to demonstrate internet applications and do some keynote presentations and it behaves very well.
I also convinced my company to buy 10 MacMini for the sales area where they are perfect. I would have opted for the iMacs but we already had too many monitors and keyboards laying around to go to waste.
As stated earlier, it lacks many things as the Wireless ‘N’ and better graphics (including 1080p output and a 30” ACD output).
Also I would prefer a model where no SuperDrive was present. When a MediaCenter is concerned, it serves its purpose very well but as a file server, we could get a smaller model (yes, even smaller).
Long live the MacMini!

— Posted on Mon Aug 20 at 4:44 am by Fernando Rato

Christopher Guest says:

I’ve been using Macs for 20 years. I purchased my Mini in 2005, alongside a 20” Cinema display, as a replacement for a seven year-old Mac 8200 and AppleVision 1710.

I like to keep my computer harware seperate (like my home-audio). The reason is simple. If a new Apple CPU appears (like the recent Mini refresh) I don’t have to bin the whole computer - unlike the iMac.

Horses-for-courses; I don’t play games - and run Dreamweaver, Flash Pro, Fireworks, Office 2004, Logic Express, Final Cut Express HD, VirtualPC, Google Earth etc. quite happily. Sure, who wouldn’t want more on-board memory than the current Mini offers? However, all my apps run just fine with the 1Gb RAM at hand.

Ideally, I would like to see Apple offer a ‘Midi Mac’ - with a little bit more flexibility than the current Mini offers. A Mac Pro would be overkill for my current needs. So, if I was in the market today I would buy another Mini, no question about it. I certainly wouldn’t buy an iMac.

— Posted on Sun Aug 19 at 12:01 pm by Christopher Guest

Gatesbasher says:

You’re right: if you’re starting from scratch, the iMac is a much better value. But you know what, at this point in time, I think there’s a great opportunity for the Mac Mini, and getting people to switch over from the Dark Side. As the cost of LCD monitors continues to come down, I’ll bet there are a lot of people who have a nice, new monitor, but want to replace their computer because it’s becoming slightly obsolete, or because Vista landed with such a resounding thud, and won’t run on their machine, anyway.

The real Mac enthusiasts are contemptuous of the Mini; there’s one guy on the MacWorld forum who’s gone on for seven screenfuls of mean-spirited ranting (so far) saying--as near as I can figure--that he wants a Mac Pro for the price of a Mini. Join the club! But right now, I think the Mini might be a real help in easing the transition for a lot of people who have finally had enough of Microsoft.

— Posted on Sat Aug 18 at 6:46 pm by Gatesbasher

EdB says:

I love my Mac Mini. I bought the Low End model a little over a year ago, and it’s still running strong. I haven’t changed a thing about it since taking it out the box, except for the software updates.

I would love to see Apple add some more power to it, and keep it in the line up. I’m not a gamer so the graphics aren’t a must for me.

What I do love about it and the big seller for me - the BYODKM. I’m not locked in. If I want a bigger monitor I buy one, with an iMac you replace the whole unit. Trackball guy here, don’t like mice.

Plus we need to keep in mind the reason behind the Mini. It was designed to be a “crossover” machine to entice PC User’s into our world.

When Leopard hits I’ll buy a new Mini. I love the size, the features (BYODKM) and I love the price.

If Apple’s listening - Don’t Drop the Mini!!!! { Please }.

— Posted on Fri Aug 17 at 6:47 pm by EdB

Lara says:

In Jan 2007 my less than 1 year old hp slimeline died. I decided to try a mac mini as some computer users at work loved theirs and because of the unix never have to shut the darn things off.

Well, running strong and I never have to reboot (unlike my windows) no bogging down etc. I love it, I refuse to ever buy a pc again. I can do everything and better with the mac mini that I could not do with the xp pro. I would definately by another one but would love mac to make it more powerful. Truth be told if this had not been the price it was, I would still be a pc user.

Gotta tell you the ilife and I works are fantastic and I cannot wait to get iworks 08 for the spreadsheets.

— Posted on Fri Aug 17 at 12:24 pm by Lara

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