Come on Mini!

Filed August 7, 2007 under Randumb by Drew | 0 comments

In what’s probably only a temporary reprieve, Apple updated their Mac Mini. The Mini is one of the best computers ever made for a whole host of uses and I’m glad Steve Jobs has decided to let it limp along a bit longer.So why do I care so much about the Mac Mini? It’s simple. The mini is the perfect small form factor Mac/PC.

  • You can use it in museum exhibits and paired with touch screens.
  • You can add it to smart cart-esque system in front of a classroom and have both a PC and a Mac available to your presenters in one tiny package. Pair it up with a Wacom tablet and you’ve got one powerful instructor’s station. Add an old-school iSight camera to another Mini in the back of the classroom running software such as Vara Software’s Wirecast and you have a great streaming class solution.
  • Pair it with an Apple Cinema Display or even a Dell 20″ and you have a great workstation that eats very little office real-estate.
  • Stick it on top of your HDTV and it makes the AppleTV look like a joke.

    • Which may in fact be one of the reasons Apple is quietly phasing the Mac Mini out

In any event I’m glad the Mini’s been given a few months longer to live. It’s a great little beastie and it deserves a longer future than I fear it will get.