Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing

Apple Introduces Mac mini

By

From the press release:

Starting at just $499, Mac mini is the ideal desktop computer for anyone looking to get started with Mac OS X and features iLife ‘05, the latest version of Apple’s innovative suite of software for managing digital photo and music collections, editing movies and creating music. Just two-inches tall and weighing only 2.9 pounds, Mac mini redefines design for the sub-$1,000 desktop.

Recommended Videos

“Starting at just $499, Mac mini is the most affordable way to enjoy Mac OS X and iLife,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Just plug in your display, keyboard and mouse and you’ve got an incredibly compact Mac for a price that almost anyone can afford.”

Related

Every Mac mini includes iLife ‘05, which was introduced today, and is the must-have upgrade to Apple’s award-winning suite of digital lifestyle applications with major new versions of iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD and GarageBand. iLife ‘05 also features the latest version of iTunes, software which includes the iTunes Music Store.

Apple iMac Mini

Mac mini offers the processing and graphics performance to take advantage of demanding consumer applications with either a 1.25 GHz or 1.42 GHz PowerPC G4 processor and ATI Radeon 9200 graphics with 32MB of dedicated DDR memory. Both models come with a slot-load Combo drive for watching DVD movies and burning CDs, and up to an 80GB hard drive for storing digital media creations.

Mac mini includes one FireWire 400 and two USB 2.0 ports for easy plug-and-play connections to popular peripherals such as Apple’s market-leading iPod® digital music player, digital still cameras, digital video camcorders and printers. Mac mini offers a DVI interface that also supports VGA so customers can easily connect to a variety of LCD or CRT displays. The new Mac mini includes built-in 10/100BASE-T Ethernet and a 56K V.92 modem for easy Internet access, and offers optional support for an AirPort® Extreme Card for 54 Mbps 802.11g fast wireless networking* along with an internal Bluetooth module for the latest in wireless communications.

Mac OS X version 10.3 “Panther” is pre-installed on every Mac mini and delivers breakthrough features including iChat AV desktop video conferencing, Mail, Safari web browser, Sherlock®, Address Book, QuickTime®, iSync, iCal®, DVD Player and the Classic environment. Mac mini also comes with a collection of outstanding productivity and entertainment titles designed to meet the needs of the entire family, including Quicken 2005 for Mac, Nanosaur 2 and MarbleBlast Gold.

Pricing & Availability
Mac mini will be available in the US on Saturday, January 22 and worldwide on Saturday, January 29 through the Apple Store® (http://www.apple.com/), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers in two standard configurations.

The 1.25 GHz Mac mini, for a suggested retail price of $499 (US), includes:

  • 1.25 GHz PowerPC G4 processor;
  • 256MB of 333 MHz DDR SDRAM, expandable to 1GB;
  • 40GB Ultra ATA hard drive;
  • Combo (DVD-ROM/CD-RW) optical drive;
  • ATI Radeon 9200 graphics processor with 32MB video memory;
  • One FireWire 400 and two USB 2.0 ports;
  • 10/100 BASE-T Ethernet networking and 56K V.92 modem;
  • Internal support for AirPort Extreme wireless networking and Bluetooth;
  • DVI or VGA out (adapter included), composite/S-video out with optional adapter; and
  • Built-in speaker and headphone/line out.

The 1.42 GHz Mac mini, for a suggested retail price of $599 (US), includes:

  • 1.42 GHz PowerPC G4 processor;
  • 256MB of 333 MHz DDR SDRAM, expandable to 1GB;
  • 80GB Ultra ATA hard drive;
  • Combo (DVD-ROM/CD-RW) optical drive;
  • ATI Radeon 9200 graphics processor with 32MB video memory;
  • One FireWire 400 and two USB 2.0 ports;
  • 10/100 BASE-T Ethernet networking and 56K V.92 modem;
  • Internal support for AirPort Extreme wireless networking and Bluetooth;
  • DVI or VGA out (adapter included), composite/S-video out with optional adapter; and
  • Built-in speaker and headphone/line out.

Build-to-order options and accessories include up to 1GB of RAM, SuperDrive™ (DVD±RW/CD-RW), AirPort Extreme Card, internal Bluetooth module, wired or wireless Apple Keyboard and Apple Mouse and the AppleCare Protection Plan.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Ian Bell
Ian Bell
Publisher
I work with the best people in the world and get paid to play with gadgets. What's not to like?
Apple may have stealthily confirmed the new Mac mini
The Mac mini on a wooden table.

With the Apple iPhone event now behind us, we are still waiting for official news about new Macs. We recently reported on the slew of Macs that are most likely on the way, but Apple's been silent on the matter -- until now. A stealthy line of code in the new macOS Sequoia update reveals that a new Mac mini might be in the works, and the confirmation fits right in with previous reports.

Let's start with some context. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple is readying a new Mac mini with the M4 and the M4 Pro chip. Aside from the chip upgrade, the 2024 Mac mini is said to be redesigned to be smaller than ever before, marking the first major change in the design of the mini PC in many years. It's said to be around the same size as an Apple TV set-top box. To that end, we've heard that Apple might remove all of the USB-A ports on the Mac mini in an effort to make the PC even thinner.

Read more
The Mac mini M2, “the best mini computer ever,” is on sale
The Mac mini on a wooden table.

The Apple Mac mini M2 is currently available from B&H Photo Video with a $130 discount that slashes its price to $869 from $999. However, like with most Apple deals, there's limited supply for this offer. While we can't say for sure how much time is remaining before the offer ends, we highly recommend pushing through with your purchase for this mini PC as soon as possible. We rarely see a chance at savings when buying this machine, so if you're interested, you shouldn't be wasting any more time.

Why you should buy the Apple Mac mini M2
We tagged the Apple Mac mini M2 Pro as "the best mini computer ever" in our review of the machine, which also sits on top of our list of the best mini PCs. The impressive performance also applies to the Apple Mac mini M2, and with one of our recommended configurations of an eight-core CPU, a 10-core GPU, and 16GB of RAM, the mini computer will be able to keep up with most of your daily activities. It won't have any trouble multitasking between apps, and it will be powerful enough to smoothly run Final Cut Pro and Xcode, among other software -- all within such a compact size.

Read more
I finally tried Apple Intelligence in macOS Sequoia to see if it lived up to the hype
The redeisgned Siri user interface in macOS Sequoia.

For the last few years, Apple’s macOS releases have been interesting, if not particularly exciting. But that’s all set to change this year with the launch of macOS Sequoia, and it’s all thanks to one feature: Apple Intelligence.

Apple’s artificial intelligence (AI) platform has the potential to completely change how you use your Mac on a daily basis. From generating images, rewriting emails, and summarizing your audio recordings to revamping Siri into a much more capable virtual assistant, Apple Intelligence could be the most significant new macOS feature in years.

Read more