Apple Releases Mac Mini With Unibody Construction

Apple updates its tiny, 'cheap' Mac desktop.

Lately, Apple's focus has been on its iOS devices like the iPhone 4 and the iPad. Macs seem to have fallen by the wayside, but Apple today quietly released a completely new Mac Mini.

This new piece of kit wasn't the star of any Steve Jobs reveal, but there are a few new features that are noteworthy. The new Mac Mini is the first Mac to include HDMI support, which is great for those who don't want to deal with mini DisplayPort adapters any longer.

Internally, the new Mac Mini shares the same hardware as the 13-inch MacBook, which sadly means it's still sticking with Core 2 Duo chips instead of employing the modern Westmere-based Intel CPUs. This choice to stick with the Core 2 Duo plays in part with Apple's plan of keeping Nvidia on as the chipset maker, as it has an integrated GeForce 320M.

Created with the same unibody construction process as used on the MacBooks, the new Mac Mini is 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. There's also new SD card slot in the back. It's not the most convenient of locations, but at least the little Mac Mini isn't hard to maneuver around.

Mac Mini comes standard with a 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 320GB hard and 2GB of RAM for $699 – that's $100 more than the outgoing model. There will be some savings in power costs, however, as it runs at 10W at idle.

For those who want to use Mac Minis in their server farms, Apple is also rolling out a version with Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server that runs at 11W of power at idle, and packs 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.

<sup>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.</sup>