The Mac Mini making a Huge Change
February 05, 2005
Actually, I haven't see one in real but that is only a matter of time to have a visit in the Apple Store at Regents Street. However, the size and the design is already amazing: It is just 16.5 cm ins square and only 5 cm in height and weights 1.4 kg only! That's less than the lightest Powerbook. I think by these imposing measures it is easy to think of ideas for what all you may use Apple's new Mac Mini!
Here are the top three ideas recently discussed on several sites:
- Using the Mac Mini as a TV/Media Center. In my opinion, that's a great idea. It's really tiny and the design, of course, is again gorgous. So why not use it for such a purpose. A first project site has been launched as well. It is dealing with that challenge to turn the Mac Mini into the world's first marvelous home TV/Media Center. For more information have a look at the Mac Media Center Project
- Another idea is to use the Mac Mini for car restorations. The New York company Classic Restorations has already begun to install the Mini in some of their cars. For more information on that, read here.
- The latest idea is using the Mac Mini as low cost web server in data centers. And that's gonna to be a very nice idea. A US hoster is already offering a Mac Mini Colocation service which gives you the opportunity to get your own Mac Mini hosted in a professional data center. You have the choice either to buy or to rent a Mini. If you want your own you can get it via them or you buy it on your own and send it to them. From then on, your Mini is housed with many others of its brothers in a nice rack. To control it, you will get remote access. In my opinion that is a really really low cost but professional opportunity to have your own server. It's up to you what you put on it, you can use it as your backup system or as a world-wide accessible database server. No limits to your ideas! Fantastic offer! I will definitely have a deeper look at this service. :-)
These ideas are only the most recently discussed ideas. The Technology Review has published an article which list some 13 different ideas how else to use the Mac Mini other than just as a "normal" computer.
There are also many statements that the Mac Mini could start a big switching area from any other platform to Mac and its sophisticated operating system Mac OS X which will become even more ingenious by the next release called Tiger. Steve Jobs said it will be released long long before Longhorn - the code nome for the next Windows release.
And again: Go in a Apple Store or to your nearest Apple retailer and have a look. Maybe you start with a Mac Mini first just to get used to the Mac and Mac OS X. You don't have to by a new display or mouse or keyboard if you already have one. Just plug them to the Mac Mini and start enjoying Mac OS X.
Patrick Says:
November 9, 2005 09:50 AM
I found a Mac mini Colocation in Germany:
http://www.macminicolo.de
Looks beautiful. The offer seems to be comparable with the one you are mentioning although they don't rent out Minis.