MAC MINI REVIEW 2012 FOR MAC
MAC MINI REVIEW 2012 PC
MAC MINI REVIEW 2012 BLUETOOTH

The mini's internal power supply means that the power cable is just that, and the computer needs no unsightly wall wart to function. Aside from the mini itself, the box contains a small instruction booklet with the requisite Apple stickers, an HDMI-to-DVI adapter, and a power cable. The mini's packaging is simple, and the computer comes with few pack-ins.

MAC MINI REVIEW 2012 FOR MAC

The specs are still quite nice for a small-form-factor desktop, and the base mini serves as a gateway drug for Mac newbies and would-be iOS developers who dream of churning out the next Angry Birds. At $599, it is the least-expensive way to get your hands on OS X.

If you can forego the Core i7 and the upgraded storage, then you can stick with the base model mini. The new mini rectifies the oversight and comes with an entire slew of USB 3 ports on the back, enabling it to attach to the entire broad set of fast peripherals which use the standard. USB 3, on the other hand, is popping up in devices everywhere. Apple apologists opined that the inclusion of the high-speed Thunderbolt port on the mini obviated the need for USB 3, though in the year since the Thunderbolt-equipped mini launched, Thunderbolt devices haven't really gained much in popularity and the ecosystem is looking a little bland. The current low-profile form factor was introduced in July of 2011 and brought with it support for Apple and Intel's then-new Thunderbolt technology (formerly known as Lightpeak).

MAC MINI REVIEW 2012 BLUETOOTH

Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0ДЇirewire 800, HDMI, Thunderbolt, 4x USB 3.0, audio line in minijack (digital/analog), audio line out/headphone minijack (digital/analog), SDXC card slot Quad-core 2.3GHz Intel Core i7-3615QM (Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz)ДЎTB Fusion Drive (128GB SSD + 1TB 5400 RPM HDD) Aside from adding the Fusion Drive, it is otherwise exactly as listed on Apple's website. Because we wanted to both evaluate the mini itself and Fusion Drive, went with the mid-tier version. Out of these three, only the mid-tier model can be ordered with Fusion Drive, though the server variety can optionally be configured with one or two 256GB SSDs. The mini comes in three flavors: an entry-level version with a dual-core Ivy Bridge i5 and 4GB of RAM, a mid-level version with a quad-core i7 and 4GB of RAM, and a server version with a quad-core Ivy Bridge i7, two hard drives, and OS X Server. The mid-tier version comes with a punchy Ivy Bridge Intel Core i7 processor, which makes it one of the fastest computers in my house right now it's quiet, quick, and it's at least vaguely affordable.

We've said quite a bit about Fusion Drive on Ars, culminating with our big hands-on post, but the mini is worth looking at by itself, too.

Fusion Drive 'fuses' together a solid state drive and a traditional spinning hard disk drive into a single volume, and does some interesting tricks to tier data between the two different physical drives. The new mini improves on the old in several substantial ways, but the most notable thing about the latest revision is that it's currently the only Mac you can buy which comes equipped with Apple's Fusion Drive technology.

MAC MINI REVIEW 2012 PC

The last time we took a look at the mini was in July 2011, when Ryan Paul examined the mini's suitability as a Home Theater PC (HTPC) he had some positive and some negative things to say about the shiny metal cuboid. The littlest Mac of them all, the Mac mini, was updated in late October.

Mac mini review 2012