At a Glance
Expert's Rating
Pros
- Fast enough for basic tasks
- Excellent design
- Small and light
- Good video-out options
Cons
- Doesn’t come with enough memory
- Hard-to-find power button on back of unit
- Performance not as good as similar, larger Macs
- No audio-in port
Our Verdict
Apple’s least expensive Mac ships without a mouse, display, or keyboard. But it does feature a G4 processor, up to 80GB of storage depending on configuration, and a slot-loading DVD-ROM/CD-RW optical drive. In July 2005, Apple doubled the installed memory to 512MB across the mini line.
The Mac mini won’t appeal to computer users looking for a lot of raw processing power. But it’s a stellar bargain if you want a tiny machine for performing basic tasks–even with its skimpy amount of preinstalled RAM. And it’s especially appealing to users who already have their own monitor, input devices, and peripherals.