I don’t think I’m going to be able to resist getting one of these Core Duo Mac Minis. I was really worried that Apple would choose to cripple their Mac Mini’s and release only Solo versions, but thank goodness they’re still willing to innovate in the performance area as well. My pet theory is that they had to go with a Duo version to be able to support 1080p H.264 video. But that’s just a theory.
Slightly disappointed that it only supports single-link DVI, as well as the weak Intel video card, but that shouldn’t be too much of an issue since I’ll probably hook it up to a TV or some sort, where resolution will be limited to HDTV specs for a while. I can always use my powerbook to drive the 30inch anyways.
The Core Duo Mac Mini is pretty much a non-portable version of the MacBook Pro for about half the price. Stick on a external drive and it seems like it should perform about the same. It will make a great Media Center (w/ Front Row) / File Server / Web Server / Guest desktop for home use.
It also relieves me of the burden of having to buy a MacBook Pro. I can now safely wait at least until the next rev to upgrade my laptop. I’ll wait unti they improve the battery life a bit.
$800 is a pretty good price.. considering that it’s hard to build a high-spec, integrated mini-pc for the same price. Throw in the fact that it has a DVD burner and can run OS X, why would I get anything else at this point?
And last but not least, I can finally dismantle my good old Windows desktop. It’s a bit bulky and loud anyways. I just need a way to run something like DVD shrink on the mac..