Mac Mini: The 2011 Upgrade … !

You know, I’ve got to confess, I’ve spare more than a few spare minutes oggling.

Technical specs, to be frank … !

Every spare minute since I found out, this morning, that Apple, bless ’em, have re-vamped the smallest desktop in their range, the Mac Mini.

My word, haven’t they just … !

Bruce, Bless ’im, my mid-2007 model, is starting to look seriously outdated … !

You see Bruce, bless him — the top of the range model, at the time of purchase — features 1Gb of RAM, a 120Gb hard drive and a DVI port to connect up to a 1920 x 1200 monitor: or a 1920 x 1080 VGA monitor with an adaptor. On top of that, he’s armed with a comparatively underpowered Nvidia GMA 950 graphics card.

But then, I never actually bought Bruce for gaming.

The upgraded versions — versions, I stress, as, unlike the iterations in between now and 2007, the Mini now comes in three base configurations — see Apple doing 2 models with a 500Gb hard-drive*.

The cheaper of the two, at £529, has a 2.3GHz dual-cored i5 processor, 2Gb of RAM, the 500Gb hard drive, and a Intel HD Graphics 3000 processor.

The next model up has the same hard-drive options, costs £699, and comes with a 2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5, 4GB of 1333MHz DDR3, and a AMD Radeon HD 6630M graphics card.

Both are capable of seeing the RAM expanded, with access gained — for that job — through the base-plate at the bottom of models.

The server version, at £849, base price, is extremely configurable: with a choice of 4 or 8 gigabytes, and an eyeball popping array of other options.

NONE of the models feature an internal optical drive, although Apple does offer its USB external SuperDrive, originally designed for the MacBook Air.

»»·««

Now, I’ve GOT to confess … ?

I want one … !

Any of them, although the bottom of the range one — at £529 — is the affordable one that I’d probably go for, given the money.

After all, I still don’t do tons of gaming, online or otherwise, and the fact that — across the range — the new models have both ThunderBolt outputs — to go with Apple’s own Cinema Display — and HDMI ports, that would allow me to connect it to a suitably equipped TV would allow me to watch lots of the video stored on my external drive.

And the one surprising change, the removal of the interior optical drive … ?

Frankly … ?

Frankly, that isn’t really an issue, from where I’m sitting: especially coming from the company that was the first to make a machine — the old Bondi Blue G3 iMac, back in 1998 — without a floppy drive.

After all, we’re now living in an age where downloading software, music and films from the internet — whether through an App Store, iTunes or from third party sites — is becoming more common.

Let’s face it, I can’t remember the last time I watched a commercial DVD: my DVD recorder comes with a USB port that lets me watch any given TV show or film, so long as said film is encoded in .avi format.

What’s more … ? I’m ALSO very aware that the the SuperDrive’s on Bruce is … let’s just say temperamental, shall we? It’s something I know others have complained about, too.

Either way — and I know I’d want an external DVD burner — I’m thinking the Mini, as it stands … ?

Is still a must have … !

* Upgradable to 750 Gigabytes.

º Thunderbolt port (up to 10 Gbps), FireWire 800 port (up to 800 Mbps), Four USB 2.0 ports (up to 480 Mbps), HDMI port SDXC card slot, Gigabit Ethernet port and Audio in/out. On top of that, there’s the Ethernet, Bluetooth and Wireless options.