Apple Mac Mini Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0GHz (2009)

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ha, you would be really a sucker if you buy this refurbished last years model. If this was going a $100 then it would be a deal.

according to ben this has the nvidia graphics, so it's the new one, not last year's model. i guess it doesn't matter as they are out of stock now.

Yep cause everyone should buy a new computer every year. Last years computer is just so useless..

IF it is $300 or lower, i'll buy it for sure.

#3 if everyone could afford a new computer every year like you do, then the economy would be in great shape. I was just implying that you should but the best you can afford and it has to be a deal.

What can i do with a mac that I can't do with a PC?

A Mac can make you feel like you are better than everybody else.

if it's 200 bucks and can replace the OS with XP i'll buy it =)

In general, Macs have usually been better built than most PCs. I have 15 year old Macs that work fine, but are just obsolete because of a lack of computing power. These days Macs are just better designed PCs that use OS X, which is a better looking, easier to use and more secure operating system than XP or Vista. It's been commented on endlessly that Microsoft typically rips off Apple when it designs the look of a new operating system. In other words, the parts of Microsoft's new Windows 7 that look good and work well will be imitations of OS X.

Most people who buy a Mac mini are computer users who want a small, reasonably powerful computer which they can just plug in and turn on. They don't mind spending more because they like the look, the quality and the ease of using a Mac. They're usually not the kind of people who like to build or endlessly modify their computers. This means that those who are looking for a bargain on hardware will probably buy something else.

I happen to like both bargains and Macs. These days I wait for the prices to fall on Ebay before I buy another Mac. As I don't need the latest hardware, I can afford to wait. In another year or so, when the prices on the Mac mini go down by 30%, I'll consider picking one up.

I'd like to buy a Mac and use for a while to see what all the fuss is about but every time I consider one the price puts me off. I understand that it might be better, but then again it might not. There is a lot of noise and zealots on both sides. I need a try and buy mechanism.

Quite frankly, there is not much that I find missing on XP. Security has not been an issue if I keep up with updates and use some sort of protective software. Sure, the interface is not pretty, etc. but I mainly need to get work done. if the interface is going to help me work smarter then great but I couldn't give a rat's ass about pretty screen effects.

What is it about the Mac that's going to make me more productive?

I've been a PC user basically since they were introduced. I'm doing a project for work that involves iPhone development, so I bought a used Mac Mini on Craigslist and have been using that with Apple's free development tools for the past few months. There are some things to like about the Mac, but there's also plenty to dislike. I found this article that neatly sums up a lot of the things that I'm feeling:
http://www.pcauthority.com.au/Feature/92605,32-reasons-why-pcs-are-better-than-macs.aspx/1

It depends on what you do. If you were a graphic artist, there are lots of tools, such as Photoshop, which work better on a Mac. Clearly, you're not a graphic artist because you'd already know about these things if you were.

Assuming you're just a typical computer user, the interface on a Mac is more than eye candy. It's designed to help speed up your work. For example, the applications on a Mac tend to work together more easily because Apple requires a consistent interface for applications that use a Mac. Thus, when you're faced with a new program, you won't have to spend as much time guessing because you'll have a better idea of where things are.

Also,for a consumer, Apple provides a suite of programs called iLife, which work together and handle basic things like retouching and organizing photographs.

If you have a friend who uses a Mac, I'd recommend having him show you what a Mac can do. If there's an Apple store near you, go there and ask them to show you a working Mac.

If you're really happy or really comfortable with Windows XP, then change may not be easy for you. I had a friend once who started a computer project the night before it was due on a Mac. He had never used a Mac before and complained that it didn't work like Windows. In truth, he had a low tolerance for change and was in a stressful situation. Unless you're willing to give a new operating system a chance, then you'll never understand why some people like it.

One more thing, Microsoft will be trying to get the industry to move to Windows 7. In a few years XP will be an orphan. One day you'll have to move from XP. When the time comes, have someone show you a Mac. Maybe you'll like it, maybe you won't, but give it a fair chance.

bargainbasement - you're dumb. way to show that you'll gobble up whatever marketing apple throws your way. get lost.

bargainbasement - have you ever used Windows 7? I think not. I do have a MacbookPro which runs OSX and Windows 7 in Boot camp. I can tell that OSX is not Eye Candy, Windows 7 is.

I tend to evaluate things on merits and I find Windows lot more usable than OSX. Simple question to you - tell me how the heck you cut and paste a bunch of files from one directory to another in OSX? You can only drag and drop and its a pain in the ass. Windows has File cut paste since 3.1 - Is Apple too ignorant to upgrade the finder app for the last 15 years?

Also I find the UI on OSX annoying as hell. Can't maximize a webpage to full screen using the browsers (FF/Safari etc). Can't set your desktop backround to pure black in color (I find this hilarious that Apple can't have a desktop background color as black - you need to make a picture with one dark pixel and then stretch it to make your screen look dark).

In a lot of places Apple seems to make the decision for the user thinking we are dumb. I will take Windows anyday where I can tweak the settings as I want.

Now that I said the things which annoy the heck out of me, there are good parts to OSX as well. The OS is stable, don't have to run Virus scanners in the background. But that came from the BSD Unix core and Apple made other improvements on the top. So if someone simply claims that Macs are better than PCs, you better have some sold facts to back that up.

bargainbasement - have you ever used Windows 7? I think not. I do have a MacbookPro which runs OSX and Windows 7 in Boot camp. I can tell that OSX is not Eye Candy, Windows 7 is.

I tend to evaluate things on merits and I find Windows lot more usable than OSX. Simple question to you - tell me how the heck you cut and paste a bunch of files from one directory to another in OSX? You can only drag and drop and its a pain in the ass. Windows has File cut paste since 3.1 - Is Apple too ignorant to upgrade the finder app for the last 15 years?

Also I find the UI on OSX annoying as hell. Can't maximize a webpage to full screen using the browsers (FF/Safari etc). Can't set your desktop backround to pure black in color (I find this hilarious that Apple can't have a desktop background color as black - you need to make a picture with one dark pixel and then stretch it to make your screen look dark).

In a lot of places Apple seems to make the decision for the user thinking we are dumb. I will take Windows anyday where I can tweak the settings as I want.

Now that I said the things which annoy the heck out of me, there are good parts to OSX as well. The OS is stable, don't have to run Virus scanners in the background. But that came from the BSD Unix core and Apple made other improvements on the top. So if someone simply claims that Macs are better than PCs, you better have some sold facts to back that up.

microcenter has brandnew one for $399 after rebate

look nice!

#13, you should cool off. You don't have the right to tell me not to post just because you disagree with me. In your case, PC is really politically correct.

#14 and #15, I wrote that OS X (the interface on a Mac) is more than eye candy. Please read what I wrote. Don't respond with your feelings. What I wrote is that having a consistent interface makes work easier. I didn't say it was perfect, nor I did say it has every feature a user would want.

Furthermore, I don't understand your problem with cut and paste. You can select multiple files by clicking on each file while holding down the shift key. Then go to the edit menu and select copy. You'll see that you'll be able to copy several files at the same time. Then go to your other directory and select paste under the edit menu.

I don't have the time to continue this. Please remember that I also have a right to post here.

#18, STFU

Bargainbasement has no merit. Ignore all further communication with this stooge. Photoshop works equally well on PC and Mac. This fool thinks whatever people tell them to think. Just another Mofo in my opinion. Whatever happened to quality posters like John Foxen???

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