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Mac mini and miniStack Combo Now the Hub of Modern Home Media Center
Opening up the Intel Mac mini
Intel Mac mini take-apart
Mac mini and miniStack Combo Now the Hub of Modern Home Media Center
-In a live unveiling at Apple Computer Inc.'s headquarters in Cupertino, California, on Tuesday, February 28, Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs announced the immediate availability of the Intel-based Mac mini equipped with Front Row software so that the processor can be hooked to a television and function as an entertainment center access point for the modern living room.
According to Jobs, the newly Intel-equipped Mac mini media center computers are two to five times faster than prior non-Intel models and come equipped with a remote control for easy navigation to play music or videos and to view pictures.
Apple's announcement of the entertainment center focused version of the Mac mini comes on the heels of the retail release of the miniStack V2 by Newer Technology Inc. (NewerTech).
Named the Mac mini "Accessory of the Year" by 123Macmini.com, the miniStack dramatically expands the hard drive capacity and the number of FireWire and USB ports of the Mac mini.
"The combination of the new miniStack V2 and the new Intel Mac mini creates the ideal media center for any home," said Jennifer Soule, sales manager for NewerTech.
The new Intel-based Mac mini is available in two configurations, one incorporating Intel's Core Solo chip and a 60 gigabyte (GB) hard drive and the other equipped with the faster Core Duo chip and an 80GB hard drive.
The miniStack V2 from NewerTech expands the hard drive capacity up to 500GB.
When paired with the Mac mini, the NewerTech miniStack V2 allows ergonomic USB and FireWire port access on the side of the media center. This allows extremely easy access to download photos, music, and video. As a stand alone, the Mac mini does not allow side access.
"Apple's Mac mini and NewerTech's miniStack serve the same purpose: to bring the latest and greatest technology to the home at an appealing price. Paired together the Mac mini and the minStack make the perfect home entertainment center. The mini provides the operation and the miniStack provides the muscle," said Larry O'Connor, president of NewerTech.
Fitting the same physical footprint and specifically designed to be aesthetically matched, the Mac mini and NewerTech miniStack V2 make a visually appealing, yet unobtrusive combination as a media center.
For orders and information visit:
http://www.newertech.com/ministack
Opening up the Intel Mac mini
Macworld's Jason Snell reports:
Our first Intel-based Mac minis have arrived, straight from the Apple Store, and what was the first thing the cold, cruel alien intellects at Macworld did with one of these innocents? That’s right. We got out our putty knife, popped it open, and spilled its guts out faster than you could say “CSI!”
So before we get started, be sure you’ve read our clever list of things you need to know about this new machine. You might even want to read my first take on the new Mac mini (hint: I’m excited about its use in a home theater set-up), or hear me yammer on about it in our latest podcast.
All set? Okay, without further ado, here’s an extremely quick tour around the patient’s insides.
You can check it out at:
http://www.macworld.com/weblogs/macword/2006/03/minicsi/index.php
Intel Mac mini take-apart
nak.journalspace.com reports:
I got a Mac mini today, and took it apart. Here are the juicy photos. Click on any one of them to view the entire gallery.....
The machine is packed very tight, much more so than the PPC Mini. There doesn't seem to be enough room on the motherboard for discrete video. The audio and bluetooth are on a separate boards.
There are two ram slots, but they are much harder to get to than in the PPC Mini.
You can check it out at:
http://nak.journalspace.com/?entryid=420
Charles W. Moore
Tags: Blogs ď Mac mini Muse ď
