Mac mini To Evolve Into Digital Hub?

[admin]

Mac mini To Evolve Into Digital Hub?
Tuesday November 29, 2005

Think Secret is reporting that an Intel powered Mac mini will be reborn at Macworld Expo as the digital hub centerpiece it was originally conceived to be. The Mac mini's new features are rumored to include: Front Row 2.0, "TiVo-Killer" DVR application, Built-In iPod Dock, and possible move to a 3.5" hard drive. The built-in iPod dock was rumored to be included on the first Mac mini and then later scrapped by Apple. The inclusion of a larger 3.5" hard drive may indicate the size of the Mac mini will be increased. Many enthusiasts have been critical of the Mac mini's slow 2.5" hard drive from the time it was released last year.

"Apple's Mac mini will be reborn as the digital hub centerpiece it was originally conceived to be, Think Secret sources have disclosed. The new Mac mini project, code-named Kaleidoscope, will feature an Intel processor and include both Front Row 2.0 and TiVo-like DVR functionality.

While the specific model and speed of the Intel processor in the new Mac mini is unknown, sources are confident the system will be ready for roll-out at Macworld Expo San Francisco, in line with other reports Think Secret has received that Intel-based Macs will be ready some six months sooner than originally expected.

The new Mac mini is also said to sport a built-in iPod dock, a feature that was scrapped from the Mac mini Apple first introduced one year ago. Other hardware specifics are unknown, such as whether the Mac mini will feature video recording out of the box or whether an add-on will be offered for those looking to employ the Mac mini not as a second computer but as their living room command center" notes Ryan Katz of Think Secret.



http://www.123macmini.com/news/story/399.html

[castaway]

I'll buy one of those in a heartbeat! I just hope they don't raise the price or increase the size that much.

[xmen65]

I will buy one if they stay under $1000. Imagine recording your favorite TV shows with the PVR and popping your 5G iPod on top to sync up with the video. Very cool!

[xforce11]

6 months after I buy they come out with what I really want. I would love to have my Mini be a DVR. I can't afford $47 extra a month on my cable bill (to add digital cable & DVR). I wonder if Apple will release a firewire adapter to add TV in on existing Mini's. That would be great to have FR and DV with just the cost of an adapter.
_________________
Sincerely,
XForce11

Mac Mini, Ministack (160 gig), LG Flatron 17"

[devo]

This is real exciting news even though it seems too good to be true. I'm not really buying into the DVR part of the rumor. While possible, it seems like an unlikely feature on an entry-level machine. It's possible that this is an entirely new machine and not the Mac mini. Hey, I'm all for adding another inch or two to the overall height of the Mac mini to accommodate a 3.5" drive. I guess my only question is what video card will they use? Apple really needs to boost up the video card big time for all these extra media goodies. The Radeon 9200 ain't going to cut it anymore. I'll tell you this - my credit card will be ready to go if they introduce a Mac mini for $799 with:

1.8GHz Dual-Core Yonah
512MB RAM
128MB Video Card "THAT DOES CORE IMAGE"
8X Dual-Layer SuperDrive
Front Row 2.0 and iLife 06
Apple Remote
100+ GB Hard Drive
DVR functionality
Built-in iPod Dock
Audio-out and IN
Added bonuses would be Gigabit Ethernet and FireWire 800

Ring her up, cha-ching !

[ack_mac]

[cookie]

I better start saving my money. I wouldn't mind making a system with all those specs my second Mac.
_________________
1.42 ghz Mac mini
1GB iPod shuffle

[picaman]

It's definitely an exciting product and would sell like hotcakes, but personally it's not going onto my credit card unless I can record and playback HDTV. Until then, I'm happy with the HD-DVR supplied by the cable company.

I'm hereby starting the rumor that HD capability, for the same price as the original hardware, will roll into an upgrade just in time for the Christmas 2006 shopping season. Assuming all this even happens in January. Not to be Eeyore, but Think Secret hasn't exactly been at the top of their game recently--AppleInsider has been much more accurate, and they haven't breathed a peep about any of this.



Jamie

[mark2741]

This really puts me in a bind....

I was just looking at the cost of eyeTV and cringing at the thought of paying hundreds of dollars to do what I could do for $30 on my PC with a PCI card. I know. I know...but no OS X. : )

I have only had my Mini for a couple of months now. I've already added a Ministack external firewire drive. It's been my (limited) experience that Steve Jobs likes to keep prices the same while adding new features. At least that's what he did with the new iMac.

If he puts out a Mini with all these new features, including TV input so I can plug my cable into it, and he does it for under $800, and it includes a 3.5 drive, I'd be crazy not to ebay my Mini and ministack and buy one of the new Minis. However, I'm afraid he's going to roll out all this new functionality at the same price points. In which case I won't get squat for my Mini on ebay : ( Or, I would have to time the sale to occur right before the announcement, while not knowing for sure what the new announcement is going to be exactly. Tricky. I may have to look at selling everything, including my LCD Dell monitor (got it from work as a gift - 19" DVI, nice!) and getting one of the non-FR G5 iMacs for $999.

I'm pretty bummed about this. So to clarify - this would include a TV input right? That's the main thing I want. My Mini is my main computer so I don't need a PVR but would like to be able to watch basketball games in a small window on my desktop while surfing the web : )

[devo]

[e3mw]

The mini i'm using now will go straight to my parents if this is true, while I'll be basking in HTPC goodness
_________________
Me with Woz!
Aftershift Music Project | My Music! Feel free to download!
1.42Ghz Mini | 15" 1.67Ghz Hi-Res PowerBook G4
30GB 5th Gen iPod | 512MB Shuffle

[BIG DUANE]

this is exactly why i've been holding off on buying my first mini. i can't tell you how friggin anxious i am for this. but the questions is... do i risk it and buy the first version of the intel mini?!

[mr_cazorp]

If this rumor is true, then I wonder a couple of things:

1) Will FrontRow 2.0 be released as a standalone product that we can install on our existing minis? I know a lot of minis are in a lot of living rooms. I hope Apple throws us early adopters a little scrap from the table.

2) Will the new Intel minis be as quiet and power-miserly as the current crop? My mini is on 24-7 precisely because it runs so cool and quiet. (Unless I'm trying to play 720p content, of course. Then the fan runs somewhere between jet engine and Saturn V rocket.)

As an aside, I'm thinking this hypothetical mini will have a different form factor--more like a slim DVD player. Might not even be part of the mini line at all, but something completely new.

Hank

[g5g5]

Adding a 3.5" hard drive inside the mini would be great, but I hope they don't fiddle around with the mini's overall size. The mini's small form factor is one of the things that made it so special. With me at least. I'd be ok with them adding an inch or so to the height like suggest above, but I hope they keep the width and depth the same. They would probably need to raise the height of the mini anyways for a top loading iPod dock. Maybe Apple figured out a way to sneak a 3.5" hard drive in there.

Another issue would be the noise from the larger drive. I love the fact that my mini is so quiet. I could never go back to a machine that has a lot of fan noise. Even my iMac that is relatively quit sounds like a freight train next to the mini. I can't wait until January to see what happens. It will be like Christmas in January.
_________________
1.25GHz Mac Mini / 1.8GHz iMac G5 / 2.0GHz C2D Mac mini (2009)
4GB iPod mini / 2G iPod shuffle / 16GB iPhone 3G
Apple TV 2
iLife's a Bitch!

[curt]