The Hybrid Home Computing Environment

For those who are on a budget, Apple does offer a low-cost entry into the world of Mac computing. It's called the Mac mini and it is simply a stripped down Mac computer (say, the iBook portable) without a display, keyboard or mouse. You can attach a display, keyboard or mouse from your old Windows PC if you have one, or buy these peripherals separately if you don't. In this respect, the Mac mini is a great way to **add** Mac computing to your home Windows environment, making it, in effect, a "hybrid" environment. Why would you want to do this?

Well, you would benefit from the security and easy, fun-to-use aspect of Mac computing without giving up that one special Windows application that you can't duplicate on the Mac. This is a convenient, painless way to transition over to the Mac.



Did I mention that the Mac mini is awfully cute? Measuring 6.5" by 6.5" square by 2" in height, this little unit is a masterpiece of industrial design by Apple. You can tuck it away anywhere and it looks great with any decor. For this reason, it is not cheap, but it **is** affordable. As of December 25, 2005...

Mac mini
512 MB memory
80 GB hard disk
CD-RW/DVD drive
ATI Radeon 9200 graphics
Wireless networking, including Bluetooth
Operating System: OS X
$749

Dell Dimension 1100
512 MB memory
80 GB hard disk
CD-RW/DVD drive
Intel Extreme Graphics (a video solution inferior to ATI)
Wireless networking (NO Bluetooth available)
Operating System: Windows XP Professional Edition
$628

The Dell box costs $121 less than the Mac mini. However, the Dell box is just that: a big, ugly box showing the company's lack of design skills. And, of course, you also have to put up with all the ugliness of Windows computing.

One more thing: The Dell box uses a 2.53 GHz Celeron D processor. This is the lowest performance chip in the Intel arsenal, used only in the cheapest computers. Typical PCs use the Pentium 4.

The Mac mini, on the other hand, uses a 1.42 GHz PowerPC G4 processor. This is the same processor used in the iBook portable. It is also the same chip (at 1.25 GHz) used in the previous generation iMac G4. This is no dumbed down processor!

If you're an iPod user, you have another incentive to migrate over to the Mac mini: they look, and work, great together! (The iPod and Windows are an awkward match.)


There is an even cheaper entry to Mac computing: for $629, the Mac mini is available with a slightly slower 1.25 GHz PowerPC G4 processor and a smaller 40 GB hard drive (wireless networking is optional). For many people, this is more than good enough and is a fabulous deal...