Hasta La Gadget!

The Mac Mini has always been that runt you might buy if you couldn’t afford any other Apple computer. Which is to say: it was the Apple computer you bought when you should’ve picked up a budget Dell or something. No longer. The 2012 model is a fantastic, affordable, and small. More »

Apple’s Mac mini may be a masterpiece of origami, but that hasn’t stopped the teardown merchants from unleashing their screwdriver sets on the compact desktop. The tinkerers at iFixit have pinned down the new late-2012 model, announced earlier this week, and yanked out its silicon guts to see how flexible it might me. Despite the small size, however, the score is pretty good: 8 out of 10 for repairability.

The Mac mini gets credit for not using proprietary screws, unlike the pentalobes found on the Retina-class MacBook Pro, and there’s no glue holding down anything inside. iFixit also likes the fact that the RAM and hard-drive aren’t soldered in, which means they’re easily replaced by the user, and you can also add in a second drive (as Apple does by default for the server version of the mini).

Of course, there are always going to be some compromises with a small-form-factor chassis, and the Mac mini is no different. The fact that the CPU is soldered to the logic board and so can’t be replaced by the user is probably the biggest drawback, though iFixit also mentions the trickiness of actually unpacking and replacing all of the components involved.

The updated mini kicks off at $599 for the 2.5GHz dualcore Core i5 model with 4GB of RAM and 500GB of storage; it has Intel HD Graphics 4000 as standard. The server version, with a pair of 1TB drives and a quadcore Core i7 chip is $999.

Mac mini late-2012 teardown: Well packed but repair friendly is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The updated Mac mini was introduced to the world just a couple of days ago, and it did not take too long for someone to take one of these newfangled desktops and tear it apart, revealing to all and sundry what lies underneath the hood. Of course, we are well aware that Intel’s Ivy Bridge processors will power this puppy, with the option for one to configure the Mac mini to carry a whopping 16GB RAM, although the entry-level model will come with a quarter of that amount. At least it is far better than its predecessor that featured just 2GB RAM, making it barely enough for OS X Mountain Lion to chug along..

Apple’s new Fusion Drive is also worth noting, where this hybrid device will rely on a solid state drive in order to maximize read/write times, while a hard drive will help deliver the need for high storage capacity. Chances are the mid-tier range of the Mac mini will be the most popular thanks to the $799 price point with it carrying Fusion. A Geekbench benchmark test was performed on the updated Mac mini that delivered superior performance to its predecessor, which is to be expected. Are you all up for the new Mac mini?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Mac mini refresh starts from $599, Apple to exchange 4th gen iPads for the iPad 3?,

When someone says that he or she is going to pick up an Apple Mac computer, you would most probably think that said person does have a pretty full bank account to begin with. After all, Mac computers do carry the reputation (which is not that true anymore these days) that they are more expensive than their PC counterparts. For folks who want the Apple experience without the need for so much firepower, here is news for you – there is a spanking new updated Mac mini that carries with it a third generation dual-core Intel Core i5 and quad-core Intel Core i7 processors, while carrying integrated graphics which are touted to be up to 65% faster than its predecessor. The updated Mac mini will feature 4GB RAM (maximum of 16GB), a quartet of USB 3.0 ports, Thunderbolt support, HDMI output, an SDXC memory card slot, Gigabit Ethernet, and FireWire 800 ports.

All of those will be crammed into the very same compact aluminum form factor, without causing it to overheat or consume more juice than it ought to. In fact, the Mac mini is capable of meeting stringent Energy Star 5.2 requirements and achieve an EPEAT Gold rating. Sipping on just 11W of juice when idle, it has been claimed by Apple to be the “most energy efficient desktop computer in the world”. You can pick up the Mac Mini from $599 onward if you are interested, depending on the configuration.

Press Release
[ Apple updates their Mac mini, is cheapest Mac to date copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

With the Apple iPac mini event over with, it’s time for the Apple Store to return to the web in full force, here with the tinier iPad, a new MacBook Pro, a new Mac mini, and a whole heck of a lot more. This update to the store brings with it not just a wave of new products, but a set of product retirements, this leading to a rush on the Refurbished and Clearance section – be sure to check the iPad 3 (now retired, believe it or not) for a big thrill ($375!) Then there’s the MacBook Pro with 13-inch Retina display at $1699, the iMac refresh with much-much thinner body for $1299, and the Mac mini for $599.

There’s a new USB power adapter in the Apple Store that works with the iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, iPod touch 5th gen and iPod nano 7th gen as well as all the iPads. This charger is 12w instead of the until-now 10w, this allowing you to charge faster then ever before – or so we’re to understand. We’ll have to see once we’ve got our hands on a unit in the very near future.

Note that this marks a rather silent retirement of the iPad 3, as marked above. You’ll find the iPad 2 continuing to sit in stock in Apple Stores around the world while the iPad 4th generation device replaces it. This will have Apple’s stock quite obviously showing the iPad 2 as the lesser device across the board, even compared to the iPad mini – with prices that may make the iPad mini and the iPad 4th gen irresistible.

Have a peek at the rest of our Apple event coverage in our giant Apple iPad mini event round-up and stick around the Apple store portal for more information as it arrives. This update to the Apple store and the Apple ecosystem has a whole miniature vibe to it, wouldn’t you say? We’ll see how it all adds up with more in-person hands-on action soon!

Apple Store back up: iPad mini and goodies galore is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.