2012 Mac Mini Package Deal, AC, Trackpad, Keyboard + $714 @ B&H

Just want the Mini alone for XBMC...

[QUOTE=XBeatzX;55949876]B&H is offering a base Mac Mini package deal. Today only perhaps. Includes Apple Care, Magic Trackpad, wireless keyboard and choice of free software (Parallels). $714 plus tax for base 2.5 i5 Mini.

Where is the free software choice ?

Not a good deal at all because of what it is.

You need to upgrade the memory to at least 8GB to do anything beyond Internet. You will also need to replace the ridiculously slow hard drive with something better, once again if you want to do something useful with it. But the latter voids warranty or you have to pay through the nose to get it done by Apple. There is no CD/DVD player so if you need to work with that media, you need to buy an external drive.

Add in the costs of the above and a decent screen, this becomes one expensive desktop for what it is with expensive peripherals to push through in a bundle.

The base minis are intentionally crippled to keep them from cannibalizing iMacs or the riduculously priced upgraded versions.

I bought one of these on a damaged outer box deal at Amazon and put in decent and well-priced peripherals with memory and disk upgrades with deal prices and use it as both a Windows 8 and a Mac OS machine and it becomes reasonable that way. Looking for a deal on a touch screen monitor for Windows 8. That is the SD way.

This bundle is an expensive way to acquire ill-configured system at a premium price.

Quote from lowteckh : Just want the Mini alone for XBMC...

If you just want it for XBMC, get the Apple TV for $100 and run XBMC on it.

DEAD....no more free software option. I was in my cart with free software but during checkout it changed to retail price for software, I'm going to call. Thats baiting me into the deal and changing it @ checkout.

Quote from smartermoney : DEAD....no more free software option. I was in my cart with free software but during checkout it changed to retail price for software, I'm going to call. Thats baiting me into the deal and changing it @ checkout.

I just went through to checkout and there's no software listed anywhere on the item page.

i have an air, i bought a mini DP -> dvi adapter from monoprice and it just gives my fuzz all the time. i do like the matte yes, its been a good monitor but it may die anyday (it being 6 years old after all)

pic.twitter.com/j3eeZCIx

i figure it could be the adapter so I am requesting a new one.

I also have a dying PC, multiple wireless usb adapters, and a lot of cables going in and around my desk and I hate it.

I am looking for a good all in one solution to simplify my desk. bluetooth, no monitor cables, etc.. apple's unified solution is expensive (and glossy) but i like the design aesthetic.

Quote from WingsOfF : Not a good deal at all because of what it is. You need to upgrade the memory to at least 8GB to do anything beyond Internet. You will also need to replace the ridiculously slow hard drive with something better, once again if you want to do something useful with it. But the latter voids warranty or you have to pay through the nose to get it done by Apple. There is no CD/DVD player so if you need to work with that media, you need to buy an external drive.

- 16GB of RAM 8x2 can be had for $50. Super easy to DIY
- NEED to replace HD is a little bit of stretch. You can do a lot of things with a 5400 RPM HD just fine. Many 5400 rpm drives perform pretty well. I agree once you go SSD its hard to go back. Replacing the 5400 with an SSD is not so hard. Adding a second drive to the mini and buying the chasis is a little expensive.
- Not true about the warranty. I thought this was a good thread to read:
http://forums.appleinsider.com/t/...st_1656701
- We don't have any CD/DVD or BluRay players in our house and we rarely miss it. We have a slot loading USB DVD drive sitting the closet on the rare occasion someone burns some photo/video disc for us.


Just my .02. For what it is.. The price is hard to beat. Only way to do better is to wait until the 2012 mac mini's show up on cowboom.

Quote from WingsOfF : If you just want it for XBMC, get the Apple TV for $100 and run XBMC on it.

Doesn't that only run on Apple TV 2 ala. limited to 720p and can't do software acceleration (yes I want a CPU w/ juice enough for software acceleration?

Quote from nsfw : - 16GB of RAM 8x2 can be had for $50. Super easy to DIY - NEED to replace HD is a little bit of stretch. You can do a lot of things with a 5400 RPM HD just fine. Many 5400 rpm drives perform pretty well. I agree once you go SSD its hard to go back. Replacing the 5400 with an SSD is not so hard. Adding a second drive to the mini and buying the chasis is a little expensive. - Not true about the warranty. I thought this was a good thread to read: http://forums.appleinsider.com/t/...st_1656701 - We don't have any CD/DVD or BluRay players in our house and we rarely miss it. We have a slot loading USB DVD drive sitting the closet on the rare occasion someone burns some photo/video disc for us. Just my .02. For what it is.. The price is hard to beat. Only way to do better is to wait until the 2012 mac mini's show up on cowboom.

Yes, memory is easy to replace and does not void warranty but it really needs to be done. The point is that the stock machine as configured with the memory and anemic drive makes it a very expensive desktop for what it can do and worse when you add all the high margin Apple peripherals and a monitor if you dont have one. It may be a little discount for Apple fans used to paying full retail, but it is not a deal let alone a slick one.

Sorry, officially the warranty is void if you replace the drive (which I did) because otherwise it feels like a snail. The anecdotal evidence that it may still be honored at Apple's discretion does not make my statement false. That surgery is not for everybody and too many things can go wrong. So the average person is going to use it as is and will be paying a ridiculous price for the experience.

The SD DIYer will upgrade to bring out its full potential but such a person will go buy a refurbished unit from Apple since they know the secret behind those refurbished products sold by Apple.

Quote from lowteckh : Doesn't that only run on Apple TV 2 ala. limited to 720p and can't do software acceleration (yes I want a CPU w/ juice enough for software acceleration?

Yes, until Apple TV 3 is jailbroken any time now. You want hardware acceleration, not software acceleration for smooth video decoding. So, it is the opposite, good GPU and minimal CPU.

If you want a cheap unit for XBMC use, look for an Atom with Nvidia Ion or better GPU or AMD fusion c-50/60 based systems which can be had for less than $200. Some of them even come with an IR remote that can be used with XBMC. They can all do 1080p with hardware acceleration and CPU is hardly used. I have a Atom D-525 nettop with Nvidia Ion graphics happily running XBMC. I attached this to each TV in the house unobtrusively behind them and can stop a movie on one TV and continue from the same point in another room when necessary.

Mac mini is an expensive overkill for XBMC.

Quote from WingsOfF : Yes, until Apple TV 3 is jailbroken any time now. You want hardware acceleration, not software acceleration for smooth video decoding. So, it is the opposite, good GPU and minimal CPU. If you want a cheap unit for XBMC use, look for an Atom with Nvidia Ion or better GPU or AMD fusion c-50/60 based systems which can be had for less than $200. Some of them even come with an IR remote that can be used with XBMC. They can all do 1080p with hardware acceleration and CPU is hardly used. I have a Atom D-525 nettop with Nvidia Ion graphics happily running XBMC. I attached this to each TV in the house unobtrusively behind them and can stop a movie on one TV and continue from the same point in another room when necessary. Mac mini is an expensive overkill for XBMC.

As a dissenting opinion, Mac minis are fantastic for XBMC. The mid-level 2011 model with the i5 and discrete graphics card is just about ideal, and can periodically be had refurbished directly from Apple with 1 year warranty for $549.

You can get full 1080p and HD audio support, which the Apple TV doesn't have. 1080p may come shortly if the newest model is ever jailbroken, but HD audio won't be supported.

Then you have the additional flexibility of it being a fully-fledged computer: emulators, advanced IR options, etc., and you don't have to worry about jailbreaking.

It's a little expensive, sure, but if form factor is important it's hard to get a more powerful machine in a package that small. It was well worth the additional cost, IMO.

One thing to note is that the menus in XBMC are CPU rendered at this time, even if you have a fancy GPU. So if you want giant walls of pretty posters with all the latest visual effects (like the Aeon Nox 4 skin), you probably don't want to skimp on the CPU, either. It only hands off to the GPU for playback acceleration.

The current geneation of Mac Minis aren't good for anything.

XBMC? For what? Go buy the $50-60 referb WD LIVE TV streamers. Those things work like magic, even over air and 1080p MKV's with subtitles.

For gaming? Crap.

For development? Crap.

Mac Minis are old pieces of junk that apple is trying to rip people off with. Wait til the new generation is out -- that way you can pay too much for at least something half current.

It's back!

Product Highlights
•2.5GHz Intel Core i5 Dual-Core
•4GB of 1600MHz DDR3 RAM
•500GB 5400rpm Hard Drive
•Integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000
•SDXC Memory Card Reader
•Thunderbolt, HDMI, FireWire 800, USB 3.0
•Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion (64-bit)
•Magic Trackpad
•Apple Wireless Keyboard
•2-Year AppleCare Protection Plan

AND choice of free software:
FileMaker Bento 4 Database Software (Retail Box)
Parallels Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac
LoJack for Laptops Standard Edition (1-Year Subscription)

Price: $714.00
Free shipping (USA)

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/pro...Apple.html

Other B&H Photo Apple promotions:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy...4068008802