Apple's Mac Mini Gets a New Look

Apple closed its online store this morning to unveil a redesigned Mac mini, promising up to twice the graphics performance than previous models, along with new HDMI port and new SD card slot. Prices start from £649/$699 for 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 320GB hard and 2GB of RAM. The new HDMI output connects the Mac mini to an HDTV and the new SD card slot enables easy transfer of photos and videos from a digital camera says Apple.

According to Apple, the new Mac mini features a compact aluminium enclosure just 7.7 inches square and 1.4 inches thin, along with an integrated power supply eliminates the need for an external power adapter, reducing overall system volume by 20 per cent and hopefully keeping cable clutter to a minimum. A removable panel underneath should provide quick access for memory expansion should you wish to upgrade.

"The sleek, aluminum Mac mini packs great features, versatility and value into an elegant, amazingly compact design," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing.

"With twice the graphics performance, HDMI support and industry-leading energy efficiency, customers are going to love the new Mac mini."

Apple bills the new Mac mini as still the world's most energy efficient desktop. According to the small print, the claim is based on energy efficiency categories and products listed within the EPA ENERGY STAR 5.0 database as of June 2010.

The new Mac mini is shipping today and will be available through the Apple Store (www.apple.com/uk), Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorised Resellers.

The Mac mini, for a suggested retail price of £649 including VAT (£552.34 ex VAT) includes:2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB of shared L2 cache;2GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable up to 8GB;a slot-load 8X SuperDrive (DVDR DL/DVDRW/CD-RW) optical drive;320GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm;NVIDIA GeForce 320M integrated graphics;AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;Gigabit Ethernet;four USB 2.0 ports;SD card slot;one FireWire 800 port;one HDMI port and one Mini DisplayPort;HDMI to DVI video adapter;combined optical digital audio input/audio line in (minijack); andcombined optical digital audio output/headphone out (minijack).

The Mac mini with Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server, for a suggested retail price of £929 including VAT (£790.64 ex VAT), includes:2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB of shared L2 cache;4GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable up to 8GB;two 500GB Serial ATA hard drives running at 7200 rpm;NVIDIA GeForce 320M integrated graphics;AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;Gigabit Ethernet;four USB 2.0 ports;SD card slot;one FireWire 800 port;one HDMI port and one Mini DisplayPort;HDMI to DVI video adapter;combined optical digital audio input/audio line in (minijack); andcombined optical digital audio output/headphone out (minijack).

Build-to-order options and accessories include up to 8GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, 500GB hard drive running at 5400 rpm; Apple Remote; Aperture 3, Final Cut Express 4, Logic Express, iWork (pre-installed); Apple Wireless Keyboard; Magic Mouse; Apple 24-inch LED Cinema Display and the AppleCare Protection Plan.

Full details can be found at www.apple.com/uk/macmini.

This story, "Apple's Mac Mini Gets a New Look" was originally published by Macworld U.K..