neillaubenthal

The mini is decent…much faster with the M1 than the Intel macs but still somewhat slower and less capable than the MBP Pro or Air or Studio…but those are more money of course. Certainly just fine for LR and photo work. Rumor has it that we will see an M2 mini soon so might be worth waiting on that. The M1 version is limited to 16 GB RAM… ut the unified RAM is more efficient than the older style, but it’s still only 16… but will handle LR and PS fine.

neillaubenthal

Apple doesn’t want to own the market…they want to own the higher end and make better quality than your average no name vendor…and they are far more profitable than most Windows box makers. They also believe in a closed system because in their view…and many agree…that allows better security. They are also far easier for your grandmother to fix in the unlikely event you need to upgrade or reinstall the OS. Windows has gotten a lot better in the last 10 years or so…but ease of use and security are still better on this side of the fence.

Yes…they are more expensive than Joes backyard computer shop…but if you consider equivalent levels of quality from Dell or whoever that use higher quality components the prices are pretty similar.

Porsche, Dell, and Tesla don’t dominate the market either…but they make lots of profit and don’t care that they’re not the high volume/low profit vendor.

This is just like the Canon vs Nikon vs Sony debate…and just like that one it is mostly completely meaningless mental masturbation. Use whatever you like…and those of us over here on macOS will use what we like and just smile knowingly at your deliberate ignorance.

Source…long time windows sysadmin who has always, like many of my brethren sysadmins…had macOS at home because it just works.

r1ch Loc: Colorado

neillaubenthal Says in black..
Apple doesn’t want to own the market…they want to own the higher end and make better quality than your average no name vendor

R1ch's reply in red
So HP, Dell, Levano, Asus are no name vendors? LOL I have old Compaq laptops that still run. Apple has used the same off the shelf parts as these vendors.

…and they are far more profitable than most Windows box makers.

Yes because they are overpriced, they gouge Apple owners who don't mind. Fine, but that is not a feature or an advantage

They also believe in a closed system because in their view…and many agree…that allows better security.

In the past, Windows had a lot of security and virus issues, because of forced updates (which Apple has been doing for a long time) they are now much more secure and have less issues. Apple closed system has made it impossible for small business to repair apple products, their have been legal battles on this subject, Apple hurts the environment, they dont' want people repairing their boxes, buy a new box. LOL

They are also far easier for your grandmother to fix in the unlikely event you need to upgrade or reinstall the OS. Windows has gotten a lot better in the last 10 years or so…but ease of use and security are still better on this side of the fence.

At least you state Windows is much better, it is. I can say over the years, Mac went from Power PC to Intel, to M1 which was a huge headache for apple users and something Grandma could not fix. But the apple way is to just buy and new expensive computer to fix the problem

Yes…they are more expensive than Joes backyard computer shop…but if you consider equivalent levels of quality from Dell or whoever that use higher quality components the prices are pretty similar.

Apple has been using the same off the self parts as Joe's backyard parts, because Joe builds computers from motherboards by major manufacturers and parts that are made from companies that produce parts for Apple. Macs use intel parts like USB and Thunderbolt chips up until this year and the Mac Air is now using all Apple made components LOL

Porsche, Dell, and Tesla don’t dominate the market either…but they make lots of profit and don’t care that they’re not the high volume/low profit vendor.


My use of market share was to prove if apple was the best, why does it not own the market, it is because it is overpriced. I would consider a Mac, if it was priced competitively. But it is not and that is why the are not the best because the are not affordable, and they are not best as some here have claimed. There has been talk of the Mac Mini and true it is reasonable price but once you add a monitor and 16 gb of ram it cost double the price of a PC Laptop which is half the price. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08DFZHRPX?th=1

This is just like the Canon vs Nikon vs Sony debate…and just like that one it is mostly completely meaningless mental masturbation. Use whatever you like…and those of us over here on macOS will use what we like and just smile knowingly at your deliberate ignorance.

Different argument. These companies are competitive against each other in everything including price. One does not charge double for it's products over the other.

Source…long time windows sysadmin who has always, like many of my brethren sysadmins…had macOS at home because it just works.

The Just Works saying is false. Windows just works too. If it didn't people would not buy them and buy way more of them. I agree buy what you want, that is the American way. Buy a Porsche who have produced some of the worst most unreliable cars on the market.

PC is a tool, Mac is a religion. Become a mac family member, join the eco system. Great marketing but if you need to edit your photos, you can do it for half the price and spend the money on a newer computer 2 years down the road, or camera gear.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

That1NJGuy originally posted, "I'm thinking of purchasing one of these. I've done some research and realize I'll have to purchase all the peripherals, but still have a decent set up.

This will be my first Apple product. I'm not here to stir up the Windows vs Apple debate.

Does anyone use these and what is your experience? Good and bad, let's hear it!"

Of course, any time someone wants a straight answer about getting a Mac, someone has to stir the pot in favor of Windows. It’s pointless. If someone has “had it with Windows,” and wants to try a Mac, they are not in a mood to entertain a pitch about why they should potentially continue to be frustrated.

Believe what you want. I used Windows and Macs both, daily, for 25 years, in a photo lab where we needed both due to software availability. Each platform had and still has some unique advantages. I came to appreciate the Mac more than Windows FOR MY NEEDS.

I simply don't care about Apple "gouging" customers. It's not gouging if people agree to pay the price.

One of my mantras is, “Use the right tool for the job.”

Our first home Mac system (computer, printer, software) cost $4000 in 1988. With inflation, that is over $9500 today. My wife and I bought it because we needed it to learn to do our jobs better. Her marketing department job was all done on Macs. I had been using an Apple II and a PC XT, but ditched the DOS box for a Mac. The things we did at work with our Macs as a result of new knowledge and tools paid off in promotions and salary increases far beyond the $4000 expense. It was seven years before doing anything remotely similar was possible on the PC.

In the early 1990s at work, I used a Mac to document PC software my development team was writing. I *wrote* using Word on the PC, but the manual was assembled in PageMaker on the Mac using scanned photos, text, screen shots from the database software, and Excel charts.

In the late 1990s through 2005, I did a lot of FileMaker Pro database solutions development. I did it on the Mac, deployed it on Windows. It was much faster that way, NOT because the Mac was faster, but because the OS had better graphic capabilities to design screens, forms, reports, etc. quickly and precisely. We networked the solutions on Windows boxes because we had PCs where the database needed to be used, and because there were several tools I needed to run lab systems from my FileMaker solutions that did not exist for Macs.

Exotic sports car brands have tiny market share. People still buy them. If you want one and can afford it, you probably think, "Why not?" I think it's a stupid move to buy a Maserati, but my parents had a filthy rich jerk of a neighbor who owned one. He mowed down a phone pole with it.

I also think it's a stupid move to buy a Ford F-150 or a GMC Sierra, *unless* you haul stuff as a tradesman, or tow a trailer of some sort. But it can be a *very smart move* for those who need to do those things regularly. My sister drove a Sierra when they had horses to haul. Her husband drove their Mini Cooper to the law office... It fit the parking space!

I drive a Prius (four hybrids in the family) and rent a truck when I need one. Why waste gas 98% of the time just for the convenience of having a truck for the 2% of the times I’ll need one? There’s a U-Haul center two miles away.

I own a Lumix GH4 and will rent larger format gear in the 0.5% of cases I need it. It replaced TWO Canons, an EOS 50D and a GL2 DV video camera I had used for my photo lab job. I have a seven page essay that explains why that was the right move for me. There’s a Lumix GH6 in my future…

We don't all have to buy, or appreciate, the same stuff. Get the right tools for your job.

It's not always a race, either, as the trade press want us to believe. Our tools are so good now, that minor differences in the performance of the current models are often insignificant to outcomes.

PC users are not going to switch to Macs over speed. Mac users are not going to switch to PCs over speed, either. There are too many *other* reasons they would stick with their current platforms OR move to the other one.

Let’s let That1NJGuy do what he wants. I think he has enough information and links to proceed.

odujim Loc: New Jersey

I have the same exact set-up as mentioned above, including the Satechi dock station. The main difference is that I have my M1 Mac Mini hooked up with my LG-OLED 65-inch TV, instead of using dedicated computer displays. I'm very pleased with the performance of the M1 Mac Mini vs the Intel i5 Mac Mini.

r1ch Loc: Colorado

My advise was to get 16gb of ram for the mac mini.

Then I was responding to this statement which was not true.." Not trying to get anyone in an uproar but "Once you go Mac you never look back" Enjoy your purchase."

Of course this person was stirring the pot.

Then YOU wanted me to PROVE a windows laptop would match a mac which the AMD which has the equivalent to 16 cores does. "Show me a $1400 Windows laptop that weighs under three pounds and can outrun a $1400 Mac laptop — completely silently — for ten hours, on battery alone. Oh wait, there isn't one! "

You stirred the pot and I responded with a computer that could compete and was 3 lbs but was not as power efficient or quiet. so what.

Then people stirred the pot bringing cars and stuff into it.

Then " someone has to stir the pot in favor of Windows. It’s pointless." you insinuate that I am stirring the pot. Who is really stirring the pot?

After everyone else stirred the pot and talk about how they developed applications on the mac and how much better it is I offer a option which will do everything the mac mini will do, and even more for less and have a monitor and is portable all in one solution that is faster than the Mac M1 and has a much better dedicated video card with 24gb of ram and 1tb nvme drive. It is just an option and a darn good one and I think is a better performer. But I agree get what you want

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08DFZHRPX?th=1

2020 ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 14" VR Ready FHD Gaming Laptop,8 cores AMD Ryzen 7 4800HS(Upto 4.2 GHzBeat i7-10750H),Backlight,HDMI,USB C,NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650,Gray,Win 10 (24GB RAM|1TB PCIe SSD)

$987

Lets compare this with the mac mini.

Apple M1 Chip with 8-Core CPU and 8-Core GPU
512GB Storage
Apple M1 chip with 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine
8GB unified memory
512GB SSD storage¹
Gigabit Ethernet

$899.00

For 100 buck more you get 24gb ram 1tb storage, but wait the PC has an extra nvme drive slot, you can add a 1tb Samsung drive for 100 bucks lesser brands for less, or even a 4tb nvme drive. You could go up to 32gb of ram but that is not necessary. From what I can see the apple site won't even allow you to upgrade the mac mini to 16gb ram which is totally necessary.

My new recommendation, run away from the mac mini... as fast as you can. Run to the PC. You will be happier in the long run (and it will play top tier games LOL).

Or revert to my previous recommendation. If you buy a mac, get 16gb ram minimum and you will be happy with this option if you are going to use it for video editing or heavy lifting..

JohnR Loc: The Gates of Hell

iMacs are either 21.5" or 27" - one's too small and the other too big in my medium size Study. With the Mac Mini I can have the perfect size 24" screen of whatever make suits my budget and fancy.

That1NJGuy

Thank you for your time and effort for finding this.

r1ch Loc: Colorado

Good luck to you what every you buy. I think depending on what you use it for, you would be very happy with either.

wrangler5 Loc: Missouri

I have my M1 Mac Mini mounted in a lockable bracket screwed to the bottom of a shelf on a wall that my desk sits against. External drives (there are 5 at the moment) are also on that shelf and hubs are attached to the bottom. The 24" monitor is on an arm attached to the same wall. So apart from the Logitech keyboard and trackball, my computer equipment takes up zero (-0-) desk space. Just like the Intel Mac Mini that I had for 9 years before this one. The only thing I had to change when I moved to the M1 was the hubs and some cables, to be able to use the 2 USB-C ports on the M1 that replaced 2 USB3 ports on the Intel box.

I will adopt burkphoto's explanation above as my reason(s) for sticking with the Mini when my original Intel box bricked a year ago. I spent about a half a day trying to get it back, but I need this computer to fill orders for a business I operate. It was simple to buy the M1 Mini (with 16GB "RAM" and a 1TB "Disk"), slip it into the same lockable bracket as the old one, connect the external devices (that DID take some time, getting the new hubs stuck to the bottom of the shelf and getting all the cords connected), do a few minutes of setup and wait a couple of hours for an unattended Time Machine restore and I was right back in operation, with all apps running with the same configurations and settings as I had before. I can't imagine how much time and effort it would have taken if I had had to do that with Windows boxes (it took me the better part of a week to prepare for, then convert, then reinstall and reconfigure software when I updated a Windows box from 7 to 10 a few years ago - I never want to go through that again.)

r1ch Loc: Colorado

This is a knowledge issue. I use Macrium Reflect which is free, it images the disk, incremental backups and can even restore from a dell to an HP basically dissimilar hardware could be Levano, Joes backyard computer, intel or amd chip, doesn't matter.. It can backup while windows is running.

You can make a cd rom, or a usb drive recovery disk and stick it in and restore to a new drive, or a new computer, as fast as your network or external drive can push data. Completely simple. I am guessing it is similar to time machine except that macrium is an enterprise level software for business. If you would have made a backup with this software, you could have replaced the drive, or just got a new faster computer to restore to. Probably an hour to do that.

If your hard drive fails you just replace it (can't do that on a mac) and restore from backup.

wrangler5 Loc: Missouri

I thought Microsoft would not let a Windows installation operate on a machine that had materially different hardware than the machine on which it was installed before. Has that changed?

r1ch Loc: Colorado

Depends on the licensing. If you had a standard license you bought, the license would travel from machine to another machine (one time). If it is an OEM license that came preinstalled on the computer, that license may only work on one machine. If you restore to dissimilar hardware and your license is OEM to another system. The OS will complain when it is connected to the internet and you will have to purchase another license but that license would be able to travel to a different computer.. https://www.groovypost.com/howto/transfer-windows-10-license-new-pc/

If you were running a business or had a bunch of software on a system that crashed that was OEM, it might make sense to restore to a system with dissimilar hardware. Most users, usually have a spinning drive fail or nvme/ssd drive wear out so it is easy just to replace the drive of the computer. These things rarely happen. I have replaced a couple power supplies(I did this for a small business 6 months ago) , a couple hard drives in my lifetime. I still have the first computer I built, a Intel dx4-100 down in my basement that still boots up ( last time I checked when I was running my first new system with window XP) running dos 6.0 and windows dual boot. Config.sys autoexec.bat qemm, oh those were the days.

Harry0 Loc: Gardena, Cal

Not really. Windows 10 gives you a reminder to re activate. Call them, do that.
I LERV cMPs! Macpro towers to you peasants! I get 6 hard drives pulling the DVD out.
BUT! You can't just install Windows on these things.
If the OS tries to write into PC BIOS- it ain't there. You might make a brick.
I keep an old i3 3.3 HP SFF box, "just in case". I plug my new drive into that, and install.
Plug that drive into my Mac, run a driver updater, and everything works from there.
Just like this one! BTW, "this" is a 2011 MacPro flashed to 5,1, 2x X5675 and 32gb ram. Win10.

Buying a Mac ... especially a mini is like buying a tablet, or a phone, or a smartwatch.
What you bought is what you got. For many people, that's OK. Buy another in 2 years.
Most MAC folk are screwdriver illiterate anyway. MAYbe they'll add a sticker.
Windows boxes are fully upgradeable. Drives, ram, video, fans, lights, whatever.
There are many forums dedicated just to people who customize and upgrade the PCs.

I'm retired, and this is how I pay the rent.
POS 2010 MacPro- upgraded cpus, ram, ssd booter, and video card, make it Windows.
POS 2011 Mac Mini- upgraded to 16gb ram, 1tb ssd and Windows. Or Linux Mint.
Everybody is happy. I have 6 cMPs and 2 Minis behind me- I'm good 'till Valentines day!

BTW2, that auction place is still selling 2tb Passports from WD for @ $40.
Fits under that mini.