This week Dell has released another addition to their “Studio” product line and advertising campaign. This new “hybrid desktop” (as they refer to it) offers far more customizable options than Apple’s Mac Mini. This Wii-sized device offer an intel core 2 extreme up to 3ghz, up to 4 GB if ddr2 ram, upto 320 GB of hard disk storage, and most interestingly, Blu-ray player. This computer, or home theatre component, outputs HDMI, could easily replace my LG SuperBlu player, and requires as little space as the Nintendo Wii. By far it’s far more important that this will challenge Apple’s Mac Mini; the mac mini uses outdated, slow hardware, a slower hard disk, and no Blu-ray support. With rumors of a MacBook refresh this September, a mac mini update is far overdue, a staggering 358 days according to Macrumors.com s buyers guide…
The front of this new Dell has a modern, sleek design which will blend with other components, or with you existing computer setup. It’s of note to point out the two USB 2.0 ports and slot-loading optical drive (DVD-/+RW Read Write or Blu-ray reader-option).
The Mac Mini is a dated design which has remained unchanged since January (Macworld) of 2005. The front and sides contain no ports, and the only point of mention are the slot-load optical drive (Combo or Superdrive available) and a remote sensor for Front-row (Apple’s version of Media Center, with no TV recording capability).
The Dell contains similar ports to the Mac Mini, but offers a S/PDIF optical audio out and an HDMI-out port.
The Mac Mini does have a competitive suite of ports too, it has one more USB port than the Dell, for a total of 4 USB 2.0 ports: in addition to a full-sized Firewire (IEE 1394), gigabit networking, a kensignton security slot, and both optical audio in and out (not SP/DIF).
The final feature that will more than likely sell more Studios than Mac Minis would be the color customizable options. The Dell is offered in Slate, Emeralf, Quartz, Ruby, Topaz, Saphire, and bamboo ( a wood-pattern).
In my research in comparing the cost/value between these two it’s clear that the Dell is much better value. When configured to the top-of-the-line Mac Mini with 2 GB of memory, a 160GB hard-disk, and so-on, the Dell is a much more modern incarnation of a mini-computer. And that’s just it: the Mac Mini is a compromise machine, it has a 4200 RPM hard disk (the Dell has a 5400 RPM), the Dell offers up to a 2.6 GHz intel T9500 processor, while the Mac Mini is stuck at just 2.0 GHz. The Dell is capable of being so much more than the Mac Mini in this age where working with multi-media is the norm.
If I were shopping for another computer, a home-theate computer, or a lower-end PC for a chiled the Dell would have to be my choice-it you’re looking for a mac you’re better off with an iMac or the best-selling Macbook (the Macbook and Mac Mini are mostly the same, but the current Macbook is more modern. Apple’s decline to update the Mac Mini could predict that this mac doesn’t hae a future.)
–Brad