(the other image)
Wooh, I think we found the mac to drive the projector. From the AppleInsider MWSF coverage:
Jobs introduces Mac mini. New member of Mac family including a slot-load Combo optical drive, FireWire, ethernet, USB 2.o, both DVI/VGA output. It [lays DVDs, burn CDs, and is very quiet and tiny. Its height is half the size of an iPod mini. Jobs calls it "BYODKM" -- Bring Your Own Display, Keyboard, Mouse. Will come in two models: 1.25GHz 256MB/40GB for $499. A second model with a 1.4GHz, more memory and larger hard drive will sell for $599. Mac mini will ship on January 22. Ships in a box smaller than the regular iPod box.
Crossed fingers for gigabit ethernet; otherwise it'll be firewire drives to extend the storage. Or does it take regular 3.5" drives? From the tiny size I'm afraid it'll be laptop drives...
update: no gigabit ethernet according to the specs. The Apple Store is badly overloaded, surprise surprise. Superdrive (DVD-burner), bluetooth and Airport Extreme (801.11g) is optional.
Other new products: iPod Shuffle (tiny USB flash drive iPod with no screen), iWork (word processing and updated Keynote), new Final Cut Express (HD added to their light version of Final Cut Pro)
beautiful!
roll on 22 jan!
Umm, to turn this into a Media Center Mac I just need to ...
* generate DTS output for my existing surround sound system using something like this or this or this or this.
* and control it from an existing IR remote control using something like this.
Surely Apple could (will?) put something like that together. But maybe I can't wait...
Having read this on "I, Cringely", and completely agreed with it, I'm not going to buy a Mini Mac as a 'family media center' anytime soon.
I figure within a year or so there'll be another Mac designed with that kind of role in mind.
I can wait.
Meanwhile I need some reliable scalable storage and the NitroAV VANGUARD V looks like just the job.