Apple Mac Mini (2012 Edition)

Tired of Windows 7 or 8 or even as we speak, 8.1 preview (I know I am). Then maybe you, like I was , wanting something new because you were tired of all the whole Microsoft thing or just tired of PC's in general. Well look no further than the 2012 edition of the Apple Mac Mini.

This is ALL you get in the box......Seriously!

I write this for those who are thinking of switching to a different OS or those who are tired of PC's but don't want to spend all the big money to try something out from Apple. Well this is where this beautiful machine comes in. Let's face it, Apple's stuff is expensive but on the positive side, their things hold value for a long time for some odd reason. Seriously, an iPad 2 used is STILL expensive! But if you have never used an Apple product or for that matter, a mac, then this might be one of the first things you should involve yourselves in.

This machine is a B.Y.O.A. kind of machine. What that means is "bring your own accessories". This machine does not come with a keyboard, monitor, or a mouse. All you get is the system, the power cord and the operating system or the OS. For me, that was perfect, because I had a monitor already, I had a bluetooth keyboard and a wired keyboard, and I also had a mouse from a old laptop that I used to have.  

So this was perfect for me (I did go out to buy a Apple Keyboard and the trackpad which was ok, but more on that in a later posting). After setting everything up and getting into the OS, it was like exploring a foreign world. Of course, most things were simple to understand, but the other things is what kept me in awe. On a mac, I had to get used to the color dots at the top of a page instead of back and forward arrows. Also everything in the Mac store was just like one huge app. Whereas on a PC you would install programs and things of that nature, on a Mac you install big apps. There are some seriously pricey apps on that Mac store just to let you know.

The system itself is not very big. A little bigger than an AppleTV and about the same size as most toasters turned on its side. It's funny how you can pack everything you need in this small package. For the person who is thinking about switching, take note and do not throw away everything from your old PC or computer in general, because you could possibly use that old hardware on your new platform. The system runs quiet and the internals are as follows: core i5 2.5ghz processor, 4 gb of ram, 500 gb hard drive, and Intel hd graphics. It also has 4 usb 3.0 ports firewire 800 port, hdmi, thunderbolt, and an audio line  out/headphone jack. Wifi is 802.11 a/b/g/n, bluetooth 4.0 and a SDXC card slot.

Not bad on the inside, but to others, this configuration may get laughed at. You can also get a core i7 but of course its more expensive. Its not built for heavy gaming, but then again what Mac is? But you can play your basic games and my daughter played on Y8.com on there. There are other games you can play like the Bioshock's and things of that nature, but you will have to look inside the Mac store for more of that. 

I do not do a lot of things on my Mac Mini because honestly, I do all my browsing from my Nexus or iOS devices'. There are those times when you do need to do some heavy lifting like transferring songs onto an iPod, iPhone, or upload music to Google Play Music and those quick devices just don't do enough. I also make music and while apps for FL Studio is nice and Garage Band as well, without some sort of real computing, I would be lost without it. Photo editing is real big and making movies and all of that just need more processing power, more this and that, well just more everything. So because of that, PC's will probably never die out completely, and at the same time, you don't actually need a PC because Mac is a great alternative and so is the Mac Mini by Apple. I plan on getting another Mac here in the near future. I think I want a MacBook Air (2013 Edition) or the new Mac Pro (2013). The one is so thin and light and the other is so small and light and really customizable. I don't know if I want another desktop. I do know however that I am cool with not having any more PC/Windows platforms anymore! I have been using Windows for ages (and it feels like it) and if you this same feeling and are in need of a switch but don't want to spend a lot, then this Mac Mini should make for a real nice transition.

Apple Mac Mini (2012 Edition) 8.5/10