An article on MacWorld.com claims that the Dell isn’t cheap anymore, despite costing $100 less, when you consider all that it lacks in comparison to the Mac Mini.
They’re wrong.
The specs table on their page states compares the Mac Mini’s “Two USB 2.0 ports” with the Dimension 2400’s “USB 2.0 (assumed–Dell doesn’t list this in the specs)”.
The Mac looks better, right? It actually isn’t. The Dell computer has six USB 2.0 ports: two in front, four in the back. As far as USB ports are concerned, it’s superior.
In the wireless category, they say the Mac Mini is “AirPort Extreme- and Bluetooth-ready”, while the Dell has “No wireless”.
The Mac also has no wireless. AirPort and Bluetooth cost extra - a lot extra. Did anyone mention that you can easily get an 802.11g USB adapter for $20? It’s probably about the same for a Bluetooth adapter. And you can use them, too, without an additional USB hub, because the Dell has six USB ports rather than two.
By the way, the Dell also has two PS/2 ports for the keyboard and mouse (you can also use USB ones). On the Mac Mini, you must use a USB keyboard and a USB mouse. That immediately uses up both ports, unless the keyboard has a built-in USB hub (some do).
When we look at audio on their comparison chart, the Mac Mini has “Audio out” while the Dell has “Integrated audio”. Integrated audio, much like integrated video, has the connotation of being low quality. Now, I’m not saying it isn’t - in fact, it is - but guess what?
The Mac Mini’s “audio out” is also integrated audio!
Now, to clarify, I’m not a big fan of Dell, but I just had to post this because the facts were so slanted and skewed.
dont forget the intergrated graphics on the dell. plus os x is so much better that windows, you dont even know, i feel very bad for you pc users….. sigh. the only thing that is better about the dell is the usb ports. you can get a splitter for 20 bucks. not to mention the apple keyboards have usb ports. how many viruses have there been for windows? dont know? well it is 100,000 in history. 64 for mac. talk now. dell sucks mac is better face it. longhorn is going to be like os x face it. i agree with comment 24, ” Apple makes it. Microsoft copies it.”
“My mini has 1GB memory and it feels smoother than my P4 2.4 GHz desktop running windows.”
We have to be careful though, does it run smoothly because of the hardware or because a FreeBSD-based OS X? Windows is a piece of crap anyway especially when you’ve already installed tons of applications in it…
it runs slow as the default memory is only 256 megs. Which is ridiculous for any graphical OS based on UNIX, as OS X is.
My mini has 1GB memory and it feels smoother than my P4 2.4 GHz desktop running windows. Enough said.
Except, of course, for games.
LOL… Mac mini runs slow like hell! If it doesn’t crash for you even once, that means you only use Mac and let it runs by itself without using it at all. If you want to see Mac mini crash just try some software like Maple, Mathlab…
I really agree that Mac makes good computer (using it at work) but only if you agree to pay a good price just like any Intel laptop/desktop, which is not the case of Mac mini!
A perfect work station in my opinion is a Linux/FreeBSD Intel system. Never have any problem with virus/spywares, and OS is FREE…
So please, cut it off and don’t use Windows to argue about Intel computer and Dell is not the only cheapest Intel desktop you can get.
Well, Apple BOUGHT Xerox’s patent.
Microsoft BOUGHT Apple’s libraries TO MAKE OFFICE and then STOLE THEM TO MAKE WINDOWS.
This is history folks, Windows is the result of the unlicensed use if Apple’s patents, while MAc OS is the result of the LICENSED use of Xerox’s patent.