The guys over at Macminicolo just celebrated their seventh birthday (Happy Birthday!), and took a look at some numbers. During those years, the humble Mac mini’s benchmarks have increased by some 1429%.
The graph above puts it in perspective.
Of course, you can make a similar graph about any computer that’s out there – but I think what’s more interesting about this is the Mac mini is a survivor, and the unsung hero of the Apple hardware line-up.
I’ve lost count of the number of times we’ve seen “Mac mini is doomed” rumors flying around, yet it’s still there, it’s still an amazing little machine (great as a server, as Las Vegas-based Macminicolo has proved) wrapped up in a smart, iconic design.
Although the mini no longer serves my needs, I still consider it one of Apple’s finest ideas. The Mini is the perfect Mac for anyone on a budget, or for anyone whose needs are not going to stretch beyond the basics. I’m looking forward to seeing the Mac mini (or equivalent) of 2019, which will probably be the size of an iPod nano and at least another 1429 per cent more powerful.
Do you love your Mac mini? Tell us why.
Giles Turnbull is a freelance writer in England. He also writes for the Press Association and The Morning News. You can find out more at his website, and follow him on Twitter @gilest.
12 responses to “1429 Per Cent Better: That’s Seven Years Of Mac Mini”
I use ours to run Plex and it is awesome. It’s an old 2009 model but does the job perfectly. I think the minis are so good I got one for work too :D
the new mac mini is hard to beat, expensive though. Here’s my ideal macmini.
8GB RAM, 256GB SSD & 750GB 7200rpm sata, 2.7GHz CPU and thunderbolt display.
:)
I have a 2006 model – the first Intel one. It still runs really well, and Snow Leopard is rather fast on it. I did upgrade it to max out the RAM, however. It’s my little packhorse! I wouldn’t give it up for anything!
I am using the 2009 one and it still runs great! Mac mini is truely awesome!
I am using the 2009 one and it still runs great! Mac mini is truely awesome!
I’ve always been a MM lover (own 2 late 2009 models). It’s not the most powerful Mac, but it’s alway up to any task I throw at it. Paired with our two 24″ Apple displays and we’ve go 2 separate fantastic setups. Buying the Mini’s and paring them with the 2 displays was a decision that was planed. I loved the iMac (owned several) but wanted options to use a Apple laptop with the monitors if I wanted too later down the road. Now that I have the Macbook Air (late model 2011, 11.6″ and 13.3″ ultimate) I can do just that. I thought after getting the MBA’s I would connect them to the displays and sell the Mini’s on Ebay……not happening. Like I said I really love the Mini’s. BTW, I’ve upgraded both Mini’s to 500GB 7200RMP HD’s and 8GB’s of RAM each.
Um, the graph in this article is not labeled to show what was actually benchmarked- speed, processor power, units sold?
My very first Mac was a 2006 mini with a Core Solo processor. Best little computer I ever purchased. I used to carry it to work with me every day in my backpack. I’ve since upgraded it to a 1.83 C2D, a larger HD and maxed out the RAM to a whopping 2GB. And even though it’s getting old and the bluetooth module and optical drive have failed, it still chugs along doing graphic design, video editing and damn near anything else I throw at it.
The graph is the score of Geekbench. The full article is here:
http://blog.macminicolo.net/po…
Have had a 2.53 C2D 4GB model for a number of years. I originally bought it to be a dumb server to feed our AppleTVs, sync our iDevices and laptops to for media (I have a Drobo attached), but I added a monitor and keyboard and probably use it more than my laptop when I am at home. I am not a heavy user of processing power (web, word processing, editing photos, etc…) but use massive amounts of storage to handle all the media and photos that I have and it works like a charm. It is also far cheaper to upgrade than an iMac because you don’t need to replace the monitor and keyboard each time. Unless you do very processor intensive tasks, it is probably the best home computer Apple makes.
After many years scoffing at Apple’s overpriced toys I decided I wanted an HTPC. Although the Mini isn’t perfect for that use (mainly because of Apple trying to push Apple TV) I decided to get one after the last refresh.
It’s now the most used computer in my house, and far exceeds my attempts at using Windows PC’s for HTPC duties.
I’ll definitely be getting an iMac when the next refresh happens.
The reasons I like it are numerous. From the gestures in OSX Lion (using a Magic Trackpad on the sofa is great), to the cliched ‘it just works’, there’s nothing to hugely dislike about the Mac / Apple experience. Using Plex is great for streaming media is perfect. Its tiny size is a bonus too.
I love my MM, it’s the late 2010 model and I maxed the RAM to 8GB and it runs like the wind. Super quiet for recording and runs Logic with ease. I occasionally fire up my Win XP Shuttle XPC and it’s just so noisy, no way could I use it to record if it’s the same room as a microphone! The only shame is there’s no built in iSight camera, but it’s not a big miss.