The biggest difference, is the screen. If you don't need one, then
don't bother with the imac, get the mini, and max it out, it'll cost
about the same, and you'll get more hardware for your funds. On the
other hand, if a screen is necessary, or you don't have one you can
use, then by all means, go with the imac. Especially since the new
imacs come with the cameras installed by default, it makes
conferencing easier (if you're planning on doing that sort of thing)
The mini is a utilitarian box, it's your no frills mac brand
computer. Of course, it could be made to have frills at an
additional cost, but we're talking out of the box here. The lack of
a microphone/line in jack is problematic sometimes, but the Imike
takes care of this. That's the only thing I wish they'd add to the
mini, otherwise, I'm perfectly happy with mine. You can always get
external drives if you need more storage. In fact, the firewire
drives apple sells fit perfectly under the mini, and when they're put
together, it honestly looks like a single unit to anyone that doesn't
know it's a drive and a mini.
Plus, since the mini is so small, it doesn't take up much real estate
on your desk. Something to consider if such things are critical.
On Jan 12, 2006, at 9:24 AM, Dan Keys wrote:
Hi,
One thing is that it has digital and analog audio inputs.
On Jan 12, 2006, at 6:03 AM, Cheryl Homiak wrote:
Hi all.
It's possible that with income tax refunds and other funds I might
be able to consider an iMac if I wanted to do so in the not-too-
distant future. I am wanting to know what the practical advantages
are of an iMac vs. a mini. The two that come to mind immediately
are possibility of a larger hard drive and the inclusion of a
display. Are there other practical benefits to be considered? are
there concrete advantages to having a g5 instead of a G4? One
could buy a couple of minis for the price of an iMac by the time
one is done, so I want to think about this long and hard. also,
other than the fact that you have the availability of a larger hd
with a 20inch, are there advantages to this over the 17inch?
Conversely, are there advantages to just sticking with minis? I
realize that I'm asking more subjective opinion than information,
but I'd like to hear the views of those who have iMacs and those
who thought about it and chose something else.
Thanks.
--
Cheryl
"Where your treasure is,
there will your heart be also".
