Apple Resellers Jazzed Over Mac Mini Update

The new Mac Mini is a tidy 7.7 inches square by 1.4 inches and comes with an SD card slot for seamless picture transfer, Nvidia GeForce 320M graphics processor, 2.4-gigahertz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 320 gigabyte (GB) hard-disk and 2GB RAM.

Initial reaction from Apple partners is one of satisfaction, particularly because of the number of changes seen in the latest version.

"We are thrilled about the redesign of Mac mini,” said Bryan Jackson, manager at Connecting Point Computer Center, an Apple specialist in Bloomington, Ill. “With its HDMI port -- the first Apple computer to sport such a connection -- Apple is very cautiously moving its entertainment solutions to HDTV.”

Nick Gold, director of business development for Baltimore, Md.-based Apple VAR Chesapeake Systems, says the improvements come in a number of key areas.

"We ‘re very excited by the new Mac Mini because it's smaller and significantly more powerful," Gold said. "Finally, the power supply is internal to the computer, so there's no ugly, space wasting power brick on the floor."

The Mac Mini's small size means it can be deployed in a variety of locations, including some not normally associated with desktop computing. For example, Jackson says he's had clients who've installed a Mac Mini in their car.

Apple’s price point for the Mac mini, at $699, aims to be affordable for the newly established niche of small desktop computers. However, the company has already upped the price by $100 from the previous model, and by $200 since the first Mac mini was released in 2005.

However, for home and business users who don’t want to fork out a lot of money, but still crave the power of a Mac, the Mac mini is ideal, according to Gold.

“It’s a computing combination that many people will find interesting, and it might make more sense than a full-fledged laptop,” he said.