Closing the book on Apple's Mac mini

[Charles Dyer]

On 26 May 2007, at 00:57:33, LuKreme wrote:

> On 25-May-2007, at 18:38, Charles Dyer wrote:
>> On 25 May 2007, at 19:24:47, Roland Torres wrote:
>>> On May 25, 2007, at 4:15 PM, Matt Johnston wrote:
>>>> On 26 May 2007, at 00:09, LuKreme wrote:
>>>>> Improved form factor?  I think the mini's form factor is just  
>>>>> about perfect.  It couldn't be smaller without eliminating the  
>>>>> optical drive, and I don't think that's a good idea.
>>>> The Mac is dependent on it's optical drive. Utterly dependent.
>>> Why not reduce the form factor with an (optional) external  
>>> optical drive?
>>
>> If the optical drive is optional, you install new software how  
>> exactly?
>
> Firewire or USB2 external drive.  Or, over the network.  Or from  
> your other Macs.

The vast majority of people who buy low end machines, such as a Mac  
mini, only have one machine, so they don't _have_ a network or other  
Macs. And installing from a USB or or FireWire external drive begs  
the question of how the software got on that drive in the first  
place, _and_ the question of why a newbie or a person on a limited  
budget would buy another device in the first place.

Not having an optical drive is simply a non-starter at this time.  
Perhaps in the future software will be retailed on USB flash drives  
rather than CD or DVD; if so, _then_ optical drives might become  
optional... so long as the users of the machines with the drives  
restrict themselves to software which comes on USB flash drive, and  
never want to play a movie or to burn a CD or DVD as a backup.

>
> OK, Fine, installing Adobe software would be nigh impossible, but  
> for the vast majority of mini users, they aren't using CS3 and it's  
> not Apple's fault that Adobe's installer is so craptacular.

It's much worse than that. Adobe's software won't install... and  
neither will Microsoft's. Or most games, even many low-end ones. We  
are not now at a point where optical drives can be made optional, the  
way we were at a point where floppy drives could be made redundant  
back in 1997.

>
>
> -- 
> Hey, baby, I've got just the cure for that penis envy back at my  
> apartment...
>
>
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