Apple redesigns the Mac Mini line, reduces spec levels???

Well well, the long-standing rumours of a new HDMI-enabled Mac Mini were true! Apple has released a new range of Mac minis with very clear aspirations for making it an even stronger contender for the corner of your living room.

Having invested in a shiny new Mac mini only a couple of months ago, it was with a certain amount of annoyance that I noticed this update on Apples website earlier today (whilst struggling to get my pre-order for an iPhone 4 through). But after plowing through the specs, I can't say I'm dissappointed to have picked up the previous model. Don't get me wrong, there are some nice new elements of the new range. However it isn't all a step in the right direction.

So, good things first: Apple have reduced the size of the box, and also done away with the external power supply. They've also replaced the DVI port with a full HDMI port (and thrown in an HDMI to DVI adapter). Most significantly, they've updated the graphics cards from NVidia's 9400M to the 320M. Now, I haven't been able to find any 3rd party benchmarks of these two cards, but according to Apple, you're looking at a 1.8 to 2 times performance increase in terms of graphical power. Not too shabby...

However, it's not all good news. The biggest gripe I have with the new range is that they have done away with the entry level price bracket, leaving just the two models. Price-wise, they're equivalent to the previous mid-range model and previous server model. However, the new £649 entry level model doesn't stack up that well when compared with my MC239*/A model. Ok, the new model has mine beat on a few areas mentioned above, but the processor is down from 2.53GHz to 2.4GHz, and more importantly the RAM is now down to 2GB from 4GB. The new specs do represent a small performance increase when compared with the previous base model, but that doesn't count for much when the price pitches it against the previous mid-range model with beefier specs.

It's a shame to see the entry-level Mac now priced at £649, that's going to put it out of reach of a lot of people wanting to build an HTPC around these things. I can't see this being Apple's only strategy for living room domination, and given the now even greater overlap between the Mac mini range and the Apple TV, I think it's now even more likely we'll see the Apple TV take the iOS appliance route I talked about earlier.