Feb 9

Written by: Spence Hackney
2/9/2006 3:49 PM 

I have used Windows PCs for many many years now. I have never owned a Macintosh, an Apple, or a Mac (I did have a TI-99/4A and a Timex Sinclair though).  Today I broke the mold.  My bright, shinny, tiny Mac Mini came in the mail today from Amazon.

I am impressed.

The packaging was amazing, the design is stunning, and I know we have all heard this a thousand times...it just worked!  I turned the thing on, it found my Wi-Fi network and made all the configurations.  All it asked me for is my WEP key and what language keyboard I have.  My Dell 3100CN printer installed like a champ.  It happily used my Logitech wireless keyboard and my off brand LCD monitor.  The only issue that I had was that it did not come with Windows sharing turned on.  I ticked it on and it *almost* hooked itself into my Windows workgroup.  The Mac hiccuped a bit because my workgroup is not named the standard "workgroup."  I did a quick Google search and found a page that showed how to change the workgroup, and now my PC sees all the files on my Mac and vice versa.  If I had not been such a twit when I named my home workgroup, it would have worked instantly.

I am not converting yet, but I do think that the Mac folks are making headway.  The beauty of this thing is that it is cheap (by Mac standards, you can still get a much better equipped Dell with monitor, keyboard, and mouse, for less money), very tiny, uses all of your existing PC components, and plays nice with a Microsoft network.   This thing makes it easy and painless for a PC -centric individual to venture in to Macville.  Way to go Steve Jobs.

Tags: