Apple Mac Mini 2011

We expected to see faster performance from the Apple Mac mini (Mid 2010) now it's finally received the Intel Core-series Sandy Bridge upgrade. But we weren't prepared for these lab results....Go To Full Review

I use this as a PLEX player under my TV and it's absolutely fantastic. Small, beautiful and doesn't make a sound. For me it's perfect. I've upgraded the RAM from 2GB to 8GB and that made a real speed difference....Go To Full Review

Unlike the new MacBook Air, the new processors in the Mac mini don’t suddenly make it a dramatically different kind of product; if the new Air with Lion represents Apple’s vision of what traditional computing should look like in 2011 and beyond, the new mini is more like a concession to the idea that perhaps not everyone else has quite caught up....Go To Full Review

In addition to being as powerful as a tower PC, the Apple Mac mini (Thunderbolt) innovates and sounds the death knell for the optical disc....Go To Full Review

The Mac Mini is the budget option – by Apple standards – and good starting place if you want to join the cult of Mac, but the lack of a disc drive is enough to rule it out for many users....Go To Full Review

Some might bemoan the loss of the optical drive, but if you need one, you can get an external Apple SuperDrive for £66. With streaming content becoming ever more popular, the new mini makes an excellent under-the-TV media Mac, and it’s very portable if you need to use the same machine at home and work. New processors and the Thunderbolt port make the 2011 refresh a very welcome update, despite having no DVD drive....Go To Full Review

Not everyone will tolerate the loss of the Mac mini's optical drive for playing CD-ROMs and DVDs, but with Remote Disc, the Mac Online Store, Steam and iTunes, you can probably get by without one....Go To Full Review

The Mac Mini trounces all other small form factor machines, and the cheaper option makes sense. However, step up to the £700 model and you don’t get enough tech for your money. A MacBook Air is more flexible for not a lot more, and the basic US$1,200 iMac is much better specced....Go To Full Review

The slender Mac Mini gains muscle, thanks to newer Intel CPUs, but jettisons the optical drive. Whether it's a good value depends on the peripherals you already own....Go To Full Review

Apple's new $799 Mac Mini demands that you abandon disc-based media, and that you surround it with potentially expensive extra hardware to realize its full benefits. It makes most sense for committed Mac users, those who need it for a specific niche-case, or for those who value design over functionality for the dollar....Go To Full Review

If you're still fixated on the beauty here, our honest recommendation is to pick up last year's model as it inevitably drops in price (and in turn, increases in value). We've been looking long and hard for an ideal use-case for this guy, and sadly, we've yet to find it....Go To Full Review