If Photoshop is on your Dock you can drag any thumbnail from it, onto the photoshop Icon and it will open in Photoshop. You and also drop it onto the desktop to get a copy of the file. This exports the full resolution image.
Anand, I've just tried to configure this Dell you mention in the article but I can't achieve the same price. Dell charge $99 shipping if the total price before rebate is less than $599 - so your $499 computer - if configurable would actually cost $599. The closest I could get was the following:
Dimension 3000
Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor (2.80GHz, 533 FSB) - That's fast but power hungry and noisy
Microsoft® Windows® XP Home - 95% of OS X and XP Pro so I didn't upgrade
1Yr Ltd Warranty, 1Yr At-Home Service, and 1Yr Technical Support [add $19]
512MB Dual Channel DDR SDRAM at 400MHz - More than mini
40GB Ultra ATA/100 7200RPM Hard Drive - faster 3.5"
Single Drive: 48x CD-RW / DVD-ROM Combo Drive - cheaper larger tray type
No Monitor [subtract $50] - same as mini
Integrated Audio - inferior to mini
IEEE 1394 Adapter - mini has Firewire too
No Speaker Option - mini has tiny speaker
Dell Quietkey Keyboard and Dell 2-button Scroll Mouse - better than mini
56K PCI Data/Fax Modem - same
Integrated 10/100 Ethernet - same
Mouse included with Keyboard purchase - better
Integrated Intel® Extreme Graphics 2 - Shared RAM not as good as mini
No DVI as far as I could see
Software:
Paint Shop™ Pro® Studio trial, Photo Album™ Starter Edition
Dell Media Experience™
Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 6.0
No Security Subscription - This is a novice essential
$627.00 - $50 with mail-in rebate = $577.00
So for $78 more than the mini, you get a larger, noisy, power hungry, fast depreciating ugly tower with a software bundle, despite what blckgrffn said, so lousy that Dell feel the need to list Acrobat Reader! The version of WordPerfect it comes with won't even read Word docs. But it does have a mouse and keyboard that Apple will sell for $38. So as close as I can get it the Mac is $40 cheaper and will hold more of it's value. Yet, no one can seriously argue that a novice PC doesn't need a Security software subscription - this adds $69 to the value of the Dell and it not costs $109 more than the mini. Who would argue that it isn't necessary to be able to open Word files? (Appleworks can open and save to various versions of Word) Well that version of WordPerfect costs another $49, taking the software to the minimum needed causes the Dell a REAL WORLD price of $695.
So the basic Dell Hardware with just Security software and .doc functionality is $695 (or $158 more than the Mac mini at $537)
Now what happens if I try to match ALL the software Anand was keen to ignore the value of? You choose how much to add depending on likely use:
McAfee SecurityCenter 15-months [add $69] - the mini doesn't need this
Mac OS X Panther, 10.3.7 - Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional [add $79]
iPhoto - Dell Picture Studio, Photo Album Premium [add $29]
iMovie - Last review I read Movie Maker only supported VCD
iDVD (with superdrive option) - Combo: RecordNow! and MyDVD Deluxe [add $79]
GarageBand - Band-in-a-Box $88
AppleWorks (Wordprocessor, Draw, Paint, Database, Spreadsheet), TextEdit - WordPerfect Office 12 Microsoft Office Compatible [add $49]
Now that doesn't cover what Apples software does but at least it can now, like Appleworks, produce .doc files
Quicken 2005 for Mac - Software Essentials Bundle: Adobe Elements, Microsoft Money Deluxe, Encarta [$39]
This clearly does more on Windows than the Mac so I'll balance by forgoing matching the games
Nanosaur 2
Marble Blast Gold
Adding it all comes to Dell Dimension 3000 Total = $1009
Just like Mephisto found above with the Cappuccino EZ3, the real world Dell price for a novice who isn't pirating software is TWICE that of the Mac mini when you realistically match software and hardware. I use match loosely because, while the PC will be faster and more upgradeable, it is poorer, without spending more money, on sound, graphics, size, noise, power, software, security, looks, stability and depreciation!
So Anand, this begs the obvious question. You've reviewed every flavor of mac... except the Xserve. I know you guys just built an uber-Opteron to power anandtech - how about doing some comparisons? Love to see your thoughts on that. What could you do with a cluster node, ahem?
#14 "Most people shopping for a $500 computer couldn't care less what it looks like"
They care what a $5 T-shirt looks like; where they live; what car they drive; who they go out with; what music is cool; that the iPod and their mobile phone make them look good; their furniture; even just how they write their name - but not their PC? Canon sells IXUS cameras because people love the looks; Sony sells everything on build and looks; but the PC doesn't matter?
Though PCs dawdle behind Macs by a couple of years in design even Michael Dell disagrees with you every time he rips off another Apple look. Bondi blue iMac sends the PC industry bolting pieces of transparent coloured plastic onto PCs - two years late. Titanium Powerbooks have them using grey plastic and calling everything Titanium. The minimalist Aluminium PowerBooks have been copied in the latest Dell laptops. Even AMD's ads for it's processors feature a guy smiling at an Apple PowerBook.
I think you are at risk of being an apologist for the lack of great PC design. I wouldn't be surprised if you argued that they don't care about reliability, malware, energy consumption, resale value or noise either. Frankly, I think you deserve a better product.
Also, iMovie is designed only for editing DV (HDV as well) video and the MPEG-4 movies that some digital cameras take. With these formats, there should be no importing. Any other video type, however, is converted to DV, so that's likely the delay you say. Even my 500 MHz iBook can import DV footage from a camera in real time, so for it's intended use, iMovie HD on the Mac mini should perform quite well.
I think you totally misunderstand Anand, blckgrffn, especially since he endorses (for a certain population) the mini.
They want a working computer for a very low price - maybe not the lowest, but they want a really great value. In my opinion, it is in this category that the mini mac will shine and grow outside it's 2% niche. The mini comes with all softs of software, including iMovie, iPhoto, and iDVD, for making movies, organizing pictures, and making DVDs, as well as being proof against adware, spyware, viruses, and worms.
Dell aside, Apple probably has a big hit on their hands as it really does do everything your 3 year old Dell does, but doesn't suffer from any malware (yet) and does pictures, word processing, email, browsing, movies, and movies. I think this is timed perfectly (in 2005) to coincide with a wave of people upgrading their machines since XP came out and they can't stand all the problems their machines are having now. If it were released later, people would be buying new machines with XP SP 2, and if it were released earlier, it would have been too early in people's computer life cycles for it to see much uptake. Kind of like how the year 1999 was a good year, with people starting to feel the age of their 'new' computers bought with Windows 95.
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OoTLink - Tuesday, January 25, 2005 - link
FWIW: The version of TextEdit that comes with OS X 10.3 can read and write Microsoft Word docs...Ganesha - Tuesday, January 25, 2005 - link
iPhoto exporting tip...If Photoshop is on your Dock you can drag any thumbnail from it, onto the photoshop Icon and it will open in Photoshop. You and also drop it onto the desktop to get a copy of the file. This exports the full resolution image.
Darwin - Tuesday, January 25, 2005 - link
Anand, I've just tried to configure this Dell you mention in the article but I can't achieve the same price. Dell charge $99 shipping if the total price before rebate is less than $599 - so your $499 computer - if configurable would actually cost $599. The closest I could get was the following:Dimension 3000
Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor (2.80GHz, 533 FSB) - That's fast but power hungry and noisy
Microsoft® Windows® XP Home - 95% of OS X and XP Pro so I didn't upgrade
1Yr Ltd Warranty, 1Yr At-Home Service, and 1Yr Technical Support [add $19]
512MB Dual Channel DDR SDRAM at 400MHz - More than mini
40GB Ultra ATA/100 7200RPM Hard Drive - faster 3.5"
Single Drive: 48x CD-RW / DVD-ROM Combo Drive - cheaper larger tray type
No Monitor [subtract $50] - same as mini
Integrated Audio - inferior to mini
IEEE 1394 Adapter - mini has Firewire too
No Speaker Option - mini has tiny speaker
Dell Quietkey Keyboard and Dell 2-button Scroll Mouse - better than mini
56K PCI Data/Fax Modem - same
Integrated 10/100 Ethernet - same
Mouse included with Keyboard purchase - better
Integrated Intel® Extreme Graphics 2 - Shared RAM not as good as mini
No DVI as far as I could see
Software:
Paint Shop™ Pro® Studio trial, Photo Album™ Starter Edition
Dell Media Experience™
Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 6.0
No Security Subscription - This is a novice essential
$627.00 - $50 with mail-in rebate = $577.00
So for $78 more than the mini, you get a larger, noisy, power hungry, fast depreciating ugly tower with a software bundle, despite what blckgrffn said, so lousy that Dell feel the need to list Acrobat Reader! The version of WordPerfect it comes with won't even read Word docs. But it does have a mouse and keyboard that Apple will sell for $38. So as close as I can get it the Mac is $40 cheaper and will hold more of it's value. Yet, no one can seriously argue that a novice PC doesn't need a Security software subscription - this adds $69 to the value of the Dell and it not costs $109 more than the mini. Who would argue that it isn't necessary to be able to open Word files? (Appleworks can open and save to various versions of Word) Well that version of WordPerfect costs another $49, taking the software to the minimum needed causes the Dell a REAL WORLD price of $695.
So the basic Dell Hardware with just Security software and .doc functionality is $695 (or $158 more than the Mac mini at $537)
Now what happens if I try to match ALL the software Anand was keen to ignore the value of? You choose how much to add depending on likely use:
McAfee SecurityCenter 15-months [add $69] - the mini doesn't need this
Mac OS X Panther, 10.3.7 - Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional [add $79]
iPhoto - Dell Picture Studio, Photo Album Premium [add $29]
iMovie - Last review I read Movie Maker only supported VCD
iDVD (with superdrive option) - Combo: RecordNow! and MyDVD Deluxe [add $79]
GarageBand - Band-in-a-Box $88
AppleWorks (Wordprocessor, Draw, Paint, Database, Spreadsheet), TextEdit - WordPerfect Office 12 Microsoft Office Compatible [add $49]
Now that doesn't cover what Apples software does but at least it can now, like Appleworks, produce .doc files
Quicken 2005 for Mac - Software Essentials Bundle: Adobe Elements, Microsoft Money Deluxe, Encarta [$39]
This clearly does more on Windows than the Mac so I'll balance by forgoing matching the games
Nanosaur 2
Marble Blast Gold
Adding it all comes to Dell Dimension 3000 Total = $1009
Just like Mephisto found above with the Cappuccino EZ3, the real world Dell price for a novice who isn't pirating software is TWICE that of the Mac mini when you realistically match software and hardware. I use match loosely because, while the PC will be faster and more upgradeable, it is poorer, without spending more money, on sound, graphics, size, noise, power, software, security, looks, stability and depreciation!
galactusofmyth - Tuesday, January 25, 2005 - link
So Anand, this begs the obvious question. You've reviewed every flavor of mac... except the Xserve. I know you guys just built an uber-Opteron to power anandtech - how about doing some comparisons? Love to see your thoughts on that. What could you do with a cluster node, ahem?Mephisto - Tuesday, January 25, 2005 - link
#14 "Most people shopping for a $500 computer couldn't care less what it looks like"They care what a $5 T-shirt looks like; where they live; what car they drive; who they go out with; what music is cool; that the iPod and their mobile phone make them look good; their furniture; even just how they write their name - but not their PC? Canon sells IXUS cameras because people love the looks; Sony sells everything on build and looks; but the PC doesn't matter?
Though PCs dawdle behind Macs by a couple of years in design even Michael Dell disagrees with you every time he rips off another Apple look. Bondi blue iMac sends the PC industry bolting pieces of transparent coloured plastic onto PCs - two years late. Titanium Powerbooks have them using grey plastic and calling everything Titanium. The minimalist Aluminium PowerBooks have been copied in the latest Dell laptops. Even AMD's ads for it's processors feature a guy smiling at an Apple PowerBook.
I think you are at risk of being an apologist for the lack of great PC design. I wouldn't be surprised if you argued that they don't care about reliability, malware, energy consumption, resale value or noise either. Frankly, I think you deserve a better product.
Anonymous - Tuesday, January 25, 2005 - link
Where is the sam hell is the half-life 2 cpu scaling article?Jon - Tuesday, January 25, 2005 - link
Also, iMovie is designed only for editing DV (HDV as well) video and the MPEG-4 movies that some digital cameras take. With these formats, there should be no importing. Any other video type, however, is converted to DV, so that's likely the delay you say. Even my 500 MHz iBook can import DV footage from a camera in real time, so for it's intended use, iMovie HD on the Mac mini should perform quite well.Jon - Tuesday, January 25, 2005 - link
Anand, TextEdit can open Word document, although only fairly simple ones.gnumantsc - Tuesday, January 25, 2005 - link
Yes those Mac people did wonder what the heck I was saying when I did support MS's Mac products... The what now? Oh sorry sir, I meant Logic Board.Anand, can you donate the mac mini to me? (always wondered where the stuff goes after they are reviewed)
I think Mac Mini will take a bite out of the Linux share and some Windows share in the market.
Michael2k - Tuesday, January 25, 2005 - link
I think you totally misunderstand Anand, blckgrffn, especially since he endorses (for a certain population) the mini.They want a working computer for a very low price - maybe not the lowest, but they want a really great value. In my opinion, it is in this category that the mini mac will shine and grow outside it's 2% niche. The mini comes with all softs of software, including iMovie, iPhoto, and iDVD, for making movies, organizing pictures, and making DVDs, as well as being proof against adware, spyware, viruses, and worms.
Dell aside, Apple probably has a big hit on their hands as it really does do everything your 3 year old Dell does, but doesn't suffer from any malware (yet) and does pictures, word processing, email, browsing, movies, and movies. I think this is timed perfectly (in 2005) to coincide with a wave of people upgrading their machines since XP came out and they can't stand all the problems their machines are having now. If it were released later, people would be buying new machines with XP SP 2, and if it were released earlier, it would have been too early in people's computer life cycles for it to see much uptake. Kind of like how the year 1999 was a good year, with people starting to feel the age of their 'new' computers bought with Windows 95.