Mac-Mini Portability at DVinfo.net

Kevin Crockett · February 10th, 2005, 10:17 AM

I'm trying to decide on whether to buy a mac-mini or a powerbook. I'll be doing a bit of on site editing (multi day shoots) but primarily I need it for presentations via Keynote and Powerpoint.

I know the mini wouldn't be the easiest thing to carry around but I can get one for 1/2 the price of a powerbook.

Does anyone have any experiene doing the same with an I-mac, E-mac or mini. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Aaron Koolen · February 10th, 2005, 12:13 PM

Well the obvious problem with the mini is the fact it has no screen, so you'd need one of those. If portability is the problem then get a powerbook/ibook. If money is the problem, get the mini. If you were doing a presentation, then with a powerbook you'd need to plug in what, one cable? From the powerbook to the projector. If you had a mini, youj'd need to plug in the monitor power, monitor to mini, mini power, mouse, keyboard. To be honest if I was doing a lot of travelling I'd probably go with a powerbook.

Aaron

NOTE: I have a Mac Mini, but not a power book....And yes, all you people read right, I now own a Mac ;) Steve Jobs' plan is suceeding getting us PC lovers away from Windows.

Boyd Ostroff · February 10th, 2005, 01:40 PM

Actually Kevin, based on what you say the choice should be between the mini and the iBook, not the PowerBook. An iBook is essentially a mini with an LCD screen and keyboard. Since it sounds like budget is a concern of yours then the 12" iBook would be better suited for your purposes than the mini.

But if you can afford it then any of the PowerBooks would be better still. The big advantage of the PowerBooks are the dual ported video cards which let you connect your projector (via DVI, VGA or s-video) and choose the correct screen size without affecting the settings on the builtin LCD screen.

The iMac would be more awkward to lug around (18.5 lbs for the 17" model) but of course you are moving to a much higher performance level with the G5 processor. The eMac is a lot bigger and heavier (50 lbs!) and not something you'd probably want to haul around much. Performance wise it would equal the iBook and Mini.

But keep in mind that the iMac, eMac and iBook only support video mirroring on external monitors. The mini only supports one monitor period. The 12" PowerBook is the least expensive Apple machine that will support two independent displays.

Kurth Bousman · February 12th, 2005, 11:44 AM

Boyd - I believe there's a widely used crack for dual monitoring on imacs and ibooks - screen spanning doctor - haven't tried it but it appears from users to be functional - so maybe an ibook with screen spanning would be the ultimate economical presentation tool

Dave Perry · February 12th, 2005, 12:01 PM

Kurth,

The Open Firmware hack for the iBook works great. I used it for 2 years on my iBook before I sold it tio get a Mini.

It also works on most eMacs, G4 iMacs, and all G5 iMacs.

Kurth Bousman · February 12th, 2005, 04:27 PM

Dave - that's what I've heard. i would have tried it on my imac but the 800mhz g4 was not supported. i did download it just in case I might use it later , however ! thanks for the feedback - Kurth

February 10th, 2005, 10:17 AM	#1
Kevin Crockett Regular Crew Join Date: May 2004 Location: FL. Posts: 71	Mac-Mini Portability I'm trying to decide on whether to buy a mac-mini or a powerbook. I'll be doing a bit of on site editing (multi day shoots) but primarily I need it for presentations via Keynote and Powerpoint. I know the mini wouldn't be the easiest thing to carry around but I can get one for 1/2 the price of a powerbook. Does anyone have any experiene doing the same with an I-mac, E-mac or mini. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

February 10th, 2005, 12:13 PM	#2
Aaron Koolen Trustee Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Auckland, New Zealand Posts: 1,727	Well the obvious problem with the mini is the fact it has no screen, so you'd need one of those. If portability is the problem then get a powerbook/ibook. If money is the problem, get the mini. If you were doing a presentation, then with a powerbook you'd need to plug in what, one cable? From the powerbook to the projector. If you had a mini, youj'd need to plug in the monitor power, monitor to mini, mini power, mouse, keyboard. To be honest if I was doing a lot of travelling I'd probably go with a powerbook. Aaron NOTE: I have a Mac Mini, but not a power book....And yes, all you people read right, I now own a Mac ;) Steve Jobs' plan is suceeding getting us PC lovers away from Windows. __________________ My Website Meat Free Media

February 12th, 2005, 12:01 PM	#5
Dave Perry Major Player Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Roanoke, VA Posts: 796	Kurth, The Open Firmware hack for the iBook works great. I used it for 2 years on my iBook before I sold it tio get a Mini. It also works on most eMacs, G4 iMacs, and all G5 iMacs. __________________ Dave Perry Cinematographer LLC Director of Photography • Editor • Digital Film Production • 540.915.2752 • daveperry.net

February 10th, 2005, 01:40 PM	#3
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,802	Actually Kevin, based on what you say the choice should be between the mini and the iBook, not the PowerBook. An iBook is essentially a mini with an LCD screen and keyboard. Since it sounds like budget is a concern of yours then the 12" iBook would be better suited for your purposes than the mini. But if you can afford it then any of the PowerBooks would be better still. The big advantage of the PowerBooks are the dual ported video cards which let you connect your projector (via DVI, VGA or s-video) and choose the correct screen size without affecting the settings on the builtin LCD screen. The iMac would be more awkward to lug around (18.5 lbs for the 17" model) but of course you are moving to a much higher performance level with the G5 processor. The eMac is a lot bigger and heavier (50 lbs!) and not something you'd probably want to haul around much. Performance wise it would equal the iBook and Mini. But keep in mind that the iMac, eMac and iBook only support video mirroring on external monitors. The mini only supports one monitor period. The 12" PowerBook is the least expensive Apple machine that will support two independent displays.

February 12th, 2005, 11:44 AM	#4
Kurth Bousman Major Player Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: san miguel allende , gto , mexico Posts: 644	Boyd - I believe there's a widely used crack for dual monitoring on imacs and ibooks - screen spanning doctor - haven't tried it but it appears from users to be functional - so maybe an ibook with screen spanning would be the ultimate economical presentation tool

February 12th, 2005, 04:27 PM	#6
Kurth Bousman Major Player Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: san miguel allende , gto , mexico Posts: 644	Dave - that's what I've heard. i would have tried it on my imac but the 800mhz g4 was not supported. i did download it just in case I might use it later , however ! thanks for the feedback - Kurth