Apple’s Mac Mini “test drive” might get a lot of curious consumers. And it made me wonder– what does everyone think of the Mac Mini?

MacInTouch reviews the Mac Mini, which they say is compact, quiet, and inexpensive, but that it needs to be upgraded to include FireWire 800 (only on PowerMacs right now) and better analog video output. They write, “The Mini, as far as we can see right now, is a wonderfully useful, friendly, attractive Mac that exemplifies the best principles of the original Macintosh vision. We hope, and believe, that the Mini will be a great success, helping Apple expand both its mission and its market, amidst intense competition.”

PC Mag reviews the Mac Mini which they rate as “very good”. They write, “The Apple Mac mini makes an attractive entry point for the Windows-to-Mac switcher, the Mac user who needs an upgrade from a pre-1-GHz Mac, or the user on a budget who wants a small, silent desktop with a really cool design.”

Tom’s Hardware Guide reviews the Mac Mini and says it is quiet, well-designed, and a trend-setter for small computers. They write, “The bottom line is that in many respects, Apple’s Mac mini is a real trend-setter in the small computer market. The only downside is that there are many fewer applications for the Mac than there are in the Windows world. Office tasks, however, can be just as easily and readily be accomplished on the Mac mini - indeed, MS Office is available for the Mac platform, as are other office suites. Meanwhile, Mac OS X 10.3 offers much greater ease of use than Windows XP.”

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