[Hands0n]

I bought myself the 512MB-fitted Apple Mac Mini 1.83GHz late last year. Common advice was to plump for a larger memory model, but I could not reasonably afford/justify it then. My thought was to upgrade the memory as one does with a regular PC as and when the price was right.

Since then I have been monitoring the Crucial Technology website to see what the price breaks were. For the 2GB kit I've seen a low of £168 and a high of something over £208 at the end of 2006 and into 2007. Tonight, though, the price has plummeted to a very affordable £148.04 inc VAT. The order is in, I await the delivery via Royal Mail Special Delivery (1 - 2 days).

If you're interested in the upgrade options are listed at the Crucial Technology website here (http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/listparts.aspx?model=Mac+mini+%28Intel+Core+Duo+%2 D+1%2E83GHz%29). The price changes all of the time due to USD fluctuations, but with the GBP at its strongest against the USD in a long time there are good chances of the price keeping at this level for a while.

By contrast, the Apple Store at Bluewater quoted me £400 to supply and install a 2GB memory kit. This is some three times as much as the memory costs!

Apple's warranty and the Apple Care Plan for the Mac Mini will continue to give cover to the computer and its parts even if you fit the memory upgrade yourself. The only condition is that you don't break anything in the fitting.

The biggest problem with the Mini is opening it up, but usefully there are a number of tutorials and practical demonstrations on the web showing how it is done. All you need are a pair of Putty Knifes and some regular PC tools.

Online guides that I have found useful reads are:-
http://www.smashsworld.com/2005/01/mac-mini-complete-technical.php
and a very detailed step-by-step guide is ..
http://www.macworld.com/weblogs/editors/2005/01/macminiinside/index.php

Onwards and upwards then :)

I'll let you know how I got on :cool:

[gorilla]

My laptop's getting on a bit, still works fine, but I'm getting itchy feet. I quite fancy a mac mini and after my foray into the linux world wouldn't mind having a go with a mac. Is it worth it?

[Ben]

Oh it's worth it.

Since buying my Mac mini in early 2006 I've bought, well, lets just say a lot more Mac's. Previously I was a Windows user since 3.0, if that can really be classed as Windows, having had a poke around at desktop linux a couple of times only to find that it isn't fit for purpose.

It's a love thing :p

[miffed]

Definately a life changing experience !

about a year since I got my first one , and just convinced the wife to let me get my third ( later in the year) when I'll upgrade to a Macbook Pro :)

Never got around to upgrading the memory yet , still only got 512mb in both Macs , trouble is , if I DO upgrade , it'll have to be to 2GB , and I'll have to do both , so it becomes a bit costly :(

They still seem to work fine with just the 512mb though

[Ben]

It'll have to be 2GB eh? :P Nothing else will doodle-doo?

[Hands0n]

Oh yes, its definitely worth it. The entire look and feel of the Mac OS X Tiger simply oozes quality and capability. It is the best Un*x/Linux out there, a marque for others to aspire to.

I still have my Wintel but am moving as much as I can away from it. It'll be there forever, but as I can already see it spiralling down towards yet another rebuild after less than six months since the last the appeal of the Mac Mini just gets stronger and stronger.

Vista will not be happening for me!

[gorilla]

You see, I'm torn now. I want one, but can I justify getting one just because i want one? It'll not just be the mac, but all those required extras namely the Display!
The only gripe I have is that my laptop running XP can be a bit slow at times. Maybe I should just get a macbook instead!

[miffed]

It'll have to be 2GB eh? :P Nothing else will doodle-doo?

Yeah ... in for a penny and all that :( Don't really want to be buying 512mb's that will eventually become surplas to my requirements

[bsrjl1]

You can get cheaper RAM from eBay than Crucial - 200Pin DDR2 SODIMM PC2-5300 is what you need, and anything that says it works in the Macbook (or Pro) will be fine. Someone was selling them for £50+£6 each last week, but by the time I looked again they'd all gone :-(

Also no need to upgrade both chips at the same time, although it is better if you match the sticks. I find 512Mb was great when i got the Mac mini, but now I use it to record my TV (eyeTV), watch films, internet on the TV etc.. it needs an upgrade. It's on my to-do list...

[Hands0n]

Too late! I'd already ordered the Crucial memory - it is matched, fwiw :D

I've begun to notice the disadvantage of 512MB, and I'm generally only running Firefox, iTunes and a few other small bits and pieces, dashboard is getting kinda full also.

Screen - I bought a beaut 19" TFT from Dabs, its their budget Hanns.g range - this one has DVI as well as VGA, it is a 8ms so is very fast too. The performance and quality of this screen is grossly understated by its price (cant remember now). It just works too well for what I paid for it!! It looks good too in silver, matching the Mac Mini and the LaCie 300GB USB/Firewire HDD. The stuff that is beginning to look out of place are the Mighty Mouse (white) and Apple wireless keyboard (white) .......!!!!????!!!!!

Hopefully I'll be nipping down B&Q for a pair of Putty Knives tomorrow :D

[bsrjl1]

Go for the Stanley Dynagrip Filling Knife 100mm (STA028657), nice & flexible - possibly a little more than the others in B&Q but we're only talking around £6. I only bought one, and it's easy enough to do. Makes a horrible expensive-item-breaking noise, but it's just the tabs releasing!

I use a 32" Panasonic LCD TV & DVI->HDMI lead, and it's fabulous :-) Good luck, let us know how it goes.

[Hands0n]

32" Panasonic ??? !!!

I was going to give it a go tonight but ......... only just realised that I didn't have the knife/knives .... I'll go get the Stanley as you suggest .... Saturday night should be a tense one in this household - I've already warned everyone to stay clear after 8pm :)

[Hands0n]

Oh Feck! Who can wait? :D

I checked out my toolkit and found a really tired and well-worn Harris Draper putty knife with a well-worn and rather sharp blade! So, without further ado the Mac Mini got turned off and flipped on its back for a jolly good sorting out.

I ran up the Video demo of how to dismantle and upgrade the Mac Mini (see earlier post in this thread) and kept it running on my WinAMDl machine in front of which I was performing the upgrade. I'll swear that the PC had a quiet chuckle to itslef at the sight of the new baby being ripped apart, errr I mean carefully dismantled.

I watched the "open the case" segment of the video and proceeded to insert the putty knife first on one side, then the other. It wouldn't play ball so I grabbed an old Smile credit card and shoved it in the first side I released while I worked the putty knife into the opposite side. This time the case came apart easily. There was no "popping" or "snapping" sounds, so I guess that I just have "the gift" - the case separated effortlessly, but not without me breaking into a mild sweat. Even the guru on the video managed to make his Mac Mini pop and crackle like a bowl full of that famous cereal, but not I .

Removing the subframe to get at the SODIMM was a bit of a pig, I didn't really have the right Philips screwdriver to start with, my kit is in the car and I am not going out there at this time of night! A replacement was found and I continued to remove the four screws. Really people, if you are doing this kind of work tidiness is paramount. Follow the video and use a clean white towling cloth to work on. Keep the screws in the right order for replacement.

Replacing the SODIMM once the subframe is off is the usual doddle, exactly as if on a laptop - if you've ever done one of those. The sockets are very tight and firm but not overbearing pressure is required to insert the SODIMM into the slot and lock it down.

Putting everything back together is simple enough - do not forget that little cable you unplugged from the front before removing the subframe. I nearly did!! It is a bit of a swine to get back into the socket with these old tired eyes of mine - I wore one of those LED headlights, can't see stuff all these days without a bright light.

It was really intense plugging the Mac Mini back into its harness and powering it up. Would it start okay? Scary. Very scary, for a first time with this kit. But I suppose that I should not have really worried. This Apple stuff is good indeed. The Mac Mini popped up in record time - really, it was tangibly quicker at starting up :cool:

Of course the acid test is that "About this Mac" display which now reads "Memory 2 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM". Which is nice :D The iStat pro widget reports "Memory: Wired 203MB, Active 122MB, Inactive 235MB, Free 1.45GB" woo hoo! Now thats what I call a decent amount of slack.

I can heartily recommend the memory upgrade to 2GB for anyone competent with handling the fine electronics inside a PC, radio or similar electronics. If you're a builder or lumberjack then perhaps you should consider asking for a bit of help :D

I'm happy. No, thats a lie, I'm estatic ......... and the Mac Mini seems to be loving its new memory space, I've really not seen it quite this whizzy :cool:

[Ben]

Hurrah! Glad you got the upgrade done ok. Luckily for me (and Apple, given their markup) I ordered online and so had the unit BTO with the RAM already inside, and it does indeed make for a surprisingly fast machine. I just find mine so responsive and so capable that I wish I was using it as more than a glorified TV, HiFi and browser.

Bravely done :D

[chagle]

Hi All,

Never been a MAC person - but strangely enough whilst in Tesco tonight (yes Tescos) I saw these " MAC Minis " -- I thought what the hell are they? Looking closer a very small MAC for goodness sake..

They look cool... Didn't see one working but god, it's made me think! :-)

Glen.

[Hands0n]

Tesco? WTF?? Where will it all end??? :D

You know you want one ............................. :)

[Ben]

Wow, they're selling Mini's in Tesco? That's genius, Apple do a similar thing in the USA with the big stores there - the Mini is the hook that reels you in to OS X and the world of Apple in general.

Apple also have new UK TV ads for Mac's, they're available on apple.com/uk

[miffed]

I saw this in "Mac format" a few months ago - Milton Keynes (I think it was) actually has a whole "Apple store" within the Tesco's branch , and there was talk of these popping up in selected larger branches
Also , if you look on Tesco's website - most Apple products are now available
Ipods have been available in Tesco for a while now , I reckon it won't be long before more products start appearing in all stores (probably starting with Minis , Macbooks etc ) ...and just imagine the effect this could have on the size of the mac userbase ?

Will make my life a hell of a lot easier " But darling , think of the Clubcard points ...... " :D


EDIT http://www.tescocorporate.com/page.aspx?pointerid=E8D0915F8AE342D6BB54636D089BB8 37

[Hands0n]

Clubcard Points! .................................. Brilliant! The Mrs will defo fall for that one :D

[miffed]

Well , found myself with a few spare quid this weekend - Cant be doing with wating for things to arrive in the post , so going to get some memory from PC world
Can anyone confirm that this is the stuff I want ? (not very experienced with these things ! )

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/store/pcw_page.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@0240626286.117050126 2@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccedaddkdffddmdcflgceggdhhmdgnf.0&page=Product&fm=null&sm=null&tm=null&sku=939040&category_oid=

[Ben]

AFAIK that's correct for Intel iMac's, yes.

[miffed]

:(

I reserved 4gb on the net , but when I got there they could only find 2GB !

So I decided to upgrade the Macbook first , then the iMac can have it's upgrade in a few weeks time - funny , the wife was quite happy with me spending £320 , until she saw what I was actually getting for my money ! then she became a little difficult - So I though the best action was to take the 2GB and sneak back another time for the other 2GB
The Macbook loves it ! it is REALLY quick now, (not that it was ever slow)
the only app that used to run slowly was MS office X (which I beleive runs under rosetta ? ) and now that flies along :D

The real test will be when I upgrade the iMac and use CS2 - as , frankly , it's perfomance was pathetic at 512k (rosetta again ? )

[Hands0n]

Yup, thats the stuff, DDR2 PC2-5300 - and its as cheap as on Crucial's webby without the waiting as you say. Marvelous.

Just be gentle, very gentle with the Putty Knife when opening the case. I didn't hear any "pops" or "crackles" so the others must have used more force than I did!

Let me know what you think of the new memory .... I reckon my Mac Mini is four million times quicker now :D

[miffed]

It is REALLY simple on the Macbook - just removing a cover ( 3 screws ) - pulling a couple of levers , then shoving the new memory in
The hardest part is a psychological battle - you needed to push the modules in HARD , Harder than you think you *should* be , which is a litle un-nerving
but I thought "What the hell" - and kept pushing - no snaps or clicks , which I thought I was meant to be listening out for - but it seemed to be in as far as it would go ....... so I put it back together .... turned it on - NOTHING ! just a flashing white LED :(

I quickly took the battery out and removed the cover - and on close inspection , one module appeared to be sticking out a tad (0.5mm ? ) more than the other - so I gave it a little more pushing - TBH I didn't think it had moved at all - but I wasn't prepared to push any harder ! I put the cover back on and put the battery in , pressed power button ..... IT"S ALIVE !!!
Booted up in lightening time ... I quickly went to see if it had "worked" (I was 99% expecting to see "1GB of Ram installed" ... but no ! it was all there !!
Best £160 I have spent in a long time !

[Hands0n]

Macbook !!! Doh!! I did my Mac Mini :D

[Ben]

What is it of CS2 that you're using? Photoshop? The CS3 beta of Photoshop is available from Adobe now and is a Universal Binary - it's vastly more usable.

Bring on the rest!

[miffed]

Yes mate, just Photoshop , might try the Beta on the Macbook - I am sure it will be far better running truly natively , plus the extra RAM should improve things a little too

[miffed]

Well I'll be darned !

just checked Crucial's site and 2GB for the iMac is now ...... £117 !

Glad I waited a few weeks before upgrading it !

[chagle]

Hello all!

Not been in for a while - Well just lurking -- Don't be crude! :-)

I'm seriously getting fed up with the Windows 'thing' - How often do we need to reload Windows on a PC to maintain it's stability.

Anywayz, was in Bluewater t'other day. Went into the Apple store!

In love.. yes! No, not with one of the assistance!! The Mac Mini....! Looking at getting the 1.83Ghz version! About 1G of ram...

I see there's a new version of Mac OS x coming out in a couple months time.. so shall I wait or just go buy one now!

Everyone still happy with their Mini's? :-)

[Ben]

To be honest, there's not only Leopard coming out in the Autumn but the Mac mini is also due for an update itself.

However - Apple doesn't give anything away regarding updates. The current Mac mini is a fantastic introduction to the word of Macintosh, so if you're ready to take the plunge now then I absolutely recommend you go for it.

Alternatively, the Apple developer conference is mid-June. There's every chance, but no guarantee, that hardware revisions may be announced there. If you feel like waiting a month to see what comes along then, well, that's all good. Just bare in mind that there's always something new to wait for, and that this is especially true with Apple. At the end of the day, it all boils down to the operating system - and OS X Tiger is world-class.

All the best with your switch - most of us seem to have made the leap this year, so we'll be more than willing to help you out with tips and advice :)

[chagle]

Hello.

Thanks for your quick reply...

Ahh.... so the Mac Mini is also due for an update, might wait then.

Does the Mac Mini come with a decent Email client, PIM etc. like Outlook? I've looked at the Leopard email client demo on Apple's website, looks pretty neat.

I love Outlook at I also Synch my N73 to it.. and works brilliantly.

I've seen again on Apples Website iChat - Assuming that's like a Messenger type of thing. I currently use Live Messenger, is there a version for the Mac that also suppose Video?

THe switch maybe hard as I've been a PC user since the year .dot - but I'm sure there's plenty like me out there who are glad that switched!

[Hands0n]

@Chagle - prepare to get very poor :D

I'm in awe of my Mac Mini from day one. It is a delight. There is much waxing lyrical from me in this area about my experiences, some pix also so just do a search and you'll get an idea of what its all about.

All Macs are fitted with OS X which has an entire suite of apps to do all that you say. If you dont like mail.app then there are tons of others that you can use instead - most of them completely free. If you are a Firefox user you can have that in the Mac as well as Thunderbird - both have been converted nicely for OS X.

iChat is okay - but the rather weird Adium is superb - it is a multi-IM client that will hook into MSN, GTalk, Yahoo and loads of others too - all from a single interface, its awesome!

You love Outlook!?!?!?!?!?!? :eek: WTF! That is the bane of my life - I cant get away from it - I hate it - but it pays my bills - so I have to put up with it. Deep joy, no Outlook client that I know of for the Mac - but if you are desparate you could always run Parallels and drop a copy of XP and Outlook into a VM running on the Mini - it'll cope with it more than enough.

Must stop now .... gotta go work some more!!

[Ben]

I believe there's a program called aMSN that you can use for video over MSN. As for Outlook, a copy of XP SP2 in a Parallels VM is really the way to go.

[chagle]

Thanks all for your replies. Certainly seems the way forward for me. I've done a bit of research etc. look like you can Sync to the N73 with OS X's built in softie!

I do like the idea of Parallels, I'll probably be buying that as I still need to run XP for supporting users and such like!

Now, buy online or pop over to Bluewater! ?! :-)

Looking at the prices I would like a higher spec Mini 1.83HGz which is around £529 (plus additional memory) or get a iMac which for an additional £100 or so.. might be worth the upgrade.

Peoples thoughts on the iMac? Everything's built in.. not sure if I 100% like that but... it's just something I'm not used to.

[Hands0n]

I loved the idea of the Mini and still do. It looks a treat on my desk and even with a cheapo Dabsvalue monitor (Hanns.G) with DVI it is excellent, best I've seen in a long while.

I went for the 1.83GHz with 512MB memory - but soon after did an upgrade myself using Crucial memory. It is a bit tricky but quite doable for someone who is handy with PCs. An Apple-supplied upgrade will be significantly more expensive, but you'll be assured it has been done right if you're not confident to do it yourself. Do not trust it to "a mate ....." unless you know his pedigree :D

DEFINITELY BUY FROM THE STORE AT BLUEWATER. The wait for on-line is a killer - they impose artificial (imho) delays and it can take an age to get anything from Apple. The store is a walk-in-walk-out. If you are having them do any work prior to purchase it typically takes an hour. Go have a few bowls down at Yo Sushi to pass the time :)

iMac? I looked, but didn't fancy the idea myself. I think its great for many types of user, but it leaves me a bit cold. The Mini is portable enough to lug round to a mate's and plug it up into their own monitor. I do suggest the wireless Mighty Mouse and Keyboard for either .... they're really good quality.

[chagle]

Hello :-)

I'm pretty handy with hardware, so the memory upgrade wouldn't be an issue. Have you got the 2G installed?

I loved the Bluewater store - As I say, went this this bank holiday monday - just gone. It was soooooooooooooo busy! Mainly kids P***ing about in iPods and getting in my way when I wanted to checkout the Macs! I could have spent all day in there!! Literally...

Now Ben ways there maybe a Mini update on the way, so I guess (although I'm impatient) it might be worth the wait!

Are you running Parallels?

I have already decided on the wireless Mouse and Keyboard! :-)

[Hands0n]

Wat'cher :-)


You'll need a thin flexible putty knife or two to get the Mini case open. There are web tutorials how to do this ( a good video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wU9tCllPJMc ). Have a wander around 123macmini.com forum too, while you wait..

I installed the Crucial 2GB upgrade kit - it is a matched pair of 2GB SODIMMs which I paid over £140 for - today's price on the Crucial website is £72.84 for the same 2GB kit! It is DDR2 PC2-5300.

I also run Parallels but on my Mac Pro - it replaced my Windows XP machine for all of my routine work/play stuff. The Mini gets used more for media, it is my iPod host and I use it for all sorts of non-work stuff. I've got a Lacie 320GB USB/FW HDD sitting underneath it also, it matches the case of the Mini and looks neat.

I know what you mean about the kids at Bluewater - and Apple have really gone overboard with iPod stands to draw them in. When buying the Pro I had no trouble - the kids stay away from that kit, they couldn't afford it in their wildest dreams :D But I couldn't get near the Macbooks for kids .... grrrrr :(

[chagle]

Hurro.

Thanks for your post - I like the idea of popping into a shop and walking out with something - no waiting for 2 days delivery, although I'd earn Nectar points :-)

Me thinks I need to go down to the Apple store again (Bluewater) and have a nice little chat. Probably during the week when the kids are at school. Maybe then I could hear myself think!!

123macmini.com - Great forum! Thanks for the tip......

[Hands0n]

If you buy direct from Apple the delivery is likely to be around 11 days - thats how long I had to wait for my iPod 80GB :eek: After that I vowed never again to buy from Apple online-direct.

I never usually do this but with all my Apple stuff I've taken out Applecare, their 3-year extended cover. Its not like these are just PCs where you can slam in any old motherboard of the day if something goes wrong. And I'd hate to have to buy a new Mac Pro just 'cos its out of warranty!

If you're going down the Apple store I'd suggest leaving all forms of payment back at home ....... or you'll likely do what I did ..... and walk out with something tucked under your arm :D :D :D

[Ben]

Just a quick word of support for the iMac -

The iMac's are slightly more powerful, sporting Core 2 Duo processors rather than Core Duo. Depending on which one you get, they also have discrete graphics - so you're more likely to be able to run the odd game. The larger size also allows for a 7200RPM hard drive, rather than a laptop sized drive in the mini. The extra money also buys a beautiful LCD screen and, I have found, quieter operation than even the mini.

So, the iMac is better suited to being a full-on desktop replacement system. It's also very tidy, having just one cable if you use wireless and bluetooth!

I honestly couldn't pick between them these days, but I love my 1.66/2GB mini to bits and could never be without it. It's an extremely enchanting piece of hardware.

I also order any non-standard system online, that way it's BTO in the factory. However, the Bluewater store is great, and buying standard equipment from there that can be taken straight home is just dandy with me :D Perfect if you're doing the upgrades yourself.

[chagle]

I must admit, I'm quite amazed how Apple have Squeezed such a large amount of stuff into the iMac! Does look rather nice I got to admit...

I think I should get the Mac Mini - Higher spec version (possibly wait til June - How I'm going to do that I do not know?! -- Just in case there's an announcement).

I'll use the Mac Mini perhaps as a stepping stone to maybe a iMac..!

Ben - Do you still Sync your phone to Outlook? Or do you use your iMac to do this?

[Ben]

TBH I only ever sync to move contacts from one phone to another, and I use Outlook on my old Dell though don't see why I couldn't just use iSync. My main machine is a Mac Pro. Greedy, I know.

[Hands0n]

BW will do the upgrades for you - but you'll have to wait while they do it - and Yo Sushi is such a pleasant way to pass an hour (and about £25!) :)

[chagle]

Hello all..

OK - I've decided! It's going to be a iMac not Mac Mini!! 20" version me thinks....

Do I get bog standard vanilla or get 2G of ram and more video ram i.e. 256MB?

Also the Wireless KB and mousey thingy - How do they charge?

:-)

Glen.

[Ben]

Top stuff!

Get 2GB RAM, though feel free to go aftermarket if you can't stump up what Apple's asking for the upgrade.

Get the 256MB VRAM - the video card is not upgradable, so get the best available.

The wireless peripherals are battery powered. They last between a few and several months at a time. Personally I prefer the wired versions, but go wireless if you want to complete the 'look'. :)

[chagle]

Can you actually get into the iMac easily to upgrade RAM?

[chagle]

Re: iMac RAM upgrade -- You can! Google is a wonderful thing :-)

[Hands0n]

Max your memory, man :D You won't regret it. Oh and congrats too ... Do tell us your first impressions .... Oh, and when? When!!

[miffed]

Blimey ! I see the 2GB of ram is now £58 !! ( compared to about £170 about 6 months ago !!)

[Hands0n]

Don't rub it in geezer :D I paid that £170 y'know :eek

I notice the price of FB-DIMM is taking its own sweet while to drop. I want to add another 2GB to the 3GB I've got in the Pro .... but not at any price!

[Ben]

Problem with the FB-DIMMs is that they're unlikely to go mainstream. As such, prices will always remain on the high side. I guess that's what you get for having fully buffered ECC RAM!

[Hands0n]

Well ....... the 2GB kit is now down to £122.19 - and I paid something like £184 for it not more than three months ago! The price is falling steadily. If you took £100 off the 4GB kit I'd buy it in a snap! And I think it realistic that the 4GB kit will be sub-£200 by the end of 2007, we've still got over seven months to go. I'd anticipate 8GB FB-DIMMS out by then :eek: Imagine, two packs of those and the Mac Pro memory is maxed out :eek: Unthinkable!!

I remember the first memory upgrade I ever did in a production machine. It was an Atari ST520, with an amazing 512KB of RAM. I soldered in another 8 chips to the motherboard taking it up to an Earth-shattering 1024KB of RAM. That memory behemoth is still in my loft, in its box, waiting for that special day :D

[chagle]

Hello...

Me again. :-)

Not been able to get to Bluewater so I'm probably going to order it thru' Apple direct - not only that through QuidCo, I get cashback!!

I was looking in PC World today and saw Microsoft Office for Mac - Interesting me thinks! Then I saw the price... not so interesting me thought !! But then I saw version of Students and Teachers? Now, I've also looked at Amazon - How do they know I'm not a Student, teacher etc. i.e. what I'm asking.. could I pull a fast one and just buy it??! AND secondly, is it worth it.. is there something else out there that's capable to doing the same as Word, Excel etc.?

:-)

[Hands0n]

Before you go splashing out on Office for Mac why not check out Neo Office which is free of charge! It is a OS X'd version of Open Office and does a very good job too. These apps are very underrated. For a large %'tge of the "Office" uses Neo and Open would more than suffice - and you can load and save files in M$ Office format too - its in the settings to save you having to do Save As all of the time.

Whats in the box? Word processor, spreadsheet, presentation and database - mirroring Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Access.

[chagle]

Ah.......! Thank you! :-) Money well saved then me thinks!!

[Ben]

MS Office will always trump the freebies, but I advise strongly against buying the current version of Office for Mac.

Mac Office 2008, however, comes out at the end of this year/start of next year and will be fully Intel native and based on MS's latest version of the Office suite. This one, me thinks, will be worth your hard earned cash.

[Hands0n]

:D Ben and I part ways at this point :D

I am an advocate of Open Source and find that the likes of M$ Office are complete overkill for very many for whom Wordstar for CP/M and DOS would probably do!

I've yet to find something I need that Open Office/Neo Office cannot do that M$ Office can. For sure, there is a lot in Office that Open/Neo cannot - but again, I question why it is necessary to spend out in excess of £350 for something that can be done for free!

Of course, if it can't be done for free, then the next question I ask my clients to ask themselves is ...... do we really need it that badly, and if the answer is "Yes" then the £350+ is entirely justified.

Oh gawd, its hard switching off sometimes :)

[3g-g]

Ach, FWIW, I bought the Student & Teacher version of MS office, mainly as the wife is a teacher, it's fine, no-one asked any questions, it works the same as it did on my PC and it's familiar.

I did hate having to give £80 to M$ when I'd just gone Apple mind... :mad:

[Ben]

If only it wasn't so damn slow under Rosetta. I mean it's not awful, but it's not great. Roll on Mac Office 2008.

(I wouldn't be so fussed, but the open source spreadsheet apps wont even open some of my sheets)