Making the switch

[tomwarren Veteran]

If you know me then you'll be suprised that I'm considering purchasing a mac but here goes......

I saw the Mini Mac yesterday and I was very impressed with it and with the potential in Tiger. I have a few questions though since i've rarely used a mac before. Can I connect to my exchange server at home? Can I connect to my windows file shares within the mac? Can I play WMV/A? What sort of games are available on the mac?

Thanks guys :)

[Vice]

the Mac Mini is rubbish at gaming a 32MB ATi 9200! I mean PLEASE ...

But for everything else its perfect, it can access windows file shares (Via SMB) it can join WiFi Networks / Ethernet networks and so on.

it can play WMV / WMA via the Windows Media Player for Mac and it can play them through Mplayer and VLC (3rd party media players)

[amr_01]

you can connect to your window shares, and you can play wmv (although, i am not sure if you can with anything that comes with it, but i do know mplayer can), and they have windows media player for mac too.

[BTallack]

Can I connect to my exchange server at home?

585280387[/snapback]

Yes, Apple Mail.app supports Exchange as well as Microsoft Entourage

Can I connect to my windows file shares within the mac?

Yes, Mac OS X can even join Windows server domains

Can I play WMV/A?

Yes With VideoLan Player and Windows Media Player

What sort of games are available on the mac?

Generals, UT2004, Doom 3 is coming, Halo (which was originally going to be a Mac only game) and at least a dozen others. :p

[Koyder]

To see what games are available for the Mac, go to www.apple.com/games and/or www.insidemacgames.com.

[tomwarren Veteran]

So if I got airport on the Mac Mini it would connect to my wi-fi network at home fine?

[Tim Dorr Veteran]

Don't forget World of Warcraft ;)

Aiport Express == 802.11g, so it will connect just fine. I have my PowerBook and AirPort Express connected wirelessly to my Netgear router. It's all the same standard.

[Hurmoth]

I just got me a Mac mini, but I have question that would make me cancel depending on the answer.

My understanding that the video card will not support some Tiger features (i.e. Image Core), will Apple release an updated Mac mini that will have a better video card for this?

[Vice]

So if I got airport on the Mac Mini it would connect to my wi-fi network at home fine?

585280524[/snapback]

yup it will connect fine it will also be able to share and transfer files with your windows computers via the wireless network it will also be able to share printer over the wireless network :)

[j4020]

Wow these Mac Minis sound pretty good, Very compatible :).

[Vice]

It is not just the Mac Mini all Macs that run Mac Os X panther have the same connectivity. :)

[j4020]

Oh right cool :).

[jerry]

the Mac Mini is rubbish at gaming a 32MB ATi 9200! I mean PLEASE ...

585280402[/snapback]

Enough for strategy games like AOEII or AOM etc., ;)

[Photo Monkey]

I just got me a Mac mini, but I have question that would make me cancel depending on the answer.

My understanding that the video card will not support some Tiger features (i.e. Image Core), will Apple release an updated Mac mini that will have a better video card for this?

585280975[/snapback]

Might do eventually, but maybe not for a while. Most Mac notebooks will have a similar problem.

[mac15]

Enough for strategy games like AOEII or AOM etc., ;)

585281137[/snapback]

This card is incredibly dated on the PC but because apple controls the hardware and the software you'd be surprised at how insanely well it will play games.

[tomwarren Veteran]

cool, thanks for answering the Q's. Didn't know the Mac was so compatible.

Now I can get all the Mac Beta stuff and post it main page ;) muahahaha

[Hurmoth]

cool, thanks for answering the Q's. Didn't know the Mac was so compatible.

Now I can get all the Mac Beta stuff and post it main page ;) muahahaha

585282340[/snapback]

:laugh: Can't wait!

[SPeedY_B]

Those 9200's aren't as bad as most people think, sure it's not an X800, but they suffice for most things and even some games (not doom3, but most things up until now will run nicely on the mini ;))

As for the Windows Media, there is Windows Media Player for the mac which will handle this, however it only handles Windows Media in Windows Media wrappers, so Windows media video and mp3 audio in a nice .avi wrapper, wont work witn WMPMac, however it will work in VLC or MPlayerOSX as some already mentioned. However (and it's a big however for some people) Microsoft's new(ish) WMV3 does not play when not in a Windows Media wrapper. WMP was updated for the mac to support WMV3 in .wmv files, however if they're encased in avi, there's currently nothing that will play them.

Of course that may not be important to most people, but for some people, it can be plain annoying :D

Oh, and feel free to pass on mac beta's this way :p :D

[anthony]

Those 9200's aren't as bad as most people think, sure it's not an X800, but they suffice for most things and even some games (not doom3, but most things up until now will run nicely on the mini ;))

585282523[/snapback]

Right, Halo will run and so will Battlefield 1942 and The Sims.

It seems like much more than a budget PC to me.

[aristotle-dude]

Can I connect to my exchange server at home?

Do you mean that you have an exchange server at home or that you want to connect to exchange at work? I'm only familiar with exchange support in Panther and I'm not sure how they might have improved upon it in Tiger. With Panther, the Exchange server has to have Web access enabled as Mail and address book consume the XML from the Web access service.

Ask Apple for a definitive answer.

Can I connect to my windows file shares within the mac?

Yes. I've participate within a Windows 2003 domain with my powerbook.

Can I play WMV/A? What sort of games are available on the mac?

585280387[/snapback]

Yes, with WMP and VLC. You will not have 100% compatibility. Games? UT2k3, UT2k4 + third-party mods, WCIII & WCIIIFT (use your PC/Mac CD), Rise of Nations, Sims, Sim City, Age of Mythology.

http://www.macsoftgames.com/

http://www.macplay.com/

http://www.aspyr.com/

http://www.feralinteractive.com/

http://www.freeverse.com/

Obviously, it is not anywhere near as much as the PC but every year is getting better.

[Vice]

Do you mean that you have an exchange server at home or that you want to connect to exchange at work? I'm only familiar with exchange support in Panther and I'm not sure how they might have improved upon it in Tiger. With Panther, the Exchange server has to have Web access enabled as Mail and address book consume the XML from the Web access service.

Ask Apple for a definitive answer.

Yes. I've participate within a Windows 2003 domain with my powerbook.

Yes, with WMP and VLC. You will not have 100% compatibility. Games? UT2k3, UT2k4 + third-party mods, WCIII & WCIIIFT (use your PC/Mac CD), Rise of Nations, Sims, Sim City, Age of Mythology.

http://www.macsoftgames.com/

http://www.macplay.com/

http://www.aspyr.com/

http://www.feralinteractive.com/

http://www.freeverse.com/

Obviously, it is not anywhere near as much as the PC but every year is getting better.

585284256[/snapback]

just to ad to this for future reference. You will find the best PC games get ported and only a little bit of crap gets through. So even though there is a small selection, the selection we have are normally the best selling games on PC.

[blackice912 Veteran]

cool, thanks for answering the Q's. Didn't know the Mac was so compatible.

Now I can get all the Mac Beta stuff and post it main page ;) muahahaha

585282340[/snapback]

Good, more stuff to fill my Mac Mini drive with! :p

[The_Decryptor Veteran]

Hope you enjoy the mac creamhackered, i havent had one problem with mine yet (and i have the same graphics card, halo plays fine, if i turn on high AA it slows down a bit)

[Southern Patriot]

Enough for strategy games like AOEII or AOM etc., ;)

585281137[/snapback]

More than enough for games like CSI and The Sims as well. That's one of the main reasons I'm thinking of getting one for my wife. If I was to add a Radeon 9200 to her Blue & White, I'd already be looking at spending about $120 or so. The 550Mhz G4 in her computer isn't all that great for these games either, so I'd have to upgrade that as well. By the time I upgraded hers to the level of the mini, I'd spend about the same as just buying a mini for her.

[Inertia]

i wouldnt "switch" ide have both though, and the mac mini tempts me.