Minis Fall Short

Mini Falls Short

I enjoyed reading Scot Finnie's online Quick Review of the Mac Mini ("Mac Mini Walks Tall,"). One of my co-workers ran into some of the same problems Finnie encountered.

My colleague bought a Mac Mini the same week I purchased a cheap Dell laptop with Microsoft Office included. Like Finnie, my co-worker had trouble getting his keyboard and iPod to work with the Mac. To make matters worse, my colleague's old Mac monitor didn't support the display resolution on the Mini.

Whereas I was able to get my Dell laptop up and running the same afternoon I unboxed it, my frustrated co-worker couldn't use his Mac Mini until the next day, following the purchase of a new keyboard and monitor. He still hasn't solved the iPod problem.A lot of advantages the Mac once had over the PC are gone. Sure, my PC still has color-coded connectors. Nevertheless, it was easier to connect my desktop monitor, keyboard and mouse to my laptop than it was to hook up legacy equipment to the Mac Mini.

To be honest, I like Macs. But why would I even consider the Mini--or any Mac, for that matter--when the same money will buy me a nifty, ready-to-use PC laptop that's compatible with my keyboard, monitor and inexpensive MP3 player?

H. Stewart
IS Manager
Company name and e-mail address withheld by request

That's the SpiritI appreciated the views Rob Preston expressed in "The Sky Isn't Falling"" (April 14, page 10). It's refreshing to read an intelligent column that reminds us it's the entrepreneurial spirit that made this country what it is.

Replacing that spirit with government programs and spending would be like jumping off a ship because you spotted a cloud on the horizon.

Tom Gehrmann
Business System Consultant
CUNA Mutual Group
[email protected]

CorrectionsIn "Clash of the Titans" (April 28, page 55), we misstated pricing for the Symantec Gateway Security 5460. The price of the product as tested is $37,900. This changes the product's price grade on our report card to 3 and its total score to 3.02 (C+).

In "Vendors Are Building Better Change Traps" (May 26, page 59), the product features chart should have reflected that AlterPoint DeviceAuthority Suite 3.5, like the other two products tested, supports configuration capture, comparison, archive and update.

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