Chapter 1. BYODKM

BYODKM: These six letters describe what the Mac mini is all about as well as how it's different from every consumer Macintosh offered since 1998. If you understand these initials, you understand both the Mac mini and why so many people have fallen in love with it. It is BYODKM that helps make the Mac mini the least-expensive Macintosh ever, and the first Mac primarily designed with Microsoft Windows users in mind. If you are reading this book, you've doubtless succumbed to the Mac mini's considerable charm.

As you read this chapter, you will learn:

• What makes the Mac mini special.

• Why the Mac mini is good news for Windows users who want a Mac, too.

• The technical details of the Mac mini.

The letters BYODKM stand for "Bring your own display, keyboard, and mouse," a phrase coined by Apple Computer chairman Steve Jobs and used to introduce the Mac mini to an SRO crowd at the 2005 Macworld Expo in San Francisco.

Maybe the mnemonic is a bit precious, but not having these itemsand assuming that the customer already owns themis key to the Mac mini's magic. This is a machine intended not so much for Macintosh owners, but for those who call Microsoft Windows their computing home.

These are people who have been attracted to the Macintosh, perhaps because they already own an iPod. Or maybe they've heard how easy the iLife creative applications are to use. They may even be aware that Mac OS X is, compared to Microsoft Windows, the Fort Knox of computer security.

The thinking at Apple must be that if you offer these people an inexpensive Macintosh, some of them will buy one. A starting price of $499 is certainly attractive, and made possible by asking customers to BYODKM. For an additional $50, these customers can purchase a switch that allows their new Mac mini to share the keyboard, display, and mouse with the PC they are already using.

This is a book primarily aimed at Microsoft Windows users who have or may be about to purchase their first Macintosh, specifically a Mac mini. I will walk you completely through the selection and setup process, help you create a home network to take advantage of some cool Mac-specific features, guide you on a quick tour of Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, and introduce you to some of my favorite applications for the Mac mini.

In this book, I will not be bashing Windows. Rather, I am assuming that you have a Windows machine that you want to keep using alongside your Mac mini. To help you, I'll also describe how to connect both computers to the same keyboard, display, and mouse, as well as how they can share the same Internet connection, printer, and files.

This is the setup I am using in my home office, giving me Macintosh computing because I want it and Windows computing because I need it. Windows and I have a complex love-hate relationship. But isn't that true for most Windows users?

note

Links to all the URLs in this book may be found at www.peachpit.com/coursey.