Don't want to start the usual stupid dispute apple vs windows but you see what you want to see ...

Why do apple threads always bring out the bellends?

That's not a Mac, it's a PC running OSX.

that'd be what she said

He's back, Merry Christmas!

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/apple-macbook-air-13-3-699-with-code-currys-2437295

(link just in case you want to look, can take screenshots for Customer Sevices in case they want to check it in a year or so)

I don't, I think it's more plausible that they were wrong 2 months after the event than those of us who saw it at the time lol

Plus it's Currys, more chance of George Osborne getting a budget correct and not back tracking than their staff getting something accurate. Have who heard the porkies in their "sales pitches"?

Not an opinion, it was available.

completely irrelevant conversation really ...you have your 'opinion' and Ill have mine THANKS for your input!

what and the woman in there customer services whose just checked your theory on her system is wrong also hmm i doubt that ..with all due respect!....THIS CODE WAS AS REAL AS SANTA!

With all due respect, what you are being told here is correct and Lauren is misinforming you (not intentionally). This was a valid code when it was put on here, however it has since expired (as should this listing be) so can't be used at all. Currys won't have this listed on there systems instore as it can't be used there and is expired, so Lauren and her colleagues won't be able to verify it unless they saw it at the time. They have been known to price match "online only" offers instore, and did on this code when it was live so maybe it's possible to accept it did work when live.

​my original post was i tried to buy online haha THE CODE ISNT VALID ..NOR HAS IT EVER BEEN ....ILL TAKE WHAT CURRYS SAY AS TRUTH AS SHE SEEMED TO KNOW HER JOB PRETTY WELL...THANKS FOR TOUR INPUT..........NOT!

Looks like the code has expired, I get
Sorry! That promotional code is not validSorry! That promotional code is not valid

Looks like the code has expired, I get
Sorry! That promotional code is not validSorry! That promotional code is not valid

Oh right, i'll get a look into that over the next day or two and let you know.

madVR is used to improve PQ

http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=222576

I have no idea what that is? If you tell me more info on it I'll try it out and let you know what it's like.
I use it for like Navi X and tv shows

Have you tried madVR with Kodi on this?

Have Kodi on mine that's why I bought it. Works amazing with an apple remote

That's because the code EXPIRED 2 MONTHS AGO! And it was an online exclusive to wont work instore

Can this handle Kodi?

no currys checked ...its not a valid code :/

Maybe because it's 2 months expired?

sat in currys after trying to buy mac mini online following this link and lauren in hartlepool has verified this isnt a valid currys link

not a valid code

I would imagine this has expired by now.

Just tried this on the currys website but it said that the code was no longer valid. Tried MAC50 and 50MAC.

I'm a graphic designer and although I'd never use it as a main machine the Mac mini can certainly handle most of what I do. Just a fair bit more waiting than I do on my MacBook Pro.

Re: "real Mac" vs Hackintosh

I think this depends on the user.

I totally agree that a big part of the Apple experience is the reliability and stability of the systems because it's known hardware (vs any hardware combo on Windows).
One other thing I like is the lack of crapware/bloatware on an Apple, vs a branded PC like Sony or Samsung.

But there's no denying that Apple hardware comes at a premium price, and so if you're willing to invest the time on user forums chasing down hardware incompatibilities etc., and willing to put up with occasional crashes and software that just won't run then you might find the Hackintosh option to be attractive. Remember that the kind of people who like Hackintosh are often those who enjoy a technology challenge, and the instabilities are actually part of that intellectual challenge.

(As a side note it's quite possible that Hackintosh users will tell you that they do not experience problems, and all is good. It's not that they are fibbing, it's because technically able people often don't realize that they've solved three different problems that day, and "all is good" with their Hackintosh. To a less technically savvy user those problems would be show-stoppers. I think this is one reason you get such polarized opinions on Hackintosh. But both realities can be true at the same time :-) ).

For people who just want a nice looking computer that's totally stable and easy to use then "real Mac" is the way to go. But you're going to have to accept that you'll "pay more" upfront, BUT if you calculate the hourly cost of your time (that you would have spent fixing, or trying to fix, a Hackintosh) you may find that this cost premium is a good investment for you.

Each to their own. There are no absolute rights and wrongs here, IMHO.

Macintosh doesn't give the same experience as using a real Mac and also not reliable. It's better just to get the real deal.

I'm planning a Hackintosh build, presumably you can buy a copy of windows and run bootcamp when it's done and you've got both systems on one machine..?

Anyone know if the O2 £20 off £300 spend at Currys can be combined with this instore?

Just to confirm I picked up the Mac Mini from Curry's in London yesterday. They applied the 50MAC discount and I got it for GBP 349.

Having just updated a few home laptops to Windows 10 I was yet again struck at how easy the whole Apple experience is. The Mini took about three minutes to set up, and it comes with Yosemite. The El Capitan update (a 6GB download) took about an hour to complete, but almost all of it was unattended.

I only use Mac very occasionally but one thing I can say they get right is that the O/S updates are very subtle, and they don't leave you feeling like a total novice the way Microsoft does.

(What I mean by that is that when I used Win8 for the first time after considering myself reasonably au fait with WinXP and Win7 is that I sat staring at the laptop for ages wondering how the hell to actually use it for something. The only way that changed was when I installed Classic Shell).

Let's forget the Windows vs Mac religious arguments. This is a very inexpensive way to get a simple computer that's easy to use, and can perform most of the basic productivity tasks, like writing simple documents, browsing the web, etc.

It's not a super-powerful machine, but it's perfectly responsive (the graphics look good, and it has no problem playing full HD movies - I don't have a 4k screen to try that). I assume if you need a Mac for heavy duty video editing you need to look higher up the range.

I use OSX and W10 daily and they both "just work" with no noticeable performance difference. It sounds like your Windows PC is broken.

Seriously, best thing I've read all day.

Thanks!

Its not really a nerdy project.
You buy the components, you put them together and you install OSX.
Research time is low.. look at site find component list, buy it.
Create OSX install stick (i had my non techie sister make mine following the instructions from tonymac)

It's really straight forward.

Mine runs solid as a rock. Took a couple of hours including the building... which is pretty much impossible to get wrong if you have any common sense)

Nope, wrong. For a start xp is no longer supported by ms. Not that anyone, including myself, is interested or cares anyway, I have to maintain all the hideous various windows machines at work. Don't use any at home, only the mrs boots it on her mac as she is a senior sw dev. Even then she will prefer to remotely connect still under osx where possible using s/w.

The fact is, windows requires more hardware headroom purely to achieve the same results. Then there's the fact it requires AV installing along with firewalls etc using up yet more resources. It's only necessary because of the reliance on it, development included. Personally I wish it never existed.

Installing AV on a mac is quite frankly a waste of time and the kind of thing propagated by individuals with little knowledge. If you buy a fresh mac all you need do is start the internal firewall, enable stealth if you want and adjust whatever further services as you require. There's no helping some 'click anything' folks, whom should go learn something first.

So enlighten me as to how will arise?

Terminal is just the terminal emulator, Bash is the shell/interpreter. Terminal runs Bash by default on OSX and a lot of Linux distributions, so if you're using a terminal on a *nix system it's likely to be running Bash.

Bash is often used synonymously for terminal. I'm kinda surprised that you haven't heard of it.

​Good one!

Heat added because this model has been at GBP 369 on Amazon for a while. BTW I tried to order this as "collect in store" but the Curry's website doesn't seem to let me use the code for the discount. I'm heading into the Big City today for a meeting anyway and I'll pop into the store to see if they will honour it anyway. Otherwise I'll just get them to deliver.

For all the anti-Mac folks, it's simple. This is the cheapest way to get into the Apple infrastructure. For example I'm looking to develop Apple iBooks, and for that you need the amazing iBooks Author software - which only runs on on OSX.


BTW I use a Windows laptop every day, but Macs are a very rare treat. In fact I have the time to write this because I'm waiting for Word to recover from a regular timeout "freeze" that typically lasts about 5 minutes.

The sheer ignorance and lack of intelligence combined with agressive/sarcastic overtone within replies on here is both utterly shameful and unhelpful.

Don't be silly, OSX doesn't use bash, it uses Kenny!



:stuck_out_tongue:

If we're permitted methods that aren't legal then the cheapest way is surely to actually just steal one?

They don't come with either.

Like the idea of that. Means a nice big screen as well.

I would however like to do some video editing and photoshopping from time to time, but begrudge paying for Adobe CS again... And before every man and his dog says it's not powerful enough, I've done it on a less powerful PC before. Yes, there were delays, waiting for rendering, conversion and so on, but I'm not doing it professionally so don't mind a bit of a wait.
Any excuse for a brew!

Last thing... No mention of keyboard or mouse on Currys AMD within this very thread... Is that right?!?

It isn't a proper Mac and it is not reliable.

Why do apple threads always bring out the bellends?

Hahahah - from that comment alone, is clear you actually don't.

​is it really that under powered for photo editing??

That's not a Mac, it's a PC running OSX.

Don't bother mate, he knows what he's talking about, didn't you hear?

I've had mine for a week, the new 2014 2.6ghz i5 mac mini with 256gb ssd and 16gb ram.

I love it!

Bash is the shell. If you open the terminal, you’ll be using Bash to interact with it. Same as in Linux. Open the console or terminal or go to one of the virtual TTYs and you’ll be faced with a prompt, and the prompt comes from Bash. It’s the most common shell in use today in POSIX compliant operating systems (such as Unix, Linux, Darwin). When you type commands, such as ls or cd or rm -rV /* you’re actually interacting with the Bourne-Again SHell.

I use one of these as a media server.

• HDMI port on the back
• 802.11ac fast wifi
• Infrared port for Apple remote

I have this running Plex connected to my main TV in the living room via HDMI and streaming video and audio to my other TVs, iPhones and iPads via wifi.

If you install OSX server you can also use it as a backup device.

Only one place it was cheaper and that was very.co.uk when they did £100 cash back on apple bnpl, git mine for £289

however i do agree 4gb is a bit low and apple are a pain that you can't upgrade it

Cheapest way to a Mac is a hackingtosh

Seeing as I have 24" monitor doing nothing this would make sense. Maybe when my laptop packs in.

I used to be a Macintosh Admin in a mainly Windows environment. I know what I'm talking about.

Flippin' Nora, that was some effort put in there. For the record I only use Macs (apart from Linux servers) so am all in favour, I merely wanted to state that they are far from free from vulnerabilities when in the wrong hands. You don't know many developers using Macs then, pretty sure they'll call it BASH, especially if they also use Linux environments.

Great computer BUT for the love of God, open it up and put an SSD drive in. It's not hard and then you really get the full Mac experience. Modern OSX was never meant to run on a 5400 hard drive.

You'd still need to enter a password to execute anything with root / admin privileges, same as Linux. It's not just a case of clicking "Continue" like UAC.

Not sure what your argument is, since the same flaws exist in Windows and Linux. Funny since you have to made a REAL effort to get Terminal up as an Admin on a Mac. Also it won't just run scripts by clicking on them like in Windows and some Linux distros.

Also, not sure how you'd "uninstall" the terminal functionality in a BSD system. (What you're calling "Bash" - aside, I've never heard anyone EVER call the Unix/BSD/Linux terminal "Bash".

Also you have to make a real effort to disable the security that stops you installing any software that isn't signed by Apple, which is WAAAYY more secure than Windows.

Idiots would get confused WAY before they did any damage. And OS X doesn't snoop on you by default like Windows 10.

End of the day Apple products are luxury items, you're going to get 'less' for your money in some cases. Like other luxury goods. We are voting here if this item is a good deal and since it's MUCH cheaper than it has been I've voted hot, even though it's not for me.

Bash is always installed and I'm pretty sure Python is too. People press YES to almost anything if it lets them stream their dodgy video, get free software (etc), so from that point of view they're no better than Windows. But yes, in reality they are more likely to target the bigger (and often less technically competent) majority.

I know. There is no telling them that though.

Because they're too busy spaffing their pants about alternatives rather than understanding that not everyone is the same or likes the same things.

I Know, i just don't understand some people. They vote on their opinion instead of how cheap the product actually is.

This is the problem with this site

4GB of RAM this is cold for £350 will run slow unless you're going to use it only for browsing on Safari in which case you could get a cheaper PC or laptop or under £200 you;re going to need at least 8GB of RAM min, and no I'm not poor I use a 15 inch Macbook Pro with 16GB of RAM

Macs run Java, Bash, Python, Perl (to name a few languages), so you can absolutely develop for them on Windows or Linux machines! Virus' don't have to be native Mac applications.

He didn't make the comparison... You inferred he was criticising because he couldn't afford one, (itself a ridiculous elitist comment) and he proved he can.

Alienware?! Hahahahaha

Nothing says "I know nothing about computers" than buying a Dell with a fancy badge on it, instead of building your own gaming PC like a real gamer.

5 words, yet you still manage a grammar error.

And also.. You're comparing a £350 basic mac with a high end computer made for gaming and video rendering. You're not comparing fairly there

Or it could be I don't think they come up to the standards of my Alienware with windows 10.
......and I've owned and sold on a lot of Mac computers.
Your right I can't afford a Mac.. only a near £3000 Alienware...poor me; I guess.[/quote
You can't say something is rubbish when it isn't true it is only your opinion. Enjoy your malware and spyware

Or it could be I don't think they come up to the standards of my Alienware with windows 10.
......and I've owned and sold on a lot of Mac computers.

Your right I can't afford a Mac.. only a near £3000 Alienware...poor me; I guess.

Just because you can't afford one, or you have not ever tried one. Or you're just a Mac hater, or you're just a troll. Could be any of these reasons and more.

Great way to own a Mac computer

I have one running side by side with a Windows PC sharing a screen. The difference in quality needs no explanation.

Most virus developers are too elitist to own a mac and because you can't develop for a mac without one don't make mac virus

Turning on windows: Bios, loading windows, welcome (still loading), desktop (still background loading more drivers & garbage), then popups "updates are available for your...."
AAARRRGGGHHHHHH !
And so on..... Inc your antivirus needs blah blah blah ffs.

Turning on osx: White loading screen and then desktop. Done & ready.

Im no fan of apples hardware prices (who is) and have various macs, including a late 2012 mini, but think I too will revert back to a hackintosh again, it was very nice when done, if a bit fiddly to install, but worth it.
And like a pc, you can upgrade the parts easy including graphics etc.

Any good monitor for this??

What are you on about? I don't have a Hackintosh, I've got a 2012 Mac Mini, rMBP etc. If people want to be build one then it's easy. Don't know what you're moaning at? If people want one let them. Oh god, everyone's a dev nowadays. Please....

And you stump up a few hundred quid for this Hackintosh, and who do you have recourse to when things don't work? Or get flaky? (is OSX or is it my new Asus mobo, hmm)
Seriously, for nerdie types its a fun project - but its not an "everyone can" or even "everyone could" debate.

This thread has become worse than a new car thread on HUKD. We've had Linux, Hackintosh and someone even suggesting OSX is more like OpenBSD

I've got a Mac Mini right in front of me. Never gets turned on, Windows 10 is excellent and Windows is still where its at for gaming. Like someone else in this thread has said, its a great iOS dev machine, which is why I keep mine around.

Can build hackintosh with any cheap Intel system. It's not like soldering chips to a board. Anyone can do it.

Don't get the point of mac mini tbh. Without Apple 4/5k display, mouse and keyboard the only thing left from the whole Mac experience is OS X.

Depends how much you value your time. If you are a professional developer or designer or anything where you might require a mac then the time taken to research what's required and then actually put it all together is probably worth more than just buying this in the first place.

Has anyone been able to get the discount to work on click and collect or is it for delivery orders only?

Don't forget 1% Quidco Cashback!

Money making exercise to make you spend more on a customised machine.

These machines are so slow, we have some at work and the delay when switching between programs is unbearable!! You spend a lot of time staring at the spinning beachball using it.

Using xcode on it was a horrible experience.

I was gutted to read that in the latest mac mini they have soldered the RAM. WHY?!?!!?!?! They never did this with the previous versions!

While this is true, your average non-technical user isn't really going to have this option. Having to spec the exact correct motherboard/ram combo so that OSX actually works, and then having to build the PC from scratch vs buying an off the shelf product with possible AppleCare and all of that gubbins... No brainer for a non-techie looking for the OSX experience.

Worth noting (as I think someone else has said) that the RAM on this is not upgradable.

Are these any good for ios development? Can these be connected to my dell windows laptop to use the mouse keyboard and monitor or need to buy them seperately?

I couldn't give a stuff about Apple. Although I own an iPad, an iPhone, a MacBook and an AppleTV I also have a gaming PC running Windows 10, a HTPC running Windows 10 and a ASUS x205ta running Windows 10. I also own a Pebble Smartwatch, which was probably built in same factory as most other electronics.

Because I'm not a 'fanboi' of any platform because that is completely idiotic, I just buy and use what I feel I like best at the time.

(I have used Linux in the past, but since I can run Linux binaries in OS X and I prefer OS X to most flavours of Linux, besides, gaming on Linux is still awful)

Given the information I've shared if you've bothered about child labour you shouldn't use any of these companies either:

Acer Inc
Amazon.com
Asustek Computer Inc.
Apple Inc.
BlackBerry Ltd.
Cisco
Dell
Google
Hewlett-Packard
Huawei
Lenovo Group Ltd
Microsoft
Motorola Mobility
InFocus
Nintendo
Nokia
Sony
Toshiba
Xiaomi
Vizio

I'm sure you own one of their products, I mean I see a lot of Linux fanboys cream themselves over ASUS motherboards.

Not at all.

But it does sound like your trying to deflect away from Apple.... Apple have direct control over which suppliers they use, and they are the only ones who can choose their manufacturers, duplicity in a crime doesn't mean you have to commit it yourself.

All I am saying if you are bothered about child labour, you can't choose Apple, a proven fact.

Regards
Flea

Interesting comment, especially since there's no magical 'Apple only' factory. They outsource their manufacturing to people like Foxconn and Pegatron (among others) are you telling me you've never bought or used a product built by:

Acer Inc
Amazon.com
Asustek Computer Inc.
Apple Inc.
BlackBerry Ltd.
Cisco
Dell
Google
Hewlett-Packard
Huawei
Lenovo Group Ltd
Microsoft
Motorola Mobility
InFocus
Nintendo
Nokia
Sony
Toshiba
Xiaomi
Vizio

?

Feels like you're just trying to start and argument really.

Grass is always greener and iSheep always look for the astroturf.

Linux > OSX. And its better to source your own parts anyway, then you can check to see if they exploited child labour to maximise profits.

But its a decent price if your looking to get chained to the Apple ecosystem.

Regards
Flea

It's actually called Darwin and is forked from BSD, but what-ever.

So wudan, are you saying that Mac iOS never updates itself? That would be a bit scary, given that bugs get discovered and virus checkers need updating etc.

Maybe it is better at doing that quietly in the background, but I'm sure it's going on.

In any event, isn't the latest iOS developed on top of Ubuntu Linux (or some other variant) now? I don't know for sure, just what I heard, but I wouldn't be surprised.

Is there a good site to build a good priced hackintosh?
Don't want top end stuff, just one that will do the job. Not interested in anything too demanding on the CPU.

Thanks

Just Put 8GB Ram and samsung Evo SSD and my MacBook work like dream :-)

Indeed - I would like to see how can a 4gb, spinny drive, mobile i5 machine be so impressive, even if compared to a similarly-priced windows whatever. Hard to think that's not the shiny apple on top pulling the miracle here. At any rate, good deal. Heat added

Don't want to start the usual stupid dispute apple vs windows but you see what you want to see ...

Nice price

Nah, the best way is to build a hackintosh.
Easy to do and cheaper too. I love mine.
Really like OSX really hate apples hardware pricing!

Would John Lewis price match and dare I hope that this reduction at Currys means Apple will release a Skylake-based model (or better still a model that uses the older Broadwell chip in the new 21" iMac for the Iris 6200 graphics), sooner rather than later?

Looking at the Intel Nuc and Brix form factors, I wonder if new Mac Mini would be smaller than the 2014 Mini but, unlike the Nuc and Brix, etc, so locked down you couldn't even change the out the hard drive for an SSD, not a trivial task or recommended with the 2014 model.

Hard to grumble about the modest previous gen spec at the price and besides, aesthetics wise, who makes computer cases like Apple. Hot.

More likely 13" if MBP

that'd be what she said

Thanks op

I went for manBook pro 12" from 2012 and love it :-) £400 2nd hand

Everything: picture, speed, graphics, operating system, lack of bloatware, etc. etc.

I know the old models were good where you could change everything. It's just another excuse to give them more money by paying for a customised model with more ram.

RAM is soldered on in this model :disappointed: Would like more for photo editing

Totally agree, cheapest way into a Mac with good specs, it's a great starter Mac to see if they are for you or not.