New iMacs and Mac minis confirmed to use Nvidia chipsets

Extension files referencing new Mac Minis and iMacs

It was pretty easy to assume that new Mac Minis and iMacs would use Nvidia chipsets but it wasn’t confirmed until a member of the InsanelyMac forums went looking through the extension files that ship with the latest MacBook and MacBook Pros and found references to the new models.

This I’m sure is a big deal to Mac Mini lovers as they will gather from this that at least the computer isn’t going away any time soon (as rumors of its demise have been floating for what seems like ages).

But, what we don’t know about these new models is when they are coming. If I was to guess I would say sometime around MacWorld but I wouldn’t assume that they would be mentioned on stage, especially since they probably aren’t going to see any more of a hardware upgrade then the MacBook and MacBook Pros recieved and they will most likely not be seeing any design changes. It is still hard to say what we are going to be seeing at MacWorld but I would expect to see Snow Leopard and probably not these new Minis and iMacs.

AppleInsider | New iMacs and Mac minis confirmed to use NVIDIA chipsets.

Get a $349 MSI Wind U100 on BestBuy.com

As more and more netbooks reach market it seems the price/performance is getting more and more appealing to consumers.

I remember when it was tough to find a good 7″ netbook for less than $400 and now on BestBuy.com you can pick up a 10″ MSI Win U100 for $349.

The U100 features the (what now seems to be standard in most netbooks) 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor along with 1GB of DDR2 memory, 120GB hard drive, Intel X3100 graphics, 1.3 megapixel webcam, media card reader, and 3 USB ports.

The netbook is a great size as well, 2.8 lbs and measures 0.7″ thick.

(by the way, this netbook comes with XP preinstalled).

BestBuy.com

Asus Eee PC Drops Below $300 on BestBuy.com

Not much to say here, but if you are looking at buying a netbook you can now purchase the Eee PC 900A which packs a 8.9″ display, 1.6GHz Atom processor, 1GB of memory, a 4GB SSD, and Linux pre-installed all for the low price of $299.99.

In slightly related news the Eee PC is now 1 year old. So, I guess we can all celebrate now by purchasing the sub-$300 netbook.

$299.99 Asus Eee PC 900A

Acer Aspire One Now Priced at $350 ($330 With Linux)

The Acer Aspire One that debuted for about $500 is now being sold on BestBuy.com for $350 with Windows XP or $330 if you want it with Linux instead.

The Aspire One has a 8.9″ 1024×600 display, 802.11b/g, 3 USB ports, and an Intel Atom processor. With this price drop I think netbooks are actually hitting a price point that people will actually be willing to pay for these mini notebooks.

I personally believe that the magic price point for these netbooks will be around $300, at that price it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibilities for them to be purchased for children. But, I guess these companies either can’t get the manufacturing costs down low enough or want to make a little bit more profit, either way they will learn eventually.

Best Buy Product Page

Asus Eee Box Gets Unboxed

PC Authority has had the chance to unbox the wonderful Asus Eee Box. Not only is their the usual unboxing process pictures but there are also comparison shots with the Eee PC 901.

The Eee Box is an awesome looking desktop but I really wish that Asus wasn’t going down right crazy with this Eee lineup, keeping it simple would have been a lot better.

PC Authority

HP Getting Ready To Debut a Cheaper Mini-Note

HP released my favorite netbook the Mini-Note 2133 in April but my one problem with it was its price. For $499 you get a 1GHz VIA C7-M processor, 512MB of memory, a 4GB flash drive, and Linux and although the build quality almost makes up for it, I wouldn’t purchase it because it’s a little too expensive. To put it in perspective the Aspire one costs $379 and has a faster 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor and a 8GB flash drive.

But, the company’s Australian Market Development head Jerel Chong admitted there will be a “lower cost” device similar to the current model but “won’t be as durable” as the existing system. This lower cost offering would be focused more towards retail channels but I’m very disappointed by this, the best thing about the HP Mini-Note was its great build quality and I guess that that was what you were paying for, it would be nice if they could get the cost of the current model down to say $400 but I guess to do that they will have to sacrifice some of the quality of the machine itself.

Electronista

Psystar’s Headquarters Up For Sale

As many of you know (if not all) Apple has finally decided to sue Psystar. Now we find out that the building that Psystar has been using as their headquarters is up for sale.

The 47,000 square foot warehouse has been advertised as for sale on a few online commercial real estate sites and the owners are asking $4.6 million.

According to the ad the building is 100% occupied and is “priced for a quick sale.”

I’m not sure exactly what that means but it seems to me that Psystar doesn’t actually own the property but are instead renting it, and if that’s the case then it is possible that the owner of the building may just be trying to stay out of the whole mess.

Psystar began selling computers running Leopard a few months ago and Apple has finally decided to sue them and has also expressed that they would like Psystar to recall all computers that have been sold.

InformationWeek

Eee PC 901 Available for Pre-Order on Amazon for $399

Amazon has just made an “Asus Eee PC 900 16G” available for pre-order on their website. Well, if you know anything about your subnotebooks you will now that this actually isn’t the 900 but is the 901.

I guess Amazon is having trouble keeping their Eee model names straight (I am as well). Amazon also has 901’s available on their website but they are listed as $599.99 instead. I don’t know if I would suggesting getting the one listed as a 900 if you have your heart set on a 901 but the option is available to you.

Amazon