New Mac mini gets unibody shell, gaming graphics

There's a new Mac mini and it's thinner, lighter and more powerful than ever, Apple says. The latest iteration of the iconic miniature PC will feature an aluminium enclosure and is constructed using the 'unibody' manufacturing process originally developed for the MacBook Pro.

It'll have a bigger footprint than its predecessor (197mm by 197mm versus 165mm by 165mm) but it's significantly thinner -- just 36mm compared to the older model's 51mm. This has allowed Apple to integrate the power supply inside the chassis, reducing overall system volume by 20 percent.

Despite its petiteness, the latest Mac mini is better equipped than the previous generation. There'll be no fancy Core i-series processors included, but it'll sport a choice of 2.4GHz or 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPUs, 2GB of RAM, up to 500GB of disk space and an  8x DVD SuperDrive. Better still, Apple is chucking in a gaming-capable Nvidia GeForce 320M graphics processor with an HDMI port -- a first for the Mac mini.

Apple reckons this iteration of the mini will be the most energy efficient of them all. In fact, it says the new Mac mini will be the most energy efficient desktop PC bar none, consuming as little as 10 watts during idle -- a 25 per cent reduction from the previous generation.

Other new features include an SD card reader and a removable bottom panel that gives users easy access to upgradeable components such as memory. The entry-level Mac mini is available now through the Apple Store for £649.