I'm looking to see if the following Mac Mini specs are ok to do basic development with? Is the OS upgradeable to Lion or Snow Leporad at least? Any advise would be appreciated..... Mac OS (Tiger [10.4]) CPU FAMILY G4 PROCESSOR SPEED 1.25 GHz SYSTEM RAM 512 MB

That isn't an Intel Mac is it? Has to be an Intel proc.

Yeah, anything G4 or G5 is a no-go...it has to be an intel Mac.

Good catch gents. saved me 75.00 thats why it was so cheap.... :)This one sounds and looks a little better Mac Mini 1.83GHz Core Duo (T2400) (Late 2006) w/power cord Model : A1176 $175 or best offer Condition is used with some minor scratches. Please call or text : 312-758-9407 Model Family: Mac mini Processor: 1.83GHz Core Duo (T2400) Manufacturer: Intel # of CPUs: 1 Codename: Yonah Base Memory: 512MB PC2-5300 SODIMM Max Memory: 2GB # Memory Slots: 2 Brand: Apple Wireless: 802.11a/b/g Color(s): Aluminum Original OS: Mac OS X 10.4.7 Graphics: Intel GMA 950 (64MB) Base Storage: 80GB 5400RPM SATA 2.5" Optical Drive: 2.4x Superdrive Model Number: A1176 Sales Number(s): MA608LL/A Machine Number(s): Macmini1,1 Dimensions: 6.5 in x 6.5 in x 2.0 in Weight: 2.9 lb

512 MB Base memory is a bit low, worth buying some more RAM to go with that. With more RAM that would work nicely for Snow Leopard, Lion, not sure about Mountain Lion but probably. Pre-loved Mac Mini's in the UK definitely cost more!

That Mac mini won't be upgradable to Lion or Mountain Lion. I have an early model mini as well, and we're all stuck at Snow Leopard. That also means we're stuck at Xcode 4.2, which means iOS SDK 5.1 is the last we can use. That means no iOS 6 development on my mini. So, unless you get a newer model mini, one that can run Lion or Mountain Lion, you're stuck like me. :-( Mark

WOW!! Thanks for that info... Maybe i should just crack my piggy bank open and do it the right way. Penny wise dollar foolish as they say.

@AlanMac - "pre-loved" haha! I'm starting to detest my pc with a passion! You're right about Mac prices in the UK though. Mark, MacApple et al, you should start an export business!

@gbakakos - I would agree with you. If you want to "future proof" your ability to develop for Apple...as much as you can with a company that shoehorns you into buying hardware...then getting the latest is a good bet. Buying a used mini has now turned into a loosing proposition for me with the introduction of Lion and Mountain Lion! @ Raveyd - that actually sounds like a good idea! If only the older mini's would support latest Xcode. :-(

@Mark, even the second one that @gbakakos lists is an absolute steal - just had a quick look on ebay uk, around £250 + shipping, what's that? 400+ dollars?

if you are a Hardware guy - think Hackintosh (google tonymac) DIY Mac. Built mine for $300 and I can upgrade it. You can build a faster Mac than Apple is turning out with an Ivy Bridge CPU. I want a mac book air first - but may build one of those beasts soon. run windows or mac on the same hardware. no virtuization....just a drive tray :)

I've thought about the hackintosh aspect as well, but I must admit I'm scared off by the Xcode TOS that states it can only be run on Apple branded hardware. I'd hate for Apple to suddenly start enforcing that and find out all the work I've done is suddenly no longer valid! That's probably serious paranoia on my part, but these days you just never know! Mark

Im looking at the hackintosh site right now. i have an old Dell d610 that some have converted with little effort ( relative to your geekness). For shtz and grins i may try that.

@gbakakos just dont associate your Dev account with your hackintosh PC, might get you banned for life. Just a heads up.

Also, checking on Apple's Pre-owned Macs might be something to look into.

Yep...you can save like $100 on a newer model, refurbished mini!