Apple tunes in with iPod hi-fi

REACHING further into living rooms, Apple Computer has introduced a speaker system for its iPod music players and a revamped Mac Mini computer that will let users access music, video and photos across their home networks.

The new Mac Mini also includes Apple’s Front Row software, already found on new iMacs, so users can connect it to televisions and control music, videos, or photos by remote control.

The new Mac Mini looks much like its previous incarnations but is the first to include Intel chips. Apple said the base model which sells for $599 (€500) has a single-core chip up to three times faster than its predecessor. A higher-end, $799 (€670) model runs about five times faster, Apple said.