Mac Mini in VGA trauma

Numerous filings on Apple's web support board disclose the problems of irate Mini-buyers, who are finding that their Mac mini looks simply dreadful when connected up to a CRT. Brightness is too low, buyers say, and sometimes the display fails to show up at all.

Calls to Apple have so far yielded a 'Your monitor is incompatible, there's nothing wrong with our product' response from Apple's technical yes-men.

The Mini has a DVI port on the back, but has a switcher dongle to provide VGA. It appears that chopping some of the prongs that carry the DVI signal from the dongle can cure the problem, as can simply replacing it with a third-party dongle for a couple of quid. However, some users have reported that even with a new dongle, the display is still too dark, which we're sure will lead to a list of working and broken dongle models being posted.

Apple has been battling against quality control problems for what seems like an aeon now. First it had faulty iBooks, then exploding PowerBook batteries, then whirring G5s, then gammy Cinema Displays, and now this. Someone at Cappuccino needs to spend a little more time thinking these things through. µ