The big buzz in tech news this week is an audacious and eyebrow raising product release from Apple. That’s not surprising coming from a company known for their high dollar gadgets and phones, but they really seem to have outdone themselves this time. For just $999, the world can own a new Apple monitor stand. Yes, just the stand. That’s right, it’s just a simple looking monitor stand with no features for a thousand dollars. I can only imagine that purchasers of it are going to be by those just aching to burn cash, but it’s really an unbelievably exorbitant and highly unnecessary expense for intelligent, serious business owners trying to run their operations efficiently. For that kind of money, you can get an equally good stand, a great monitor, and a brilliant industrial mini computer that will provide performance and reliability for years.
The Tangent Mini X industrial mini PC is as well suited to the factory floor as it is to the medical mobile cart or the office cubicle. At just a hair over two pounds, this ultra-slim industrial PC incredibly still has all the features, capabilities and I/O ports of a standard sized PC. As Apple touts their elegant looks, the Tangent Mini X’s setup also keeps a workstation area clean and saves on space. This is important for call centers with small cubicles, car computer installations, or any area that is short on room. Fanless operation paired with solid state hard drives means there are no moving internal parts that can potentially fail. The industrial PC has a sealed, ventless design that reduces all intrusion by dust, dirt, or liquids.Tangent has also included the newest ultra mobile processor, TPM 2.0 support, and up to 16GB of memory.
Tangent’s industrial mini PCs are power, longevity, and innovation packaged in an industrial grade aluminum and steel chassis PC that is largely out of sight in a work area. Apple is great at generating talk and theatrics, but the show does end, the sticker shock does set in, and many learn that there are more important things than a fancy brand’s name on their equipment.