Function

• The Mac Mini ships with the latest version of Mac OS X, basic utilities and the iLife software suite. Any other Mac-compatible software can run on it, too, such as high-end programs like QuarkXPress and Adobe Photoshop, although these tend to run a bit slower than on the Mini's nearest relatives, the iMac and Macbook.
  
  

Basics

• Mac Mini preinstalled software includes the Address Book for keeping track of friends, relatives and business associates, the iCal calendar scheduler for everyday needs, a DVD player, a calculator, a chess game, and image capture for tracking screen shots. Also included are iTunes for organizing and playing music and videos as well as for syncing with an iPod, the QuickTime Player for playing videos, TextEdit for writing and a variety of other useful small programs that don't take that much hard drive space or RAM to run.
  
  

Software Suite

• The Mac Mini comes with iLife, a suite of software programs that you can use immediately to do a variety of things. Inside iLife are iPhoto, GarageBand, iMovie and iDVD. iPhoto is a photo cataloging program that allows you to upload images from a digital camera and do some basic toning and resizing. You also can create photo albums and slide shows. You can add music from iTunes to slide shows and play them on the Mini or burn them to CDs. GarageBand is a multitrack music recorder and creator that comes with "loops" of guitar, bass, string, drums and other prerecorded music; you can record your own directly in the program or even plug in a real instrument to record and then mix with other instruments for a finished song. iMovie is a movie maker that uses video, still photos, music and special effects to make your own movies. iDVD then can take what you've made in iMovie or elsewhere and create or "author" a professional-level DVD to burn.
  
  

Low-End

• Since the Mini is somewhat limited compared to other Macs, lower-end software might work better than higher-end programs. For example, if you're not a professional photographer, yet you want to do more with photos than iPhoto allows, Photoshop Elements and other photo manipulation software are good options.
  
  

High-End

• The Mac Mini can handle higher-end software, too. If you really need the full version of Photoshop, it will run. If you need to do design work, QuarkXPress will work, too. Some benchmark tests by reputable computer magazines have shown these kinds of programs run a bit slower, but if you don't mind waiting a little, they still work.