iSuppli: Mac Mini costs $387.14 to build

Research firm iSuppli has torn apart yet another Apple device, this time it was the entry-level Mac Mini. The company discovered that the system’s bill of materials runs about $376.20, and jumps up to $387.14 with manufacturing costs.


The dissected model retails for about $599, and packs an Intel Core 2 Duo P7350, 1GB of DDR3 RAM, Nvidia GeForce 9400M, 120GB HDD, a DVD burner and a WLAN/Bluetooth module. These components consume about $289.51, or 74.8% of the entire production cost. The most expensive of them is Intel’s CPU at $118.35, which is well ahead of the 9400M GPU at $65.16 and HDD at $46.

The firm’s data sheet attributes the mainboard and standoffs with $7.55, an AC adapter with $14.25, and enclosure materials with $8.92. “Other material costs” are said to make up $55.97 of the BOM. If you didn’t break out a calculator above, the Mac Mini costs about $10.94 to manufacture. As always, iSuppli’s figures don’t reflect costs associated with intellectual property, royalties, licensing and other fees.