Meanwhile, its turnover is growing at a rate of 30 to 40 per cent year-on-year, with a current figure of £2.6m. “We desperately need to move,” Mr Ghosh says.Ideally, he would like an open-plan space in a central location. “The centre of town may have problems in terms of parking, but as soon as you get out of town you get into industrial estates, and our staff don’t want to move there,” he explains. We didn’t borrow any money but grew organically, getting valuable experience during the internet’s early boom years.”Today, Spannerworks is a highly successful agency in a flourishing industry. The problem is that if the business relocates to a much larger office and its growth rate were to slow down, it would be stuck with a large overhead for unoccupied space. If, on the other hand, Spannerworks opts for something just a bit bigger than its current premises, it could outgrow that within a year or so.
Adding to its dilemma is that the company is based in the Brighton and Hove area, which is known for its limited availability of office space.Spannerworks’ managing director, Arjo Ghosh, explains how the situation has come about “We started in 1997, with two people working at home.

Spannerworks, a fast-growing company specialising in search engine marketing, is looking to move to more spacious premises. Home users picking it as their main machine will want to spend more. Apple’s review units all came with 512MB memory, which really helps, and Bluetooth keyboards and mice, which are a delight to use. But to use them, you have to order the Mac Mini from Apple’s own store, as there is no way to add an internal Bluetooth module later.Buyers seeking a complete system, rather than buying a Mini to replace an existing computer, should shop around; several Mac dealers are bund- ling the Mini with a flat screen, mouse and keyboard at an attractive price.THE VERDICTPros: design, price.Cons: the basic model is quite basic; a full system will cost more.Rating: 4 out of 5.Price: from £339.Contact: /uk. Macs are also easy to use and less vulnerable to viruses than Windows PCs.For some applications, such as accessing corporate information over the internet, the Mac Mini is cheap and effective. For Mac users, buying a Mini might well be better value than upgrading their current machines; the software, on its own, would cost £160.

And for the home user, the iLife software is quite special, with the Garageband music package standing out for its features and ease of use.For work purposes, the Mini runs the Mac version of the Microsoft Office suite perfectly well, although the basic version will struggle with more demanding applications such as digital video. Businesses, though, might want to look at the Mac Mini because Apple’s operating system is based on Unix, with all the security advantages that entails. It has a slot-loading rather than tray-loading CD rewriter, for example, making for a very tidy facade. And putting the power supply in a laptop-style brick reduces the need for cooling in the Mini. Apple appears to have designed the unit with the living room in mind as much as the office.The included software, though, is what really counts. The machine comes with Mac OS 10.3 and the iLife 05 suite of multimedia applications.

Buyers simply add their own, with Apple expecting ex-Windows users, who already own a PC monitor, to account for a sizeable percentage of sales.The appeal of the Mini, though, lies in Apple’s design and engineering know-how as well as its software. The com- pany also hopes to recapture some of the excitement that followed the launch of the original iMac. Subsequent iMacs have been excellent, but their relatively high price limits their appeal.The Mac Mini tackles the price issue head-on. For £339 (including VAT), Apple offers buyers a neat, two-inch-tall box, not much larger than a CD. This comes equipped with a 40GB hard drive, a 1.25Ghz G4 processor and 256MB memory on the basic model.This is not a specification to set the pulse racing, but Apple is sticking to tried and tested technology with the aim of making a reliable, low-cost computer. Costs are pared back further by selling the Mini without a keyboard, mouse or monitor.