Bottom line, after reading all of the back and forth, sounds like many of us are using our mini as a media device…and for that purpose, the Mac mini is perfect! I have an old one, I can only imagine what the new one can do!

The Mac mini even inspired us to create a mount just for it so that it can be neatly stored behind our wall-mounted TV. http://www.hideitmounts.com

It is a wonderful, little computer that saves us $80/month on cable. Sure, the pricing could be lower, but I don’t believe that Apple needs to do much with their pricing – if you can’t afford a Mac, go buy a Dell.

“Tom, are you re-reading what you post before posting? If the majority of desktops are sold as systems, then they’re not being sold as BYODKM machines. ”

Sure they are. A BYODKM machine is just a non-AIO (All In One) machine. Nothing more, nothing less. It doesn’t matter whether I bring my own DKM by buying them at the same time, or use ones sitting in my garage. Either way I had to get my own.

What I implied, and still believe, is that there are more desktops sold to people as systems with a DKM than there are to people who “re-purpose” a DKM they may already own.

Apple made a big deal out of BYODKM because, except for the Pro where it’s taken for granted, they didn’t have such an animal.

Tom, are you re-reading what you post before posting? If the majority of desktops are sold as systems, then they’re not being sold as BYODKM machines. Apple is not selling the Mac mini to people who need a keyboard and mouse. You seem to miss this point entirely in your whole article.

“A hundred bucks?” What exactly is surprising about this? Aluminum casing, 2 2.0 usb ports and styling are what you get on the keyboard alone. And it’s called mighty mouse for a reason. How much does a mouse with those features cost you when it’s from a regular company? Surprise, surprise, Microsoft’s wireless mouse with 4 way scrolling and customizeable buttons is 80, compared with Apple’s 70.

The Mac mini is aimed at people like me; i’ve got a monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc. and want to switch from a windows machine to an apple. Sure, the imac gives great value, but only if you’re in need of a display, which I (and I’m sure a great majority of people replacing their desktops) am not. The 2.26 GHz, 2 Gig RAM, 320 GB HD Mac mini comes to 949 (in Canada) and the 2.66 GHz, 2 Gig RAM, 320 GB HD iMac is 1399. So for 450 more I get 0.4 more processing and an LCD glass display (which I don’t need). What I lose, is energy efficiency.

People seem to be missing this whole aspect of the mini; it’s not only smaller in physical footprint, but in ecological, too. Which is another reason I’m not interested in shelling out for a new display at this point. I’ll wait until the LED backlit LCDs have become more resaonably priced and continue to use a functioning display in the meantime. And if the change to reasonably priced LED backlighting occurs in the next 2 years, then the Mac mini we purchase today becomes our HTPC and we get the then available iMac.

And another thing, “You are paying a lot for what you’re getting; in my view there’s little evidence to support otherwise. ” you obviously didn’t read the post which stated, “What is the alternative besides a $400 more expensive iMac that will run OSX? (the local monitor for control is an HP w1907, widescreen DVI input on sale well under $200 due to being discontinued)”

Tom, the Mac mini may not fit your concept of a budget desktop, but the purpose of the mini was to cast out a lure for people thinking about making the switch. And it fulfills that purpose well, because I (and I suspect others) are being reeled in.