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.

For those saying the mini was never supposed to be an all-in-one solution, or not for editing photos, etc., I’m not getting your point. Of course it’s not an all-in-one, and of course it IS meant for editing photos, etc. To assume iLife is included but Apple doesn’t think you’d use it is rather silly. This thing has more power than the MacBook Air.

I think what gets lost here is that when Steve Jobs introduced this as a BYODKM computer, too many people thought that it was somehow different than any other desktop machine on the planet. It’s not. EVERY desktop machine ever sold (that’s not an all-in-one) is a BYODKM machine. I would venture to say that the majority of desktops sold are sold as systems. In Apple’s case, they make it a VERY expensive proposition.

As for owning and using one, I know the guts it contains and how they perform. I also know how OS X performs with only 1GB of memory. There’s very little to refute there.

I don’t dislike the mini. I think it’s a beautiful machine. And if you want, say, a tiny server or media center you can tuck away, it might be perfect. But that’s not the same as assessing it’s overall value. Apple offers this thing to fill a small niche, instead of the much larger market it could have served. You are paying a lot for what you’re getting; in my view there’s little evidence to support otherwise. It is, BY FAR, the least value in Apple’s entire computer lineup.

Finally, I’m not criticizing anyone who has or will purchase this machine. What you buy is your business, not mine, and such criticism would be no different than the local Dell and HPers ragging on Apple users for buying a Mac at all. They don’t get it. But my point is that, even among Macs, there are degrees of value, and clearly the mini is the low-point.

It is great to hear that you own a Mac Mini but I believe a lot of those who posted their comments is not through experience but on what they had read in the blogs.

Peace.