I think that’s *exactly* what Apple are going for. They know that a lot of current PC users already have a monitor and keyboard, and perhaps a nice one too – 19/24 inch LCDs are not that expensive. They are not sure enough about Apple products to entirely throw away their perfectly good enough monitor and keyboard, and the mini provides a transition product. After all, if they don’t like the Mac, they can’t reuse the monitor. For unsure transition users, the iMac is a bit risky.

Then, once they use the mini for a couple of years they are officially a Mac user, as most people are once they discover it and rid Windows from their lives. At that point they can remain with their now-aging monitor and buy another Mini, or take the plunge and go for the iMac.

One little error, in one paragraph you refer to these new March 2009 models as having a “FireWire 400 port” when in the next paragraph, you correctly mention FW 800.

I just received my Mac mini w/2.26Ghz CPU, 4GB of RAM and 120GB HD for $818 total (incl. shipping) from PowerMax, substantially cheaper than from Apple’s own BTO and what I’ve seen elsewhere. I don’t think the higher-end Apple RAM install and hard drive (unless you’re hard-pressed for internal storage, and even then, remember some resellers are loading this with a 500GB for comparatively less) are worth the price, and here’s my in-depth reasoning.

The Mac mini setup was pretty silky smooth except for Migration Assistant stubbornly refusing to work with my MacBook Pro, but no worries, I decided to start fresh and minimal, anyway. I look forward to adoring it with plenty of use in time to come!

Good point about British Leyland’s sloppy accounting practises, Steve. One other commonality between Apple and BLM that I didn’t mention in the article is that I was/am a bigger fan of the products than I am the companies, although for different reasons. Apple is a tight ship accounting-wise.

I owned 27 assorted British Motors Corp./British Motor Holdongs/British Leyland Motors automobiles, not counting ones owned by other family members, over a period of about 35 years — Austins, Morrises, MGs, and two Riley 1.5s –but interestingly never a MIni, although my sister bought one new and several friends had them so I drove them (and worked on them) a fair bit. I also participated in building a friend’s 997cc Cooper (not a Cooper S) to full-race spec. for club racing. Minis were a popular racing class in Atlantic Canada in the late ’60s – early ’70s.

Charles

A great piece, thanks.
P.S.: Forgot to say great post!

A great piece, thanks.