Speculation about Mac mini & Apple strategy

[SolGrundy]

Speaking of things you swore you’d never do… I’ve promised myself about a dozen times that I’m not going to get a Mac mini, because I don’t need one at all. But still, I know my abusive relationship with Apple, how they keep knocking me down and taking my money, and I keep running back to them. It’s inevitable; I’m going to buy one of the damn things.

So my current rationalization is that I want to get iLife '04 and the new OS (what is it now, Ring-tailed bobcat? Liger?) but don’t want to pay full price for point upgrades, so it makes a lot more sense to pay >$500 for a whole new computer and get the software “for free.” But I’m wondering how this can play out with my getting screwed the least.

Is Apple going to sell the mini with the new OS as soon as the OS is released, or are they going to have to get rid of their current supply first?

If I got a mini before the new OS release, would they do the OS “upgrade” thing? How much is that, anyway – 25 bucks?

Is Apple going to release a new, upgraded version of the mini for a cheaper price, right after I buy one?

Are there going to be a lot of people thinking like I am, waiting for the new OS release, causing another run on the Mac mini and delaying shipment?

Will an Apple wireless keyboard & mouse work on a Windows machine, or only vice-versa?

Is it possible that I could obsess on this damn computer any more than I already am?

[rjung]

@SolGrundy

Is Apple going to sell the mini with the new OS as soon as the OS is released, or are they going to have to get rid of their current supply first?

In the past, when a new OS is released, they’d slip separate installation CDs in the computer boxes that have already rolled off the assembly line.

@SolGrundy

If I got a mini before the new OS release, would they do the OS “upgrade” thing?

If you order the new computer after an official release date is announced, yeah.

@SolGrundy

Is Apple going to release a new, upgraded version of the mini for a cheaper price, right after I buy one?

No one knows. But then, all computers are obsolete the moment you take them home, I say.

@SolGrundy

Are there going to be a lot of people thinking like I am, waiting for the new OS release, causing another run on the Mac mini and delaying shipment?

From what I’ve heard, yeah – a number of folks are waiting for Tiger to get released before buying a new Mac.

@SolGrundy

Will an Apple wireless keyboard & mouse work on a Windows machine, or only vice-versa?

If the Windowsmachine supports Bluetooth properly, no reason it wouldn’t.

@SolGrundy

Is it possible that I could obsess on this damn computer any more than I already am?

You could join these guys…

[iamthewalrus_3]

@SolGrundy

Is Apple going to release a new, upgraded version of the mini for a cheaper price, right after I buy one?

@rjung

No one knows. But then, all computers are obsolete the moment you take them home, I say.

Yeah, but the mini takes the cake: it was obsolete a few years ago.

I was going to get a mini when <Jungle Cat> came out, but now I’m waiting for a mini until they put a decent sound output on it or come out with some other home theater PC. This is, after all, the “year of HD”, and I find it hard to believe that Apple won’t put out a nice set-top box we can all hook up to our spiffy HDTVs and surround sound stereos.