Apple Fans: $800 Mac Mini and New iMac Premiere

Apple updated it’s line of desktops today, continuing to focus on high-performance, high-efficiency professional machines. Unfortunately, the only model that even gave me pause was their newly lower-priced 20 ³ iMac ($1199), which might have a place in a multimedia lab.Unfortunately, even the new Mac Mini, although sporting a new graphics chip, is base-priced at $599 for a configuration with a mere gig of RAM and no monitor. Jumping up to their upgraded “entry-level desktop sets you back $799 without a monitor.Obviously, I could leverage academic discounts and probably take $100 off these prices, but once again, Apple has gone further off my educational radar. For that matter, they’re a long ways off my home purchase radar. I wish iLife didn’t work so easily and well; the software suite is the only compelling reason to ll out this sort of money, especially in a home setting read more…