Closing the book on Apple's Mac mini

[Adam Bridge]

Wow - ONE report that the mini MAY be going away and there's panic in
the streets. Geesh. To me the tea leaves don't look so cut and dried
and I have to wonder if someone isn't trying to play the market in
some way by manipulating news.

I remember the screams for a small low-cost machine - the space the
mini filled. It wasn't quite what people wanted because it wasn't easy
to upgrade but it was an entry level Mac with a relatively low price
point.

Is that still needed or desireable? Where in the product lineup would
a mini-like new machine need to fit? It's REALLY nice to have such a
small form-factor. It can run headless and be administered remotely -
which is quite attractive to a certain crowd. But is it the crowd that
Apple wants/needs to sell to?

Would a revised form-factor give them more flexibility? At what level
of performance will a new mini rob sales from the Mac Pro? I've always
looked at the Mini as laptop without a display with all the tradeoffs
that that implies.

Geesh - rambling - I'll go out and hack weeds a while - but seriously
does Apple have an eco-system need that needs a mini that makes
economic sense? Would an "improved" form-factor help them (return of
The Cube...bwaa haaa haaa)? Or maybe the original idea behind the mini
didn't match their sales projections.

But in the meantime one rumor site shouldn't instill sugh angst. Good
discussion though. Thanks.

Adam