Fetch me a mac mini!

I've gone and done it. I ordered a mac mini, with Bluetooth and a SuperDrive. The primary reason was cost. The things are cheap. Damn cheap, for Apple gear at least. But this isn't a debate on price or value or even comparison shopping.

I have two macs at home right now. A G4 Cube and a 15" TiBook with a busted display. I have one MiniView USB KVM switch that allows me to share a keyboard and a monitor between the two. The mini will easily be better than both of the combined, if I could combine them.

It will be sad to finally put the TiBook away. It's only good as a desktop machine thanks to the busted display and the mini will be a far superior desktop machine. I'm not sure what to do with the Cube. It's such a neat piece of hardware that I hate to just give it away. Of course it was roundly mocked when it debuted. But the Cube was the groundwork for the G4 iMac (yes, the one that looked like a lamp) which was incredibly popular. So, it was R&D money well spent in my mind and seeing as how I'm an Apple shareholder my opinion on this does matter. Of course, it only matters about 40 shares worth...

Now the wait begins. I'm itching to get a brand new machine and install Tiger on it. Everything I've heard or read so far has been almost over-the-top positive with the few minor quibbles, here and there ( cough Quicktime Nagware! cough ). The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and of course Ars Technica. Update: The Washington Post thinks Tiger isn't worth it.

Of course, this only means that Apple has delayed the inevitable death spiral for a few weeks at best. They're beleaguered! They have no market share! DOOMED!