have been watching the
Apple Keynote where lots of very interesting things have been introduced. I won't go into detail about them here because pretty much every media outlet from nobodies like me through to CNN and BBC is reporting on that.
What I do find interesting however is that the
Mac mini seems to be fitting in many many niches.
Their obvious target is those who want a computer that just works for not much money, or perhaps already have an iPod and understand what Apple is all about. I intend to get a couple for this purpose - those older-generation people who's computers I seem to be constantly working on are prime candidates.
But these could also work really well as a PVR (Personal Video Recorder). For those not really aquainted with that term, think of a VCR where you say things like "I like The Simpsons", and it records The Simpsons for you whenever they may be on, whatever channel. Also, it can suggest that since you like the work of Matt Groening, you may also like Futurama and record that for you too.
All this stuff gets saved onto a big hard drive, which you watch
when it suits you, not when it suits the broadcasters and/or advertisers.
Speaking of advertisers, they loose out even more because you can skip through the ads while you are watching your show later. Nice, huh?
So, all we need is a decent mac port of something like
MythTV, and the Mac mini fits into that role too.
Or, if you need a nice little silent, low power, cheap yet versatile server, this box will also be worth a look for that role.
But perhaps the most important use for this machine will be in propping up Apple's poor 2.5% market share, which the investors at least seem to think it will do.