Mac Mini a maxi deal? Depends what you want

[Mac Reporter]

When it comes to Apple Computer's new Mac Mini, beauty is in the eye of the person holding the wallet.

The Mac Mini, unfurled Tuesday during Apple CEO Steve Jobs' keynote at Macworld Expo in San Francisco, costs about $100 more than similarly configured PCs from Gateway, Hewlett-Packard and others, according to analysts and price checks. The price delta increases as one factors in the typical standard equipment on PCs--neither mouse, monitor nor keyboard comes with Apple's Spartan box.

Adding features such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth widens the spread even more. As an experiment, IDC analysts added "the stuff you'd want," and the final price came to $1,300, said IDC's Roger Kay, who nonetheless applauded Apple for putting out something that lets the company play in the bargain market.

Price considerations aside, the Mac Mini is unlike other PCs on the market. At 6.5 inches wide by 6.5 inches deep by 2 inches high, the unit, which weighs just less than 3 pounds, is far smaller and more stylish than "small" PCs. Dell's small desktop PC takes up about four times the volume. Small PC specialist Shuttle makes a unit that measures 7 inches by 8 inches by 11.4 inches and weighs 13 pounds.

Read more at CNET News.com.