W alt Mossberg has come out swinging for Appleis new Mac mini. In his weekly Personal Technology column for the Wall Street Journal, Mr. Mossberg said that the inexpensive Mac makes Switching from Windows attractive and affordable. He also said that releasing the product may be Appleis smartest business move ever.
Mr. Mossberg reviewed the Mac mini from the standpoint of a Switcher moving to the Mac platform, using his Dell LCD display and HP keyboard and mouse.
"The little Mac fired up and worked perfectly at every task I threw at it," wrote Mr. Mossberg, though he noted that some keyboard features like volume and display brightness will not work with a Windows keyboard.
He also compared the Mac mini to Dellis cheapest PC. While the Dell comes with a display at US$399, Mr. Mossberg wrote that Appleis machine comes with more features.
"The Dell has less usable memory than the mini, and it canit burn CDs," he wrote in the column. "It also has only a 90-day warranty, instead of the miniis one-year warranty. But you can add CD burning, a one-year warranty and extra memory for $115, or a total of $514."
If a user doesnit have a display and keyboard, Mr. Mossberg points out to potential Switchers that equipping the Mac mini with those peripherals will bump the price of Switching to a bit more than $800.
Mr. Mossberg concludes with, "Overall, the Mac mini is a good choice for Windows users on a budget who are tempted to switch. Itis not a technological breakthrough, but it may just be one of Appleis smartest business moves."
Mr. Mossberg coverage joins a chorus of mainstream pundits and analysts who have made positive comments about the Mac mini. Many of them have also said the Mac mini will bring more Switchers to the platform.
You can find the full article at the Wall Street Journalis Web site (subscription required). We recommend sending to potential Switchers you know, or printing it for their reference.