Mac mini closes value gap against Windows computers

The new Mac mini has a lot of people speculating on it's impact on the PC market. Here's one take:

MercuryNews.com | 01/12/2005 | Mac mini closes value gap against Windows computers: "By sliding under the $500 mark, Apple has blown open the castle doors and made the Mac's excellent software truly affordable to Windows users. I don't expect Microsoft's choke hold on PCs to relax overnight, but I do think Apple for the first time in a generation has a fighting chance to climb out of the low single digits in market share for home computers."

There's another aspect that a lot of people have missed so far. The video connectors for the Mac mini include an S-Video connector for your home entertainment system. Could this be the machine Apple intends to use to invade the living room? Gotta admit that the form factor is a lot more attractive on the entertainment shelf, and the software interface (with wireless keyboard and mouse) is a lot friendlier to couch potatoes.

Maybe there's an as yet unreleased video library application or the new iLife upgrades will allow the use of iDVD and iMovie in this manner. I'd say that things look really dicey for the Windows Media PC.