The release of the Mac mini is one of the exciting moments in Apple history. It's the day when Apple officially announced to Windows folks, "seriously...here's your chance to check us out". I can't tell you how many times I've heard PC users say, "I don't want to buy a Mac because I already have a monitor." The eMac and iMac lines have long provided included monitors which lock perspective buyers into a monitor configuration they can't distance themselves from. However, the Mac mini really provides the flexibility that PC users need to look to switching. And will some PC users switch because of this Mac? Absolutely. They will love knowing that they can take the keyboard, mouse and monitor they already own and just plug it right in. They will love the size and how cute and compact it is. Consumers will love the value of getting iLife '05 with such an inexpensive PC. So what are the shortcomings? The question is, can Apple provide the user experience they want on the Mac mini. Will the Mac mini users become frustrated when they realize their 256 megs of memory not be enough? Will users who want to download lots of music find that their 40 gig drive has filled up? Don't let the $499 fool you. By the time users add another 40 gigs of memory, upgrade to 512 megs of RAM and purchase an Apple Care package we've now gone up to the mid $750s. That price point alone is still very exciting for a quality Apple product. Sales will not be immediate, but with millions of potential switchers this might be the catalyst to tip them towards a Mac.