Apple unleashed its low-cost entries into the PC and digital music player ecosystems today. Predictably, at least one Windows drone has already complained that the Mac mini is too expensive at $499 without a monitor, keyboard and mouse. Like the complaints about the $249 price tag on the iPod mini, critics are utterly misreading the market. Buyers from the PC ranks who don’t want to spring for the $200 or less it will cost to fully outfit a mini will be able to cannibalize from their existing setups. Buyers who are already Mac owners and want a mini to use as media center, kitchen computer, net surfing station, homework platform or luggable portable aren’t so price sensitive. In other words, the entry-level price is low enough to capture a ton of fresh demand even if it can’t beat WalMart.
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