Yet the mini is sold out. If consumers at large felt like you did I'd be able to walk into an Apple store and buy a mini.
What statements like this don't account for is the sheer momentum Apple has at this stage in the game.
After two blockbuster films, people often line up for the 3rd film in the series regardless of whether it's as good as the last two. Save for a complete flop (for instance, the film is literally a white screen with no sound or moving objects for 3 hours), the momentum gathered from the first 2 films will carry over to the 3rd film.
Similarly, with apple releasing so many iDevice blockbusters as of late (ipad 2, ipad 3, ip4, ip5) there's a certain trust element with consumers which gives Apple the benefit of momentum.
The Mini would of had to have a much obvious and immediate design flaw for it to flop on the onset (for instance, 2 hour battery life). The issue discussed in this thread is something that becomes apparent over time, rather than noticeable when playing with the device for 5 minutes in the store.
This by all means does not imply that the average consumer is dumb. It would be unreasonable to expect the average consumer to stand in the store and ponder "oh, I wonder if shoe-horning an OS optimised for 9.7" device is going to cause any issues on a 7.9" device". Most people rightfully have better things to do with their time than ponder these questions, and it is expected (rightfully so) that it should "just work" as this is how Apple has positioned themselves.
Whether or not apple has done the "right thing" with the Mini in the long run is still to be seen.
