What I really meant was that apple is lame for several reasons. #1 they haven't updated the mini. #2 apple computers are the best, except for the fact that you need to have a significant income in order to be able to afford one. and #3 why won't they release a version of osx for non apple hardware? Millions of people that currently use windows would buy it.
I'll contest all three of these.
First and foremost, Apple is a business. Their goal is to make money, above all. They don't care if Joe wants an xMac. They're going to do what they think will make money. The Mac mini has been Apple's least profitable product, with most home theater people getting the
tv and those looking for a desktop sticking with the iMac. So what is Apple going to do? Kill it, most likely. Apple isn't your friend. They're a HW/SW company looking to turn a profit.
Second, you don't need a very large income to be able to afford one. I'm 15. I work as an assistant in a medical office. I make minimum wage. I saved my money for a few months, now I have a beautiful refurbished MBP. Had I wanted a MacBook, I could have gotten it even sooner. A Mac mini, sooner still. I could have gotten a $300 Everex PC, too, but that would have lasted me 6 months, every one of them buggy, frustrating months, whereas I can count on my Mac to last me years. Imagine the number of times you have to replace the extremely cheap, already-obsolete computers, and think of the amount you spend on them. Then consider a Mac, with which you will be set without needing immediate replacement for years to come. I had an iMac G4 running Tiger 10.4.11 *perfectly* until it came time to raise money for my MBP. I sold it to someone else who can hopefully find a use for an old, but still serviceable internet and light word processing computer. Imagine a January 2002 PC running Vista without a hitch, especially one of the cheapest of the cheap Pentiums.
Thirdly, Apple's Mac hardware is their profit engine. Not the iPod, nor the iPhone, although they are large moneymakers, too. The Mac is where they make their money. Take away that and they are just Microsoft, a company that makes software and a few eclectic peripherals. Mac sales would plummet, and Apple would be forced to use shoddy materials and reduce the amount of money they spend on design in order to keep the Mac from leaving the shelves.
And, the worst part is, I'm not sure it'd make the impact that OSx86ers dream about. Microsoft would remain a behemoth, Apple would be crippled, and nobody would be happy. Take your pick. Pay a premium now for something you'll be glad you did later, or use cheap systems that you'll have to replace. OS X is for the Mac, and that's the way it should stay.
(As a side note, I see nothing wrong with virtualizing OS X on VMware. It's a helpful tool for those who have invested heavily in PC hardware but need OS X to test software/web browsers on.)
