I'm not complaining about what Apple's doing in this instance. I'm questioning your wisdom on the matter.
Those tech geeks you hold in such low regard? They're the ones most likely to make Apple money off the Mini. Why? You know those average mom 'n pop types? They'll buy a computer once every 6 years or so. Probably longer these days, since we've long since plateaued when it comes to generational processor gains. These people only buy a new computer when it breaks down, or goes too slow to do what they want to do.
This'll mean that the entry level Mac Mini will give Apple $100 per person for 5-7 years.
Tech geeks? They'll use that processing power, and they'll ditch their computers the moment something better comes out that better fits their needs. On top of that, they're far more likely to invest themselves in the entire ecosystem if they find benefit to it. The average lifespan of a computer for them is about 2 years, only extended if they can't upgrade individual components.
...which actually means that Apple didn't solder the ram into the Minis because they're ignoring the tech geek crowd in order to save 20 cents per unit produced. It's far more likely they're doing it to exploit them into upgrading their hardware more often, instead of taking a few piecemeal steps in between refreshes.
When you consider everything together, the tech geek crowd is probably generating almost as much money as the far larger casual user crowd. They're smaller, but they're far more willing to part with their money far more often.
Now from Apple's perspective, this makes sense. It's cynical as hell, but I can see the wisdom in it. Yours? You're only focusing on the low hanging fruit. This group is larger than that group, so we'll ignore the small to court the large. You completely ignore the fact that the smaller group is going to be throwing more money at you more often, and thus generate more profit for the company as a whole, simply because you're focusing singularly on demographic size.
See, business isn't about selling to the most people. It's about making money. You don't simply focus on #1, because you'll be losing money on #2, #3, #4, and #5. If you can exploit a niche, you exploit it until it can no longer be exploited.
Everything you've said in this thread? It doesn't give me much faith in your business acumen.
