The 2GB RAM in the base mini is inexcusable for a machine that's supposed to work for novices right out of the box...if I were going to write a negative review I would definitely give Apple a beating over that decision rather than the lack of DVD drive. Of course, none of the reviewers seem to even mention the RAM.
Even so, to say that the 2010 mini is better than the 2011 one (as engadget did) is insanity.
I couldn't agree more with all of this. The reviewers have their own agenda of what makes a great computer. But sometimes they miss the obvious and focus on kind of less relevant things. The optical drive's not present on the MBA but I see they love that. It's just made a fuss of on the Mini because people can be slow to adapt to change-the Mini used to have an optical drive.