Apple Mac Mini (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo)

Pros: Runs OSX and Windows!

Cons: No keyboard/mouse

Summary: First off, the reason I signed up for a C-NET account was to refute a big mistake in the review. The Mac Mini DOES have wireless networking. Unless they removed it, our first gen 1.66ghz duo has it so I'm sure the new model does too. It has both WIFI and bluetooth.

Secondly the entire review strains so hard to remain OS neutral that they completely gloss over the fact that you can easily load a legal version of Windows which lives happily side-by-side with OSX on this computer. We got our Windows XP Home legally on ebay for about $65 with shipping. For that extra $65 we have a monster machine that allows us to run apple apps where they are happiest and windows apps where they are happiest.

We also have a high performance PC laptop for audio work and even tho it does it's job well, it feels like 1/2 a computer by comparison. I run the Mac Mini on a gigabyte ethernet network with the laptop and have rock solid performance. I also access an apple airport express from both the mac and the windows side with no trouble at all. I will never buy another computer that won't run both OSes again. I know some people have hacked OSX to run on PCs but when you see the simplicity and stability of Apple's Bootcamp software, which is FREE, you'll see why it's such a nice solution. Incidentally, windows XP screams on this computer. It runs natively and again, is rock solid.

Consider that a mouse and keyboard (decent ones) can be had for $50 and a dell 20" monitor for under $200. It's pretty good. What the review also failed to mention was that the starting price on a new Imac which supplies the monitor/mouse/keyboard is not too much higher. If they were going to review $1000 PCs they should've mentioned that option too.