Apple Mac Mini (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 120GB, Winter 2009)

Pros: First and foremost: MacOS X! With all due respect, the Editor is totally off the mark comparing Mac Mini, running the newest, one and only--i.e. full-- version of OS X, to an Acer machine brutally handicapped by having to run Vista Home OS (LOL!).

Cons: Although a feat of superb engineering, the entry level Mac Mini could do with larger HD and more memory. Obviously, you ought to have at least one external back-up drive (I have four, totalling 3TB), yet 120 GB (or even 320 GB) seems a bit stingy.

Summary: The new Mac Mini improves upon its vastly popular predecessors. Running without any hitches the best operating system there presently is (Vista Home Premium is a joke, really; I speak from the power user perspective; Vista Ultimate is decent at best and besides, it crashes constantly), this little machine offers unprecedented elegance, ease of use, efficiency, and productivity.

In its class it is clearly ahead of the competition. It performs very nicely, including a whole slew of professional programmes, including Adobe Suite CS4, Finale, BIAS Peak and many others, not to mention the MS Office 2008 for Mac, vastly superior to its clumsy Windows counterpart.

I have been working on this machine every day, performing heavy-duty professional tasks such as sound editing, page layout, graphic design (all for high-end clients such as independent music labels with serious international distribution), and am still astonished when people tell me I should acquire a Mac Pro. Silly though it may sound, I do not need a Mac Pro, although I will readily admit that if you are a professional photographer, video artist, or filmmaker, you will surely need as powerful a Mac as possible, Mac Mini being, simply... mini in those departments.

If you are a gamer--I am not--you will likely sneeze at the Mini, but to those of us who like working at a slower pace (and why not?), or simply enjoying time off, this machine will remain priceless, both as a work horse and arts and entertainment centre.

Also, one EXTREMELY important aspect here is the machine's appeal to the younger users such as kids and teenagers. No contest here, Mac Mini wins hands down, largely of course because of the OS and its easily accessible cool features.