RedK already pointed out that you're not comparing equivalent machines. A Mac mini is more like a Dell Studio Hybrid, not an Inspiron 545s.

As for your chosen upgrades to the Mac mini, this is why I said "pick a reasonable Mac". Maxing out the upgrades will never result in an ideal price for anything (Mac, PC, or whatever).

For example, it costs $150 to go from a 2.26GHz to a 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo. Is the slight speed bump really worth the extra cash for the average user? I don't think so. Upgrading the processor on that machine IMHO falls into the "blindly buying the fastest model available" category.

Another example with the mini, upgrading to a 500GB drive costs $200 from Apple, but a new 500GB laptop drive only costs $79 on Newegg. Grab a screwdriver and do the upgrade yourself. Not only is it cheaper, but it's also more fun ;)

I agree 100%. People should buy a machine to suit their needs. Anyone who blindly buys the fastest model available is just being egotistical and foolish.

A new Mac mini goes for $599 and a MacBook is $999. This is hardly "house and children" figures. Pick a reasonable Mac then go to Dell and spec out a similar machine. The PC prices will be in a close neighborhood.

This article is not about the iPhone. It is about Apple systems running OS X that can utilize Boot Camp.

Hardly any "special fuel" required on OS X systems. Take your pick from any of the great open source apps available for the platform: Firefox, Thunderbird, Inkscape, Gimp, VLC, Eclipse, the list goes on. Wanna write some code? Xcode comes free with OS X. Don't wanna use Xcode, then use another IDE or directly use make, gcc, gdb, and vim.

As for your "ordinary road" comment ... I'm writing this on a four year old iMac. Over the years I've upgraded the memory (Crucial has great prices) and hard drive (1TB was only $99 at Fry's). My mouse of choice is a five button Logitech scroll mouse. I hardly feel "locked in" or "abused".

Way to spread FUD. How about we just let people use the computer that best suits their needs.

Getting back on topic, I've been running Windows 7 in both Boot Camp and Parallels 5 with no problems. I don't know what the damage is with this "article".

For me, no squeeze buttons was a downer. I live off of Exposé and hate having to use the keyboard to invoke it.

That being said, I'm excited about what can be done with gestures on this mouse. This is why I'm keeping an eye on USB Overdrive. I've been using this driver for a while now so that all five buttons on my Logitech mouse work flawlessly in OS X ... where flawlessly means mapped to exactly the actions that I want.

Here is what the developer has to say about the new mouse: "Apple Magic Mouse update: I've been working hard on the device and I now know how it works. I am writing a lot of code to support it properly and I will post a new version as soon as it is ready. Until then, please be aware that without specific support the Magic Mouse is a two buttons mouse with no scroll wheel. The current version of the USB Overdrive handles it as any other mouse so you lose both the scroll wheel and the ability to configure gestures using Apple's own drivers. The good news is that this mouse can do a lot more than basic gestures, and I'll do my best to make it even more magic."