If you haven't heard yet, Apple as announced two pieces of new hardware. The first is the Mac mini which I think is fantastically cool. It is a $499 low-cost Mac that is aimed as those Windows users looking for a second machine. This was leaked a while back (which brought on that nasty suit from Apple). But I did not think that it could be this cool looking. It looks like a G4 Cube, painted white and with two-thirds of it sliced off. It is a fantastic looking machine and the price is incredibly low. It runs either a G4 1.25Ghz or a 1.5Ghz. You bring the monitor, keyboard and mouse. This is a good move for Apple, it gives the Windows users who have been straddling the fence about a move to the Mac camp a good reason to jump over and get one. I applaud Steve Jobs and his crew for coming up with the right formula for attracting new Mac users! This will definitely appeal to the iPod crowd who, I am sure are intrigued by the Mac way of life. The other announcement was the iPod shuffle which is a mediocre take on the iPod line of music players. Yes, it is very inexpensive (not cheap, at $99), but it is missing the display. And without the display, there goes what makes the iPod so innovative: the excellent iPod UI. The iPod shuffle looks (and acts) much like the old Creative Labs Nomad MuVo, but with a much better eye towards aesthetics. I have my doubts about the iPod shuffle, but hell I had my doubts about the iPod mini when it was introduced, but it sold like hot cakes anyways :) I am sure the iPod shuffle will sell like hot cakes also because of its size and low price. It may just be the perfect companion to a regular iPod since it is cheap enough to pick one up and also has a small enough form factor for going to the gym.