Think Different: Blog Edition – #1

With the growing ascent by Apple, some say, “Why does Apple need the mini?” Or here’s a good one, “Where does the mini fit?” Friends, what we have here are the naysayers who believe Apple has reached a point where they can screw over the low end of the market by not serving it. Ok, ok, so I’m being a bit harsh… Not everyone feels that way, but there’s plenty out there that don’t show the mini any love… If you’re one of those, I suggest you get your head examined because Apple does need the mini, even if you don’t see the point of why…

Let’s look at the most obvious reason they need the mini… While the iPod and iPhone have reached rock-star status, there’s still that pesky Mac line they have to think of. Simply put… the Mac is growing but it ain’t Windows massive yet… meaning it hasn’t reached gargantuan market share. To get more switchers over, they need more than the iPod and iPhone. They need a dependable, cheap, yet eloquent Mac, the mini fits this quite nicely.

For those who say Apple shouldn’t go after the low end of the market because Apple is a premium brand… BS! Look at the mini, just look at it! It’s svelt, it’s sleek, dare I say sexy. Low end doesn’t always mean Fisher Price material. There’s all kinds of premiumness and eloquence just oozing from it’s small form factor!

Think of how well these could sell and already have sold to education. This is a market that Apple has apparently decided doesn’t count anymore. More infinite brilliance from The Steve. They could give “good” discounts on the mini and get them infiltrated in the schools. Heck, take a page from the Apple II… Plenty of them were DONATED. Apple’s in a much better position to do that same thing today then they were back then. There’s no good reason Dell should own the education market. It’s due to incompetence, short-sightedness and outright laziness that tells the story of Apple’s fall from grace in education. (Steve, you really need to take notes here…)

The mini deserves to stay in the lineup… It would be even better if they drop the low end back to $499. That’s a price even your uncle wouldn’t scrunch his nose up at. Apple, if you want to own the market, you’ve got to Think Different.

Many readers of MyMac.com don’t know me very well because I’ve only written 2 articles and 1 blog entry. I’ve been absent recently from MyMac.com and Low End Mac where I write the Welcome To Macintosh column. You guessed it, this isn’t a blog entry about Macs. I’d like to share the story of why I’ve been absent and I have a request, more like a plea to all the readers out there.
I have a very good friend, whom I care about dearly. I’d rather leave out her name because she likes her privacy. I met her in the summer of 2006. The short of it is, I flipped for her… She changed me in many ways, the biggest way was that I finally found the initiative to lose weight. Before I met her, I weighed 210, which was the highest I weighed in my life. Over the course of the rest of the year and this year, I dropped 70 pounds. I grew to care for her very much, then life turned cruel…
In February, she came to my house telling me she had what we all fear having… cancer. I was frozen in terror… I literally could not move… Thus begun the roller coaster ride I’ve been on emotionally for months. They shot the maximum amount of chemo and radiation at her in the hopes the could stop the cancer. The good news is, it has… The bad news is, the chemo’s really working on her. I’ve been there for her as much as I could be (since she didn’t want visitors)… I sent her ecards, emails and called when she was up to it. She’s back home now and doing well. I got a visit from her Friday night. It was the first time I’d seen her since June. She looks as beautiful as ever in my eyes! She has to take chemo treatments until March… She had to skip a month or more of chemo due to an emergency surgery they had to do on her intestinal tract due to the chemo. She is due for another surgery sometime in the middle of October.
She has taught me how precious life can be, and that nothing in life is guaranteed. I still worry but hang onto my faith in God, which has helped me through this. I remain strong for her and try to do whatever I can to help her when I can.
First of all, I’d like to ask everyone who reads this for your prayers for her and her family! They would be very appreciated!
She’s asked me for very little in the over a year I’ve known her, but she asked me if there was a way I could find a laptop for her. Even if it was used. She would like to stick with Windows as she’s not fully comfortable with the Mac. She said she’d be willing to pay for it, but with all the medical bills her and her family have, I would like to find one so she won’t have to pay for it. They need all the money they can save. She wanted the laptop to keep in touch with her family in Minnesota and she hopes to take online college courses while she continues her treatment. Every time she’s asked something of me which has been probably twice ever, I’ve never let her down, and God willing, I refuse to let her down if I can help it… Which brings me to my request…
Does anyone out there have a recent Windows laptop, say no more than maybe 2 to 3 years old they don’t need anymore? Money is extremely tight for me as well, but I’d be more than willing to work out anything… I want to be able to come through for her more than anything… I would GREATLY appreciate any help any of you could provide! Please contact me directly at tommy@mymac.com if you can help.
Always remember to not take the people in your life for granted. Life is short… life is precious… every second counts… Thanks for reading and may God Bless you all…

Sincerely,
Tommy Thomas