I was happy to see that Apple Computer announced the Mac mini series of computers yesterday at MacWorld Expo in San Francisco. It's hard to call a machine that fits in a 6.5 x 6.5 x 2-inch case a desktop computer. What should we call it? A compact computer? A digital lifestyle hub?

What I like most about the Mac mini is the video adapter. You get an ATI Radeon 9200 graphics processor with AGP 4X support capable of driving a DVI monitor at 1900 x 1200 or VGA at up to 1900 x 1280. Although Apple came out with two versions, a 1.25-GigaHertz and a 1.42-GigaHertz, both come only with Combo Drives (DVD-ROM/CD-RW). The Mac mini of my dreams would come with a SuperDrive.

Update: Jeff Hoppe and an Operation Gadget reader named Pradeep both pointed out that the Mac mini can be ordered with a SuperDrive for $100 more from The Apple Store. (You have to choose the SuperDrive from the "Optical Drive" pop-up menu on the "Customize your Mac" page.) I thought I had seen that the SuperDrive was available, but when I went back to write this article, I couldn't find it. It would help if I took notes. [ Thanks guys. ]

I think Apple hit the target in terms of offering a machine for people who want a second or third computer for their homes, or people who want a cheap way to more fully enter the Apple lifestyle now that they have their iPod. I don't have a Macintosh on my desk today. I expect to have one on my desk by the end of the month. What more can I say?

Operation Gadget regulars probably already read the article called How We Installed a Home Theater with DirecTV and Over-the-Air HDTV. If this home theater were in the Home Office and not in my friend's living room, you can bet I'd have an order placed for one of these Mac minis already. Imagine being able to use an HDTV set in your living room as a 1900 x 1200 display for a $600 Macintosh.