January 11, 2005: Mac mini Released

Mac users are nothing if not opinionated, and a large number of Mac users had been screaming for the release of a "headless" iMac from the day the original iMac was introduced. Apple had resisted the temptation to sell a low-cost, monitor-free computer for years but finally capitulated to users’ demands with the release of the very popular Mac Mini.

The mini came not only without a monitor but also sans a keyboard and mouse. The omissions were justified not as cost-saving measures, but rather because the mini was intended to lure longtime Windows users who already owned the necessary peripherals. The release of the Mini also marked the era when Apple began cracking down on rumor sites such as “think secret” after such sites correctly reported that Apple was going to drop a "500 dollar bombshell" at that year's Mac Expo.

What the rumor sites didn't predict was the stunning design. The Mini was only two inches high and six and one half inches square, making it not only the cheapest Mac ever produced but also the smallest modern desktop machine produced by any computer maker. Naturally, PC makers imitated the design quickly, but they could not kick their case designers into overdrive until they picked their jaws up off the floor on January 11, 2005.