"I wish I had a nickel for every time somebody asked me that," Steve Jobs said as the question "Why doesn't Apple offer a stripped down Mac that is more affordable" flashed up behind him during Macworld 2005 keynote.
Today, that stripped-down computer celebrates its seventh anniversary. The Mac mini has had its demise predicted nearly as often as the iPod classic. But the durable little machine keeps chugging on and has inspired everything from a fan of RAID machines to media centers, car stereos and even apple pie.
While the Mac mini began its life as a low-end PowerPC G4 ma
