In addition to OS X Lion, Apple graced us with refreshed MacBook Air and Mac mini models last week, adding Intel Sandy Bridge processors and Thunderbolt I/O to the diminutive dynamic duo. But nothing is perfect, and there are a few things we’d like to change about the Mac mini in particular -- so read on and find out how.

Intel’s Sandy Bridge architecture and Thunderbolt I/O is sweeping across the entire Mac lineup (with the notable exception of the Mac Pro), including the smallest Mac of them all, the Mac mini. Within the last year, the Mac mini was frequently cited by the rumor mill as being readied by Apple for that long walk out to pasture, but the introduction of a fresh new model last year -- and a nice spec bump just last week -- would seem to indicate such rampant speculation was indeed false.

Assuming the Mac mini is now here to stay (at least for the foreseeable future), is the latest version the end all, be all of this tiny, headless Mac? Or does Apple have more to bring us? Since we’re never happy, we decided to take a long, hard look at the current Mac mini and offer some suggestions as to what Apple might be able to do with it next time around.

Bring Back the Optical Drive!

The Mac Mini has always made the ideal home theatre companion -- or at least it did, until Apple unceremoniously gutted the optical drive and forever (?) closed up the slot in the front of the computer. Does this mean the optical drive will soon be vanishing across the entire Mac line, much as the floppy drive did before it? That remains to be seen, but if we were an iMac, MacBook Pro or Mac Pro lover who cherishes their internal optical drive, we’d be a little worried, to say the least.

Fortunately, an external SuperDrive is now available as a build-to-order option from Apple.com (along with 8GB of RAM or a 750GB hard drive), but the least Cupertino could have done is to shave a few bucks off the price of the new Mac mini -- say, $79 to cover the cost of the external SuperDrive maybe (never mind the fact that it’s actually cheaper to go with any other USB 2.0 external disc burner).

Front Ports

Perhaps even more maddening than losing the optical drive is the fact that Apple completely missed an opportunity to make the Mac mini more living room friendly. Despite the generous amount of ports on the rear of the computer, we’d still love to see some front port love -- at least a pair of USB 2.0 ports and maybe move the SDXC card slot from the back to the front, where we don’t have to pull it out of our home theatre rack to use it. (And hey, while we’re at it, a front headphone jack might be kind of cool.)

We know Apple is all about the design aesthetics so they’re probably unwilling to junk up the front of the Mac mini with ports, but… it would be a nice surprise for the next model, even for regular computer users.

Apple TV Inside

We don’t mean to repeat ourselves, but some months ago we suggested the possibility of incorporating the Apple TV into the Mac mini, which would make the most awesome home theatre setup you could possibly imagine.

How would it work? Well, instead of ponying up that extra $99, you’d basically get an Apple TV app to replace the Front Row app that got consumed by OS X Lion. Double-click it to launch into the exact same interface ATV users currently enjoy, complete with all of your local iTunes media just a click away. Of course, Apple would have to start bundling their remote control with the Mac mini again and keep the price pretty much where it is -- but we can see a lot of home theatre enthusiasts buying something like this.

Double My Storage, Double My Fun

You’d think without a wide optical disc drive taking up space inside the new Mac mini, Apple could offer a super slick stock model with two hard drives (or two solid-state drives, or even one of each) by default. Truth be told, there is a build-to-order option through the Apple Online Store allowing you to get a 256GB SSD plus a 7200 rpm 750GB hard drive for an additional $750 (?!) -- but that’s not quite what we had in mind (and it’s only available for the high-end and server models anyway).

Apple’s Mac mini product page boasts about how easy it is to add more memory to your new Mac mini “with a twist,” but the hard drives appear to be off limits. We’d like to see a stock model with two hard drives at a reasonable price -- or a way to easily pop another hard drive into the second slot yourself and save a bundle.

It’s (Still) Too Expensive

Apple may be laughing all the way to the bank these days, but surely the company hasn’t forgotten those dark days during the 1990’s when Death came knocking frequently at the front doors of 1 Infinite Loop… have they?

There’s no doubt that today’s Mac mini is a little powerhouse that’s come a long way since the woefully underpowered original introduced in January, 2005 with a PowerPC G4 processor and a $499 price tag. As powerful as the new Mac mini is, the little guy is still saddled with a $599 entry-level price (and getting a faster processor with twice the RAM and better graphics will set you back a staggering $799). In today’s economy, Apple should really be aiming for the under $500 market again -- especially when users can get a nice MacBook Air for just a few bucks more.

There you have it, a handful of things we’re still complaining about… how about you, the loyal Mac mini user? Sound off in the comments if you’d like to see other things changed, removed or added next time around.

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