thunderboltThe new Mac Mini gets a Thunderbolt port, but also retains its HDMI output. (Credit: Apple) The benefits of the Mac Mini's new Thunderbolt port will be less obvious to consumers. Apple's new Thunderbolt Display can of course take advantage of the new port, but other Thunderbolt devices are either more specialized, like the $2,000 2TB Pegasus RAID array, or have yet to materialize. The update $999 server edition of the Mac Mini fits logically with products like the Pegasus array. Buyers of the standard Mac Mini's may have a harder time putting Thunderbolt to immediate use, but they can at least be thankful that Apple didn't add Thunderbolt at the expense of the HDMI port.
In all Apple seems to have a two-pronged strategy with the new Mac Minis. The new operating system and CPUs come as relatively routine updates; leaving off the optical drive and adding Thunderbolt advance Apple's agendas in content and connectivity. With a new $599 starting price for the entry-level Mac Mini, Apple can claim some magnanimity from adding such a forward-looking feature along side a price drop. We expect those with large DRM-locked DVD collections would happily trade the new Mac Mini's Thunderbolt port for an optical driv
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