Apple Tax Out of Control?

We saw this image over on Digg and thought it was worth a quick post. We haven't check these specs ourselves, but if true the so-called Apple tax is truly out of hand. With Q109 results due today, it will be interesting to see how the poor economy and Apple's unwillingness to budge on price effected their sales.

The Forgotten Mini

Dell announced today a new line of small, affordable and eco-friendly desktops under the Studio Hybrid name. Yes the name is horrible, but these little desktops pack decent specs and are sexy as hell. Call us crazy, but we even like the wood grain model. A direct comparison to Apple's Mac Mini can easily be made, and it makes us wonder why Apple has abandoned its little fellow. The mini was suppose to be an affordable desktop aimed at PC converts. It was to compete with and out sexy the lowend offerings from beige box PC manufactures. Instead it's been pushed aside and forgotten, and now outclassed by of all companies Dell.

With iPhone 2 around the corner, what's in store for the iPod touch?

We're less than five days away from at least the announcement, and who knows... maybe the shipment of the next generation of Apple iPhone. We know iPhone SDK is coming as well, and we know the touch will share much of the same software functionality as the iPhone. Could that mean an iPod touch re-design on Monday as well? Take video, for example. If the iPhone is given the ability to record video, is that a function that could come to the touch too?

And if rumors of a $199 subsidized iPhone prove true, what happens to the touch price point? It can't be less than $199, or it would cut into iPod nano sales. More than $199, and why would someone buy a touch when there would be potentially more functionality in the new iPhone?

Apple has previously stated if a product is going to get cannibalized, they want it to get cannibalized by their own product, rather than someone else's. That may be true here too, but it just seems like the price points could make for a crowded product lineup between $200 and $300.