[stomachmonkey]

Back to the Mac Mini.

For your $'s the box comes with

iMovie HD: import edit export video
iDVD: make your own themed DVD's
iPhoto
iTunes
GarageBand: make your own music, same concept as Acid Loops
Keynote: presentation software, reads and saves to Powerpoint format
Pages: word processing app, reads and saves Word format

All of the Apple software is 1st rate. I would rate the apps as prosumer, really productive software that is above consumer grade but does not bother the user with stuff that only hard core pros need.

What's nice about them is that they all talk to each other. For example, iMovie acceses your iTunes library so all of your music is available to use as soundtracks and when youre finished editing you can export straight to iDVD. Or building a multimedia disc in iDVD, again all of your iTunes, iMovie, iPhoto assets are available right there in the iDVD interface.

If you had to buy a comparable software suite I don't think you could do it for less than $500 and it would most definately not be integrated.