The BBC made a TV report on the new Mac mini and iPod shuffle yesterday. Once again the report perpetuated the myth that Macs are more expensive than other types of personal computer. They are not. Repeat, not. If you compare Macs to high-end PCs they are more than comparable. And let’s not forget all of the integrated, easy-to-use software you get for free for photos, movies, DVDs, music creation and playback.

There was also concern in the report that Apple might lose the caché associated with its high end products as they introduce low cost products. Hmm.. Apple’s products are considered high end because they are expensive and stylish. I’ve written that Apple’s products are not expensive (except perhaps the iPod photo). Having style doesn’t necessarily mean expensive. The Mac mini and iPod shuffle confirm that. If they continue to develop products that are easy to use and help me get my life done I’ll continue to buy and evangelize them. I don’t care how cheap Apple stuff is.

I’ve also had an opportunity to look at the Keynote speech (whilst the US is asleep), and let me say that Pages is very cool. One notable feature is drag and drop from iPhoto libraries into your document. Unlike other page layout tools, Pages resizes, styles and rotates images as they are placed in to match existing styling and layout.