I got a suprising number of "hurrahs" yesterday when I mentioned how afraid I was that the Mini might get killed before I was able to buy one with Leopard pre-installed on it. Rumors about today's Apple event (which we'll be metaliveblogging, so stay tuned) are everywhere, and one that I've heard pretty often is that the Mini's last days are upon us.

Personally, that's really disappointing-- even if the Mini isn't quite the performer or the bastion of beauty that the iMac or the Mac Book Pro is, there's always room for the little computer that could (could convert the Windows faithful, I mean). So that's why I'm so happy to hear that Macenstein says the Mini won't be killed today-- instead, he's heard it'll get a nice upgrade: "The mini will sport a 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, a 100GB hard drive, SuperDrive, and cost $699." He also suggests it'll get a design refresh, which I'm totally fine with. However you want to play it Jobs, just don't kill my Mini!

Is Apple's smallest desktop headed for the junk heap, or is a brand new version headed for the Apple store? We'll find out when the press conference starts in about half an hour from now.

It's no real secret that an iMac update is most likely in the works, but ThinkSecret says they've narrowed down an actual date for the announcement: August 7th. As soon as two and a half weeks from now, we could be seeing a brand new iMac on the Apple Store.

The rumors, as you may have heard, say the new iMac will sport a brushed metal enclosure, to match up to the MacBook Pros and Mac Pros out there, and other sources say the new iMac will include a matching keyboard. ThinkSecret also speculates that iLife may be released earlier than its expected October date (originally, the suite was tracking a release right alongside Leopard). But apparently those rumors are less solid than the iMac release-- iLife and iWork are both supposed to take advantage of new techs in Leopard, so it would be a bad idea to release them early just for the sake of releasing.

As always, don't forget to take that standard grain of salt with all of these rumors. But if you are thinking about picking up an iMac, looks like it might behoove you to wait a week or two just in case.

Thanks, Corinne!

Apple seems to use iTunes as a test-bed for new user interface design styles, and iTunes 7 brings with it an almost complete overhaul the Aqua look we have all grown to love/hate/tolerate. While on the surface, the iTunes 7 interface may seem very similar to that of previous versions, there are a few very distinct differences that I think forebode greater system wide changes to come in 10.5 Leopard.

Since the initial version 10.0, OS X has gone through a variety of system-wide interface changes while still keeping some very important aspects of the original Aqua UI. First we lost the pinstripes, then we got brushed metal, and most recently, we see the move with most applications to a "unified" interface. With iTunes 7, Aqua is gone for good. Glossy radio buttons, scroll bars, control buttons and track information windows are all gone; replaced by sleek utilitarian sand-blasted metal. I think this is the first significant peek we've had into the rumored complete redesign of the OS X UI for Leopard.

I, for one, welcome this change. While the glossy days of old were an exciting way to draw new users–indeed, it was part of way I switched– it quickly became an eyesore for many; designers in particular. The introduction of the Graphite visual style fixed a lot of issues graphics professionals had with the bright colors of the interface clashing with their work, but everything was still not dandy. For pro and power users their Mac is not only a computer, it is the tool of their trade, and something they use day in and day out to get things done, and while no one wants to work in a badly designed, ugly UI, minimalist utilitarianism is sometimes the key to reducing distraction.

Of course, much of this is personal opinion, but it is an opinion I know is shared by at least a small core group of Mac die hards.

What's your take on the new interface? Is it just a fluke, or a hint at things to come?

"Brushed Metal: Can I borrow a hundred dollars?

Safari puts his hand on the door to close it.

Safari: I have to go.

Brushed Metal: Fifty?

Safari: Get out of here."

After this week's release of a completely non-Brushed Metal iLife 06 suite, Daring Fireball's John Gruber is at it again with another hilarious episode of a doomed Anthropomorphized Brushed Metal Interface (note: colorful language warning). In case you didn't catch the first installment, in which iTunes 5 was the first official sign of Brushed Metal's numbered days, you should probably check that one out first as it might make more sense. Either way, they're a couple of darn funny posts from a great writer. Kudos John.