Setting up Mini

My Mac Mini is delivered to my office in a cute little box. I scurry home and open the cute little box to uncover an even cuter littler box within.

After wiping off the drool that has dripped onto its quasi-translucent top, I place it reverently on a little shelf equidistant from my amplifier and my Windows PC behemoth. I should plug in the KVM switch so I can use both machines but I can't wait to see the Mini in action, so I shut down my PC, unplug the D, K and M and prepare to plug them into Mini. (That sounds vaguely rude, but I mean no harm.)

My keyboard and mouse are wireless and they both use a single little black receiver that needs to be plugged into a USB port. Mini has two of those, so I still have one left over for iPods and the like. So far so good.

I notice a little black dot on the front of Mini, under the Superdrive slot, and there's a fleeting thought that it's a shame that this otherwise pristine surface is marred. But it's plug in time and I can't be bothered with black dots.

I plug in the power brick and the wireless receiver. The monitor plug requires an adapter and my heart skips a beat, but before I can panic too much I remember the adapter that was cleverly packed with the Mini. To snap it on and plug in the monitor is the work of a second, but I stop to marvel at the sleek design of the display adapter with built-in wheels on the side to tighten the screws that hold it securely to the socket. No screwdriver needed. God is in the details.

All is plugged in. I flick the power switch on the wall. And gently depress the power button at the back of Mini - the first power button I've encountered that has such an agreeable feel to it - smooth and gently bulbous.

There is a discreet twang as Mini boots up for the first time. The clean white boot screen comes up on the monitor and the first feeling is that there's something weird going on. I've become too used to seeing the BIOS loading message, the black screen, then the blue Windows boot screen. This clean white with a grey once-bitten apple and a gently turning wheel below is strangely comforting yet disconcerting.

And that strange blemish that I'd noticed on the front of Mini is actually the power light! Cool! It's a dazzling pinhole of white brilliance. I'm beginning to go for this white motif.

I am informed that Mini hasn't been properly introduced to the keyboard and I'm asked to press the two keys on either side of the space bar (at least that's what I remember - it's approximately right). Mini hums to herself briefly then tells me that Mr. Keyboard works for her as does Mr. Mouse. Super, Mini's up and ready to roll!!

I resist the temptation to dive into exploring Mini. Instead, I decide to get the KVM switch in place and hook up Mini to WPC (that's Windows PC to you). I shut down Mini, unplug the wireless receiver from Mini, plug back into WPC and power up WPC.

And thereby hangs a tale...