The word of the 24-hour interval at Apple retail mercantile establishment in California was “ Shuffle . ” close to 80 or so eager customers stood in melodic line outside the business district San Francisco Apple Store and 200 lined the Radclyffe Hall of South Coast Plaza , waiting to be among the first to get their hand on the Modern Mac Mini , iPod Shuffle , and the iLife and iWork software suites from Apple .

iPod Shuffle in hot demand

Lecy Brito said she had been waiting since 7:00 a.m. for the San Francisco Apple Store to open , hoping to purchase an iPod Shuffle . “ I savour music and the smaller affair is right for my kind of work , ” she said , “ and it ’s prosperous to hang it from my neck . ”

Brito was representative of most of those in strain , who were wait to buy an iPod Shuffle . Of the mass MacCentral queried , almost all were hoping to purchase Apple ’s new MP3 player . However , those waiting alone for an iPod Shuffle were turned off empty - handed , as the store was whole sold out .

The fib was the same at South Coast Plaza in Southern California , where the majority of the 200 plus gang that MacCentral talk with were there to pluck up an iPod Shuffle . The first few the great unwashed in note bought what neckcloth the store had of the new iPods , everyone else leave empty handed as the store sold out within minute of opening .

Patrick Fallon , who came to the store to purchase an iPod Shuffle for his small brother , said he was attracted to the iPod Shuffle because “ it ’s affordable and really nice . ” Fallon said he would be wait for more picture functionality before he have an iPod for himself .

mackintosh miniskirt draw a crew

Not everyone was line up for an iPod . Jeremy Ashkenas who took the string to the San Francisco stock from the East Bay , had been waiting since 8:00 a.m. to buy a Mac Mini for his girlfriend ’s mother . “ She ’s had an old personal computer laptop computer for a long clock time , ” aver Ashkenas , “ we ’re run low to get her define up with this . She want to switch . She ’s sick of [ the PC ] , half the time it wo n’t even wrick on . ” Ashkenas notice that he was lead to a used reckoner store afterwards to pick up a monitor , keyboard and mouse .

Farther back in line , Kim Black was also waiting to buy a Mac Mini . “ I ’m recording music , and need the special succus , ” tell Black who possess both a PC and Mac , and was planning on using the Mac Mini as a secondary system . “ All my musician friend desire to get one to daisy chain them together . The big problem with transcription music is central processing unit usage , ” he explained .

But Chris Fenison , of Portland Oregon , was the first to actually stroll up to the counter and buy a Mac Mini . Fenison , who also owns both a PC and Mac , said he had been plan to bribe a Mini since he first listen about the new organization . “ I go out the tonic and knew I had to have it , ” he said . Fenison said he planned to apply his Mac Mini as a household entertainment eccentric of system , noting he would hook it up to his television and stereo , and apply it to scarper iPhoto and iTunes and act videodisc .

Asked how it felt to be one of the first people to get his hand on a Mac Mini , Fenison broke into a huge smiling , hold close his unexampled system in one deal , and replied “ it ’s pretty cool . ”

At South Coast Plaza , Pedro Martinez was purchasing a Mac miniskirt , which will be his 2d Macintosh . With a G4 400 already at rest home Martinez say that he knew decently aside that he would be buying a mini when they became available . The bottom line for Martinez was the price ; “ it ’s so low-priced , ” he comment .

Bill Caldwell added a Mac mini to his stable of fourteen Macs possess by extremity of his kinfolk . buy it as a birthday present for his son Caldwell said there were many broker that lead him to buy the mini , with monetary value being high on the tilt .

“ In this case we want something small and quiet , ” aver Caldwell . “ Leontyne Price means a great deal too . ”

See more news , reviews and commentary on the Mac miniskirt at Macworld ’s Mac mini page .