She was cute, no doubt about it. But the world is full of cute. I have been faithful so long that I wasn't about to be swayed by good looks.

So I left her sitting there for a long time and kept using my PCs. But a guy can only ignore good looks for so long. So, using a kitchen knife, I opened the package from Apple and took a look at the new mini-Mac.

From reading, I knew it was small, but the size was still shocking. The entire computer is about half the size of the Roy Rogers lunchbox I used in the third grade. There was no keyboard, no monitor, no mouse. That's part of the way Apple --- long known for producing elegant computers at a premium price --- can sell the machine for $500.

When I first heard of the $500 Mac, I admired the thinking behind the marketing. I've never doubted Apple's engineering, but the company was once known for stupid marketing. Years ago, it had a prominent role in a marketing book called "Snatching Defeat From the Jaws of Victory."

A $500 Mac is a great marketing ploy for a lot of reasons. Mostly, it gives PC owners an excuse to try one as a second or even third home computer. The payoff for Apple is that some PC homes may gradually move over to becoming Macintosh homes.

I say that for three reasons:

One, most of us make a large investment in software. In my house, the PC software I own costs more than any single computer. My copy of PhotoShop alone is more expensive than the mini-Mac. But with a Mac in the house, most people would slowly accumulate Macintosh software.

Two, using the mini-Mac will remove the fear factor. Many home users fear the notion of learning a new system. By having the mini-Mac around, they'll discover what I already know from using a Macintosh at work. Using a Mac isn't all that different from working with a PC running Microsoft Windows.

Three, there are some sensible reasons to consider a Mac that have nothing to do with cute. They're much less likely to be hit by a computer virus.

I think that's at least partially because --- when compared to the PC market --- there just aren't as many of them. So virus writers concentrate on creating viruses that hit Windows machines. I'd get an argument from Mac enthusiasts on that one, but the reason for the relative immunity isn't as important as the fact that it's real. Most of us are sick of dealing with viruses.

But enough about marketing. Let's talk about the mini-Mac itself.

It is easy to set up. Unlike most desktop computers I've used, it has an external power supply. That's not a bad idea. Power supplies furnish a bit of heat, and that wouldn't be good in such a small case. Besides, it is another way to keep the size of the mini down to 2 inches in height and 6.5 inches on each side. That's a little thicker, but much smaller, than a conventional notebook computer.

The mini comes with the OSX operating system, which I've found to be quite stable at work. Just as is true with Windows XP, a crashed program (and that still happens with both Macs and PCs) won't bring the whole system down. The mini has just 256 megabytes of RAM, but OSX makes good use of that amount of memory, so the mini still seemed reasonably fast.

My only problem with the mini was that I couldn't get its built-in wireless networking to communicate with my own network at first. I finally fixed the problem, and the solution is something that will be helpful in your own home.

Wireless networks don't work unless you have them turned on. I had mine turned off. The signal from a network that I was seeing came from a neighbor's network. The wireless portion of my network was turned off, since I mostly use the wired network at home.

So write this down and keep this thought handy: Most gadgets work best when turned on.

With my wireless network up and running, it was easy to get the mini online. Although less powerful than my PCs, it seemed just as fast online. So far I haven't had a chance to run more demanding programs on it. I suspect the speed difference will show up then. But from what I've seen, this machine is fast enough to be the main computer for many folks.

It comes with an excellent DVD drive. Apple sent its wide-screen monitor along with the mini --- admittedly, not many purchasers will go that upscale.

When I popped a DVD movie into the mini, the picture on the monitor was superb. The mini would also connect to many modern TVs using a DVI connection (common with digital and HDTV sets). At just $500, the ability of the set to play DVD movies may be a selling point.

I had worried --- based on the price --- that too many compromises were made to create a Mac for $500. But so far the mini is more than just another pretty face. I'll let you know if that holds true in the weeks to come.

tecbud@ajc.com