While most people find little or no sense in beating a dead horse, more find it full-out insane in taking a living, breathing thoroughbred behind the sheds and putting it out of its misery with no actual justification whatsoever. It just doesn't work that way. But it seems Apple has other ideas, with the ill-fated workhorse in question being the small, petite Mac Mini.

Retailing between US$ 599 and US$ 799, they offered customers on a budget an affordable, easy-to-use alternative to the ever-so-popular PC when they were released to the market two years ago.

Figure in the pros of being small, light, and pretty much making life less complicated without the forest of wires PC users often deal with, the Mac Mini could have catered easily to the needs of a space-conscious, non-gaming demographic, or those who just needed a personal computer without the hassle.

By all rights, the Mac Mini should have sold big. But it didn't, and all signs are now pointing to its inevitable demise - but it's not as if we didn't see it coming.

Even before the Mac Mini was released, the market it was made specifically for was practically one that didn't exist, as far as some Apple executives are concerned. Like the kid in the middle that fades into the background, neglected and ignored, the Mac Mini also received a grand total of four updates from Apple - including one that the company didn't even bother to write a press release about. Add to this the fact that the Mac Mini's processors had always been more than a step behind from its bigger, shinier cousins (the iMacs and MacBooks). It's a recipe for disaster, and Apple itself was the one to whip it up.

To be fair, Apple tried to give the Mac Mini a shot in the arm, with plans of a built-in iPod dock - but that too was canned even before it left the drawing board, replaced instead with Apple TV. People see this as the final act of letting go, or the trigger-pulling, so to speak. The little Mini was left to continue on its downward spiral towards obscurity.

It's great that Apple regularly puts out great new products that everyone falls in love with (at least after a significant price drop anyway), but they have to love their products back, most of all. It's like Apple is the computer world's Nintendo - but without the continuous support and love for its older children.

Atleast that's what AppleInsider thinks. Do you think the Mac Mini is dead? Let us know what you think.