I hope the Mac mini goes 'Green', instead of just going away

Rumors are flying that the Mac mini may be on its way out. Such rumors seem to indicate that the mini will either go away, or see a refresh. Let's hope it is the latter.

The Mac mini not only needs a specs refresh, it needs a refocusing of it's market position. Rather than being marketed as 'the underpowered Mac for people too cheap to buy a real Mac', it should be celebrated for its BYODKM (Bring your own display, keyboard, and mouse) heritage.

First off, Apple needs to build the next Mini in line with its improving stance on environmental considerations. Once the manufacturing story has a 'Greener' tinge, then the Mac mini can finally become the recycle-reuse-green-machine it almost is. They also needs to make it truly powerful enough to be worthy of the "Mac" prefix.

In addition, Apple could use its website to help build a community for DIYers looking for ways to locate peripherals from the vast array of hardware that's already out there. This could be as simple as creating an online catalog that help customers connect with local computer recycling centers and similar sources for cheap/free monitors, keyboards, and mice.

Continuously churning out improved machines every few quarters is what keeps Apple products ahead of the cool-curve. But there's definitely a niche to be served by bringing the latest Mac OS to people who would prefer the modestly smaller carbon footprint offered by using pre-owned peripherals.

One more thing, let's not rule out an unexpected scenario like the Mac mini being cross-bred with Apple TV or something.