Hype’s been circulating for days, but now the Apple word is out.  Rumours spread about the release of new beefed up iPods, but Apple surprised many of its loyal fans with two products that aren’t particularly ingenious.  The MiniMac and Hi-Fi system.

The MiniMac is a pint-sized computer designed to let users access music, video and photos across their home networks.  Featuring Front Row software, which is already found on the newest iMacs, users easily connect their MiniMacs to their TVs and can control music, videos and photos with a remote control.

The coolest thing about Front Row though, is that it lets users locate and share media content from other computers within the same wireless network.  Users can play songs or even TV shows stored on another computer in another room of the same house.

With an 80GB drive and a SuperDrive that burns CDs and DVDs, the base model MiniMac is sold for $999 in Australia.

The second announcement was that of the iPod Hi-Fi system.  For those who don’t know, iPods have fueled Apple’s growth in the last couple of years.  Since 2001, Apple has sold 42 million iPods and the end of February also marked the billionth download from the iTunes Music store.

The phenomenal sales numbers have also led to a booming accessories industry.  To add yet another accessory to the list, the Hi-Fi system lets users dock their iPods into the top of the speaker system and use a remote to operate it from afar.  The all-in-one design can be powered from a wall socket or by six D-cell batteries.  In Australia the Hi-Fi system retails for $549.

With all the hype, some people are a bit disappointed suggesting that the products average and priced too high.  But Apple needs to keep the company’s momentum going somehow. Since the announcement of Apple switching to Intel chips—a transition job that will be completed this year—sales have been down.  People are waiting from the next generation of computers, which will see speed and reliability improvements.