Quote:
I assume you didn't just go and buy one from an Apple shop for a good reason.

This is work equipment. Since my employer is a non-profit, they can do the transaction tax-free when they buy from apple.com, plus there's an educational discount (on a Mini, it's all of $20, while on a MacPro tower, it's more like $200). When I walk into a store, I pay sales tax and don't get the discount. No big deal when we're talking about pens and pencils, but it's noticable on larger purchases like this. Also, I wanted the machine maxed out, which I'm guessing is a relatively uncommon Mini configuration.

I've bought other Apple gear before, but I've never had to wait months for it. When I ordered my 2nd-gen iPod Nano, I had it within a week of its official introduction.