Well, need may be strong, I at least want a new one. I’m trying to decide between a Frankenstein micro-ATX from newegg.com and a Mac Mini. I almost went with the new Jetway nettop, but balked when I read one too many review about fat caps with jetway motherboards. I want silent and reliable. I know that the new Mac Mini will meet that criteria, but it almost feels like overkill (web, dns, mail, and NFS testing). I’d also either have to spring for the server version or run a Linux VM.
I tend to agree with many of your points. I’ve had a Boxee Box since it came out, and my satisfaction has varied. The remote is ok at best, and the keyboard being unlit and grey on black, impossible to use in anything other than a brightly lit room.