In the midst of a recession, the worst in a while, Apple manages to update three of their most prominent product lines: new Mac Minis, new Mac Pros, and new iMacs. If you ask me, this is a pretty risky endeavor on Apple’s part. Sure, it’s great to keep product lines fresh with the most up-to-date hardware, but during a recession such as this, not as many people are willing to throw down a couple thousand for a new computer. In my opinion, this is the time where the Mac Mini really gets to shine and show Apple what it is worth for their company. By being only $599 for the lowest end model, it is just as cheap as a desktop computer can come (given it has no keyboard, mouse, screen, etc., but many people already have those).

So, the Mac Mini finally received its much wanted update; rather quietly, with no events or notifications. Judging by the front exterior, there’s not that much different. So, what has actually changed? Is it worth investing in now, or should hold off for later models? To give you some idea, the rumored images that you likely saw around the net these past few weeks were, in fact, the new Mac Mini. Well, not the version with 17 USB ports unfortunately.

An image circulating the internet at the moment, shows the rear side of what could be the next Mac Mini from Apple. Featuring 5 USB ports, 1 FireWire 800 and both mini DVI and mini DisplayPort connections. This sounds similar to what we’re expecting to see when Apple finally update their most basic Macintosh desktop computer. All signs are pointing towards the update officially coming in March, possibly around the time of the CeBit exhibition in Germany.

Disappointed by Apple’s Keynote announcements? Me too. We were all expecting something in the way of hardware that wasn’t completely obvious (i.e. the 17″ MacBook Pro). Well, we received some potentially good news. While discussing the fate of the expo with a long-time Macintosh software developer, we received a tip from someone in the know about Apple’s coming plans, and it seems that those plans involve a big finger to Macworld.

Nvidia has unveiled a desktop version of the motherboard design that was included with Apple’s latest notebook refresh. It’s called the GeForce 9-series, and will be making it’s way to manufacturers like Foxconn and Asus this month.

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Gizmodo is rumoring that at least two European retailers have been told by Apple that the company is no longer shipping the Mac mini and won’t be taking anymore orders. This isn’t official confirmation that the Mac mini is being phased out, but it sure doesn’t look good for Apple’s only low-end computer entry.

The Mac mini may be pronounced dead as soon as today’s Apple earnings conference call, as two major retailers in Europe have confirmed to me that they can’t order any more of the little computers. While this could signal an updated model coming in, they have been told by Apple to expect no more of it. Their impression is that—once again—the Mac Mini may be dead dead DEAD for real, even while you can still order it at the Apple Store.

As Gizmodo points out, it’d be an odd choice for Apple to eliminate their cheapest computer option during a financial crisis, but the mini is Apple’s worst selling computer.