As of Friday, Target.com lists the Mac Mini as available for order. The site offers both the $499 and $599 models, the latter offering a more spacious hard drive and faster processor.
Customers may have to wait, though. Target's site lists availability as "arriving in 2 to 6 weeks. Order now." Apple's online store also notes a three- to four-week wait for new orders. The Mac Mini, announced at Macworld last week, is slated to go on sale at approximately 100 Apple retail stores early Saturday (as is the iPod Shuffle portable music player), though some of the earliest customers from Apple's online store have reported receiving their computer.
It is unclear whether Target's retail stores will also be carrying the product. Target and Apple representatives were not immediately available for comment.
Apple executives were asked during last week's earnings conference call whether the company would sell the Mac Mini in more places than have traditionally sold Macs. At the time the company said it had nothing to announce on that front.
The Mac Mini is seen as appealing to Windows users who may be interested in trying a Mac, but who have been scared off in the past by Apple's high sticker prices.
While Target has not been known as a place to get Macs, or even PCs for that matter, it has been selling the iPod for some time. Target was also the first venue to offer prepaid iTunes music store gift cards, though Apple has now expanded that effort.
Apple is opening its stores at 9 a.m. local time on Saturday. Store personnel contacted by Reuters in California, Colorado, Florida and New Jersey said they had been receiving a slew of calls about the mini and the flash memory-based iPod Shuffle.
Reuters contributed to this report.
