In an attempt to resolve the issues that have plagued its Mac Mini line over the years, Apple Tuesday announced a major update to the living-room-friendly series, making notable changes to its form and function.

Packed in a an attractive new aluminum case, the $699-priced - 1.4-inch thick and 7.7-inch square - new Mac Mini is evidently bigger than the old Mac Mini; but it still retains the distinctive appeal of its older counterpart. In fact, some features and design modifications give a further push to the Mac Mini-as-HTPC concept.

Boasting a sleek new design, the newly-announced Mac Mini line includes features like – a faster 2.93GHz Intel Core i3 CPU; new Nvidia GeForce 320M graphics chip; 320GB hard drive; a built-in HDMI port; an SD card slot; and a removable panel on the bottom providing access to system memory.

Furthermore, the new Mac Mini system can effectively handle HD video in QuickTime; along with Amazon Video on Demand, Hulu, NetFlix, and YouTube. The system, however, gives the Blu-ray option a miss!

Apple also offers some customizable options for the new Mac Mini buyers – for an extra $100 each, buyers can get the RAM boosted to 4GB and the hard drive to 500GB; while the CPU can be upgraded to a faster 2.66GHz Core 2 Duo for an extra $150.