I think is would be a good idea if someone who is well versed in 'apple world' ( I am not) put together a pdf with the basic specs that we will need for B4i so no premature mistakes are made
Difficult to do until B4i is actually here. When that is the case, I will try to prepare a short shopping list
I'm not to bothered about the cost, I just want it to work first time
I have been developing Mac software for quite a while. My current machine is a 21" iMac. I know a lot of developers who use the Mac Book Pro. Both are convenient because they are self-contained.
The Mac Mini is interesting for a desktop PC owner because it can accept both a PC screen and a PC keyboard. So with Boot Camp or Virtual PC you can use it seamlessly in both environments.
The Mini Quad is using the same processor as the iMac.
The only machine more powerful is the Mac Pro, but it is most suited for graphic and video applications a developer seldom need. Have a look at apple.com for prices. I bought from the Apple Store, but Amazon could offer better deals.
That said, the power of current Macs is necessary only if you need to be able to run the new systems for a longer while. Just to compile with XCode and run Mountain Lion (10.8.4) or Mavericks (10.9) or soon Yosemite (10.10), a used machine not older than 2 years can do the job very nicely.