Spending $1000 on a computer box that doesn't even have quad core in 2015 is pretty dismal, no matter how you look at it, especially if you plan on keeping it for 5+ years. My 2007 computer had it, and more and more software takes advantage of it.
The "average Joe or Jill" argument doesn't really say anything about the '14 MM or how it compares with previous models. Those people would do fine on nearly any computer or laptop in the last 6 years (more so if it has an SSD). That makes a brand new Mac Mini not so cost effective considering how much you spend just to get a mid-tier model without SSD.
I do acknowledge that it's a perfectly fine computer for most people, and I still even like it. But for the premium you pay for it, it's not exactly a bargain for basic users, while lacking the power to be much more than that.
There are good reviews (as it's still a good computer), but there seems to be a really mixed bag of reviews and more than enough bad ones to make the typical shopper less enthused about it. That's the nature of marketing; negativity has a much greater effect.
I just hope this is all a tide-over until a new design with the Broadwell chips comes out. One can dream.
