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The question is, what is a computer? The consensus here is that a "computer" does not need to have all the neccessary parts.

For this market I think the least we could expect would be case, power supply, motherboard, memory, processor, hard drive, optical drive, video, the standard ports, and OS.

Keyboard and mouse are optional, although included ones are so cheap that they should probably ship with any new system just in case the buyer doesn't already have them (I'm not dumping my Logitech keyboard/mouse for what comes with any new computer, even a Mac). Monitor is definitely optional, as lots of people are just replacing their current machines, and it's easy to order a monitor with the computer.

I made "the switch" June '02 with a 15" G4 Titanium. I'm only a lowly web developer not a "real IT guy" but one thing I have noticed, few if any Apple users suffer from PC envy.
Since my first mac, I sold the Titanium to get the 15" G4 aluminum, have had it for about a year, since first introduced. I was one of those people who stood in line, sort of self-consciously, when Panther was released. I have a 12" iBook G4, and a 17" studio display, and purchased both Apple Works and Keynote and received a 20 GB iPod for Christmas.
I never drank Kool-aid in my life that tasted so good that I would keep spending money on an inferior product. I researched Apple stock when it was ~24 and go up. I didn't buy it because decisions like that I make with my wife and she really didn't want to go for it. I was following the first rule of smart investing though, I liked the product and saw other people liked the product.
That product was the iPod. You couldn't walk down the street or into an Apple Store without 2 or 3 of them being bought for birthday or corporate gifts, personal satisfaction prizes and the like.
Stop and think about it, all iPod is, is a portable hard drive that plays music or shows pictures. There's nothing that prevents them from being plugin, on-the-go work stations.
Go into a kiosk, pop in the iPod, find, upgrade, or transfer info.