In an expected product refresh today, Apple released a slick range of revised iMacs, MacBooks, and Mac Minis.  However, the products look largely indistinguishable from their predecessors, and many might be surprised that Blu-Ray remains absent from the Apple lineup despite its prevalence in the consumer electronics market.

More interesting, however, is how Apple appears to have directly copied Microsoft in two keys areas: Multi Touch input devices, and the home server concept.

According to Apple, the Magic Mouse is “unlike anything ever before,” and is “the world’s first multi-touch mouse.” However, there is no doubt that these claims are completely fabricated.

As you will see in the video, Microsoft has been developing a variety of multi-touch mice and input devices in the past several months, not to mention the fact that Windows 7 includes support for Multi-Touch displays. In the past several weeks, nearly a dozen PCs and displays have launched sporting multi touch technology.

See more Microsoft multitouch mice in action on Engadget.

The fact that Microsoft has clearly had Multi Touch mice in development for some period of time, combined with the fact that Apple recently lost the rights to the “Mighty Mouse” moniker, spell trouble in the area of input devices for a company that prides itself on being the first to demonstrate new technologies.

Apple’s new Mac Mini Server configuration disappoints in several areas.  It comes at a significant price premium over superior Windows Home Servers, and lacks the features that this media-rich and easy to use platform offers.  At the same time, it tries to live up to business oriented options based upon the Windows Server 2008 R2 platform, yet fails due to limited business oriented features and and no hardware upgradability, factors that are essential to any business server.

As Microsoft continues to push away barriers with Windows 7, Apple continues to plunder on with a relative slump in terms of innovative new products.  Major failures such as backup devices that don’t work, and an operating system that ships with insecure software and deletes personal files, don’t help.