Mac mini Missing Built-In iPod Dock?

That's a really expensive iPod dock.

It'd be another sweet feature to woo the PC heads I think.

It would certainly encourage iPod halo effect.

dock

it would seem logical. and the mini is in the same shape as a dock!

technocoy

Having an iPod dock on there would be a great feature and nicely ties in with the switchers it is trying to attract - those with PCs and iPods.

But then, these secret features never seem to make it... just look at the wifi iPod, etc...

since the iPods all went to usb 2.0 I think this is a great find but wrong directions. Think DVR/Tivo/Netflix and I think you have it!

I also don't see it as "proof" of a future iPod dock (maybe an aborted possibility). A dock would accommodate only one type of iPod and would be limiting. Unless, of course, the pod in question is a larger-screened Photo, and, when docked, it could be used as a display.

*** licks lips in anticipation ***

Hmm, I guess it would appear in the REV B. model, however I can't imagine how Apple would place it, Apple always has elegant designs and sticking a big slot in the mini is just not Apple, perhaps there are other things that could be in the mini's future.

200paul said:

since the iPods all went to usb 2.0

Click to expand...

All except the Shuffle still support FW as well, they just don't (except the 20GB) ship with a FW cable.

so instead of people buy a $39 ipod dock they will buy a $499 mac mini. not a bad idea at all.

I don't think it's an iPod dock connector. There's only 20 pinouts in this unknown J7 connector, but there's 30 pins inside the dock connector cable and sockets. This is something else involving FireWire.

200paul said:

since the iPods all went to usb 2.0 I think this is a great find but wrong directions. Think DVR/Tivo/Netflix and I think you have it!

Click to expand...

That is the direction I was thinking.

ANyone else think this is not intended for an iPod? I am thinking something that people have suggested before..... Media Center.

Always wished I could just plug me iPod into me PowerBook directly, w/o that dock complication thing.

hmm this is quite a nice story. ill be getting a Rev B mini too methinks.

AtHomeBoy_2000 said:

ANyone else think this is not intended for an iPod? I am thinking something that people have suggested before..... Media Center.

Click to expand...

I expected that if there were a media center in the works that the Mac mini would BE the media center and not connect to one.

OMG, I'm getting vision of one of those horribly complicated diagrams you see in TV and cable manuals. The coax goes into the cable box, which connects to the HDTV through component jacks which connects to the hypotenuse of the square root of... If there's a media center in the future, Apple will do it without a lot of leg-bone-connected-to-the-hip-bone crap.

My vote is for wireless firewire. The internal connector is for a wireless firewire module that can be added later, like the bluetooth-airport module.

Cless said:

I don't think it's an iPod dock connector. There's only 20 pinouts in this unknown J7 connector, but there's 30 pins inside the dock connector cable and sockets. This is something else involving FireWire.

Click to expand...

Yea, but the part of the dock that goes into a computer is condensed down to a 6 pin firewire plug. All you would NEED for an iPod dock is the firewire connection. I can't think of anything of anything else that uses the dock (remote control, audio out, etc) that you need in a computer based dock.

as asteroid is likely a firewire audio device mebbe it's the same shape as the mini mac and stacks on top.

Porchland said:

I expected that if there were a media center in the works that the Mac mini would BE the media center and not connect to one.

OMG, I'm getting vision of one of those horribly complicated diagrams you see in TV and cable manuals. The coax goes into the cable box, which connects to the HDTV through component jacks which connects to the hypotenuse of the square root of... If there's a media center in the future, Apple will do it without a lot of leg-bone-connected-to-the-hip-bone crap.

Click to expand...

No, that's not how it would work. The media center edition would be just an inch or so thicker, with all the extra inputs and outputs you need built right into it. The firewire stump in the existing mini is how all the data would get from the main computer to the "extra" media center stuff.

200paul said:

since the iPods all went to usb 2.0 I think this is a great find but wrong directions. Think DVR/Tivo/Netflix and I think you have it!

Click to expand...

Not necessarily. At the time the Mac mini's mobo was being designed, all iPods still came with a FW cable. What I'm saying is, the decission to omit the FW cable could have been taken only recently. Anyway since all HD iPods still support FW, the shift to USB 2.0 as the default connection doesn't mean anything in relation to whether the Mac mini was/is going to get an iPod dock or not.

I read this last night on Leo Bodnar's site. He's a MacGenius of the highest order. It was probably one of those proof of concept things that never get used after the marketing doofus' get through with it, ala original iMac mezzanine slot
here's the slot .jpg from Leo's site:

Yes its an iPod Dock

Cless said:

I don't think it's an iPod dock connector. There's only 20 pinouts in this unknown J7 connector, but there's 30 pins inside the dock connector cable and sockets. This is something else involving FireWire.

Click to expand...

Actually a standard dock has both USB and Firewire connections and several unused connections and of course the other end of the cable only has a max of six connectors anyway so this is not a factor.

as far as the media center thing theres not really enough room there for the needed components and connectors. And then theres the fact that the mini would make a HORRIBLE media center (2.5 inch drive and video storage just dont go together people)

Apple could and should use the mini as the basis for a media center by intergrating the PSU and moving to a 3.5 inch drive (and maybe room for another) and a much larger case (read scaled to match audio equipment) 16x2x9

NOTE what Apple would save on the switch to 3.5 HDs and a standard superdrive should cover most the cost of the added components for video in and Mpeg encoding allowing such a machine to compete quite well on price with the Tivo enabled DVD Recorders. Not to mention they would cream the other media center PC's on Price and Features ($1400 for an HP media center they must be on drugs)

Is it just me, or doesn't that J7 connector look more like a horizontal mount memory connector? Like a low-pincount SODIMM? I'm not saying it would be used for memory, but looks like something other than a cable would plug into that.

I bet its a Media Center attachment with all the connections. Why would you put an iPod dock on the computer when you can easily connect one via a cable? doesnt make sense. You can already have that.

G