Mac Mini Photos and Details

MacRumors · Jan 20, 2005, 10:33 PM

With shipment of Mac Mini's the first Mini's have started arriving.

One photo gallery was posted detailing the opening of the Mac Mini from the shipment box.

Smash's World posted a short MPEG4 video (Quicktime) of the (safe) disassembly of the Mac Mini.

Meanwhile, Appleinsider posts some additional details about the Mini. Most tantalizing is the follow blurb:

Quote:

Finally, sources note that the mini's non-standard power connector contains too many leads to serve solely as a power source, and could provide hints of upcoming add-ons...

At this point, this remains pure speculation.

Additional Notes:

- Ships with iLife '05
- iPhoto '05 book/photo ordering support not yet available (later this month)

MacAztec · Jan 20, 2005, 10:33 PM

Very cool, I can't wait to get one!

TylerL · Jan 20, 2005, 10:35 PM

Now, I haven't seen one in person yet (Saturday...), but would it be possible that all those different pins in the power connector are to provide direct-voltage to the different components without stepping down or up (2.5, 3.3, 5V, etc)?

pimentoLoaf · 10:49 PM

Regarding that special power plug with extra pins...

iFondue?

GigaWire · Jan 20, 2005, 10:39 PM

Got mine!

My first Apple order to be shipped early in about 3 years! They might make it as a computer company after all!

Good job Apple!

tubedogg · Jan 20, 2005, 10:39 PM

May be worth noting that while it ships with iLife '05 in the box, iLife '04 is pre-installed.

oingoboingo · Jan 20, 2005, 10:39 PM

Looks nice. I have 2 die-hard PC using friends who have been asking me a load of questions about the Mac mini and OS X in the past week. They're both just waiting a few weeks to see how first users' impressions turn out before committing to the purchase. No doubt this picture series will be but one of many as Mac minis start turning up in large numbers.

miradu · Jan 20, 2005, 10:41 PM

Mine came via fedex today - I used free shipping.

It's amazing. iLife 05 is incredible, the upgrades to iphoto and idvd are worth the money alone, (I'm not the biggest gb/imovie fan, so i can't comment that much on it).

The harddrive is noticeably slow, but everything else is awesome. Fast, beautiful. The mini itself is just a perfect work of engineering, except for cables. I've already used up all the ports.. it's a mess back there. *sigh*. I guess that's the reason for an iMac.

tex210 · Jan 20, 2005, 10:46 PM

Stackable!

ImAlwaysRight · Jan 20, 2005, 10:48 PM

Quote:

Finally, sources note that the mini's non-standard power connector contains too many leads to serve solely as a power source, and could provide hints of upcoming add-ons...

What options might there be? I heard someone the other day telling me about getting internet over power lines (instead of cable or phone lines). Could this be to receive internet over the power?

dizastor · Jan 20, 2005, 10:50 PM

I love the elegance of Apple packaging....
I wish I had a reason to buy one.

MrMacMan · Jan 20, 2005, 10:55 PM

Looks nice enough.
Small enough.

Oh wait, not powerful enough.

yosoyjay · Jan 20, 2005, 11:04 PM

Does anyone know how many conductors the power cord contains?

Macmaniac · Jan 20, 2005, 11:05 PM

That 3.5in drive looks absolutely massive next to the mini lol

I can; wait to see what cool stuff may come of the mini

Now I want one...

MisterG5 · Jan 20, 2005, 11:06 PM

I believe 8, but I may be wrong. On another note...now I just have to find a semi-valid excuse for purchasing one!

LaMerVipere · Jan 20, 2005, 11:13 PM

Wow, who'd have thought it shared so many similarities with the eMac.

Maybe the mini really is going to end up replacing it, now that the eMac has been EOL'd...hmm...interesting.

AliensAreFuzzy · Jan 20, 2005, 11:15 PM

Ordering mine this weekend, probably won't get it until mid-Fed. Sigh

sord · Jan 20, 2005, 11:27 PM

iWork is shipping as of today too!

areyouwishing · Jan 20, 2005, 11:30 PM

First thing I do when i get mine is stick a 7200 RPM hard drive in it, and a 512 stick.

jadam · Jan 20, 2005, 11:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by areyouwishing

First thing I do when i get mine is stick a 7200 RPM hard drive in it, and a 512 stick.

They make 2.5" 7200RPM hard drives?

dontmatter · Jan 20, 2005, 11:41 PM

you people who got mini's in the mail... did you order WAY early, or kinda early, or what?

Just trying to figure out what shipping times are. Of course, I don't know what to hope for-on the one hand, I desperatley want potential windows switchers not to encounter the incredibly delayed apple shipping we are used to, not in the least. On the other hand, apple has the capacity to make X computers, so if they can't keep up with demand, that means demand is super high, and it sure doesn't hurt hype to be behind demand...

Of course, it's probably all mac users who bought before actually seeing them, etc.... so who knows. lets hope demand is building, rather than just peaking initially, and slowly sagging (the usual mac cycle)

areyouwishing · Jan 20, 2005, 11:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jadam

They make 2.5" 7200RPM hard drives?

Yes.

http://eshop.macsales.com/Catalog_It...tem=HIT08K0939

anubis · Jan 21, 2005, 12:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Macrumors

At this point, this remains pure speculation.

I believe this to be peoples' imaginations running away with them. Let's examine this.

It's hard to tell how many pins there are for the power connector, but based on the pictures on apple's web site there appears to be as many as 10. One other person suggested 8. I'll go ahead and stick with the seemingly maximum number.

At least 1 pin will be used for grounding - connecting the jacket of the power cord to the chassis of the mini. It's possible that there may be a redundant pin for this (just to be safe. Very common in electronics today). So we'll say there are 2 pins used for jacket/chassis grounding. That leaves 8 pins.

Computers require two different voltage levels from the power supply. Most PCs use a +12 voltage rail and a reference ground for the motherboard, and a totally seperate +5 voltage rail and a different reference ground for the hard drive. Or it could be the other way around. Regardless, that would explain away a further 4 pins. I can hear people saying to me now, "but anubis!!!!111 my MAC is only plugged into the wall with 3 prongs!!!11 how can my puter have more than one voltage lol". Take a look inside any standard power supply (G4 for instance) and you'll notice about 20 wires coming out of the thing. Have you ever seen a motherboard power connector for a PC? It's got about 12-14 connectors on it. Power supplies for computers output a variety of voltages to accomodate various components. In this case, the power supply for the Mini is external and provides all of the voltages to the mini externally, requiring at least 4 pins for 2 different voltage levels. Additional voltages may be used, but I'll err on the side of caution.

We're now down to 2-4 extra pins for the power connector. It hadly seems enough to add or anticipate any extra features. Let me offer some less fantastic-but-more-realistic suggestions:

1. The extra pins may serve as a communications channel to the power supply for diagnostic purposes.
2. The mac mini requires more than the absolute minimum 2 voltage levels.
3. Additional grounding may be required.
4. The most likely explaination at this juncture: the extra pins are not used.

Think of it this way. There are many everyday connectors we use that have extra, unused pins. VGA only requires 11 pins, but standard VGA connectors are 15 pins.

I hate to burst everyone's bubble, but before the rumor sites run wild with the possibility of network your iPod over power lines, or something, I'd suggest that the extra pins are a non-story.

tpjunkie · Jan 21, 2005, 12:05 AM

i think the mini has the potential to make a significant impact on the market; that being said, I think im going to buy some stock in freescale semiconductors, who are supplying apple with G4 processors.

LaMerVipere · Jan 21, 2005, 12:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sord

iWork is shipping as of today too!

Think they might have it at the Apple Stores tomorrow too? I'd love to pick it up and play with it over the weekend.

Jan 20, 2005, 10:38 PM	#4
pimentoLoaf macrumors Demi-God Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: The SimCity Deli	Regarding that special power plug with extra pins... iFondue? __________________ A pate is nothing more than a French meat loaf that's had a couple of cocktails....Carol Cutler Last edited by pimentoLoaf : Jan 20, 2005 at 10:49 PM.

Jan 20, 2005, 10:39 PM	#7
oingoboingo macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Sydney, Australia	Looks nice. I have 2 die-hard PC using friends who have been asking me a load of questions about the Mac mini and OS X in the past week. They're both just waiting a few weeks to see how first users' impressions turn out before committing to the purchase. No doubt this picture series will be but one of many as Mac minis start turning up in large numbers. __________________ - 24" 2.8GHz iMac / 512MB nVidia 8800GS - 15" 2.4GHz MacBook Pro - 20GB 4G iPod

Jan 20, 2005, 10:46 PM	#9
tex210 macrumors regular Join Date: Jul 2003	I want 1! Stackable! __________________ You have the option to show or hide various elements of messages, which may be of use to users on slow internet connections, or who want to remove extraneous clutter from posts.

Jan 20, 2005, 10:50 PM	#11
dizastor macrumors 6502a Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Los Angeles	I love the elegance of Apple packaging.... I wish I had a reason to buy one. __________________ ejc on Twitter

Jan 20, 2005, 10:55 PM	#12
MrMacMan macrumors 601 Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: 1 Block away from NYC.	Looks nice enough. Small enough. Oh wait, not powerful enough. __________________ There is a little Steve in all of us! -->Folding is Fighting Against Disease and help MacRumors. Join Today!<-- Props to --> Shadowfax For Making My Avatar! IM Me On AIM Already!

Jan 20, 2005, 10:33 PM	#2
MacAztec Banned Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Palm Desert, CA	Very cool, I can't wait to get one!

Jan 20, 2005, 10:35 PM	#3
TylerL macrumors member Join Date: Jan 2002	Now, I haven't seen one in person yet (Saturday...), but would it be possible that all those different pins in the power connector are to provide direct-voltage to the different components without stepping down or up (2.5, 3.3, 5V, etc)?

Jan 20, 2005, 10:39 PM	#5
GigaWire macrumors 6502 Join Date: Dec 2001	Got mine! My first Apple order to be shipped early in about 3 years! They might make it as a computer company after all! Good job Apple!

Jan 20, 2005, 10:39 PM	#6
tubedogg macrumors regular Join Date: Dec 2003	May be worth noting that while it ships with iLife '05 in the box, iLife '04 is pre-installed.

Jan 20, 2005, 10:41 PM	#8
miradu macrumors Demi-God Join Date: Jun 2003	Mine came via fedex today - I used free shipping. It's amazing. iLife 05 is incredible, the upgrades to iphoto and idvd are worth the money alone, (I'm not the biggest gb/imovie fan, so i can't comment that much on it). The harddrive is noticeably slow, but everything else is awesome. Fast, beautiful. The mini itself is just a perfect work of engineering, except for cables. I've already used up all the ports.. it's a mess back there. sigh. I guess that's the reason for an iMac.

Jan 20, 2005, 11:04 PM	#13
yosoyjay macrumors regular Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Seattle	Extra leads? Does anyone know how many conductors the power cord contains? __________________ yosoyjay

Jan 20, 2005, 11:05 PM	#14
Macmaniac macrumors 68040 Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: A tiny spec in the "Garden State", 1 square mile in area, somewhere on the outskirts of town by the railroad tracks	That 3.5in drive looks absolutely massive next to the mini lol I can; wait to see what cool stuff may come of the mini Now I want one... __________________ The customer is NOT always right

Jan 20, 2005, 11:06 PM	#15
MisterG5 macrumors newbie Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Jackson, MI	I believe 8, but I may be wrong. On another note...now I just have to find a semi-valid excuse for purchasing one! __________________ Have now:iBook G4 1.33 GHz/512MB/60GB/Combo (14 inch)

Jan 20, 2005, 11:13 PM	#16
LaMerVipere macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Chicago	Wow, who'd have thought it shared so many similarities with the eMac. Maybe the mini really is going to end up replacing it, now that the eMac has been EOL'd...hmm...interesting. __________________ MacBook Pro + iPhone 3G

Jan 20, 2005, 11:15 PM	#17
AliensAreFuzzy macrumors Demi-God Join Date: May 2004 Location: Madison, WI	Ordering mine this weekend, probably won't get it until mid-Fed. Sigh

Jan 20, 2005, 11:27 PM	#18
sord macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jun 2004	iWork is shipping as of today too! __________________ 12" iBook 1GHz 768MB RAM 60GB HD Airport Extreme [sold and missed] 17" iMac G5 1.6GHz 768MB RAM 160GB HD [sold] PowerMac Quad 2.5GHz G5 2.5GB RAM

Jan 20, 2005, 11:30 PM	#19
areyouwishing macrumors regular Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Utah	First thing I do when i get mine is stick a 7200 RPM hard drive in it, and a 512 stick. __________________ iPhone 3G Black Macbook 2Ghz Core 1 Duo - 1GB iMac 1.8ghz Core 1 Duo - 1.25GB

Jan 20, 2005, 11:41 PM	#21
dontmatter macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: SEATTLE, BABY! (or a nice little liberal arts college campus in the middle of nowhere...)	you people who got mini's in the mail... did you order WAY early, or kinda early, or what? Just trying to figure out what shipping times are. Of course, I don't know what to hope for-on the one hand, I desperatley want potential windows switchers not to encounter the incredibly delayed apple shipping we are used to, not in the least. On the other hand, apple has the capacity to make X computers, so if they can't keep up with demand, that means demand is super high, and it sure doesn't hurt hype to be behind demand... Of course, it's probably all mac users who bought before actually seeing them, etc.... so who knows. lets hope demand is building, rather than just peaking initially, and slowly sagging (the usual mac cycle) __________________ Insert witticism here. Or spelling correction.

Jan 21, 2005, 12:05 AM	#24
tpjunkie macrumors 65816 Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Where the streets have Dutch names	i think the mini has the potential to make a significant impact on the market; that being said, I think im going to buy some stock in freescale semiconductors, who are supplying apple with G4 processors. __________________ Happy Festivus; You're a disappointment

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