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New Mac Mini Packaging Spy Shot

wetrix said:
My mini came shrink wrapped like in the photo...two years ago.

Previous "fake" photos had the same vent configuration as the current mini. This new "fake" has bothered to change the vents despite no rumors suggesting a vent change. Perhaps this reflects a cooler running mini due to nVIDIA graphics and dare I say it...an Atom?

I'm starting to think that this is real. The non-tilted photo (shows top of mini in current boxes but not in this new one) is consistent with recent product boxes (e.g. MBA), which show off thinness.
Click to expand...

Could be some component in the way that would make having a vent there useless. DDR3 RAM is said to be cooler and use less power and the new NVIDIA chip, like previously said, could use considerably less lower. But like someone said before, why photoshop the vent OUT? It could be that the previous video and image were prototypes, with the extra vent.
 
I´ll vote for fake box.

Apple would not "brand" a chipset like that, have a look at any other box they have made.

And the Wifi symbol... Even my toaster has Wifi today, almost. It´s never made a point of like that.
 
5 USB Ports?

This may have been mentioned already but I don't get why they would put 5 USB ports on the back. It just doesn't make sense to me.
 
samwise said:
I'm confused - are you implying that the back of the Mac Mini shown in the picture is the actual back of the computer? As far as I can tell, it's just an image of the back of the computer as part of the packaging detail, in the same way as the Nvidia and WiFi logos.
Click to expand...

e-coli said:
The :apple:TV comes wrapped in plastic, so it's not out of the question.
Click to expand...

Yeah, you never know. That's a great avatar, by the way. I was waiting for something to appear:D
 
Just for fun...

Just for fun, lets assume the photo is of a real Mini.

Why 5 USB ports?

One port for the keyboard/mouse.
One for a printer.
One for a camera/scanner or other image capture device.
One for an external HD.
One left over.

Except, it makes more sense for Apple to eliminate a port or three, and download the cost of hub to the buyer. So, why 5?

It makes sense for devices for which it doesn't make sense to use with a hub, including reasons that have an aesthetic design.

I don't have all the answers, so I will start just to get the ball rolling.

Apple is going to introduce devices with the same footprint as the Mini, and that are meant to be stacked under/over - similar to the NewerTech drives. The design consideration is that the cord that connected the two would be neater if it was short and bypassed a USB hub. So, what kind of device? Time Capsule perhaps, or an external HD meant to work as a media server? Would a USB connection be adequate?

With that many USB hubs, you could stack a couple or three together.

Another possibility are Apple devices that require more power than an unpowered hub can provide. Again, design aesthetics might be that Apple wanted to minimize cord clutter, and so built the Mini to power a number of devices. Again, any ideas?

How about if the Mini can be used as a smart USB hub? Have we got an sense of size yet? What if it actually grew slightly so that it stacked on an Airport Extreme Base station? Connect the two with a short USB cord, and you lose the USB port on the AEB, but get 4 more on the Mini. Is there something in the media server area that would make sense to do this? I don't know why a smart USB hub might be needed - any ideas?

What if one or two of the USB ports were USB 3, and the rest USB 2. Then you could use old/slow devices on the USB 2 ports, and still get full speed on the USB 3 ports. It would very feasible that early product packaging and prototypes might not have the USB 2/3 distinguishing marks.

Personally, I find the mock ups so far less than compelling. But for fun I thought I might start speculating.

Cheers

Sympathies to my American cousins in the NE.
 
I'm switching teams and I'm going to believe this one. I've been watching the entire X-Files series and Mulder makes me want to believe.

I don't think the 10th vent was photoshopped out.

That's enough evidence for me.

The truth is out there.
 
real

I think the only 'fake' image here is on the one on the back of the box. The picture there is just an Apple mock-up of the real product. I'm betting they just either added a vent port on the real mini or just goofed on the image.
 
Maybe is Apple behind all this.

Does anyone has ever thought that Apple itself could be the one who gives out all those fake product pictures & videos? Apple might want to confuse competitors and customers by doing so and increase secrecy for the real new product. Then when a totally new in design mac mini comes out that nobody is expecting to see, all of us will be so amazingly happy and crazy to buy it.
 
I dont care if its fake or not, just give me a date!!

I am sat waiting to buy my first iMac for photo stuff!!!

Went to the Apple store in Manchester, UK at the weekend. They knew nothing (suprise!) He said if I buy one and a new one comes out, I have 14 days to return it,they will refund and then I buy the new one!
 
snberk103 said:
Why 5 USB ports?

One port for the keyboard/mouse.
One for a printer.
One for a camera/scanner or other image capture device.
One for an external HD.
One left over.
Click to expand...

People converting from PC probably have a keyboard without built-in usb ports so the keyboard and mouse take up two ports?

snberk103 said:
Another possibility are Apple devices that require more power than an unpowered hub can provide. Again, design aesthetics might be that Apple wanted to minimize cord clutter, and so built the Mini to power a number of devices. Again, any ideas?
Click to expand...

Non-nerds/family computer people tend to have whorey 7-port USB hubs hanging out the back of their computer for the kids' digital camera cords, ipods, zune (black sheep), and the two printers (can't imagine throwing the old one away). I think Apple doesn't want to loose sales to these people who just love wires.

Also, hanging everything out the back maintains the aesthetics (pretty much). The cables can cover up the huge power brick that sits behind the mini, but is never shown in photos.

snberk103 said:
What if one or two of the USB ports were USB 3, and the rest USB 2. Then you could use old/slow devices on the USB 2 ports, and still get full speed on the USB 3 ports. It would very feasible that early product packaging and prototypes might not have the USB 2/3 distinguishing marks.
Click to expand...

USB 3 won't be here for another year.


Having said all that, Apple does seem to think that 3, or even one USB port is enough, which I just can't agree with.
 
clickgr said:
Does anyone has ever thought that Apple itself could be the one who gives out all those fake product pictures & videos? Apple might want to confuse competitors and customers by doing so and increase secrecy for the real new product. Then when a totally new in design mac mini comes out that nobody is expecting to see, all of us will be so amazingly happy and crazy to buy it.
Click to expand...

One recent theory stated that monthy was, in fact, Steve Jobs, posting the first picture of this Mac Mini mockup and the subsequent video.

Obviously, Steve wasn't the one turning it in the video, since that wasn't his hand.

Heck, if I ever have to take a leave of absence as Apple's C.E.O., this is EXACTLY the kind of crap that I'll be doing.
 
clickgr said:
Does anyone has ever thought that Apple itself could be the one who gives out all those fake product pictures & videos? Apple might want to confuse competitors and customers by doing so and increase secrecy for the real new product. Then when a totally new in design mac mini comes out that nobody is expecting to see, all of us will be so amazingly happy and crazy to buy it.
Click to expand...

Apple have been known to spread fake rumors within the company, but I'm not sure about them releasing things to the public.
 
Why?

Why are the pics aaalways soooo jankey?


Weirdnesses I see:

9 vents. Wha?

Wifi. Um... Duh?

How come these people only have time to take and send one crappy image?

We've see better fakes...

I was sorta hoping for a new form factor, but that's not really a weirdness.
 
Usb

snberk103 said:
Just for fun, lets assume the photo is of a real Mini.

Why 5 USB ports?

One port for the keyboard/mouse.
One for a printer.
One for a camera/scanner or other image capture device.
One for an external HD.
One left over.
Click to expand...

SwiftLives said:
Or one for an iPod/iPhone.
Click to expand...

wetrix said:
People converting from PC probably have a keyboard without built-in usb ports so the keyboard and mouse take up two ports?
Click to expand...

boylovesgirl said:
or one for your digital piano, so you can use that ilife teaching while playing. a mini fits easy on/next to a dig. piano.
Click to expand...


One for a Wacom; the list goes on..
 
ho;y sh;t

if hardmac got it. then we will have it tomorrow..


still cannot believe the mini will be the same desing. (outside)

and imac has four models????

cool
haha
 
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