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YouTuber Modifies M1 Mac Mini to Be 78% Smaller

I mean there is no reason (other than Apple) that a Apple TV 4K can’t run MacOS.

Get back to me when a YouTuber does that because that deserves a story. A crappy case mod is meh.
 
153957 said:
It is smaller because he took the power supply out.. wow amazing :rolleyes:. Now you just have an external power supply which is still large and taking up space...
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I think it went beyond just this change? But sure, that's a big part of it. It's still a valid design choice, IMO. Every piece of electronics out there requires engineers making that decision. I love when you can just plug a regular power cord into something, but keeping it smaller sized is often a better choice if you off-load the size difference to a power brick that can sit on the floor, out of your way.
 
Kaida said:
keep the same size and give us rams and nvme slots please...
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Meh... make it 3x taller and encased in a clear acrylic outer shell that makes it look like it's floating.
cube.jpg

Bring back the Cube. Resistance is futile.?
 
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Kinda neat. The power supply doesn't take up most of the space inside the mac mini, not sure if the article is saying that or the youtuber. It's probably about 1/4 of the internal volume. Also, magsafe is really unnecessary on a desktop computer. I think a case mod could still achieve signifiant space reduction while keeping the power supply internal. Maybe just replace it with a smaller internal power supply.
 
I‘m not that stressed for desk space. Same with the weight of my Laptop Mac. Still have enough muscles left to handle one additional pound. What’s really interesting, we are so focused on our technology size and ignore our own physical size.
 
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Macintosh TV said:
I agree. Tell us what's really wrong with the current form factor. Apple has clearly kept it because they don't believe it needs a redesign. It packs everything they need into a small package. Why invest all the R&D, retooling, and other resources into a new form factor if it's not really needed?

Honestly haven't seen anyone suggest what needs to be changed about the current form factor.
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With the M1 Mac mini having so much empty space, I could see maybe shrinking the overall size of it. Apple will save a bit of money on materials.

For iMacs, I've often heard the "Get rid of the chin and bezels!" comments. With that, I could see maybe putting the chin components behind the screen. That should make the iMac thick enough to put the ethernet port & power supply back inside the actual iMac and not in a brick. Plus, maybe with the added thickness, Apple could add FaceID? But then again, this will go against Apple's cardinal rule of making everything thinner.
 
Jezz! Get it smaller and glue every components together!! NO. I prefer to have room for upgrading! So fed-up with all these non-tech consumers with their ill choices that are affecting the whole industry
 
Mousse said:
Meh... make it 3x taller and encased in a clear acrylic outer shell that makes it look like it's floating.
cube.jpg

Bring back the Cube. Resistance is futile.?
Click to expand...

Mac mini = 1.4" x 7.7" x 7.7" (H x W x D)

G4 Cube = 9.8" x 7.7" x 7.7" (H x W x D)

So the Cube is actually seven times taller than the Mac mini...
 
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hungvn said:
Jezz! Get it smaller and glue every components together!! NO. I prefer to have room for upgrading! So fed-up with all these non-tech consumers with their ill choices that are affecting the whole industry
Click to expand...

With Apple silicon you upgrade by buying a new computer...
 
GreenPixel said:
We all know that the unified RAM is not upgradable. Soldered RAM is nothing new--companies have been doing it for ages. But the "unified" aspect of the RAM on an M1 is a great feature. For most consumers there is nothing wrong with this setup. For prosumers and pros...hopefully they have a machine or two that is more upgradable. We'll see.
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He said storage, not RAM
 
hagjohn said:
The minute you plug anything into it, it would tip up. I have always hated tech that did that.
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This is a really good point and one I do actually think Apple likely considers when keeping the Mini size/footprint about where it's been.

You for sure want some stability to counteract the pull of all the stuff plugging into the back - absolutely agree.
 
This is fantastic, because all this time I’ve been looking longingly at the Mac Mini and thinking, “dagnabit, if only it weren’t so big, why, I don’t think I can even get that in through the front door, much less fit it anywhere in the house!”

Now if he can work on a thinner Apple TV next…
 
153957 said:
It is smaller because he took the power supply out.. wow amazing :rolleyes:. Now you just have an external power supply which is still large and taking up space.
Click to expand...
I don't know if you watched the video, but Nelson did way more than just remove the p/s. It was very impressive, and actually creates an entirely new product category - a "submini" or "ultramini" computer, if you will.
Is It perfect? No. There are always tradeoffs in any design, and also it's just a MVP (minimum viable product) a "proof of concept"
 
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hagjohn said:
Make the cube but forget the acrylic legs.
Click to expand...

The "legs" were only there because the ports were on the bottom of the chassis, so room was needed for the cabling to connect...

I envision an aluminum chassis, 2019 Mac Pro 3D venting front & rear, rounded corners/edges & feet like the 2021 MBP...
 
Hmmmmmmm, making a Mac a lot smaller without Apple authorization…….. ?

APPLE LAWYER TEAM ASSEMBLE!!!!!!

?‍? ?‍?
 
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