Miniaturization is not new to computers and rigs. We have seen our share of devices with unfathomably small form factors, skimmed down all the way from room-sized mainframes of the yesteryears. Now, someone’s taken things a step further by creating a fully functional miniature classic Macintosh complete with a display that’s only two inches diagonally. While it’s a nostalgic little , it is not what we are waiting for in the AI-driven world.
We’ve got our eyes fixed on what Apple’s former design chief Jonathan Ive’s cooking up with the creators of ChatGPT. It is not evidently clear what, but whatever they are working on is definitely going to take things to a new level of minimalism. Reportedly, the project is rumored to be screenless. It will be designed to deliver assistance in a truly pocket-friendly form, focusing on voice rather than visual interaction. Back to the Mac, it’s a definitive min version Apple’s never going to attempt, but you can secure files to 3D print this tiny tot for yourself.
Designer:
Before you get to that: the tiny classic Mac is created by 1-bit Rainbow, an online seller of spares and parts of vintage Apple products. Instead of offering out parts, the retailer has taken matters into its own hands and created a miniaturized replica of the original Macintosh that measures 2.4 inches (62mm) tall and houses a miniature 480×640 pixel LCD display. 3D printed chassis looks like the real Macintosh and behaves like one from the ‘80s, but of course, it’s in a very petite form factor.
Before you start to wonder, yes, the little Mac is powered by a Raspberry Pi Pico, which lends this guy its name: the Pico-Mac-Nano. The Raspberry Pi has enough power to emulate a Macintosh’s authentic OS flavor, but things are not going to be as stable for obvious reasons. Yet, if you choose to own one of these tiny desktops, you can plug in your USB mouse and keyboard and play – whatever it would – on this little guy in the real world. It should be able to pull off the Dark Castle courtesy of its 512MB storage, microSD card slot, and a three-volt CR2 battery that can keep the system going for a while.
Since it is functional, the Pico-Mac-Nano is also available for purchase. You can buy it for $59, fully assembled for plug-and-play. And if you want to try it your way, 1-bit Rainbow is also providing 3D printing files to print your own chassis. To gauge the scale of what you are committing to, a photo of the miniature Mac is released alongside a Coke can, need I say more about how small it is?
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