The Mac mini is a compact Mac reminiscent of the Cube, which finally got a server edition on 2009-10-20 and a significant revision in form factor on 2010-06-15:
(simplegallery#miniimages)*
Resources:
| Date | Link | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | ||
| Jun 17 | Teardown shows power savings eliminated Mac mini power brick | Impressive indeed. Here’s the complete teardown. |
| Unibody Mac mini meets iFixit, gets a delicate teardown exposé | Always interesting to see | |
| Jun 15 | Mac mini (unibody) unboxing and hands-on | A nice gallery. |
| Previously | ||
| Older | ISP in a box | a set of HOWTOs on setting up HTTP and mail (SMTP, IMAP, etc.) on a mini. |
| Using it as a Media Center with Elgato EyeTV | ||
| Apple’s Mac Mini G4 Developer Note | with the usual extensive hardware description. (PDF) | |
| Opening the Mini | using wires to pull the plastic tabs | |
| Mac mini Center | a community Wiki | |
| Installing Mac OS X Server | ||
| Installing Debian | one of the dumbest ideas yet, but includes some interesting hardware info and is well written. | |
| Overclocking | make sure you know how to solder SMDs… | |
| ISP-In-A-Box | a bit too light on the technical side and lacks detail, but could be a good starting point. | |
| Disassembly guide | ||
| Disassembly video | ||
| First known photos of the mainboard | ||
| Glenn Fleishman’s comparison | to the Cube | |
| mini PVR with EyeTV and ConvertX | using a ConvertX to do real-time encoding. | |
1st Gen Accessories:
Like I predicted on launch day, there are matching stackable accessories:
- TVMax, a broadcast TV recorder.
- Minimate
- External video adapter – an USB VGA adapter.
- The Ministack, which included Firewire and USB hubs and can be obtained without a hard disk for US$80:
Clones:
Curiosities:
- X-Ray image
- A botched attempt at trying to fit a PC inside a Mac mini case. No DVD reader, not nearly the same airflow. Dumb.


