It always struck me as a bit of a coincidence that the Mac Mini and the AirPort Extreme base station share the exact same footprint.
That fact reminded me of an Apple prototype that I saw a while back where the user was able to purchase additional self contained storage or CPU modules and add them to the system. In the case of the Apple prototype, the unit was similar to a bookshelf, and the user would simply upgrade the system by placing another book on the shelf.
I wonder if the new Mac Mini might be the heart of a similar new home entertainment system, where the user can add AppleTV, BluRay, AirPort Extreme, hard disk drives etc. etc. and create a 'stack'. It would be like snapping together a stack of LEGO bricks, hence 'Brick'.
This could even spawn another one of these 'eco systems' that Apple loves so much. Third party manufacturers could develop additional modules which obey the 'brick' specification and add functionality to the stack (in a similar way to the existing Iomega, LaCie and Belkin components that are designed to sit under the existing Mac Mini).
You guys SHOULD know this (if your really an apple fan/nerd) but a new rumor suggests that the brick is really a Mac Pro version of the Mini. I find the very idea fascinating. Read the article and take a look at this mockup:
What a horrible code-name. A tech object that no longer functions at all is considered a "brick," because it has the same value as a piece of masonry. I really doubt that has escaped Apple's marketing department.
you might as well code-name it FAIL.
Apple's code names have nothing at all to do with Apple's products.
The iMac G5 was codenamed "Hero"
The Mac mini was codenamed "Kaleidoscope"
The first Powerbook G4: "Mercury"
And most things simply get a letter/number code. Don't worry about the codename. Don't even think about the codename.
Oh, and Apple's marketing department? Seriously? They don't care about the codenames, either.
You guys SHOULD know this (if your really an apple fan/nerd) but a new rumor suggests that the brick is really a Mac Pro version of the Mini. I find the very idea fascinating. Read the article and take a look at this mockup:
And what would the specs for a midget Mac Pro be? I find it kind of hard to associate the Pro moniker and style with what the Mini is known to be, though the image is adorable
And what would the specs for a midget Mac Pro be? I find it kind of hard to associate the Pro moniker and style with what the Mini is known to be, though the image is adorable
I will have to look into what the bloggers are saying but I would think the specs would have to be more powerful than a regular mac mini but less powerful than a full blown Mac Pro tower.
I think if they were to come out with such a product that it would probably be my first Mac. See, I'm not the imac type. I've got a 30"lcd and a 52" 1080p lcd I also use as a monitor. I would hook that bad boy up to one of my monitors for sure.
EDIT: But that still doesn't change the fact that I want the MacTouch.
One of the comments in response to the original article linked to by Olternaut:
Quote:
My take on the "brick" is this... possibly a brick form factor like the Mac Mini, but definitely low cost and designed to grab market share. After all what do you use to smash Windows? A "brick" of course!
You guys SHOULD know this (if your really an apple fan/nerd) but a new rumor suggests that the brick is really a Mac Pro version of the Mini. I find the very idea fascinating. Read the article and take a look at this mockup:
Nice mock up! Of course with computer it is a lot like woman in the sense that what is inside is what counts. At least that is the excuse I have for my ugly Linux machine at home.
Quote:
.
Now let me say what I'd like t see inside:
1.
A quad core processor. I'm not real concerned about maximum clock rate as I can make real good use of the those cores while doing software development and other activities. Plus it has to be ready for Snow Leopard which is suppose to allow the system to leverage cores better. Actually an AMD processor might work well in this platform.
2.
A real GPU is nice to have, I'd be the first to admit that. .....But the thing is the latest Intel or Nvidia integrated chip will likely be fine. If they can manage an integrated graphics system with dedicated RAM that might rock too.
3.
Base RAM needs to be 2 GB unless the video makes use of RAM then it will likely need to be doubled. The important thing is the Max installed RAM one can manage. At this point hitting 16GB would be nice though 8 isn't to bad. The main thing here is that Virtualization is becoming a very popular way to do things and it eats RAM. I'm not one to burn a lot of RAM otherwise, My 2GB MBP seems to do well.
4.
Smart use of HDMI should be implemented along with BlueRay. By smart I mean that Apple implements BlueRay without screwing up the OS and clogging the hardware like MS did on the PC platform. That might imply limitations in what the platform can do with BlueRay but frankly I'd rather have the limitations. I'm not even sure about limitations as I could see the right implementation actually reducing limitations.
5.
Obviously a BlueRay disk.
6.
Space inside for at least 2, 3.5 inch disk drives. I'm almost to the point where I'd accept laptop drives if the density could hit 512 GB per drive. I'm also excited about the idea of SSD drives but unfortunately today none meet my needs. That could change real quick though.
7.
All the traditional ports of course! That is Blutooth, USB (6), Firewire (400 & 3200), Ethernet (GB), Higher Quality Audio in and out and one of the latest display port connectors.
8.
Yes I have to say this but an expansion slot. Not a traditional desktop but rather the latest CardBus or whatever. Needs to be fat though and I'd not get to upset if Apple implemented a custom slot. The issue here is interfacing to the fast device of your choice. That is on the cheep end we might see eSATA adapters, and at the high end Infiniband cards. While I see eSATA as useful by some it is far to limiting of a port, better to have something the user can configure himself. Maybe even slip in a Cell card.
Of course one thing Apple could do here is to offer up a port connector that goes to software defined hardware. That is a programmable gate array that could be made into the interface of your choice with a little programming. That means support of wide spread hardware like eSATA but also means the hardware could be reprogrammed to do something like interface to a CNC system. The port then becomes a product of your programming abilities or desires as a user.
I don't see it being a mini version of the mac pro.
apple design stuff in a certain way to make sense in those dimensions,
emitting the idea of shrinking a mean powerhouse tower into something small and cuddly would draw silence and the rare sighting of tumbleweeds running through apple's oval office... followed by your dismissal due to serious lack of imagination.
It's a funny idea, but more material for a geeky mod company, than an INNOVATIVE company like apple.
I mean, come on....
in short: NO WAY IN HELL THEY'RE GONNA MAKE YOUR LITTLE KITCHEN APPLIANCE TYPE MINI MAC PRO.
start a company, do the mods, make some geeks happy, but for the love of god don't apply for a job at Apple.
No offense of course
I see something in the wireless charging, very Apple, very Jobs, I'd even say Ive could design some pretty sleek looking air to run the wireless stream through.
a mac mini upgrade that would turn it into something that could thrive, not the worst of ideas either.
I think the iPhone/iPod touch IS the introduction of the tablet, or newton replacement, there will be something in the middle between that and a laptop though, dunno if it will be now, it will come.
it will be interesting to see whether I'll feel this urge to buy it because it will solve so many of my problems...
The Brick is the return of the portable user account. Plug it into any modern PC boxen (meaning Intel Core 2 Duo or better CPU/chipset) and it will reboot into OS X, loading the OS from a SDD that is in the Brick (where the user account is also stored) and using the host HDD as a scratch disc. Upon logging out of OS X, any traces of user data are wiped from the host system. (while totally undetectable system destabilizing virii are loaded to the host Windows-based OS)
Something the size of a Powermac 7500 would have room for 2 HDs one optical drive as well for a Quad socket and one or two PCIe cards. Me like, like a lot
A native Quadcore would be nice and also fill a gap in the current lineup were allmost all models are dual cores and the pros are octacores.
I could settle for a dual core but a PCIe slot is a must as is a fast HD to improve on the macmini.
My brick is a hardware device. Newer non-Mac PC boxen load OS X by having this device attached. Non-Mac PC boxen CANNOT boot into OS X without this 'hardware key'. This device syncs with MobileMe, and holds an up-to-date copy of the user profile.
But it is just a crazy idea, not a product I would ever expect (much less actually want) to see the light of day…
I really hope the brick turns out to be the MacTouch, a multi-touch enabled Mac OS X slate tablet that also includes stylus recognition. About the size of a standard steno pad (6"x9") with a 10" screen would be fine for me.
My brick is a hardware device. Newer non-Mac PC boxen load OS X by having this device attached. Non-Mac PC boxen CANNOT boot into OS X without this 'hardware key'. This device syncs with MobileMe, and holds an up-to-date copy of the user profile.
But it is just a crazy idea, not a product I would ever expect (much less actually want) to see the light of day?
I really hope the brick turns out to be the MacTouch, a multi-touch enabled Mac OS X slate tablet that also includes stylus recognition. About the size of a standard steno pad (6"x9") with a 10" screen would be fine for me.
Okay I know I've had fun with this one, but seriously if you guys want to know what "Brick" is FYI, it's not what most of you think.
It's Apple's answer to the MS Sync. It's called Brick, as in "People in Glass Houses..." referring to the car with all the glass. Clever right?
It's going to be in VW for sure, don't know enough details to post more...
I'll ask around.
I just caught this comment post over at gizmodo.........
Quote:
Back when they introduced the MacBook Air, I happened to be standing in line for that Keynote in San Fran with a friend and there was a gentleman (I use the term loosely)standing behind us. We were having a friendly conversation and he began talking about something with Brick in the name, but he said it was a storage device. He told us there would be a really thin MacBook (which we didn't believe). After the keynote, I realized the guy probably knew what he was talking about, and I just assumed he was referring to Time Capsule when he mentioned the "brick" device. Maybe the "Brick" is something similar. Maybe something like what Drobo offers? It would certainly help with storage needs for our "iLife", not to be a dork (too late).
Does your theory or leak have anything to do with this? This would mean that we are looking at some sort of NAS device of some kind or perhaps a home server of some sort?
Comments
It always struck me as a bit of a coincidence that the Mac Mini and the AirPort Extreme base station share the exact same footprint.
That fact reminded me of an Apple prototype that I saw a while back where the user was able to purchase additional self contained storage or CPU modules and add them to the system. In the case of the Apple prototype, the unit was similar to a bookshelf, and the user would simply upgrade the system by placing another book on the shelf.
I wonder if the new Mac Mini might be the heart of a similar new home entertainment system, where the user can add AppleTV, BluRay, AirPort Extreme, hard disk drives etc. etc. and create a 'stack'. It would be like snapping together a stack of LEGO bricks, hence 'Brick'.
This could even spawn another one of these 'eco systems' that Apple loves so much. Third party manufacturers could develop additional modules which obey the 'brick' specification and add functionality to the stack (in a similar way to the existing Iomega, LaCie and Belkin components that are designed to sit under the existing Mac Mini).
It's a longshot, but you never know!
Copyright © CMW, 2008. All rights reserved.
http://www.iphonesavior.com/2008/09/...is-apples.html
What a horrible code-name. A tech object that no longer functions at all is considered a "brick," because it has the same value as a piece of masonry. I really doubt that has escaped Apple's marketing department.
you might as well code-name it FAIL.
Apple's code names have nothing at all to do with Apple's products.
The iMac G5 was codenamed "Hero"
The Mac mini was codenamed "Kaleidoscope"
The first Powerbook G4: "Mercury"
And most things simply get a letter/number code. Don't worry about the codename. Don't even think about the codename.
Oh, and Apple's marketing department? Seriously? They don't care about the codenames, either.
You guys SHOULD know this (if your really an apple fan/nerd) but a new rumor suggests that the brick is really a Mac Pro version of the Mini. I find the very idea fascinating. Read the article and take a look at this mockup:
http://www.iphonesavior.com/2008/09/...is-apples.html
And what would the specs for a midget Mac Pro be? I find it kind of hard to associate the Pro moniker and style with what the Mini is known to be, though the image is adorable
And what would the specs for a midget Mac Pro be? I find it kind of hard to associate the Pro moniker and style with what the Mini is known to be, though the image is adorable
I will have to look into what the bloggers are saying but I would think the specs would have to be more powerful than a regular mac mini but less powerful than a full blown Mac Pro tower.
I think if they were to come out with such a product that it would probably be my first Mac. See, I'm not the imac type. I've got a 30"lcd and a 52" 1080p lcd I also use as a monitor. I would hook that bad boy up to one of my monitors for sure.
EDIT: But that still doesn't change the fact that I want the MacTouch.
My take on the "brick" is this... possibly a brick form factor like the Mac Mini, but definitely low cost and designed to grab market share. After all what do you use to smash Windows? A "brick" of course!
Interesting…
One of the comments in response to the original article linked to by Olternaut:
Interesting?
Yes very interesting. Tomorrow is the start of a new week. And hopefully a week of news leaks containing new clues.
I want to know if these cats have any intel to pass on after their time 'in the middle of the hive mind'?
Yup. I had already read that article late in the night couple days ago as I ever try to find out what Apple might be doing.
Yes I think something extra hot and spicy is brewing at the Apple labs. But when do we see it? This coming October event...or maybe MacWorld?
My guess is MacWorld.
You guys SHOULD know this (if your really an apple fan/nerd) but a new rumor suggests that the brick is really a Mac Pro version of the Mini. I find the very idea fascinating. Read the article and take a look at this mockup:
Nice mock up! Of course with computer it is a lot like woman in the sense that what is inside is what counts. At least that is the excuse I have for my ugly Linux machine at home.
.
Now let me say what I'd like t see inside:
1.
A quad core processor. I'm not real concerned about maximum clock rate as I can make real good use of the those cores while doing software development and other activities. Plus it has to be ready for Snow Leopard which is suppose to allow the system to leverage cores better. Actually an AMD processor might work well in this platform.
2.
A real GPU is nice to have, I'd be the first to admit that. .....But the thing is the latest Intel or Nvidia integrated chip will likely be fine. If they can manage an integrated graphics system with dedicated RAM that might rock too.
3.
Base RAM needs to be 2 GB unless the video makes use of RAM then it will likely need to be doubled. The important thing is the Max installed RAM one can manage. At this point hitting 16GB would be nice though 8 isn't to bad. The main thing here is that Virtualization is becoming a very popular way to do things and it eats RAM. I'm not one to burn a lot of RAM otherwise, My 2GB MBP seems to do well.
4.
Smart use of HDMI should be implemented along with BlueRay. By smart I mean that Apple implements BlueRay without screwing up the OS and clogging the hardware like MS did on the PC platform. That might imply limitations in what the platform can do with BlueRay but frankly I'd rather have the limitations. I'm not even sure about limitations as I could see the right implementation actually reducing limitations.
5.
Obviously a BlueRay disk.
6.
Space inside for at least 2, 3.5 inch disk drives. I'm almost to the point where I'd accept laptop drives if the density could hit 512 GB per drive. I'm also excited about the idea of SSD drives but unfortunately today none meet my needs. That could change real quick though.
7.
All the traditional ports of course! That is Blutooth, USB (6), Firewire (400 & 3200), Ethernet (GB), Higher Quality Audio in and out and one of the latest display port connectors.
8.
Yes I have to say this but an expansion slot. Not a traditional desktop but rather the latest CardBus or whatever. Needs to be fat though and I'd not get to upset if Apple implemented a custom slot. The issue here is interfacing to the fast device of your choice. That is on the cheep end we might see eSATA adapters, and at the high end Infiniband cards. While I see eSATA as useful by some it is far to limiting of a port, better to have something the user can configure himself. Maybe even slip in a Cell card.
Of course one thing Apple could do here is to offer up a port connector that goes to software defined hardware. That is a programmable gate array that could be made into the interface of your choice with a little programming. That means support of wide spread hardware like eSATA but also means the hardware could be reprogrammed to do something like interface to a CNC system. The port then becomes a product of your programming abilities or desires as a user.
9.
Bread maker!
Dave
apple design stuff in a certain way to make sense in those dimensions,
emitting the idea of shrinking a mean powerhouse tower into something small and cuddly would draw silence and the rare sighting of tumbleweeds running through apple's oval office... followed by your dismissal due to serious lack of imagination.
It's a funny idea, but more material for a geeky mod company, than an INNOVATIVE company like apple.
I mean, come on....
in short: NO WAY IN HELL THEY'RE GONNA MAKE YOUR LITTLE KITCHEN APPLIANCE TYPE MINI MAC PRO.
start a company, do the mods, make some geeks happy, but for the love of god don't apply for a job at Apple.
No offense of course
I see something in the wireless charging, very Apple, very Jobs, I'd even say Ive could design some pretty sleek looking air to run the wireless stream through.
a mac mini upgrade that would turn it into something that could thrive, not the worst of ideas either.
I think the iPhone/iPod touch IS the introduction of the tablet, or newton replacement, there will be something in the middle between that and a laptop though, dunno if it will be now, it will come.
it will be interesting to see whether I'll feel this urge to buy it because it will solve so many of my problems...
fingers crosseth
It's Apple's answer to the MS Sync. It's called Brick, as in "People in Glass Houses..." referring to the car with all the glass. Clever right?
It's going to be in VW for sure, don't know enough details to post more...
I'll ask around.
The Brick is the return of the portable user account. Plug it into any modern PC boxen (meaning Intel Core 2 Duo or better CPU/chipset) and it will reboot into OS X, loading the OS from a SDD that is in the Brick (where the user account is also stored) and using the host HDD as a scratch disc. Upon logging out of OS X, any traces of user data are wiped from the host system. (while totally undetectable system destabilizing virii are loaded to the host Windows-based OS)
Comes with a one year subscription to MobileMe…
US$199…
A native Quadcore would be nice and also fill a gap in the current lineup were allmost all models are dual cores and the pros are octacores.
I could settle for a dual core but a PCIe slot is a must as is a fast HD to improve on the macmini.
Okay I know I've had fun with this one, but seriously if you guys want to know what "Brick" is FYI, it's not what most of you think.
It's Apple's answer to the MS Sync. It's called Brick, as in "People in Glass Houses..." referring to the car with all the glass. Clever right?
It's going to be in VW for sure, don't know enough details to post more...
I'll ask around.
Ok webmail, and macronin.....whats the difference between the "brick" and mobileme then?
My brick is a hardware device. Newer non-Mac PC boxen load OS X by having this device attached. Non-Mac PC boxen CANNOT boot into OS X without this 'hardware key'. This device syncs with MobileMe, and holds an up-to-date copy of the user profile.
But it is just a crazy idea, not a product I would ever expect (much less actually want) to see the light of day…
I really hope the brick turns out to be the MacTouch, a multi-touch enabled Mac OS X slate tablet that also includes stylus recognition. About the size of a standard steno pad (6"x9") with a 10" screen would be fine for me.
Read my post again?
My brick is a hardware device. Newer non-Mac PC boxen load OS X by having this device attached. Non-Mac PC boxen CANNOT boot into OS X without this 'hardware key'. This device syncs with MobileMe, and holds an up-to-date copy of the user profile.
But it is just a crazy idea, not a product I would ever expect (much less actually want) to see the light of day?
I really hope the brick turns out to be the MacTouch, a multi-touch enabled Mac OS X slate tablet that also includes stylus recognition. About the size of a standard steno pad (6"x9") with a 10" screen would be fine for me.
Google efix
Okay I know I've had fun with this one, but seriously if you guys want to know what "Brick" is FYI, it's not what most of you think.
It's Apple's answer to the MS Sync. It's called Brick, as in "People in Glass Houses..." referring to the car with all the glass. Clever right?
It's going to be in VW for sure, don't know enough details to post more...
I'll ask around.
I just caught this comment post over at gizmodo.........
Back when they introduced the MacBook Air, I happened to be standing in line for that Keynote in San Fran with a friend and there was a gentleman (I use the term loosely)standing behind us. We were having a friendly conversation and he began talking about something with Brick in the name, but he said it was a storage device. He told us there would be a really thin MacBook (which we didn't believe). After the keynote, I realized the guy probably knew what he was talking about, and I just assumed he was referring to Time Capsule when he mentioned the "brick" device. Maybe the "Brick" is something similar. Maybe something like what Drobo offers? It would certainly help with storage needs for our "iLife", not to be a dork (too late).
Does your theory or leak have anything to do with this? This would mean that we are looking at some sort of NAS device of some kind or perhaps a home server of some sort?