There were some rumors going around before the mac mini was released that it was supposed to have an ipod doc, but it was removed from the specs as they couldn't get it quite right.
Of course the problem is that you have about 10 differently sized models of iPod out there between the current generation, the previous generation, minis, etc. Makes docking difficult.
I think it is more likely to be an expansion bus for stacking on top of the mini.
Why would Apple not populate it?
- Devices on top of the mini block wireless signals.
- The top of the mini is designed to hold a lot of weight.
- A port in the top of the mini would ruin its lines.
- They want a product differentiator in the future.
My eMac has multiple unpopulated areas on the motherboard:
- it has an unpopulated space for a more vram ( which would have given it 64mb and a 128 bit memory bus )
- it has an a space on the mb for an unknown chip, maybe usb2
- it has an expansion slot connector on the fsb bus
Why Apple never took advantage of these features, we will never know, but it could easily be the same with the mini.
Given the position of the port, I think it would not have been a nice user experience to add devices to, removing the lid, replacing it with a lid that supports devices ( or a device with a skirt ), that just doesnt sound very Apple. However, we may see 3rd parties taking advantage of it.
Quite possibly this could have also been meant to host something that would have I/O ports on the back. If you look carefully you'll see that exhaust fan opening takes only half of the area behind the grille. All the rest is just covered by flat black plate. Not very Apple. Also something is missing there such that there is no tight fit so the outside air can be sucked inside the case through that slot but that is the area where hot air exhaust is (it escapes at an angle towards the firewire port)! Not very Apple either!
BTW, I've heard "a rumour" I do believe is true that mini started its life as set-top box but due to quite a complicate set of reasons (people-related) ended up as a desktop.
So my thought of the day is that it is an interface to an internal AV capture/playback module. However nobody stops us from stealing that extra FW channel for iSight or external AV capture module
How should I put this: Apple is a master at constraining upgrades and features. You look at the mini and see 10 different ways they could have made it more powerful or faster or have better graphics or connect to FireWire 800. Apple leaves room for future upgrades - I think it's fairly transparent, but still people are surprised.
So all of these open slots and "room for more x" are there for a reason - even if they never get used.
Comments
Perhaps we'll see one on a revised mini...
Why would Apple not populate it?
- Devices on top of the mini block wireless signals.
- The top of the mini is designed to hold a lot of weight.
- A port in the top of the mini would ruin its lines.
- They want a product differentiator in the future.
My eMac has multiple unpopulated areas on the motherboard:
- it has an unpopulated space for a more vram ( which would have given it 64mb and a 128 bit memory bus )
- it has an a space on the mb for an unknown chip, maybe usb2
- it has an expansion slot connector on the fsb bus
Why Apple never took advantage of these features, we will never know, but it could easily be the same with the mini.
Given the position of the port, I think it would not have been a nice user experience to add devices to, removing the lid, replacing it with a lid that supports devices ( or a device with a skirt ), that just doesnt sound very Apple. However, we may see 3rd parties taking advantage of it.
BTW, I've heard "a rumour" I do believe is true that mini started its life as set-top box but due to quite a complicate set of reasons (people-related) ended up as a desktop.
So my thought of the day is that it is an interface to an internal AV capture/playback module. However nobody stops us from stealing that extra FW channel for iSight or external AV capture module
Will we ever know?
So all of these open slots and "room for more x" are there for a reason - even if they never get used.
iPod dock idea is retarded
Originally posted by applenut
to me it looks like they considered front USB and Firewire ports but decided against it.
After they've found they placed their connector near the back of the case?