Begin the march of Mac mini accessories
Third-parties have been scrambling to cash in on the burgeoning market for iPod accessories (so much so that
Playlist dubbed this year’s CES the
“iPod accessory show”). We didn’t have to wait
terribly long to see the birth of the market for Mac mini accessories, thanks to
The Plasticsmith.
They’re got several products designed as Mac mini enhancements: the mini Grandstand to give the mini a protective
covering whilst supporting a monitor, and the mini Tower acrylic enclosure that turns the mini on its side. By far my
favorite of the lineup is the device that is the answer to what is coming next in the
clothing for your Mac series: the mini Skirt. It’s an
acrylic pedestal upon which to place your tiny
god.
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Soleil said 12:43AM on 10-25-2005
Dang! I thought this was a hub! give it a few USB and Firewire inputs, perhaps a card reader, and I am sold!
Reply
Dean Welsh said 4:14PM on 6-16-2005
The original reference to a computer as a Tiny God.
http://www.penny-arcade.com/view.php3?date=1999-04-28&res=l
Macs have really matured design wise haven't they?
-dean
Reply
Pedro said 4:14PM on 6-16-2005
wait wait... does that actually do anything??
Reply
KIVERS said 4:14PM on 6-16-2005
The "mini skirt" is probably the most useless thing I've ever seen (besides a peecee), but the "mini grandstand" and the "mini tower" could be much more useful. I could easily see myself picking up the "mini tower" to put a mac mini in, would look pretty sweet.
Reply
Pedro said 4:14PM on 6-16-2005
aside from not having and real functionality... it is very cool looking, and has a very creative name... good job PlasticSmith
Reply
brian said 4:18PM on 6-24-2005
The skirt is dopey. Not once have I looked at my Mini and thought "you know, this is great, but I wish it were a little taller." That's OK, though--I remember a lot of the first iMac accessories were dumb, too. :-)
And the tower idea is equally stupid. Why would I want to take my Mini, put it on its side (already a very unstable position) and *raise* its center of gravity while only widening its footprint slightly? I'm curious as to whether a mac in a tower like this is slightly more stable than an unadorned Mini or actually *less* stable.
If they were to make a pedistal with built in FireWire and USB hubs and jacks on the FRONT (and a couple in the back for permanent residents), that'd be worth buying. Bonus: add a 1/8" stereo miniplug on a short cord, include outputs to the front *and* back, and a small switch to choose which is active. That's one of my few complaints about the Mini--no connectors on the front, and the ones on the back are so close together they're tough to use.
Here's what I'd like:
2 FW ports in back (for my FW HD and DV cam)
2 FW ports in front (for my iPod and whatever else I come across)
2 USB ports in back (keyboard + whatever)
2 USB ports in front (card reader + whatever)
1/8" stereo jack in back (to hook into stereo)
1/8" stereo jack in front (for headphones)
Reply
Chris said 4:14PM on 6-16-2005
well that certainly was a thrill. As another poster already mentioned the "tiny god" reference is Penny Arcade.
I took a look at the Plasticsmith products earlier. Anyone else notice they have Windows XP running on a Mac mini fullscreen? Thats one incredible VirtualPC. :)
Personally I favor the jobby-do for putting the mini on its side.
Reply
g. said 4:14PM on 6-16-2005
You know if there was a battery in this dais, er I mean "skirt", I'd be sold...
Reply
Gary Treible said 4:14PM on 6-16-2005
I have the same view as expressed by several others. What the Mini really needs is an option bay with the same look and size as the base Mini. For those unwilling to pay the inflated prices Apple is charging for built-in options, adding a second hard drive, wireless networking, front USB/Firewire, in an option bay connected through firewire would be great.
I realize this makes the Mini bigger, but if I'm going to put it on a stand, there might as well be something in the stand.
Gary
Reply