The best tiny Compact Mac REPLICA I've seen!

[JDW]

Spotted this today:

https://www.1bitrainbow.com/parts-store.php?products_id=4428

NOTE: the URL above sometimes opens a page with a search field, for reasons I don’t understand. If you get a search page, just type in “pico“ and do a search and you’ll find the product in the results.

GitHub - all2coolnick/pico-mac-nano: Run the umac Macintosh emulator on a Pi Pico Zero with a tiny LCD in a replica Macintosh

Run the umac Macintosh emulator on a Pi Pico Zero with a tiny LCD in a replica Macintosh - all2coolnick/pico-mac-nano

github.com

This fully functional little guy has significant visual "WOW" factor in my book. Comes with the printed box and even foam packing with "Macintosh" sunk into it! What I really like is how authentic it looks, down to the Apple logo. Yeah, yeah... it's not a painted rainbow, but at least it the shape is right.

Sadly, they've halted orders due to excessive demand. Just proves if you make something RIGHT, people will be attracted to it.

 

[Trash80toG4]

It's so cute! Love it.

 

[JustG]

Awww! Totally want one.

 

[Trash80toG4]

Dis they include a security slot interface for keychain compatible display option?

 

[JDW]

Dis they include a security slot interface for keychain compatible display option?

No…

 

[Trash80toG4]

Darn, bet it would be cool in a little Macintosh carry bag on a keychain though.

 

[JDW]

Found several articles about the little guy, starting with this one here:

Nick Gillard unveils pico-mac-nano: A 62mm tall Macintosh Classic built using a WaveShare Pico Zero Raspberry Pi board

Nick Gillard has created one of the world's smallest working Macintosh Classics, using the WaveShare Pico Zero Raspberry Pi board running a modified pico-mac emulator and clever engineering, all housed within a 62 mm-tall 3D-printed case.

www.notebookcheck.net

Says that 480x342 pixels were chosen for the tiny display due to the lack of processing power to display the normal 512x342 resolution.

Wiring and 3D printing photos here:

Pico-Mac-Nano is a Tiny Raspberry Pi-Powered Macintosh Computer That Stands Just 62mm Tall

In a world where computers keep getting smaller, Nick Gillard has crafted something extraordinary: the Pico-Mac-Nano, a fully functional replica of the 1984 Apple Macintosh that stands just 62mm tall. This miniature marvel, small enough to fit on a Barbie doll’s desk, is a nostalgic nod to the...

www.techeblog.com

Another article showed that there's even a battery mod...




More photos shown in the follow Forbes article:

Tiny, Functional Replica Of The Original Apple Mac Fits In Your Hand

Meet the Pico-mac-nano, a miniature working version of the 1984 Macintosh made by DIYer and vintage-computer enthusiast Nick Gillard.

www.forbes.com

That article explains how the resolution change was achieved, where Gillard says this:

"I also ended up having to hack the Macintosh ROM file to change the pixel width of the screen image slightly."

He adds...

"It’s not intended to be used for real tasks, even though you could, and I don’t expect anyone would try"

He's not met the good people at TinkerDifferent, I guess! Believe me, we WILL try!

Hi-rez Photos showing the display are here:

miniature mac is a functional replica of the original 1984 apple computer

www.designboom.com

For example...

(2.0-inch 480 x 640 pixel SPI TFT LCD display)

Tiny Mac's HEIGHT: 63mm


Found the official blog post about the product here (lots of info)...

pico-mac-nano : a diminutive macintosh facsimile -

pico-mac-nano is a miniature, functional, scale replica of the original 1984 Apple Macintosh. It is 62mm high (no, that's not a typo) and has USB keyboard and mouse support. Below is a journal of the journey but if you just want to see it in action, start building one yourself, buy any of the parts

blog.1bitrainbow.com

 

[ph4z]

Incredible how tiny it is, very cool. Also very nice website!

Another article showed that there's even a battery mod...

Haha amazing, it can even battery bomb <3. (likely a joke though, the picture of the mac looks identical to the other rearview picture).

 

[MrTechGadget]

Not a joke, he sells the battery compartment and batteries as well.

 

[JDW]

The creator of Pico Mac Nano, Nick Gillard, made this short video showing off his creation...

 

[BPearce]

Pre-orders are once again available, with a 90-day lead time.

 

[JDW]

I did not add my pre-order last night only because there are two pieces of fine print folks need to ponder:

1. The battery holder is a separate purchase (not a big deal for me, but remember you need to add that to your cart separately).
2. The speaker module that makes a power-on beep sound is not yet available to add to your cart. It only says it will be available to order soon. (That's the only reason I didn't submit my pre-order yet.)

So if you are located outside the UK like me, getting everything you need in a single order to avoid multiple shipping charges is prudent. But if you don't need the speaker module, then you can pre-order what you need now.

I also spoke with Nick privately, and he is pondering what it would take to get a mold made. That would make the plastic case look better and be far easier to mass produce too. But that is also why it may take up to 90 days to ship orders. And my gut is saying it could be longer if he has troubles in China with the mold maker. That's why the site says it could be shipped as 3D printed or injection molded. It hasn't been decided yet.

Yet another point is that his little Mac is so great in part because he did it right — all the way down to the real Apple logo, and not a fake cutsie looking graphic instead. It's very authentic looking, and that's what I truly love! But he admits that all the press his product has been getting might provoke Apple to come down on him with their legal beagles. I suspect that may complicate his decision about the mold too, because you don't want to spend thousands on a mold, only to be told by a lawyer you can't use it anymore. True, molds can be made in a flexible way so he could make one that allows swapping out of the logo, but that would add to costs. I didn't discuss any of this with Nick, but it is a consideration moving forward.

At the end of the day though, it's a great little Mac and I see why so many people want one, especially the collector's edition. Hopefully, Nick can get the many issues of manufacturing squared away, get quality under his tight control and be able to distribute it without fear of lawyers coming down on him.

 

[ph4z]

he is pondering what it would take to get a mold made. That would make the plastic case look better and be far easier to mass produce too.

Good to know, came here to ask about this. My strong preference is for injection molding too, even if it means waiting longer than 90 days. I did put my order in, even though I share your considerations living outside the UK. Hopefully the speaker module will be below customs threshold and not incur additional import handling fees (criminal fixed fees by every carrier, I have had cases where the fees were 500% of the actual duties…).

 

[BPearce]

I was surprised when I read that he was considering having the plastic cases injection molded -- I used be to be close enough to toy manufacturing to know that tooling (creating the molds that are used to manufacture the parts) can be a considerable upfront expense.

Granted, this was many years ago, and manufacturing techniques may be different now, but I'd be surprised if he's able to go that route.

 

[JDW]

… tooling (creating the molds that are used to manufacture the parts) can be a considerable upfront expense.

It is indeed still expensive to have molds made, and getting it done right isn’t easy either, which is why I recommended Nick speak to MacEffects for some tips. MacEffects has a lot of experience in that area with their SE and Apple II clear cases.

I have no idea what will happen but the product pages say the term shipped could be 3D-printed or injection molded. Also, there were a few thousand order inquiries, and pre-orders taking place now seem to require pre-payment, so it’s not outside the realm of the possible for the plastics to be injection molded.