The best tiny Compact Mac REPLICA I've seen!

JDW

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Spotted this today:


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.


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.

1748572248603.png
 

JDW

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


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:


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

1748573253860.png


More photos shown in the follow Forbes article:


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! :geek: Believe me, we WILL try!

Hi-rez Photos showing the display are here:

For example...

1748572041318.png

(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)...

 

ph4z

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May 20, 2025
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Incredible how tiny it is, very cool. Also very nice website!

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

1748573253860.png

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

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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.
 
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ph4z

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May 20, 2025
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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…).
 
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