Have any of you guys seen an updated external harddrive that matches the new Mac Mini? The closest I've found is the NewerTech miniStack, but the size specifications match the old Mac Mini unfortunately..
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Matching external harddrive for 2010 Mac Mini?
- Thread starter T'hain Esh Kelch
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I've been watching for one, too. Iomega and Lacie had both produced hard drives to stack with the old Mac Minis also.
Just get a great big Lacie 4big and the 2010 Mini should fit right on top of it and with a maximum of 8TB you should never need another one. Oh, just remembered, if you need another 4big you can stack those 4 bigs too.
It measures 6.75 in (17cm) x 7.75 in (19.5 cm) which I know is a bit smaller than the 2010 Mini's out dimensions. However, the round base the Mini sits on is smaller than those outer dimensions, and therefore could work.
Just a thought.
It measures 6.75 in (17cm) x 7.75 in (19.5 cm) which I know is a bit smaller than the 2010 Mini's out dimensions. However, the round base the Mini sits on is smaller than those outer dimensions, and therefore could work.
Just a thought.
The point is really to get one that matches the looks of the Mac mini, since I'm going to place it next to the TV, not getting a lot of space. 2 TB is more than enough for me.
I'm waiting on that, too, but I decided now to go with an PowerMac G4 full of hard drives, as I need to use it on multiple machines, as a time machine server and router.
I guess the problem is that you can match the color or the older iMac, but building a unibody design out of plastic and spraying it silver would really look crappy. The EyeTV Sat already looks crappy, even if it looks just like a Mini on the images:
High-Res image, if you zoom in, you see that the Mini is smooth and the EyeTV has a hammer paint to make it look shiny.
Meh, I wrote NewerTech asking if they are going to update their product to the new dimension specs, but they said no. Also tried Iomega, but they wanted me to fill out a form in order to get a response.. No way.
Seems like I have to use a wire and just hide a fugly harddrive somewhere.. Not optimal though..
Seems like I have to use a wire and just hide a fugly harddrive somewhere.. Not optimal though..
Ok you got me-what's a fugly?
You know if you remove the orange plastic from around the Lacie Rugged for example it has an alu look to it that comes very close to the 2010 mini and would even hide behind it. If you need 2 for a daisy chain they would both fit either behind or on top. As I look at my Apple TV which gets totally neglected these days, I was wondering if one could rip the guts out and daisy chain up to 4x2.5 inside it for a near 2010 Mini look?
Also the OWC alu enclosures also come with dual FW800 ports for easy daisy chaining. They are very nice looking and you can insert any bare 2.5 " 9.5 high drive into it. They are very nicely made and come with all cabling too. The nice short FW800 cables I like very much.
Its the shortened version of f ********** ugly!
Man, that sounds like a line from the movie "Flame and Citron"!! That's a good one.
I would prefer one that matches it exactly, so I can stack them, and still look pretty!.
I bet sooner than later someone like iFixit will start selling the outer alu cases. Then you have the start for a good project. Just in time for winter.
Could be wrong, but I don't think the unibody minis are designed for stacking.
Sure there is an external hard drive matching the Mini, btw. Just stack it on top and power it on while holding the "T"-key on the keyboard, and you have one of the most expensive external FW800 hard drives available (cable not even included).
On a somewhat more serious note, the OP could use a Mac mini server in another room or closet with a pile of external non-matching drives. Or a NAS.
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As long as it is flat on the top and bottom?
Yes, it's technically flat on top and bottom, but not like the previous mini. The unibody mini is perfectly flat on the top. The bottom of the mini is a bit more complicated. The aluminum unibody bottom slopes down from the sides to the edges of the black plastic access panel. I believe that the black plastic access panel has a beveled edge and from what I understand from around the edge of the black plastic access panel is where the intake air to cool the mini comes from. So, although it's technically flat it's not really flat (at least on the bottom).
Assuming that a matching external hard drive were to sit under the unibody mini, this bottom design would have to be take into account for the design of said hard drive. Since the actual bottom of the unibody mini that supports the weight of it is the beveled black plastic disc, I would would think that this would preclude a matching external hard drive that sits on top of the mini. In all likelihood a matching external hard drive wouldn't be as clean as a design as the original mini matching external hard drives due to the less stackable design of the unibody mini.
That's why the bottom cover is about 5mm high. Most of the air goes in through the DVD-slot and backside-connectors, the rest through the AirPort cover:
It's perfectly stackable, it would look more like a stereo rig rather than one piece like the old stacked Mini, though. IMHO the goal is only to have a consistent look. SSD inside, Caviar Green 3.5" hard drive underneath.
That's what my brother said about his new 1GB HDD back in the Windows 3.1 , 5.25" floppy days.
Seems like I have to use a wire and just hide a fugly harddrive somewhere.. Not optimal though..
Not optimal because you want to show off your toys! Understandable.
OP, why not consider the server version. You could put two 2.5" drives in there, as long as you had an external optical drive or stand-alone audio component to play optical media.
Updated
To revive this long dormant thread:
Newertech just updated this external HDD to match the 2010/2011 Mac mini redesign. It was announced last week at the 2012 CES and due in Mach; no pricing yet announced.
It only took 'em two+ years and it lacks Thunderbolt. But hey, its matches the 2010 unibody enclosure so its kind of a win. To my knowledge this is the only external solution that does......
The new redesign here:
http://www.newertech.com/products/ministack.php
To revive this long dormant thread:
Newertech just updated this external HDD to match the 2010/2011 Mac mini redesign. It was announced last week at the 2012 CES and due in Mach; no pricing yet announced.
It only took 'em two+ years and it lacks Thunderbolt. But hey, its matches the 2010 unibody enclosure so its kind of a win. To my knowledge this is the only external solution that does......
The new redesign here:
http://www.newertech.com/products/ministack.php
Darn. I knew they were working on one but I had hoped they would have a matching case that would accept an optical drive. Some of us care about aesthetics and don't want an external optical drive that doesn't match.