What do you do if you love your Mac mini way too much? Keep using it, of course but there is nothing much you can do except to leave it at home when you head out. But maker Scott Yu-Jan digs his M1 Mac mini so much that he decided to make it portable. You know, portable like a laptop complete with its own display.
It is a strange notion, just like turning a console into a laptop but it is at the same time pretty brilliant. Even more brilliant is that the display is actually the new-gen iPad mini. This means if he wants some entertainment using a tablet, you can totally do it.
The original plan was to use a small HDMI monitor but Scotty quickly realized that the iPad mini’s height matches the width of the Mac mini. It was a match made in Apple’s heaven. With the display settled on, Scott proceeds to design and 3D print a case to fit both the Mac mini and the iPad mini.
The result was an unnecessary but cool contraption. The two minis are connected together via a USB-C cable that is neatly routed and secured with zip ties. Like an actual laptop, the case allows the screen to be adjusted at multiple angles and if the tension ever gets loose over time, Scott’s design has an Allen key holder with an Allen key that allows for a quick fix.
There is also a holder for the power cable too which brings us to a major caveated with this DIY hack; it still requires a wall outlet in order to use it. So, it is not quite an on-the-road device when there is no wall outlet. Anyways, it is a lovely build nonetheless. You can see the development and build process in the video after the break.
Images: Twitter (@scottyujan).
