Micronet's miniMate Mac mini hub
Alright, you're finally getting the
Mac mini hub (some of you)
have been asking for. Micronet just busted out the miniMate, a hub that looks like a slightly thinner version of the
Mac mini and that combines a 160GB 7200rpm hard drive
with a 4-port USB 2.0 and 3-port FireWire hub.
[Thanks, TK101]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
drebes @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
Does it come with very short USB and Firewire cables, only enough to reach from the mini to the hub? Otherwise, it would really be a mess with those regular cables in the back.
Joshua @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
Did anyone else notice that on their website they say that the hub is 8inches square and that Apple says that the Mac mini is 6.5inches square?
matt @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
Arent you not supposed to put anything on top of the mini. States this in the manual. Interferes with Airport Express and Bluetooth I believe.
Joshua @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
Or maybe that is the box that it ships in?
Joshua @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
Or maybe that is the box that it ships in?
Jerald Bernard @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
#3 - Just put in BELOW the Mac.
kerry @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
joshua:
perhaps it's 8 inches diagonal?
TK101 @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
I'd have to put it under the Mini - it would otherwise hide the Apple logo ;)
TK101
Joshua @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
No, the site says 8 by 8 by 4, but I am pretty sure that they must mean the box that it ships in because 4 inches is too tall.
Joe Shmoe @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
I just called their sales line, they say it does come with two short cables one firewire and one USB (6 in.) and the unit dimensions are 6.5"x6.5"x1.5"
The guy I talked to said they were shipping next week too...
ming @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
the link to the site isn't working for me.
http://www.megamacs.com/v1/?action=view&pid=FanMNMM160
strange.
iomatic @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
Some of us like it on top.
...
Joe Shmoe @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
I just called their sales line, they say it does come with two short cables one firewire and one USB (6 in.) and the unit dimensions are 6.5"x6.5"x1.5"
The guy I talked to said they were shipping next week too...
Alex @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
NOw thats hot, i just saw mac mini for the first time last night, its really great and not slow at all like i thought it would be, im gona buy it.
_victor @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
Yes, you should put this UNDER the mini, both for reception and cooling. (They didn't so they could show their logo)
And yes, go to tomatochip.com and buy some short cables.
But here's my beef: no front panel ports!!! C'mon people. Even Apple has wised up and put some front-panel ports on the G5 tower. Just one or two, pretty please?
Senor Pantalones @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
So you take your firewire cable and go from the mac mini to the hub.
At which point you would only have 2 free firewire ports....
Which is only 1 more than you had to begin with...
Kinda odd that they give you three to add one....and by odd, I mean lame.
rory @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
Is that an S-Video port on the left?
Comfy @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
That "S-video" port is actually for the external power-brick/power-cable.
Comfy @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
My question is, how does the 160GB hard-disk connect to the Mini. Firewire? USB ?
Keller @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
Its kinda weak as far as a hub goes because you're only getting 1 extra firewire port and 2 extra usb ports.
phlavor @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
It needs more ports and a bare model. I've got drives. If they sold it bare, I'd buy two.
Jed @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
[day dreaming]
Daisychain six and get a Terabyte tower!
sunz @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
it says the hardrive connects via usb .. is firewire faster? that seems strange ...
Gordy @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
Looks good to me. Bigger drive, same form factor, USB and FireWire ports.
This really looks good.
popeye @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
Looks like I'll be sending off that bottle of Jameson... http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000830040289/#c199563
dragondog @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
it also says there's available storage up to 400GB. but yes, i second the motion to ask them to offer a bare model. i would definitely buy one then. it would probably help for those interested to write in to request one. i definitely will.
mattsoft @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
too bad it requires yet another power brick. i know that the HD it uses need more power, but maybe if they would have included a new power brick that could power the mini & the hub. oh well... it's gonna get messy with 2 big bricks under the desk.
Joshua Ochs @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
The strange port limitations are probably imposed by the bridge chip they used for the hub. I've seen a lot of USB/Firewire hubs that have the exact same port configuration. Usually it's 4 ports USB and 3 ports Firewire, but here one USB port is being used internally for the hard drive. Had they added more Firewire ports, they would have required (much) more expensive bridge chips.
In my opinion, they really would have been better off making it a firewire drive (and have one port left) and advertise it as a combo USB hub and firewire hard drive in one, rather than trying to pitch it as a Firewire hub that most people will be disappointed with.
Then again, thanks to Firewire's daisy chaining, you may not *need* more than the one port. I have four hard drives and an iPod plugged into mine, and two of those drives are bus powered (as is the iPod).
Alex Koyshman @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
Thanks for the kind words guys. Let me address a few of the comments made:
1. the miniMate comes with SHORT (~8") FireWire and USB 2.0 cables, white in color.
2. The miniMate is 6.25" x 6.25" x 1.5". The box is 8" x 8" x 4".
3. The bottom of the miniMate is rubberized, much the same as the Mac mini. you can put either on top of the other.
4. the Mac Mini has one FireWire port, which is fine as long as the components to attach are have a second port for daisy chaining; we added an additional port so a camcorder or other video device can be connected without interrupting an existing FireWire chain.
5. The disk drive will mount as a FireWire device as long as a FireWire connection is present; otherwise, it will mount as a USB device. this way, FireWire will always be used as long as its present because the hard disk will yield better performance with a FireWire connection.
Regards,
Alex Koyshman
Director, product development
MicroNet Technology
f d @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
Product URL:
http://www.micronet.com/General/minimate.asp
Callum @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
That's really really nice isn't it? I just hope they don't get sued or anything silly like that, $179 is fair also. I think the calls for a 'bare' model are on the spot, I'm e-mailing.
What about sound, I always worry about noise and Macs. They are created so perfectly - even the buzz of a power adapter irritates me these days (Windows users please mock me - then notice the irony in your finger pointing). Sorry for that outburst, I had to use a windows 'box' at work today; I think I have a headache.
Gordy @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
Alex, any chance of a drive-less model being offered? I don't need a hard drive, but I'd like to get my hands on that sweet enclosure/hub to add other goodies to my setup.
dragondog @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
hmmm... does anyone else think that the pricing is off for the 400GB model? one could buy two of the 250GB model and end up with 100GB more, three firewire and three usb ports. sure there's the additional wiring and extra space to consider but if you have the room, why not?
bean @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
Is there a fan inside the miniMate? It seems the logical way to use it is on the bottom and I would hate for it to be a hot plate for Mac mini. I have tried using enclosures without fans and they typically heat up to 125 degrees over a 24 hour period.
bill @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
This sounds great! How quiet is it? I'm sure I would buy one so long as it does't make much noise. (That's one reason I love my Mac mini so much!)
chackokhan @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
I saw that someone posted up a link to MegaMacs. DO NOT buy anything from MegaMacs. I recently went through a three month ordeal with them when I ordered a DVDRW drive and software from them. Their customer service is one of the worst possible to experience. Do not be deceived by their cheap prices. The aggravation with dealing with these guys is not worth it.
Mr. Cube @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
1. re: pricing of 400GB (and perhaps future 500GB versions) - these drives are much more expensive per gigabyte than their 250GB and less brethrens
2. Regarding empty cases, though possible, less opportunity for the company to make any margin (i.e. profit)
3. I hope they offer empty cases.
Ian Cheung @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
I'm with Victor, no front ports = missed opportunity. I would wait for v2 of this or another company's implementation of the idea.
Not sure there will be a bare no drive version either because profit margins are usually higher with a hard drive.
John Lockwood @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
In response to those asking for sockets at the front.
Personally I think it would not look as good when under or on top of the Mac mini, however a product already exists to do this.
What is it? What is it? You ask.
Duh! It is the miniMate of course!!!
Remember the miniMate like the Mac mini is SQUARE in shape. So all you have to do is turn it around 180 degrees. You can even have the sockets on the left or the right by turning it +90 or -90 degrees.
You will however need longer FireWire and USB cables to reach around to the back of the Mac mini from the miniMate. Apple do some nice thin white cables that would be just the job.
yanges @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
the minimate is really nice but i wonder why the hard drive only has a one year warranty, unlike the hard drive upgrades they do at:
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/mac-mini/
which all come with 3-5 year warranties...
gslusher @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
The module doesn't have 4 USB ports but 3. No one counts the square port that is used to connect the hub to the Mini. You will get 2 more USB ports and 1 more FireWire port. Senor Pantalones wrote: "Kinda odd that they give you three to add one....and by odd, I mean lame." Well, Senor, HOW THE HELL do you connect the hub to the Mac? Unlike USB, FireWire 400 ports are all the same and FireWire 400 cables usually have 6-pin connectors on both ends. (There are 6-to-4 pin cables for connecting to camcorders, etc.)
bill @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
My miniMate arrived on Tuesday and it works great! It's quiet and works just as described. I cloned my HD with CCC and now I can reboot from the miniMate. Works like a charm. The extra ports are handy, too.
Tim Danaher @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
For those who want a drive-less solution, MacCentral posted an article a while back about a firm making just that:
http://www.macworld.com/news/2005/05/10/adstech/index.php
But the company's website STILL hasn't been updated to show it.
Ty Emery @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
Do you ship to the UK and does the miniMate have that logo on the front?
Kevin @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM
THE MINIMATE IS GARBAGE! First drive, DOA after 2 days. Second drive seemed to work great for the past couple of months, and today it's dead. Lucky for MicroNet it's past their 30 day warrranty, not I have to deal with a manufacturer's warranty. Lost vital data both times. I am so %$#@! pissed off.