Apple Mac Mini M4 meets a Retro Fever Dream in this strange docking station with a small screen
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- Retro work station for Mac Mini M4 looks like a Mac from the past, but it’s all about modern gates
- The helmet -shaped dock is nostalgic eye sweets, but the price really invites supervision
- It is cute, it is quirky, but it might be more gimmick than workstation for powerful users
A new Docking station has emerged for the Apple Mac Mini M4 Combining retro design with modern functionality.
Wokyis has the Retro work station for Mac Mini M4Now available for pre-order on the crowdfunding platform Precursor.
At first glance it is difficult not to be fascinated by his helm -like silhouette, clearly inspired by the original Macintosh. But as with many products that act heavily on nostalgia, questions about the usefulness and the value inevitably arise.
A throwback form factor with modern ambitions
It mimics the shape of the original Macintosh, with a matt housing and a 5-inch HD LCD screen (1280 x 720) embedded where the vintage monitor would have been.
It accepts the Mac Mini M4 or M4 Pro by sitting over the device, essentially transforming AppleThe compact computer in the brain of a retro-style workstation.
Measuring 145 x 131 x 154.3 mm and weighs 750 g, it is compact, but the added height cannot appeal to those who are focused on a minimalist setup.
Functionally, the unit wants to deliver more than just visual tribute. Wokyis promotes it as a “13-in-1 workstation”, in which it is described as “a versatile hub for daily tasks, content creation and storage extension.”
The device contains an M.2 NVME SSD slot that supports up to 8 TB, along with a USB 3.2 Gen 2 -port with a maximum of 10 Gbps transmission speeds. It also has USB-C connectivity, SD 4.0 and MicroSD slots (UHS-II compatible), HDMI input and even a 3.5 mm headphone connection.
The recording of the LCD screen can lift some eyebrows. Although technically functional, the limited resolution and the lack of touch input suggest that it is more decorative than essential.
Similarly, although the unit includes ventilation, the concept of enclosing a Mac -Mini, which already has integrated thermal management, can be counterproductive in another structure.
The Retro work station costs $ 199, or $ 99 for a slower version that is limited to 10Gbps performance.
That said, it is unclear whether the performance justifies the costs, especially in comparison with the best USB -Hubs, Many of them offer comparable speeds and availability of port without borrowing their aesthetics from 1984.
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