As is well known, Apple’s new, powerful Mac Mini M4 isn’t exactly portable. Wesley Hilliard of US Apple blog AppleInsider has now shown that you can use the smaller desktop on the go – even As a kind of server for the Apple Vision Pro headsetA portable power bank with 100 watt AC connection and 20,000 mAh capacity is used.
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Lighter than the 16-inch MacBook Pro
The combination of the power supply and the Mac mini M4 weighs approximately 1.5 kg. That’s less than the weight of the 16-inch MacBook Pro M4 Pro or M4 Max (without the Vision Pro, of course). According to Hillard, the combination creates a mobile headless companion to their Vision Pro. However, it should be noted that it is better not to operate the Mac mini M4 Pro with a power bank, as it draws up to 140 watts of power instead of the M4’s 65 watts. In practice, according to Hilliard, the power of the M4 was between 12 and 20 watts; The maximum power in gaming tests (steam through whiskey) was 25 watts. The maximum operating time at one time was two hours.
The Vision Pro is used as a screen through the Mac Virtual Display function, which Apple will also expand with VisionOS 2.2. Hilliard also found that it was not necessary to use workarounds such as a dummy HDMI stick on the Mac Mini for use with the Vision Pro. The only problem was logging into the computer, because the Mac virtual desktop is activated only after this. The username and password had to be entered blindly using a Bluetooth keyboard.
With battery pack: Mac mini M4 goes portable, networked with Vision ProPay attention to power consumption
Some kind of UPS mode for the battery is still missing. This will make it possible to turn off the Mac mini M4 before the battery drains. The user should ensure this in time to avoid data loss. Overall, the structure is a “reasonable proof of concept,” says hobbyist Hilliard. Of course, it will also be possible to connect the Vision Pro to a MacBook.
Making Apple devices that aren’t actually portable mobiles isn’t a new trend. There are several suppliers of batteries and housings suitable for the HomePod Mini. Their runtime is definitely much longer than the Mac mini M4 battery combination.
(B.Sc.)
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