Apple's Mac Mini with M4, starting at $599, is probably the best deal you can get on a Mac. The Mac Pro, the company's largest, most expandable Mac, is much more expensive — and much larger. But maker Jerrod Hofferth has modeled a 3D printed-shell for the Mac Mini so that you can have an adorable Mac Pro on your desk. He's dubbed it the Mac Mini Pro and is making the files available for free on Maker World.
Hofferth was inspired by a model of the PowerMac G5 on former Apple CEO Steve Jobs's home office desk.
Both the front and back ports are completely accessible through the Mac Pro-style case. But perhaps what's most impressive is that Hofferth has added power functionality with a pass-through button to turn the system on. Remember: without the case, you have to turn the Mac Mini over to turn it on.
The whole case doesn't print in one piece. The handles and legs need to be glued on. There are also optional wheel attachments, which you can use with some ball-bearing wheels to make it look like you're using Apple's $700 Mac Pro wheels kit. (The wheels that Hofferth recommends are just $8.69 on Amazon, as of this writing.)
Right now, the files are based on Apple's measurements, but Hofferth hopes to adjust the size based on the actual hardware as soon as tomorrow (when the Mac Mini releases).
If you want to follow along with Hofferth's efforts, he's posting updates on both Maker World and his Mastodon account. If you want to help Hofferth, he's asking that supporters use Maker World's "boost" feature as he develops more features for the case — perfecting its size, letting the case handle rotate, and getting a ready-to-print design prepared.
I hope Hofferth considers a second version that's just a tiny Mac Pro for your desk. Even if it doesn't do anything, it would still be a cool decoration. But this is a creative use of 3D printing that will let Mac Mini owners show their love of other Mac designs. Is it necessary? No. Is it funny and cute as hell?
Yes, yes it is.
