Chinese brand AYANEO, maker of the potent AYANEO 2 Steam Deck rival, has unveiled its plans to release a mini gaming PC that pays homage to Apple’s original Macintosh, and it’s coming very soon.
The AYANEO Retro Mini PC AM01 is a Windows 11-powered mini PC sporting a compact retro design. Details on specs are very scant at this stage, with AYANEO only revealing that there are “dual processor version” options available, as well as customizable hardware configurations. The PC is touted as a gaming platform, possibly with a focus on retro on arcade games rather than heavier titles.
The AM01 is all part of AYANEO’s REMAKE concept, which “not only represents AYANEO's exploration and upgrade in paying tribute to retro culture but also signifies a new phase in AYANEO's brand development.” The announcement this week brings with it a new AYANEO SLIDE handheld with a fully integrated keyboard and the AYANEO FLIP. However, our focus is on that wicked Retro Mini PC, for obvious reasons.
Back to the Mac
Sporting a retro design of the classic 90’s Macintosh Classic, the AM01 “seamlessly blends the aesthetics of retro computers with the compact form factor of a Mini PC.” AYANEO says that beyond the conventions of a traditional mini PC, the AM01 “introduces groundbreaking and innovative designs, providing players with an eye-catching experience,” however it offers no further details on what those actually might be.
The design is a compact, boxy chassis with the Macintosh’s floppy drive and screen all represented in the design. While this is branded as a “concept” release the Mini PC AM01 is a real thing “set to be officially released in mid to late November,” however again there are no details on pricing, or really anything for that matter
Mini PCs make great Mac mini rivals, especially for people who need Windows as an OS, rather than Mac. But for the true Apple enthusiast, what better mini PC solution is there than one that looks like the most iconic Mac of all time? Beyond Windows, AYANEO says there’s also an option for a barebones system without an OS installed, presumably so folks can run Linux on one. While it’s a cute and novel idea, the biggest question remains as to whether it’ll actually be any good. Our pick for the best Mac mini replacement, the AceMagician AMR5, sports an AMD Ryzen 5 5600U processor and 16GB of RAM, as well as a 512GB SSD. Whether AYANEO will be able to compete on either price or any of those specs remains to be seen.
