Look, I'm never against some good nostalgia bait. As a '90s kid, I love to see transparent tech like MSI's Cyborg lineup, and I'm in a constant state of decision paralysis on whether or not I want to go down the Oblivion: Remastered rabbit hole.
Which is to say, 1-Bit Rainbow's mini vintage Macintosh speaks to me on a visceral level. The Pico-mac-nano is a tiny, fully functional vintage Mac powered by a Pico Zero Raspberry Pi, running the MicroMac 128K emulator to mimic the Macintosh operating system.
1-Bit Rainbow is mostly known as an online storefront for parts to maintain and repair vintage Apple products, but there are a few hidden gems on the site, like the old Apple Pro wired USB mouse and the Apple External Microphone for the old-school PowerBook laptops.
Pico-mac-nano: Specs
Price: |
£56, starting |
CPU: |
Pico Zero |
RAM: |
512MB |
Storage: |
MicroSD |
Display: |
2-inch, 640x480p, LCD |
Battery: |
CR2 3-Volt |
In a blog post, 1-Bit Rainbow's Nick Gillard details the build process of the Pico-mac-nano, including the micro-mini PC's USB-C keyboard and mouse support using a special splitter cable also sold on the 1-Bit store.
1-Bit Rainbow also offers a Collector's Edition of the Pico-mac-nano that comes in a miniaturized, vintage Macintosh shipping box for the complete unboxing experience.
The Pico-mac-nano is an open-source project, so you can make your own from scratch if you'd prefer and have access to a 3D printer.
Feed your old school Mac nostalgia
The Pico-mac-nano and the Pico-mac that inspired it are more proof-of-concept than full consumer devices. The miniature Pico-mac-nano doesn't have full audio support and may not run all early Macintosh software.
Unfortunately, since the new Mac Mini and Magic Mouse still have key features in the worst places, the Pico-mac-nano is far more usable than the Mac Mini M4, though it is far less powerful than Apple's latest mini PC.
If you're an old-school Mac enthusiast, you can buy one, made to order. It's a fun, quirky addition to a vintage computing collection. But if you want the full vintage Mac experience, you're better off getting a pre-owned Macintosh from a classic tech dealer or taking your chances on eBay.
