The new Mac Mini can bring ‘brain power’ to any car, from the carefully restored classics and performance vehicles to the daily driver. Classic Restorations in Sloatsburg NY is first to offer customized design and installation of the Mac Mini in the car stereo or other single-DIN slot.
Melvin Benzaquen, president of Classic Restorations in Sloatsburg, NY (http://www.classicresto.com) realized that at 2 X 6.5 inches, the newly introduced Mac Mini could easily fit into a car stereo compartment, creating a powerful ‘brain’ for any car. He’s convinced the new Mac Mini could be one of the hottest innovations the car enthusiast market has seen in years.
“We had been completing the design and prototypes of our modified iBook and PowerBook car installs when rumors of the Mac Mini began to circulate earlier this month,” said Benzaquen in the press release. “We immediately began working on a new design and plan for car conversions on the new Mac Mini platform. We are pleased to be the first to offer the exciting Mac Mini conversion at a price far more accessible than any mobile PC alternative.”
Classic Restorations’ exclusive Mac Mini Auto designs provide for touch screen or conventional LCD display options. Although the the Mac Mini mounts in a single-DIN slot in dash, Classic Restorations can customize installation to fit under the seat, in the glove box or any other location in the car.
For car enthusiasts, the Mac Mini conjures the potential of having a car like KITT from “Knight Rider,” the popular TV program featuring a talking and thinking sleek black TransAm. The Mac Mini supports voice recognition and voice response, allowing for handsfree operation while driving. It also supports Bluetooth, allowing for the use of a wide array of wireless peripherals such as keyboards and cell phones.
Drivers can use the customized Mac Mini Auto to log into home networks to transfer flies, such as your favorite music, video and photos, wirelessly from computers and home media devices directly to the car. The Mac Mini platform supports virtually all home media formats (MP3, DVD, CD, WMA, etc.) and the 40 GB storage allows for onboard selection of thousands of songs. Of course, Mac games can be played on the Mac Mini to provide hours of entertainment for passengers.
Road trips will never be the same for Mac Mini-equipped cars. Users can drive up and log into to any hotspot, as offered at many Starbucks, McDonald’s, hotels and other public locations to surf the Web, view e-mail, view webcams, and other useful options.
Mr. Benzaquen explains, “For around the price of mounting an iPod in your car, you get a whole Macintosh computer.”
Classic Restorations is now taking reservations for installations starting on Jan. 22, the day Apple announced as the release date for the hardware. Customers can provide their own Mac Mini or Classic Restorations will arrange to purchase the computer (based on hardware availability). Classic Restoration is offering a special introductory offer.
To learn more about Classic Restorations exclusive Mac Mini Auto Installation or to schedule an appointment at our shop conveniently located 45 minutes from New York City, call 845-753-5091 or visit http://www.classicresto.com
Sorry… but this just sounds like a waste of a perfectly good Mac mini. What’s next, the government installing Mac minis in the space shuttle? Come to think of it…
I wish I had a car. Maybe I could mount one on my bike and get it to turn the lights on automatically when it gets dark.
No I’m not 13, yes I have a license, it’s just that cars are damn expensive in Denmark!!!
joe
i don’t really need a comp in my car, but hot damn that sounds pretty farkin cool.
magic word = friend, as in you’ve got a friend in your Mac. =)
edgeknight– How the heck is this a waste of a Mac Mini!?
Accessorizing the MacMini or doing custom installs in cars or media centers is HUGE. It’ll legitimize the product and make it harder for copycats to enter the marketplace.
Are the HD’s really that shock proof nowadays? What else is going to vibrate loose?
In what kind of use you would put a Mac Mini in a car?
friends and I are big in the VW car scene
http://www.hardcoredubs.com
We are already planning out the installation in one of our show cars when announced on Tuesday
Total costs can be UNDER $2000CDN with touchscreen mouse control and full system integration, wiFi, bluetooth keyboard and associated cabling, installation
Now thats an entrepreneur for ya!!!! I think thats a market that will soon take off. Automakers have been talking about e-mail capability in future cars. This idea takes that idea a few steps further.
A couple of years ago, I was thinking of getting an old Cube, a touchpad, and a HUD and trying to do an install in my car (“the macinTTosh”). I wanted to replace the CD Jukebox with this. Unfortunately, the Cube–even stripped of it’s plastic shell–was still too big.
I’m pretty sure that the Mac mini would fit, though. Hmm…
You all must have your email addy on your licience plate holder to give other drivers the chance to chat you up or give you the digital finger as the case may be.
I don’t think it’s any accident that the Mac mini fits in a standard car stereo compartment, as well as a lot of other small places. I think this box is Apple’s first genuine attempt to position the PC for finding new “homes” outside the office/computer room. Lots of people could benefit form having a permanent PC in their cars: reporters, salespeople, couriers, execs to name a few. And with a few modifications a box of these dimensions could easily become a PC meeting the special needs of the living room, kitchen, and who knows where else?
This really could be a whole new beginning for the PC, and leave it to Apple to be the ones to make it happen.
Its a great idea to put the Mac mini in the car, but in the stereo compartment? What about ventilation?
Very cool idea, my only concern would be the heat in mid summer
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jeff,
I’m one of those big believers that a car should be a CAR. It is a form of transportation whose main purpose is to shuttle me around with my groceries/timber/snowboard/etc. A car is not a place that you want to be driving with a distraction of a computer monitor. I abhor the new DVD players that people install in their dashboards (and in some states is illegal while driving). I can understand having a TV/game console in the rear for the kids (which I don’t have), but I can’t imagine wasting a Mac mini just to have a computer in the car. If you are wealthy enough to put a Mac mini in your car (us poor folk ain’t gonna put that in our pickup, ya hear), why not just get a laptop. DUH!
For all of you who are rich (or moderately) and have a navigation system, that is different…
All I know is that when I drive in my car, I don’t have to worry about email, the internet, or anything else… just the open road. Happy trails!
Let’s not forget that OSX also have speech recognition capability. You could literally tell it what to do.
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A: Zman, the 2.5 laptop drives used in the mini are designed specifically do take the battering of a laptop. Its much harder to move a ton or more to same shock levels.
Q: Many posts are describing pulling into a drive way and syncing music libraries with a home config wirelessly. I see how to connect, but how is this done software wise?
Come to think of it, how cool would it be to have a mini in Mini:
http://www.mini.com/
Dude! Did you see that freaking Cobra!!!
Hokey Smokes!
F the Mac!
Computers are cool in a car as long as you want to wait for them to boot up. Laptops are much more practical, an Apple laptop can sleep for more than a week on a fully charged battery. Back in 2001 I installed a Pismo Powerbook with a seperate 12″ touch screen, it was cool and just flipping a switch to wake it up was nice. In this age of 15 seconds is too long to wait for anything I just can’t see someone waiting for his car stereo to boot up.
Very cool concept though…
For the doubting Thomas’ http://homepage.mac.com/gregmeach/iTiburon/ICE.html
I can’t see why the Mac mini shouldn’t be able to sleep for several days on the huge car battery? Does anyone know what the input voltage is (from the adapter)?
Mutiple vehicles with this and 802.11 with VoIP = short range private two way radio.
Full LCD and keyboard in the back for the kids, too.
Small network in a passenger van… or a commuter/airport van that caches news websites from hotspots at either end of its run and makes them available to passengers. Lotsa possibilities…
my boat will get 1 this summer
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navigation/entertainment combo