Apple Mini leaving you suffering from port envy?

Lets face it - 1 FW400 and 2 USB2.0 isn't enough. But what to do? You could grab USB and FW hubs, but they wouldn't fit with the Apple asthetic, would it.

So how about these - nice Mini-esque dual standard hubs that gives you 3 FW ports and 3 USB2 ports. Great, eh? But wait - that's not all. Shell out a few more quid, and you can get an 7200rpm HDD (various sizes available) in the same unit! Nice.

http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000200041443/
http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000993041052/

 

They look a really good idea, especially integrating hard drives in them, but hell would freeze over before i stuck one on top of my mini!!

I have a belkin 6 port Firewire hub in white that fits the apple look really well, as well as a 200gb Firewire Lacie drive, so I am sorted for ports and drive space (for now) and as all my other devices are bluetooth I don't suffer the problem. NONE of my usb ports are used right now.

The only extra I would like to see is dual monitor support.

However I know alot of people have lots and lots of usb devices these days so as I said, good idea!

 

iRiver h140
Mouse
Keyboard
Printer
Webcam.

...Hub would be essential, really.

*n

 

I saw some REAL THIN usb hub, no bigger than a chocolate bar. Heck with a little modding skill u maybe able to fit the thing inside the Mini. Just wish I remember where I saw it.

 

I've got a 4port USB2 hub that is compact enough to fit in a PCMCIA dual-card slot (8mm thick or so I think). Wouldn't go too well with a mini though, other than it's miniscule stature.

 

what it this?

 

What I saw was even thinner than this, not much thicker than the thickness of the jacks themselves.

 

Another link:
http://homepage.mac.com/okkibokki/iblog/B377254671/C213271828/E1208817712/

Cool Stuff.

 

I saw some 'real' pictures of one of those mini-mate things and the build quality looks crap.

Lucikly I only need 1x USB port for every-day use of my mini and have no use for firewire at all

 

That looks like a good idea that they have came up with, however it would be interesting to see their choice of cable, and the base (weather it would scratch your mac mini). It would be soo helpful if the included realy short usb and firewire cable, preferably with rightangle plugs on the end, to help with cable mess. ANd due to its size, depending on its price, it could be good just as an external enclosure with a hub built in. DOes any one know if the ide channel runs of the usb or the firewire. One would assume it would be the firewire.

 

One of the ones I was looking at includes a 7 inch firewire and a 7 inch USB.