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Mystery Connector Suggests Integrated Mac mini iPod Dock

Mystery Connector Suggests Integrated Mac mini iPod Dock

by , 5:15 PM EST, March 1st, 2005

Was the Mac mini originally designed to sport an integrated iPod dock? That's the a theory Leo Bodnar has put forth in disecting an extraneous connector on the Mac mini's riser card that connects the optical drive to the logic board.

The J7 connector has 20-pins, many of which are designed for FireWire support, lending credence to the possibility that the connector, which rises above the optical drive could have been designed to power a top-mounted iPod dock. Bodnar also notes that there is a fair bit of space between the top of the Mac mini's internals and the case itself, although the gap could simply be for cooling and nothing more.

Nevertheless, it leads one to wonder whether an integrated iPod dock was ever planned, why it was scrapped if it was, and whether it might reappear in a future Mac mini.

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