Apple has told the developer of a tiny original Mac replica to stop selling them, but for a little while yet they remain available.
This isn’t a Mac mini, this is a mini Mac. At 62mm (2.41 inches), the pico-mac-nano is shorter than the floppy disks that the original Macintosh used, yet it is a lovingly built model of the whole system.
And it works.
Nick Gillard has taken the Raspberry Pi Pico and built it into a replica of the original compact Macintosh. It’s not like you can do a lot with it, but it launches a version of the old Mac’s system software — and you can plug in a USB-C mouse.
A prototype version can be seen in a YouTube video reportedly authorized by Gillard, though not featuring him. Images of what Gillard calls the pico-mac-nano can be found on his site, where he also has a Collectors’ Edition which comes with a replica of Apple’s famous Picasso-style packaging of the day.
Both the standard and collectors’ versions can still be ordered from the site, but in a statement to AppleInsider, Gillard said that Apple’s lawyers have come calling.
The 2.4-inch replica Macintosh has been painstakingly designed — image credit: Nick Gillard
“In fairness to Apple, not only are they perfectly within their rights to issue a cease and desist (and I’m surprised it didn’t come sooner given the Collectors Edition box!), but they have been super-nice and polite about the project,” he wrote, “saying things like ‘it’s clear you’ve poured a great deal of care and passion into your work. We genuinely appreciate your enthusiasm for — and admiration of — the original Macintosh.'”
“They could have requested that the whole open source project be taken down from GitHub but are currently only requesting we stop selling the assembled units,” he continued. “So anyone can still build one themselves for their own use.”
Gillard says he is continuing a dialog with Apple’s Trademark and Copyright Group, though. Until he is forced to take down his listings, the pico-mac-nano can still be ordered fully assembled.
“For those who have already ordered and paid for a pico-mac-nano,” adds Gillard, “Apple’s decision does not affect your order and if we have to remove the web store listings, we will continue to fulfill all backorders. To date we have shipped almost 400 units and are shipping approx. 40 orders a day.”
The standard pico-mac-nano sells for 58 pounds Sterling (around $78). The collectors edition is 79.50 pounds Sterling (approximately $107.)
This is far from the first time that a replica has been made of vintage Macs — in 2024 an engineer made a Macintosh Plus — but it is unquestionably the cutest.