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Purported Mac Mini video surfaces

A MacRumors forum jockey has posted video of what looks like a new unreleased Mac Mini, after photos proving its existence were supposedly debunked.

Tom Krazit Former Staff writer, CNET News
Tom Krazit writes about the ever-expanding world of Google, as the most prominent company on the Internet defends its search juggernaut while expanding into nearly anything it thinks possible. He has previously written about Apple, the traditional PC industry, and chip companies. E-mail Tom.
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Tom Krazit
2 min read

Either Apple's about to launch a Mac Mini, or somebody is really determined to get into the Apple Rumor/Hoax Hall of Fame.

A day after a photo surfaced supposedly showing Apple's design for a next-generation Mac Mini--which was then debunked through some crazy spectral analysis or something--a video has surfaced in the forums of MacRumors claiming to depict a new Mac Mini. The computer shown in the video has the same five USB ports and MiniDisplay port that graced the Mac Mini shown in the photo.

An immediate discussion regarding the video's authenticity flared in the forums of MacRumors, as some fondly remembered the iHome video hoax of 2005. As you might have noticed, there is a rather large industry surrounding the dissemination and analysis of rumors pertaining to Apple. Some people crave the notoriety of releasing such rumors for the world to see, either as part of a contest among buddies on Apple's hardware development team to see who can get the most outlandish rumor printed or to actually shed light on the next moves of one of the tech industry's most secretive companies.

Is this a real Mac Mini? Maybe. It's no secret that Apple's desktop lineup is getting a little long in the tooth and that the Mac Mini has languished for quite some time. But is the answer really an extra USB port and some upgraded hardware?

Decide for yourselves. The person behind the video, monthy, hasn't posted about anything else at MacRumors other than this particular Mac Mini and claimed "I think I didnt do anything illegal, I didnt sign any NDA or anything like that, lets say I met a guy in a subway who offered me something and I bought it...." I'm sure that happens all the time.

Update 8:58 p.m.: I removed the embedded video after a reader pointed out that the ads at the end of the video are perhaps a little more prurient that regular readers are accustomed to on this site.