The Apple rumour mill has been in full force again after new images and a video came to light, purporting to be of the new Mac mini. The stills first surfaced on the appropriately titled Mac web site MacRumours, posted by a character named "monthy", but were dismissed by many as a fake.

The new specs on this unit were purported to be a 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 3MB L2 cache, 2GB of DDR3 RAM, and a SATA Super Drive. The image is consistent with previous rumours on the site that suggested the new unit would feature 5 USB ports, FireWire 800, and two Display ports: "The Mini DVI connector will allow the mini to continue to cater to users who already own a display, while the Mini DisplayPort will offer support for customers of Apple's latest LED-backlit Cinema Display."

However, some have dismissed the image as a fake. The current Mac mini has 1GB of RAM and it would be unlikely in the current economic climate that Apple would push up its cost by doubling this, goes one argument. A similar price-related argument has been made about including two display connectors instead of just one. And on the 9to5Mac web site, one reader claimed that in the image, the Mini DisplayPort and Mini DVI aren't lined up with where the motherboard is.

In answer to these criticisms, the original forum poster released a 23 second video of the device, entitled Mac Mini 2009 Edition, but it's still difficult to tell comprehensively. The accusations are likely to continue apace, whether this turns out to be a fake or not, the only real winner being Apple and the unparalleled hype that surrounds its products.

21 Feb 2009