Tucker Osman has turned the “Mactini,” a one-button mini laptop created by the BBC to poke fun at Apple’s increasingly smaller devices, into a reality. The device uses a 1.69″ ST7789V2-based SPI LCD, an RP2350-based Waveshare board, and DMA to accelerate screen data transfer.
The other hardware components include an iPad speaker and audio amplifier sourced from recycled parts. Video playback on the Mactini is provided by Motion JPEG, while its case, designed in FreeCAD, was produced with a 3D printer.
Why it matters
The project shows that a technology parody can become a working hardware experiment rather than remaining merely a visual joke. The small screen and limited input setup make tangible the question of how far devices can be reduced in size and functionality today, while the data transfer method and video format used demonstrate the technical means of producing smooth visuals at this scale. Combining recycled components with a 3D-printed case brings the electronic and physical production aspects of the concept together in a single project. However, how functional the device is in everyday use and the practical limits of its one-button design remain open questions beyond the technical details that have been shared.