Rugged Mac mini designed for military use

Ruggedized PCs and their component counterparts are becoming more popular these days. Mostly because manufacturers are finally starting to learn that not everyone uses a computer while sitting at a desk in their nice environment-controlled office. One thing the industry has been lacking, is rugged Macs.

more images after the jump

VictorSystems is a custom build-to-order PC manufacturer that has designed a ruggedized Mac mini for military use. The innards are just a Mac mini, nothing too fancy there; but in this case, it's what is on the outside that counts. The frame is made from an aluminum space frame constructed from extruded rails and finned heat sinks to keep it cool, while the outer covers are made from wrought plates.

The mini and its peripherals weren't designed to look good, but rather to stand up to harsh operating environments. It is quite bulky, however, VictorSystems notes that systems can be designed to your specifications if you want a smaller system. No word on just how much one of these systems will fetch.

"Ruggedized" Mac mini for military debuts [via macnn]