An iPad and a new Mac mini could be the definitive media hub

As every year, right before Apple’s WWDC conference the rumor mill is working overtime.  There are rumors about updates to the Mac Mini, to the Mac Pro and even Apple’s Cinema displays that everyone and his dog has been predicting will get a 27-inch model to match the panels used in the iMacs.

Instead of joining in the attempts at predicting what Apple will do, I’ll take this opportunity to describe what I would like to see it release.

There area a lot of different uses for a Mac mini and one of them is to used in conjunction with a large TV for watching movies from iTunes, of slide shows of your pictures, etc.  For some time Apple has been offering Apple TV as a device that can do these things, by remotely accessing your other computers to stream content or streaming directly from the iTunes store, so why would using a Mac mini to do the same be interesting?

Well, while it is obvious that the Mac mini ($599) costs a lot more than Apple TV ($229), it also can do a lot more than just playing musing or videos.  It can store a lot of digital media, play DVDs, and let you browse the Web for example.  Since it would be connected to a TV, it wouldn’t really need that monitor it doesn’t come with.

While it would be interesting if we could use an iPhone or iPod as a remote control for the Mac Mini, it would be really amazing to use an iPad to control it. If, using a new version of FrontRow with explicit support for iPad integration  you could browse your video collection: Movies, TV Series… Go through your music and photo albums.  When you found something you wanted to watch or listen to, you could just flick it off of the screen towards your TV and it would go on the big screen and start playing.

The iPad could also function as a wireless keyboard and trackpad for Mac mini, allowing you to have full control of the computer connected to your TV, without the need to have a keyboard or a mouse laying around in your living room.

Another interesting aspect would be for Apple to enable the iPad to stream content from your iTunes library.  This would go a long way towards making a diminutive Mac mini the true digital hub of a family.  All family members would be able to listen to music and watch videos streamed from the home’s central media hub: a Mac Mini.  This computer, connected to the big screen in your family or living room would be the central storage for your pictures, music, movies, etc.

Of course, given the already mentioned price difference between the mini and the Apple TV, Apple might want to implement such a feature by connecting the iPad and the Apple TV.  In this case, I the table would be turned and instead of the iPad being used as an accessory or add-on to control a Mac, it would become the primary player with the Apple TV becoming some sort of video connection accessory. In this case I would be in favor of the iPad being able to control the Apple TV, but also of it being able to stream its media content to the TV wirelessly.

I don’t expect Apple to make any similar announcements this week, but this would certainly be an interesting way of using different Apple products together and getting a result the is greater than the sum of its parts.