A hobbyist has assembled a pint-sized Macintosh computer using a Raspberry Pi Pico and Matt Evans' Pico Micro Mac firmware. The setup outputs to a 640x480 VGA display at 60 Hz and supports USB keyboard and mouse input. This compact emulation runs an early version of Mac OS with just 208 KB of RAM, which is actually 63% more memory than the original 1984 Macintosh 128K.

The build was inspired by projects from Ron's Computer Videos and Action Retro. The creator used the now-discontinued V2 hardware version, requiring soldering, though newer V3 versions simplify assembly with integrated microSD adapters and plug-and-play headers. The total cost came to around $20, making it a fraction of the original Macintosh's $2,495 price tag (equivalent to nearly $8,000 today).

While the Pico Micro Mac offers novelty and educational value, it has significant limitations. The constrained SRAM restricts available RAM to 208 KB, preventing many larger applications and games from running. Sound doesn't work, and advanced features like AppleTalk and SCSI support are unlikely to be implemented. Despite these constraints, the project demonstrates impressive technical achievement in fitting an entire Macintosh operating system onto a $4 microcontroller.