Xiaomi teases a mysterious new gadget that looks like a Mac Pro, but it’s probably not a PC

Young Chinese phone-maker Xiaomi is about to launch a new product that looks quite a lot like a Mac Pro. But it’s probably not a PC. Xiaomi founder Lei Jun teased the photo (see below) on his official Weibo account this evening, but he left a veil of mystery by not explaining exactly what it is apart from “a new Xiaomi toy that’s on the verge of being launched.”

So what is this gadget? The caption under it – “Ping 20.13.11.20” – gives us both the date of the launch (November 20) and also the suggestion that it relates to web connectivity. So it’s probably a wi-fi router. (Update on November 20: Yes, it’s a router; no price yet, and it’s slated for launch in December). But at that size it’s probably like the Apple Airport Extreme or Airport Time Capsule. Here’s the image from Xiaomi:

It makes sense that it’s a powerful router that could serve as a home entertainment hub, since Xiaomi makes not only Android-based smartphones but also a smart TV. The Xiaomi router could serve as a streaming and back-up hub for all your digital media.

For reference, this is what the Airport Time Capsule looks like:

(Editing by Paul Bischoff)