The Mac mini was one of the first in Apple’s lineup to feature the company’s M1 chip in November 2020, and the performance was impressive, especially at the tempting price of the Mac mini, available for just $799.
But despite its popularity, it looks like Apple has something even bigger planned for the Mac mini, with rumors suggesting the 2022 model could offer even more power and, interestingly, a redesigned case for the first time. For years.
Here’s everything you need to know about the new Mac mini, from release date and price speculation to the latest leaks and rumours.
When will the new Mac mini go on sale?
The most widespread rumors suggested that Apple was going to reveal the new Mac mini at WWDC in 2021, but that, of course, didn’t happen. Then the next Mac mini was supposed to be unveiled alongside the latest MacBook Pros at Apple’s October event, but that didn’t happen either.
The latest rumours, this time from famed Apple leaker @Dylandkt, suggest we won’t have to wait much longer.
In a series of late January 2022 tweets filled with predictions about the Equipment Apple for this year, the leaker said the Mac Mini along with M1 Pro and M1 Max will arrive at Apple’s spring event.
Now, Apple has already announced its annual spring event, called Performance Overview and it will happen March 8, 2022so we could see the new Mac mini very soon.
How much will the new Mac mini cost?
It’s a little harder to predict. Apple could take two different routes: either replace the entire Mac mini line with the new model, or continue to offer the old Mac mini with the M1 and introduce the new model at a higher price.
According to Mark Gurman of Bloombergit would be the latter.
Given that the Mac mini is positioned as the entry-level Mac, it would be difficult for Apple to justify too high a price increase.
If the new Mac mini doesn’t replace the entire line and match the price of its predecessors (which Apple does with most of its releases), it could replace the high-end Intel-powered model at $1,259, completing thus the transition of the entire range, from Mac mini to Apple Silicon.
What to expect from the new Mac mini?
Rumors suggest that the new Mac mini could offer key upgrades and an all-new design when it finally goes on sale.
new design
Apple assured our colleagues of United Kingdom that the design of the Mac mini hasn’t changed in a few years, not because it can’t be, but because there are a number of servers and organizations running Mac minis with the current design.
However, that looks set to change with the launch of the new Mac mini, as rumors suggest an all-new design that would be significantly slimmer than its predecessor and could also feature a new plexiglass top.
This is stated by famed leaker Jon Prosser, who worked with concept artist Ian Zelbo to create makes based on the information you have received. Prosser gave more details in an episode of Front Page Technologysuggesting the new model will come in silver and white, but not the 24-inch iMac color options.
We can’t give this as confirmation given Prosser’s spotty track record when it comes to Apple leaks (AppleTrack gives it a 78.1% accuracy rate, but that’s not the only source to suggest an overhaul is in the works.
Mark Gurman of Bloomberg It also suggests that Apple will opt for a new design, with a plexiglass cover, but it will be limited to the high-end Mac Mini only.
Improved internal components
According to a report by Bloomberg Starting in May 2021, the new model is a “more powerful version of the Mac mini” that will offer the same chipset In a subsequent August 2021 report, the publication suggests it will appear as the new high-end option in its lineup, rather than across the entire Mac mini lineup.
If this is true, we now know that it is the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips that appear in the 2021 MacBook Pro.
The former offers a 10-core processor with eight performance cores and two efficiency cores, along with a 16-core GPU with 2,048 execution units. This chip can support up to 32GB of RAM, an improvement over the maximum 16GB available on the M1 model.
The even more powerful M1 Max offers the same CPU configuration, but boasts double the RAM support (64GB) and a 32-core GPU with 4,096 execution units and four times the performance of the GPU seen on the original M1.
Leaker @Dylandkt also suggests that a Mac mini with M1 Pro and M1 Max chips is on the way, giving the rumor more credence.
more ports
One of the main disadvantages of the Mac mini with M1 compared to its predecessor with an Intel chip was the lack of ports. While the Intel-powered Mac mini offered four Thunderbolt 3 ports, the new model has two.
Jon Prosser suggests the Mac mini’s new port selection will match that of the Intel-powered Mac mini, with four Thunderbolt 3 ports, a 10GB Ethernet port, an HDMI 2.0 port, and more.
The new Thunderbolt 3 ports are supposed to be connected to an improved neural engine in some way, which could allow more 4K displays to run. It’s worth remembering that the Mac mini with M1 only supports one, while the Intel model supports three.
This is a view supported by Mark Gurman of Bloombergwhich claims the new model will have “more ports than the current model”, but offers no further details.
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