Apple has reportedly ditched its plans to launch a new Mac mini powered by the M1 Pro chip and is instead working on new Mac minis with the M2 and M2 Pro processors. Apple launched its current Mac mini in 2020 with the original M1 chip. The company has long been expected to upgrade the device with new Apple silicon, with multiple reports suggesting that the new device could be powered by the M2 or M2 Pro.
The Mac mini is typically the most inexpensive way to enter Apple's desktop ecosystem. The iMac is Apple's mid-range model, while the Mac Pro has always been the company's most powerful computer. However, earlier this year, Apple also launched the M1 Ultra-powered Mac Studio, which combines the form-factor of a Mac mini with the power and efficacy of the Mac Pro. Apple claims that in terms of performance, it even beats PCs with the fastest chips from Intel and AMD.
In the latest edition of his weekly Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman claimed that Apple had been working on an M1 Pro-powered Mac mini that was supposed to have been launched later this year or in early 2023. However, the company has reportedly ditched those plans to focus entirely on the M2 and M2 Pro-powered Mac mini devices. Gurman didn't reveal much else about the upcoming devices, but in an earlier version of the newsletter in June, he had claimed that the M2 and M2 Pro-powered Mac minis are still in early development, suggesting that it might be a while before they are made public.
Next-Gen Mac Mini Launch Date
Earlier this year, TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed that the next-gen Mac mini device wouldn't hit the market before next year. He also stated that Apple had initially planned to bring Mac mini models powered by the M1 Pro and M1 Max chipsets but dropped that idea in favor of the Mac Studio. So as things stand now, there's no confirmation about when the next-gen Mac mini will launch, but when it does hit the market, it will likely be powered by Apple's next-gen desktop chips rather than rehashed versions of older silicon.
As for what to expect from the next-gen Mac mini, a leak from last year seemingly revealed a few aspects of the upcoming device. According to high-res renders of the Mac mini shared by Jon Prosser of Front Page Tech, the device could get a radical redesign with a smaller chassis, a plexiglass-like top, and a dual-tone finish. However, Gurman has now contradicted that report, saying that the next-gen Mac mini will not get a significant redesign, meaning it could retain the familiar aluminum unibody design that has become a trademark of sorts for all Mac mini devices over the past decade.
Source: Power On Newsletter/Bloomberg