Apple was initially expected to launch an M1 Pro Mac mini. However, now that the M2 cycle has begun, the tech giant is turning its attention to developing a new Mac mini with M2 and M2 Pro chips.
No redesign expected for the Mac mini in the near future
In the latest edition of his “Power On” newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman revealed that Apple has been developing a Mac mini with the M1 Pro chip. The Mac was supported to launch by the end of last year or early 2022. However, the company has not switched its focus to the development of a refreshed Mac mini with its latest chips.
Instead, expect a Mac mini refresh to include both M2 and M2 Pro options. I also don’t believe the machine will be getting any major redesign in the near term.
The last time the Mac mini was upgraded was in November 2020 when Apple debuted the M1 chip with an 8-core CPU (four high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores) and 8-core GPU.
It was expected that the Cupertino tech giant would release a higher-end Mac mini with the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, however, those devices did not see the light of day. Instead of the rumored refreshed Mac mini, Apple launched the “Mac Studio“ back in March.
Though numerous rumors and reports have suggested that the Mac mini is set to receive a massive redesign, according to Gurman and TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, that is not the case.
Earlier this year, Kuo said that the Mac mini would be upgraded in 2023. In addition, the analyst said that the external design of the 2020 and the 2023 models would be the same: a compact form factor in a unibody aluminum casing. The only difference between the two will be the internals of the device.
Gurman has previously reported that Apple plans to release at least four M2 Macs during the cycle of the latest processor. The tech giant is also going to debut new variations of the M2 chip: Pro, Ultra, Max, and Extreme.
The new Mac mini models and high-end MacBook Pros are expected to be launched later this year. Some of next year’s releases include a new Mac Pro, iMac, and 15-inch MacBook Air.
Read more:
