When the Mac Mini was first launched in 2005 BYODKM Mac (bring your own display, keyboard, and mouse), it was likely to be one of the most popular Macs ever made. Nearly two decades later, we thought it was a great alternative to the N-entry-level Mac, but it didn’t really live up to its hype, as specs, price, and performance didn’t live up to our expectations.
Rumors then surfaced that Apple intended to upgrade the Mac Mini in 2022 when Apple launched Mac Studio in March 2022. Mac Studio, which looks like a Mac Mini from the top but is about the same size as the three Mac Mini. Each other’s height. Mac Studio has the M1 Max and M1 Ultra options and is a great computer, but now there is a big gap in the line without any desktop Macs that offer the M1 Pro (only available in 14in and 16in MacBook Pro models).
Mac fans are hoping that Apple will upgrade the Mac Mini with its M1 Pro chip and have a Mac Mini that looks ripe for the M1 Pro update: Apple still sells a $ 1,099 / £ 1,099 Mac mini featuring an older Intel processor. Apple could have discontinued this model when launching the Mac Studio, but it didn’t, indicating that there is still hope for the M1 Pro version of the Mac Mini.
In fact, there is evidence that an M1 Pro version of the Mac Mini is coming. Read on to know when we will see the M1 Pro Mac Mini.
If this is the next version of the M1 Mac mini that you are interested in, then an M2 Mac mini 2022 is also expected – probably in October. We have a separate article to discuss the M2 Mac Mini rumors.
It may not be the most up-to-date version of this story, click here to read the latest version.
Mac Mini M1 Pro release date
- We expect a new M1 Pro Mac Mini to replace the Intel powered model, possibly with WWDC in June 2022.
A new Mac Mini and a WWDC list for the “Mac Mini Tower” appeared on Apple Reseller B&H Photos a few days ago, leading to some speculation that this might prove that a launch was uneven. However, these lists are not reliable: Shawn C. Steiner, B&H’s senior manager of web creative content, confirmed that the pages were created before Apple’s March event and were based on rumors.
However, this does not mean that the M1 Pro Mac Mini will not launch at WWDC on June 6.
In February 2022, Mark Gurman of Bloomberg told the Poweron Newsletter that “several new Macs” would be released at WWDC22 in June, although he did not specify which Mac models would be released. It would not be unusual for Apple to introduce a new Mac at WWDC – especially for those in the developer community for whom the Mac Mini is a popular choice.
There is some evidence that an update to the Mac Mini may be coming soon. In April 2022, developer Steven Trafton-Smith noted that the latest software update to Studio Display contained a reference to a Mac Mini that was not yet available. Troughton-Smith initially speculated that the “Macmini10,1” might be a Mac Mini with a new M2 processor, but later changed his mind to an M1 Pro and Max model.
A few days after Trafton-Smith’s tweet, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that Apple was internally testing the Mac Mini with an M1 Pro, codenamed J374; And an M1 Max Mac Mini, but it is possible that this model will not be sent He further hinted that Apple is testing an M2 Mac Mini, codenamed J473, with eight CPU cores and 10 GPU cores and a Mac Mini with an M2 Pro chip, codenamed J474.
Although we can wait until 2023. In March 2022, an unverified Twitter account by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo stated that a Mac Mini would be shipped in 2023. Although he did not offer anything specific, it is possible that this 2023 Mac Mini could be the M2 Mac Mini.
New Mac Mini price
The Mac Mini starts at 699 / $ 699 and comes with another model at $ 899 / £ 899 with more storage. The Intel variant – which we expect will be replaced by an M1 Pro model – starts at $ 1,099 / £ 1,099.
It is possible that we are seeing a price increase with the introduction of the M1 Pro-powered model. Such an increase would reduce the gap between the M1 Max and the Stud 1,999 / 99 1,999 Mac Studio. For those who want to sell Mac Studio, Apple doesn’t want to make the Mac Mini too attractive.
One way to find out how Apple’s new Mac Mini might be priced is the 14in MacBook Pro with M1 Pro chip, which starts at $ 1,999 / £ 1,899 (a full $ 500 / £ 400 more than the most expensive M1 model). With this price in mind, we estimate the starting price for the M1 Pro Mac mini to be $ 1,399 / 1,399.
If you want to buy one of the current Mac mini models you can do it directly from Apple, or, if you want to make a bargain, check out our roundup of the best Mac mini deals.
New Mac Mini design
The Mac Mini has had a similar square design since its arrival in 2005. Over time it has become thinner, lost CD drive and changed color. It has been claimed that the next Mac Mini will shrink further, which could be up to an inch longer depending on the render. However, rumors of this more compact design seem to be related to the new M2 version of the Mac Mini.
More rumors about a bigger Mac Mini are clearly related to the Mac Studio that Apple announced in March 2022. From the top, the Mac Studio looks like a Mac Mini, but it’s only a few inches long. The larger form factor allows for better cooling required for M1 Max and M1 Ultra. Does the Mac Mini have to be big enough to accommodate the M1 Pro? We don’t think so – the chip works happily on the MacBook Pro, above all.
On that basis we don’t expect any design changes for the M1 Pro Mac Mini – it could even hold its space gray case, often used by Apple as a pro badge.
In March 2022, analyst Ming-Cho Kuo claimed for a tweet from an account claiming that the 2023 Mac Mini would have the same form and design as the current model.
New Mac Mini Spec
We hope (and hope) that Apple will introduce a replacement for the Intel-powered Mac Mini that will feature an M1 Pro chip. We don’t expect to see M1 Max or M1 Ultra in it, although the company is reportedly testing models of M1 Max as well as M1 Pro.
Read our M1 Series Guide to learn more about the M1 Pro chip.
Processor
If the Mac Mini gets an M1 Pro, it will probably offer 8 or 10 CPU cores, such as the 14in and 16in MacBook Pro.
Graphics
The M1 Pro offers 14 or 16 graphics cores.
RAM
Since the MacBook Pro M1 Pro comes with 16GB as standard and supports up to 32GB of memory, we hope to see it in the M1 Pro Mac Mini as well.
Port and peripheral
We expect to see the following ports: four Thunderbolt / USB-4, two USB-A, Ethernet, HDMI and a 3.5mm headphone jack, similar to the current Intel-powered Mac Mini.
Apple does not send Mac mini with an Apple keyboard, at the moment you have to supply your own or buy one from Apple. This is unlikely to change, but we anticipate that Apple will offer a new Apple keyboard with Touch ID as an upgrade for the Mac Mini, perhaps matching the silver in the space gray finish.
Learn about all the new products coming in 2022 here: Every new Apple product coming in 2022.