Also keyboards. I can’t be the only one that is still using my Windows USB keyboard with a Mac Mini.
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Apple Announces New Mac Mini With M2 and M2 Pro Chips at Lower $599 Starting Price
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Also keyboards. I can’t be the only one that is still using my Windows USB keyboard with a Mac Mini.
Yeah ... but just 4yrs ago on MBP 2016 iteration people lost their minds due to 'Dongle Life!" lol.
Regarding the 32GB RAM ceiling ... I'm curious if the same macOS is loaded on the outgoing Intel Mac Mini with 64GB of RAM vs the incoming M2 Pro's having 32GB of RAM ... does macOS load the same amount of RAM utilization upon bootup for each?
When launching same apps, same versions, same data, cache etc ... is the system RAM utilization the same or do they differ?
There must be a reason why Apple sees the mac mini doesn't need 64GB of RAM
It may just be take rate on that option. If very few people were choosing 64GB, Apple may have hoped that those people would just upgrade to the Mac Studio instead, which does support 64GB RAM. Once you add on the options the Mini gets pretty close to the Studio.
I ended up returning 3 Mac Studios over fan whine issues before eventually giving up on it… so the M2 Pro Mac mini I just ordered better bloody not make annoying noises 😅
The refurbished M1 Mini I’ve been using as a tie over for the last few months has been fantastic (amazing performance and completely silent) and convinced me to stick with a mini if they made a pro version, and now they have!
I've been lurking for a long time but I had a question about RAM.
What is the actual difference in cost for Apple with 8 GB versus 16 GB? If it wouldn't cost that much more to make 16 GB their new minimum, I'd say they should do it.
When I was looking to build a pc a year ago, apple silicon impressed me by not running hotter than hell by design. The inability to upgrade was an acceptable tradeoff. But the price of configuring a mac with more than the minimum is genuinely offensive. Replacing a mac every year seems cost effective but not very elegant. Making an educated guess on how long you'll want the computer to last and what your needs will be years from now is tricky, and that's the game many of us are trying to play.
If 8 GB works for you now, great. I just think 16 GB wouldn't cost much more and would greatly extend the life of the computer.
What is the actual difference in cost for Apple with 8 GB versus 16 GB? If it wouldn't cost that much more to make 16 GB their new minimum, I'd say they should do it.
When I was looking to build a pc a year ago, apple silicon impressed me by not running hotter than hell by design. The inability to upgrade was an acceptable tradeoff. But the price of configuring a mac with more than the minimum is genuinely offensive. Replacing a mac every year seems cost effective but not very elegant. Making an educated guess on how long you'll want the computer to last and what your needs will be years from now is tricky, and that's the game many of us are trying to play.
If 8 GB works for you now, great. I just think 16 GB wouldn't cost much more and would greatly extend the life of the computer.
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Yes, definitely, it is long overdue.
You're right it wouldn't cost much more.
However, I guess they weigh that with the even minimal costs it would be for them and think many folks would never tap into the need for it.
Finally, I would guess they also love those upgrades that net them almost all profit.
I could see the 499 edu / 599 entry Mac mini coming with 8GB and maybe a $999 air, maybe even entry iMac, but the mid-tier models of these machines and something like MBP 13 I'd say should probably come with 16.
Let's be honest here. Why would they? Apple is the King of marketing and upselling. They do that with pretty much every product they sell. For me the choice is easy, buy the cheapest product they sell and trade it in a few years down the road. I cry less when it comes time for trade in. I no longer play the upsell game.
I bought a base M2 Mini, out the door with a discount for $499 plus tax.
I'd love a 30" iMac with Target Disk Mode so I could use my work computer with it, for years I did exactly that with my 2009 iMac, sadly missed functionality.
M2 Pro benchmark
Mac14,12 - Geekbench
Benchmark results for a Mac14,12 with an Apple M2 Pro processor.
browser.geekbench.com
Yeah, I doubt the cooling would be adequate w/o a redesign if they put the Max chip in it.
I wonder how long until we get the Studio updates? I thought I saw and article saying next year (2024), but that doesn’t make much sense to skip a generation, when they could just do a ‘bump’ update.
Unfortunately, I think I’m still stuck waiting until I know more about their GPU-path. These are probably really great for the average user, or even excellent for people in certain sectors (like video production), but the GPUs (even on the top Mac Studio) don’t seem up to the task for more pro/prosumer level 3D applications or gaming.
Do we just have to wait and hope Apple catches up? (if ever) Or, will the eGPU w/ AMD make a comeback? I at least want to know what Apple is planning so I can move forward (ie. do I just have to accept I need to add a PC to my mix?).
This might be good enough for my son, though. We’ve been considering a base Studio, but I’m anxious to see how close a Pro-spec’d mini gets, or if it even exceeds it in some aspects.
I'd really like to see the mini go no-fan like the Air, now that Studio exists. I don't care about the shape; I just want a machine without moving parts.
I think they could easily do that, especially for the non-pro model. I doubt they’ll make a lot of noise, though, but no moving parts is always good, too. I wonder if the Pro one could be w/o fan, but I kind of think not.
Especially with the endless parade of new system services added every OS "upgrade"...
I am guessing the key reason for their inclusion is that the Mac mini is also aimed at windows users who might appreciate a cheap Mac to dip their toes into the Apple ecosystem with (especially if they already have an iPhone). This allows them to continue using their existing peripherals (monitor, keyboard, mouse) with minimal fuss.
I certainly have more USB-A devices than USB-C. It’s nice to just plug them in w/o adapters.
I suppose most things will eventually be USB-C, though it might be decades before software hardware-dongles get updated unless USB-A ports become totally unavailable. I honestly don’t care all that much. USB-C are nice and small and one doesn’t have to be as careful plugging them in, but they don’t strike me as physically/mechanically as stable.
The USB standards themselves have become a nightmare. The idea that everything should just be USB C does not address things like whether or not a cable will charge your device, whether or not it will transfer data quickly, whether your device supports displayport alternate mode, whether or not my samsung super fast charger will charge anything other than my phone... the list goes on. It's also super cool that the plugs and ports themselves rarely have any indicator of how fast they are or how much power they can provide.
I hoped to connect my m1 macbook air to an external monitor via USB C for video, charging, and getting a couple of USB A ports. This caused a quiet but very annoying electronic noise, and I had to buy a C to Displayport cable for video, which means I have no more ports. It's a known issue but apple support and I failed to troubleshoot it.
I also had quite a scare when I hooked up my mac studio to two external monitors. Those monitors had been set to USB 2.0 for a windows laptop, because without it they didn't have the bandwidth for 4K 60Hz. When I connected them to the studio, I assumed that this would still be true.
The left monitor started having digital distortion along with a loud, audible pop (!) every 10 or 15 seconds. I set the monitor to USB 3.1, figuring I might lose 60 hz, which was better than losing the monitor. To my amazement, when I changed this setting, the distortion and popping went away, yet the monitors still ran 4K 60 Hz, something they couldn't have done on windows. Yet to my knowledge, USB standards don't change between mac and pc.
I enjoy learning about tech, researching what I buy, and hooking things up correctly. The "C" in USB C stands for chaos. The possibility that the wrong USB setting could have damaged a monitor is insane. The cables are stupid expensive as well.
Don't get me started on thunderbolt.
You should be MORe concerned about the upcoming path for Windows computers.
X86-64 CPU’s are going the way of the dodo if Microsoft accomplishes a full working arm OS windows for mainstream release later this year entails:
Only 1 cpu manufacturer is approved for Arm chip with Windows 11 Arm. Soon a new Windows OS will be released and no news of consumer/prosumer cpu work by AMD/Intel at all!
This will affect NVidia and AMD GPUs compatibility in existing form which affects high end or low-to-mid range Windows applications and rigs. Especially the fact that NO game creators or engine creators have announced any plans support ARM based OS’ - this is a major issue that you’ll see in the next 2yrs. So don’t worry about “Apple catching up” lol.
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Yeah, one of the downsides of this platform is the lack of modularity. To get more of one aspect, you’re generally going to have to get more of the other aspects, too… and pay for them.
Fair point. It is hard to say where things are headed more than a year or two out, I guess.
More pro apps (CAD/BIM, especially) are moving towards cloud services. Even gaming is making progress on that front (ie. GeForce Go). I’d have never believed this could be usable even a few years back, but if you have good solid internet, and are located in the right places, the technology actually works.
It is hard to imagine the massive traditional GPU market disappearing or radically shifting that quickly, though. If I thought Apple were caring, I’d certainly agree they know way more about this future than I do. But, I guess my question is how much Apple cares about gaming, 3D/CAD, etc. I could see them (given their consumer focus the last decade) just saying, ‘oh well, not our market’ in those regards if the industry doesn’t make such a shift.
How many 4K monitors can you simultaneously use?
Apple today announced an updated Mac mini powered by the new M2 and the all-new M2 Pro chip, offering faster performance in the same design as the previous generation but starting at a lower price of $599.
Apple announced the M2 chip in June at WWDC, building on the performance of the M1 processor from November 2020. Apple today expanded the M2 lineup with the new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips. The updated Mac mini comes with M2 and M2 Pro chips, which according to Apple, offer significantly faster performance than the previous generation.
The new Mac mini features the same design as before, with no changes despite rumors suggesting a complete redesign. For Mac mini models with M2 Pro, users have access to four Thunderbolt 4 ports compared to only two on models with M2. On both chip configurations, the Mac mini comes with an Ethernet port, HDMI port, two USB-A ports, and a headphone jack.
The new Mac mini with M2 and M2 Pro are available for pre-order today and will begin shipping next Tuesday, January 24.
Article Link: Apple Announces New Mac Mini With M2 and M2 Pro Chips at Lower $599 Starting Price
For every major Apple product, there is a “Tech Specs” page that lists things like that.
Mac mini - Technical Specifications
See all the technical specifications for Mac mini with the M4 or M4 Pro chip.
www.apple.com
Short answer… up to 3 displays on the Pro version.
Studio was release early last year- not time yet to update, too early.
1. the Mac Mini with M1 was already 2yrs old, not 1 year old.
2. the Studio ships with M1 Max and M1 Ultra (I see no rumor of the M2 Ultra even existing or testing yet).
M1 iMac still is older than the Studio, that'll be updated first.
Curious ...
what is the storage of your 8GB M1 Mac Mini?
Also report back in 4yrs let us know how good it is functioning, even with the same OS installed currently. IF the base 256GB storage, the overall system performance doing RAM swap may be holding it back from its real potential?