Apple's Next Mac Mini Refresh: Everything We Know

[EugW]

I hope they don't change the dimensions or size at all.

So many people have invested in those perfectly sized docks or rack mount solutions for Mac Mini.

These docks and rack mount solutions are not made by Apple, so they don't give a chit. Apple has long since demonstrated that they will change the form factor whenever they want.

Not sure what changing the form factor would do. It’s perfect as is.

No it isn't. It has wireless issues, and it's not that mini anymore.

And why would they move the Ethernet off into the power brick? The current M1 mini has 10GbE built in.

With the iMac it kind of makes sense, as you might want to reduce cable clutter. But with the mini, you already have cable clutter (speakers, webcam, keyboard, mouse, power, hdmi/monitor, Ethernet). Removing the Ethernet doesn’t do much.

They did it on the iMac likely because the iMac is too thin to support it. That's the same reason they put the audio jack on the side. It's not deep enough.

Thus, I'm of the belief that Ethernet would be on the actual Mac mini unit.

And, as the dealbreaker has always been for the iMac for me, I can actually use the monitor for other devices; my Xbox, work laptop, The C64 etc. If Apple had added just one video input, they'd have had thousands (more) out of me over the years.

Actually, the non-Retina iMacs from 2009 to 2013/2014 support target display mode. I used my 2010 iMac for several years this way, and it still works just fine with in 2022 via a mini-DisplayPort input. It even accepts audio over mini-DisplayPort.

The problem arose when 5K Retina was introduced. That high resolution wasn't supported over those versions of the interface.

 

[theluggage]

Hmmm. Buy this or wait for an iMac?

If your current Mac is still getting the work done, you could always wait for both to be released and then make the decision. That's what I should do, unless the "new computer smell" craving kicks in and/or the new Mini exceeds expectations.

However, I'm not sure what the surprises are going to be: ultimately, the new Mini is probably going to boil down to a headless MacBook Pro in a small box and the new iMac will probably be a 27" or better MacBook Pro onna stick. The main wrinkle would be if either or both of them came with the x2 or x4 M1 Max processors - but I suspect those will come at a very high price.

Mac mini in my opinion. I hate disposing of perfectly good displays when iMacs are no longer useful.

...I'm inclined to agree (and I'm tempted by the idea of one or two of those Huawei MateView 3:2 displays). That said, the current 5k iMac display is damn good, there's no comparable standalone display on the market and it makes the iMacs probably the best value-for-money of all the Macs. If Apple can offer something as good, or better, for a similar price, that will be tempting. However, if they're going to call it an "XDR display" and use that to justify a big price hike, forget it.

Please, please, please allow 4, 6 or even 8TB of internal flash storage...

Unless that is via a standard, user accessible M.2 card slot, and not soldered in at Apple's usual x4-over-retail markup, forget it. Hopefully, some third party will come up with stackable enclosures to match the new form factor.

They’re probably going to make it like the first M1 MacBook/iMac, two thunderbolt ports and the ethernet will be on the power brick. That’s it.

I can't imagine it will have fewer Thunderbolt ports than the 3 you get with the M1 Pro MacBook Pros. I get the impression that the M1 Mini exposes as much I/O as the M1 can support.

The ethernet-on-power-brick idea is one of those silly echo-chamber things: if your ethernet sockets are down by your mains sockets then it sounds like a great idea - but if your ethernet sockets are at desk level or above it's disproportionally inconvenient, and if you need an extension from the brick to your power socket it becomes ludicrous. Meanwhile, we've had 30 years of x-Base-T Ethernet to contrive to run a cable to our desktops. I wonder where the ethernet sockets are in Apple HQ?

I concur. The Mac mini form factor will change, and it will likely go smaller too.

Probably, although it doesn't really need to, especially at the expense of features like internal power, but heigh-ho, it's like evolution without the "getting better" part.

The counter is that there are a number of docks, enclosures, rack-mount kits etc. based on the existing Mini form factor. I'm sure those 3rd party suppliers will be delighted at the opportunity to sell new products, but the co-location companies with large expanses of custom Mac Mini racking, not so much.

Wait, wouldn’t it be a power cable? There’s no battery to charge, right? That makes a magnetic cable (which could pop out fairly easily) kind of pointless here doesn’t it?

The power connector on the 24" iMac is magnetic, but by all accounts it attaches pretty firmly - unlike magsafe it isn't designed to pull out if someone trips on the cable.

It’s not like the iMac, which requires such a design because of its absurdly thin profile.

It's not just the lack of depth to accommodate a figure-8 adaptor. In order to go thinner, Apple had to remove the internal power supply from the iMac so whether an IEC mains connector will fit is moot. If Apple are determined to make the Mini smaller, the same reasoning will apply. Once you've gone for an external power brick, next question is whether using USB-C makes sense - and on a desktop with no batteries it probably doesn't (the iMac probably needs too much power anyway) or an old-fangled barrel connector (too deep for iMac, too easy to connect the wrong power supply) so, ultimately, why not have a nice fancy magnetic connector?

So the connector makes sense if you think it makes sense to lose the internal PSU. I'd rather have the internal PSU...

 

[SactoGuy18]

Think MacBook Pro but without the power limitations of a laptop. That's what we'll get from the new Mac mini, since Apple could make it possible to run at a higher clock speed for more performance.

 

[jlc1978]

For a second I thought you were going to say 'black chrome'. For some reason, not a fan... *shrug* But I lived through the 'everything has to be green' in the 70's, and still have a problem looking at appliances and bathroom fixtures in green. ?

Lime green polyester leisure suits. They may call sweat suits leisure suits today, but unless they got bell bottoms and you're wearing a high contrast ruffle shirt or top, it just isn't.

Now, where is my old disco ball...

But you would have to disassemble the machine to do the anodizing, unless you just slapped some paint on the outside, and any entry into the sanctity of the hallowed space inside the box would be a major violation of cardinal law, and you forfeit the warranty.

Even if you do the appropriate sacrifices of a Window box beforehand?

I wouldn't be surprised if just painting it would violate some clause somewhere. Apple also uses the case of some of their goodies as a heat sink, so any covering over that would effectively block or reduce the cooling potential, leading to an early death. My Intel Mini gets really hot quite a bit of the day when I'm using it. I had a thermometer in front of it, and it would jump 7 to 10 degrees from the heat coming out of the thing.

Heat could be an issue; but the bubbling paint would be an interesting accent...

I would love this. My entertainment center currently consists of a DVR, DVD player, Mac Mini and Apple TV. If the Mini were capable of functioning as an Apple TV as well, that would appreciably cut down both on device and remote clutter.

Apple could introduce an Apple TV app, but I wonder if macOS doesn't have the underlying architecture to allow single signon across various apps like you can on an ATV? I can watch pretty much anything on my Mac I can on my ATV, it's just bit more to signup for each serve and stay signed on after closing browsers, etc. In teh ned, maybe it's they just can't get the same UI experience on macOS?

 

[synyster182]

Please bring back optical audio output! It’s absurd to have to run a dongle for audio playback.

Optical does not work with most of todays new protocols that are coded for hdmi. So if you intend to use Atmos like most users for example. Don’t use optical.

 

[appleArticulate]

So, less TB ports than the 2018 Intel Mac mini it is replacing...?

Yep. Just wait.

If the thing has an M1 Pro / M1 Max, it will have 3 TB ports, just like the MBP.

 

[lcubed]

Optical does not work with most of todays new protocols that are coded for hdmi. So if you intend to use Atmos like most users for example. Don’t use optical.

still using the optical TOSLINK for the backhaul from my smart tv to my ATMOS capable receiver.
why?? because the implementation of the E-ARC HDMI has enough loopholes that the two devices refuse to handshake and provide an audio return channel.

TOSLINK, on the other hand, just works.

 

[Rodney Dangerfield]

Hmmm. Buy this or wait for an iMac?

Already have a monitor = Mac mini for me!

 

[reyesmac]

Why give any m1 mac an M1 Pro chip? Apple will call the mini that starts at over a $1,000 a different name like it does with iPads and never bring the M1 Pro chip to the lowest end of the line. Maybe the Mini Air or the Mini Pro? They could come with an M1 to have a base price closer to $1,000, but the real one that is faster will be even more expensive. Mac minis have historically taken years to get updates. That means the current M1 models will stick around for years and wont be replaced with this faster one. If they want to speed bump them then could unlock a few cores in them or overclock them slightly, but it will be the same chip in them for years with a lower GPU than the rest of the line. They'll keep the ram and hard drive low on them too. Give you the speed you need without the ram and drive space you also need, unless you pay more for them.

Here is a chart of all Apple macs upgraded to have the same 16gb of ram and 512 gb SSD.



MAC MINI $1,100
just $350 to upgrade to air
MACBOOKB AIR $1,450
just $250 to upgrade to imac
IMAC w/less ports $1,700
MBP 13 $1,700
just $300 to upgrade to imac
IMAC $1,900
Just $300 to upgrade to mbp14
MBP 14 $2,200
IMAC 27in i5 $2,200
MBP 16 $2,500
IMAC 27 i7 $2,500
IMAC 27 i9 $2,900


The speed of the Ram and the Hard drives gets slower the cheaper the Mac is as do the CPU and GPU. So you can't really configure them equally but it just goes to show how expensive these things are when you put in an adequate amount of ram and drive space to get real work done, not just consuming content and uploading youtube videos.

A new Mini with 16gb of ram and 512 storage should come in at $200 less than the mac directly above it as far as speed goes. That would be the yet to be released more expensive Macbook Air with the white trim. However Apple prices the new mini will make sense after all their Gen 2 macs come out. It will seem overpriced when it comes out, but will line up well with the newer models they release over the year.

 

[EugW]

still using the optical TOSLINK for the backhaul from my smart tv to my ATMOS capable receiver.
why?? because the implementation of the E-ARC HDMI has enough loopholes that the two devices refuse to handshake and provide an audio return channel.

TOSLINK, on the other hand, just works.

However, HDMI Atmos is noticeably better audio quality than audio over Toslink... that is if you have the speaker setup to support it.

Eh? Optical audio (via fibre-optic cable) is always digital and used to be included on Macs in the form of a hybrid 3.5mm sockets (analog & optical digital), which are still common today in lots of gear:

An alternative connector (TOSLink) is also found on lots of AV gear, often with the 3.5mm optical connector on the other end:

? TOSLINK is optical, and you're just talking about standard TOSLINK connectors vs. mini-TOSLINK connectors. They're both still TOSLINK.

Note that the name "TOSLINK" is trademarked since it was created by Toshiba and incorporates the TOS in the name, so other companies just call it optical.

 

[BuffaloTF]

still using the optical TOSLINK for the backhaul from my smart tv to my ATMOS capable receiver.
why?? because the implementation of the E-ARC HDMI has enough loopholes that the two devices refuse to handshake and provide an audio return channel.

TOSLINK, on the other hand, just works.

So you have an Atmos receiver, and presumably an Atmos speaker setup to match, but don’t ever want to use Atmos? Because toslink can’t do that, nor Dolby True HD or DTS HD Master Audio. You’re limiting yourself to Dolby Digital 5.1 and it’s been over 20 years since Coax proved the better cable for delivering that.

 

[staypuftforums]

Why give any m1 mac an M1 Pro chip? Apple will call the mini that starts at over a $1,000 a different name like it does with iPads and never bring the M1 Pro chip to the lowest end of the line. Maybe the Mini Air or the Mini Pro? They could come with an M1 to have a base price closer to $1,000, but the real one that is faster will be even more expensive. Mac minis have historically taken years to get updates. That means the current M1 models will stick around for years and wont be replaced with this faster one. If they want to speed bump them then could unlock a few cores in them or overclock them slightly, but it will be the same chip in them for years with a lower GPU than the rest of the line. They'll keep the ram and hard drive low on them too. Give you the speed you need without the ram and drive space you also need, unless you pay more for them.

Here is a chart of all Apple macs upgraded to have the same 16gb of ram and 512 gb SSD.



MAC MINI $1,100
just $350 to upgrade to air
MACBOOKB AIR $1,450
just $250 to upgrade to imac
IMAC w/less ports $1,700
MBP 13 $1,700
just $300 to upgrade to imac
IMAC $1,900
Just $300 to upgrade to mbp14
MBP 14 $2,200
IMAC 27in i5 $2,200
MBP 16 $2,500
IMAC 27 i7 $2,500
IMAC 27 i9 $2,900


The speed of the Ram and the Hard drives gets slower the cheaper the Mac is as do the CPU and GPU. So you can't really configure them equally but it just goes to show how expensive these things are when you put in an adequate amount of ram and drive space to get real work done, not just consuming content and uploading youtube videos.

A new Mini with 16gb of ram and 512 storage should come in at $200 less than the mac directly above it as far as speed goes. That would be the yet to be released more expensive Macbook Air with the white trim. However Apple prices the new mini will make sense after all their Gen 2 macs come out. It will seem overpriced when it comes out, but will line up well with the newer models they release over the year.

The Mini has historically been updated every year or two. The only exception was 2014-2018.

 

[EugW]

You’re limiting yourself to Dolby Digital 5.1 and it’s been over 20 years since Coax proved the better cable for delivering that.

For consumer equipment, coax DD5.1 is cheaper and it potentially has some technical advantages, but in the real world for sound quality optical has one very big advantage.

That big advantage is that optical is electrically inert. With coax you can occasionally get ground loops. Obviously with optical that can't happen.

But yeah, I generally don't use either anymore unless it's legacy equipment.

 

[tubular]

Why give any m1 mac an M1 Pro chip?

Because there's a market for headless Macs with solid performance, and I already have all the screens I need and don't want to be forced to buy another one every time I buy a Mac.

 

[paradox00]

If Apple prices the new Minis too high, it only means that their lunch will be eaten by stationary computers sporting AMD or even intel hardware. Most Mini users seem perfectly capable of running Windows boxes, they merely have a preference for MacOS. If the offerings aren't competitive enough. people won't necessarily buy a MacBook Pro, they might just buy a PC. Apples stationary computers sell less than their laptops because they are simply less attractive relatively. Pricing them high to protect laptop sales (???) will not benefit Apple at all.

That's basically what my last sentence said (with respect to the Intel models though). Apple would have to price a high performance Intel based Mac mini so high that it wouldn't be competitive at all as a desktop. An Intel NUC extreme barebones kit costs $2k for example, and you still have to add a GPU, ram and SSD. High performance, small form factor is expensive. It's a limited market, especially on the Intel/AMD side because you could just buy a larger, more capable desktop for much less.

The larger point to my post wasn't that Apple had to price the Mac mini high to protect laptop sales, just that they could if it was an actual concern (I don't think it is). I was replying to someone suggesting the Mac Mini's were intentionally "gimped" to protect laptop sales.

I don't think my example price of $1400 to $1500 would be too high for an M1 Pro Mac Mini. I just took the markup they applied to the M1 Pro based laptops (compared to the most equivalent M1 laptop) and applied it to the current M1 Mac Mini prices. The Mac mini would still come out $500-$600 less than the equivalent MBP, and Apple's chips are generally much more competitive vs desktops than Intel's laptop chip lineup. Compared to small form factor on the the Intel side, an M1 Pro mac mini would look like a relative steal starting at those prices. If that's too much, despite being $500-$600 less than the equivalent MBP, the M1 Mac mini is still available.

I'd love to be wrong, as I feel Apple's laptop prices have already creeped out of reach for many, but if you think an M1 Pro based Mac Mini will be the same price of the outgoing Intel model, you're probably in for a rude surprise.

 

[BlackMan304]

Still haven't seen a guesstimate MSRP on the Mac Mini "Pro". Me thinks "Pro" gives it a $500 bounce. Minimum.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

In general, use the 14" MBpro as your guide and subtract for the parts Mini won't have.

Base 14" MBpro Pro $1999 minus screen, keyboard, track pad, camera, speakers. Guess: about $1199-$1499. Existing Intel Mini base $1099. My own best guess at M1 Pro base Mini is $1299

For any configuration above base, Use the 14" MBpro and do the same thing. For example, 14" MBpro MAXed out with MAX 10 core/32 core, 64GB RAM, 8TB Apple SSD storage is $5899. Remove screen, keyboard, track pad, camera, speakers, etc. Guess: about $4499-$4999. My best guess: $4999

Every other config slots in between that guess range of about $1299 to about $4999

Apple being Apple, I'd lean to me being too conservative with my guesses than too high. For example, $1499 wouldn't really surprise me as base Mini Pro either. And MAXxed could easily jump $5K.

 

[nt5672]

The only question then is do you need all of that storage on the expensive (and really fast) Apple SSD. Or can it work just as well on slower/cheaper USB or network attached storage?

I can never really keep up, can you or can you not boot from an M1 Mac mini external SSD?

 

[tubular]

I don't think my example price of $1400 to $1500 would be too high for an M1 Pro Mac Mini.

$1500 is what I paid for my current mini in early 2019, although that price has since been cut. I'm expecting the base Mac mini with M1 Pro (and maybe one step up the SSD staircase) to land around there.

It might be a useful guide to remember that on the desktop Apple likes to keep its upgrade pricing linear -- $25 per GPU core, $25 per GB RAM, and $100 per 256GB SSD. (I think laptop SSD is more like $150 per 256GB SSD.) It's not an absolute rule, and they bend it at the very top and the very bottom.

 

[jazz1]

They’re probably going to make it like the first M1 MacBook/iMac, two thunderbolt ports and the ethernet will be on the power brick. That’s it.

Please, please Apple, more ports and support for three displays! If not, I'll stick with my original M1 MacMini.

 

[kemal]

If it uses an external power brick, it won't be able to be housed in server centers.

 

[jazz1]

Perhaps Tim Apple will realize that the only display options for his shiny new Mac mini right now are the XDR at 10x the price or your choice of ugly, universally-plasticky third-party monitor…

Yes! I'm using two Dell monitors on my M1 MacMini, but when I sit down in front of my Late 2015 iMac's display I love it more!

 

[AppleInLVX]

Hmmm. Buy this or wait for an iMac?

In that boat. Currently have the original 2014 27" Retina iMac and would love to upgrade this year. I *love* the idea of a Mac Mini, as since I've been working from home so much, it'd be quite convenient to hook my home setup (Mac) and my Work setup (Winblows) to the same monitor. Thing is, it's not easy to find a monitor near as nice as what comes on the iMac. And, I've gotten used to the integrated-everything of the iMac too. Having all these separate hardware components just looks messy, and sometimes doesn't work as well. Add to that, Apple's more or less priced me out of the 'pro' lines, which is (sadly) understandable, as I really don't *need* anything more than the iMac they released last year, but I want to see what the offer is before I decide. It's been a long wait. Glad it's nearly over.

 

[jazz1]

I have a 2018 model with 16gb of memory - late last year (may have been when I upgraded from Big Sur - but I think it was before that) I started running out of memory. Wasn't doing anything different with my Mini. Have installed Memory Diag to monitor and automatically recycle the ram. I could always upgrade to 64gb but that's expensive (about £350-£400 all in) and I can't believe I need it.

I run out of memory on my 2021 M1 iMac with 16GB RAM. Started with Big Sur and continues with Monterey. If the Pro version does this, then the "Pro" users are going to be even more pi$$ed off than I am ?

 

[MistaBungle]

The part that I don't get is if they are using the same power cable as the iMac, why isn't the ethernet port on the brick? This has me concerned about the validity of his information.