Base M5 Mac Mini storage bump to 512GB?

[farmerabc]

What do people think are the chances that the next Mac Mini will get a storage increase from 256GB to 512GB in the base model?

I want to buy a Mac Mini, and I don't consider it worth waiting for an unknown amount of time just to get M5 vs M4, for my needs. However, if waiting meant I could get double the storage for the same price, then I do think that would be worth waiting for.

 

[J@ffa]

I think it would be pretty unlikely. This isn’t based on anything specific, just knowing that Apple will want to start the Pro chip version with that. The value of the base M4 now is excellent and I don’t see Apple wanting to cut into that by upgrading specs that would be nice but we’re probably at least a few years from being the base.

 

[maflynn]

It appears the soonest you'll see the Mini, is next year. There's rumors that apple is working on a M5 mini, but who knows when we'll see it. If we are to consider prior release dates, it may not even be in 2026.

As for the 512GB vs. 256, its anyone's guess. The base model M5 14 MBP comes with 512, but that's a 1600 dollar machine, where as the mini is a 500 dollar machine. If I were a betting man, I'd say apple will keep the 256 storage for the M5, but that's just a guess.

Finally if you need one now, get one now, but wait until Black Friday to save yourself some money

 

[Fishrrman]

"What do people think are the chances that the next Mac Mini will get a storage increase from 256GB to 512GB in the base model?"

Not good.
Apple will always offer a "stripped-down, base model" to pull buyers in.

The only problem is... use one of these for anything more than "light duty"... and it gets bogged down quickly.

It's up to YOU to buy with more storage.
These days, I'd consider 24gb of RAM to be "the minimum", and 32gb "the new baseline".

Similarly, for SSD storage, 512gb is "the baseline", and 1tb is "getting there" insofar as adequate storage room goes.

Remember... it takes something like 50gb of "free space" just to do a major OS upgrade now. Before too much longer, folks who bought 256gb drives and who weren't careful about how much stuff they put on them are going to find updates problematical...