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Gurman: M1 Pro Mac Mini 'Now Off the Table' as Apple's Focus Turns to M2 and M2 Pro Options

It is certainly not surprising that they're no longer considering an M1 Pro mini... that ship has sailed. A better question is why they didn't offer one in the first place.

The M1 Pro (and M2 Pro, presumably) is an excellent "sweet spot" chip for those that want a little more umph and/or future-proofing vs. the base chip. It is currently completely unavailable in any desktop model, which seems ludicrous to me.

There should be an Mx-Pro Mini and 24" iMac IMHO. A pro-version iMac is almost certainly what I would have bought if it were available when I got mine. I hope to see it with the M2.
 
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jonnysods said:
Is there really a place for a Pro Mac Mini? The Studio is essentially that device.
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Of course there is. The Studio starts at $2000 while higher end Mac Minis start at $1000. The Pro chip is enough for most people so a Mac Mini would fit that bill. The Max chip is just too much computer for a lot of people especially since it was purpose built for graphical work, but of course the M1 Pro is only in the Macbook Pros which start at $2000
 
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A high end Mac mini makes no sense to me, the Mac mini was never intended for that purpose. The Mac mini was a low cost option to convince people to switch to the Mac, like a gateway drug. The Mac Studio is the desktop device made to replace the 27 inch iMac and be a "lower cost" option for the Mac Pro.
 
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I don't understand, but Apple already offers a Mac mini with both an M1 Pro and M1 Max. It is called the Mac Studio. The M1 Pro and M1 Max get considerably hotter and as a result this model Mac mini needed a bigger heatsink to more efficiently cool it. Thus the taller case. I don't see any reason to sacrifice cooling and install a half sized heatsink / fan to make it half height like the M1 Mac mini. I also can't imagine a single person's desktop that had enough space for a half height M1 mini but didn't have enough space for the full heigh M1 Pro / Max Mac mini (Studio).
 
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Spock said:
A high end Mac mini makes no sense to me, the Mac mini was never intended for that purpose. The Mac mini was a low cost option to convince people to switch to the Mac, like a gateway drug. The Mac Studio is the desktop device made to replace the 27 inch iMac and be a "lower cost" option for the Mac Pro.
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Well not exactly. Again, the Studio costs $2000 and the M1 Max is too much computer for a lot of people. The high end Mac Mini serves as a midrange, because as it stands there's no midrange option for the desktops. (And before you say it: no the Studio is not the midrange between the Mini and Mac Pro. The Mac Pro is a weird beast. Costs waaaaaaay too much for anyone outside of large studios. The Mac Studio is more the high end Mac for the average consumer.)

osxster said:
I don't understand, but Apple already offers a Mac mini with both an M1 Pro and M1 Max. It is called the Mac Studio. The M1 Pro and M1 Max get considerably hotter and as a result this model Mac mini needed a bigger heatsink to more efficiently cool it. Thus the taller case. I don't see any reason to sacrifice cooling and install a half sized heatsink / fan to make it half height like the M1 Mac mini. I also can't imagine a single person's desktop that had enough space for a half height M1 mini but didn't have enough space for the full heigh M1 Pro / Max Mac mini (Studio).
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Again the Studio does not have the M1 Pro chip it has the M1 Max chip which for most people is too much computer. Most just want the M1 Pro but do not want to spend $2000 on a Macbook Pro to get it.
 
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Freida said:
Yes there is. Not everyone wants to pay for MAX when they are perfectly fine with Pro.

I hope we get this in fall as thats what I'm waiting for.
Originally wanted Studio but then decided it may be wise for me to wait for M2 variant of Mini :)
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Spaceboi Scaphandre said:
Again the Studio does not have the M1 Pro chip it has the M1 Max chip which for most people is too much computer. Most just want the M1 Pro but do not want to spend $2000 on a Macbook Pro to get it.
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There is a saying on our end: hope dies last.

The won't be an Mx Pro Mac mini, at least in the foreseable future. The sooner people get used to it, the better.

We will get an M2 Mac mini and M2 Max/Ultra in the Mac Studio.
Many would buy an M2 Pro, but who would than buy the Max? The minority. And Apple knows its calculation.
 
osxster said:
I don't understand, but Apple already offers a Mac mini with both an M1 Pro and M1 Max. It is called the Mac Studio.
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Well clearly you don't understand, because the Studio offers Max or Ultra, not Pro.

osxster said:
The M1 Pro and M1 Max get considerably hotter and as a result this model Mac mini needed a bigger heatsink to more efficiently cool it.
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The Pro die isn't substantially larger than a vanilla M1 die. The existing Mac mini enclosure and heatsink is already more than adequate for the M1.
 
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I have a M1 MBP, but would consider a M1/M2 Pro Mini if it meant it could handle After Effects render scenes with more rasterising layers. I couldn't believe how long my MBP wanted to take to render some scenes that seemed very simple. I rarely see any bottlenecks at all on the MBP but when time is money I can't wait around for my MBP to render something when I need to use it for other things too. I should honestly have waited for the Pro/Max models to come out instead of buying the M1 MBP, but live and learn.
 
The studio is the mini pro. “But but but there’s a real need for an option in between the mini and the studio.” That’s as close to splitting hairs as it gets in the current Mac lineup.

The obvious unfilled spot is with the imac “selection” (of one.) The current imac air with its cute color options is fine for grade schoolers and receptionists, but anyone who’d like an AIO with actual options, you know, like we’ve had for years, is just SOL.

Apples commitment and deserved success re: integrated monitors, especially since retina, has been a key advantage to a desktop AIO, not to mention the clean workspace arrangement — another apple hallmark.

Personally I ended up getting the base 16” MBP as I got tired of waiting for a replacement for my (still functioning) 2011 27” imac. The power is just right for my needs, the screen is fantastic other than being about half the size a good desktop screen should be. It is destined for resale if and when Apple again commits to the AIO lineup.
 
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A redesigned sharp looking Mac Mini with a M2 Pro chip will make the ugly duckling base Mac Studio undesired.
Although we may see some cosmetic design refresh, it's likely Apple will limit the mini similar to the M2 MB Air up to 24GB RAM (same upgrade path) and leave it at that with the base M2 chip.

Rather, we could see a M2 Pro chip as the new base Mac Studio with Apple expanding options within the Mac Studio suite.

We will know soon enough and finally put the nail in the coffin and kill off this never ending rumor.
 
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Apple is still selling the intel mac mini, does this not hint that they are not done with their Apple SOC line of products? I would be shocked if apple still keeps the intel version alone to appease the small percentage of people that still required intel based machine.
 
Perhaps people haven't seen the teardown videos of the Mac Studio, but the only reason it is larger is because it has a bigger heatsink. It doesn't matter if the die isn't much larger than the M1 chip, it requires more cooling to get optimal performance and heat dissipation.
 
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When do you think the next Mac Mini will be released?

I’m tired of bringing my MBP 16 back and forth to my office every day, and want a Mac desktop at work. I’d like an M1 or M2 Pro, 32GB, 2TB. Buy a Studio now or wait for something smaller, cheaper, and quieter?
 
I have a strange feeling, that the Mx Pro chip will be reserved for the bigger iMac, that will be introduced sometime in the future (or not).
 
Makes sense given the M1 is going to be phased out and the M2 gives Apple the opportunity to update the whole line and push sales up.

Even though the M2's CPU part is just marginally better than the M1, the GPU is better, and we get increased RAM limits.
 
Spaceboi Scaphandre said:
Well not exactly. Again, the Studio costs $2000 and the M1 Max is too much computer for a lot of people. The high end Mac Mini serves as a midrange, because as it stands there's no midrange option for the desktops. (And before you say it: no the Studio is not the midrange between the Mini and Mac Pro. The Mac Pro is a weird beast. Costs waaaaaaay too much for anyone outside of large studios. The Mac Studio is more the high end Mac for the average consumer.)



Again the Studio does not have the M1 Pro chip it has the M1 Max chip which for most people is too much computer. Most just want the M1 Pro but do not want to spend $2000 on a Macbook Pro to get it.
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Like it or not, Mac Studio is the midrange desktop in the Apple lineup and I don't think they are going to change that. If anything, the iMac is more likely to get the M2 Pro option before the mini.
 
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