High-End 'M1X' Mac Mini With New Design and Additional Ports Expected to Launch in the 'Next Several Months'

[Macalway]

I just hope they make it smaller. I always thought it was a bit large for that type of thing. Of course it has a buit in supply, but still.

Loose the built-in supply, and just use USB-C. Make it small. I'll bite. I've got a couple really nice portable monitors. (Not like they made a couple years ago). This would be aesthetically pleasing

 

[boak]

Then we'll just have to wait and see if they'll continue with M2 + M2X lines or shift the M1X price down and offering an M2 at the higher price point.

If the chip is indeed called M1X, the strategy will be the former. Otherwise, they will just name the new chip M2.

 

[crobcary]

It's not that I need more power, just more storage than 2TB. The performance with the current M1 machines has been perfectly fine for what I do (High end Photoshop) but my 2TB is full already and I want more. M1X with bigger storage specs and more RAM will be spot on.

I just ordered the Satechi hub for my M1 Mini…there are two options: one with an SSD enclosure and one without. Have you seen them?

 

[Hyperchaotic]

TBH, M1 is good enough already. I think what needs to be upgraded is the RAM capacity. 16GB is paltry compared to what we had with Intel.

Different people have different needs/use cases.

 

[boak]

I just hope they make it smaller. I always thought it was a bit large for that type of thing. Of course it has a buit in supply, but still.

Loose the built-in supply, and just use USB-C. Make it small. I'll bite.

Doesn’t the M1 Mac mini have lots of empty space inside right now? A redesign will probably make it smaller.

 

[Da_Hood]

Apple didn't offer a distinct higher end Mac Mini line. They had various configuration options of the same model. Some ready made with better options. They were still on the same motherboard and layout. Therefore the same model. They're all even called the Macmini8,1. It would be like considering $1,799 and $2,299 27" iMac different models instead of different options of the same model.

Apple simply discontinued the base config. Normally in the past when they dump the base config but keep the higher config available. They drop the price of that config to base. This time they didn't.

With 13" Intel MacBook Pros they offered two distinct models. Along with other lines offering distinct models. Even the 21.5" iMac had different model designations for the 1080p and 4K models.

While Apple's free to do what they want. I'd consider the M1X a distinct new line. If they're going to offer two different models going forward. Sort of a Mac Mini and Mac Mini Pro. With either the M1 or M1X being the actual replacement for the Intel model. Then we'll just have to wait and see if they'll continue with M2 + M2X lines or shift the M1X price down and offering an M2 at the higher price point.

Its no different to when they offered the server variant.

 

[Hyperchaotic]

Any reason why would Apple release an M1X after a year of M1’s release instead of moving to an M2 and M2X? .. after all, A15 is just around the corner, might as well release an M2 and M2X.

Well first of all the cores in what we think is the M1-series are still kickass cores. Secondly, I'm sure Apple is rolling out new processor tech as quickly as they can but with validation and manufacturing and supply chain they can't just immediately flip everything over to the M2 series line just because they have a new set of A15 cores ready, it has to be bit by bit in concert with careful planning with TSMC.

 

[boak]

Any reason why would Apple release an M1X after a year of M1’s release instead of moving to an M2 and M2X? .. after all, A15 is just around the corner, might as well release an M2 and M2X.

Amortisation of development costs. The M2 will likely be based on the A16. I suspect the low end Macs will be updated with the M2 before the high end ones with the M2X. Similar to how the iPad Air got the A14 while the iPad Pro was still stuck with the older albeit more powerful A12Z.

 

[acorntoy]

Why does Apple want to turn its 'entry level' Mac into a high end one?

Apples been trying to do this with design for years but thermals have limited them back. Just look at the trashcan Mac Pro. Back to the G4 cube. Apple likes small computers.

 

[fourthtunz]

I really hate that Mark Gurman has switched to ******** claims like "in the next several months" when he's too afraid to give an exact date.

Well to be fair he's probably just 1.gunshy. 2. It may be the party line as Apple works hand in glove with
this site and the leakers. Apple just wants to keep people interested. Several months may
be enough to keep people from buying other products?

 

[SicTransitGloriaMundi]

Gurman: "Okay, so my next article will be 'bout .."
*looks at list* "
... Mac Mini. And I'm going to state that there'll be a new version in .."
*rolls two d6 dice*
" .. 6 and 1 .. that makes 7; new Mac Minis will release in 7 months!"

 

[Tagbert]

I just hope they make it smaller. I always thought it was a bit large for that type of thing. Of course it has a buit in supply, but still.

Loose the built-in supply, and just use USB-C. Make it small. I'll bite. I've got a couple really nice portable monitors. (Not like they made a couple years ago). This would be aesthetically pleasing

But one of the benefits of a desktop computer, like the Mini, is having all those ports. Making a desktop smaller doesn't give much benefit. They might make it a little shorter if they need less space for a big cooling system. If they did that, they could keep the ports.

 

[velocityg4]

Gurman: "Okay, so my next article will be 'bout .."
*looks at list* "
... Mac Mini. And I'm going to state that there'll be a new version in .."
*rolls two d6 dice*
" .. 6 and 1 .. that makes 7; new Mac Minis will release in 7 months!"

He should roll a 2D20 then multiply them. For a more accurate number of days prediction.

 

[Tagbert]

TBH, M1 is good enough already. I think what needs to be upgraded is the RAM capacity. 16GB is paltry compared to what we had with Intel.

That is one of the things the M1x is expected to address. The machines that are likely to get M1x currently have 32-64GB, more ports, faster gpu, and up to 3 monitors.

 

[ForkHandles]

I

It's not that I need more power, just more storage than 2TB. The performance with the current M1 machines has been perfectly fine for what I do (High end Photoshop) but my 2TB is full already and I want more. M1X with bigger storage specs and more RAM will be spot on.

I understand what your saying but there is a better solution than relying entirely on board drive space, especially when that space is always finite.

The M1 works best when working files are in the box, external drives are always slower. I’ve taken to archiving my files externally and only having video/data files on board that are current projects.

My 512Mb set up has all my finished media with lots of space left over for project files as and when I am working. (Light user)

Every time I load up projects into the box time machine does its job and backs it all up.

 

[InuNacho]

Apples been trying to do this with design for years but thermals have limited them back. Just look at the trashcan Mac Pro. Back to the G4 cube. Apple likes small computers.

It's their insane desire to make everything as small/thin as possible for no reason at all.
Look at the rest of the competition in the Windows laptop market with i9's. They have some extra fans and thickness. Heck even competing AiOs have better cooling and thermal designs.
It was completely stupid to go from the rMBP to butterfly to shave a millimeter off the top.

 

[cmaier]

Why would you want fanless though? You’d be wasting the performance capability of the chip

By that logic, a fan wastes the performance capability of the chip because you could have active aerosol cooling instead.

 

[david1610]

Is there anything actually new in this post? Except for playing it safe as to when this is announced.
Responding to some comments... If you go to an Apple online store you will see the Mac mini available at three different levels - entry, middle and higher end. The higher end is currently Intel based. The M1X will replace that.
The choice of three levels tends to be a regular Apple choice. IMHO the low end choice is often rather outdated (how many Mac Pro 128GB SSD machines were bought, iMACs with Fusion Drives (which are mainly Hard Drives) for years after their sell-by date?). Anyway, this is definitely not to replace the lower end, but the higher end choice.
Storage - if you buy a machine and max out the storage you tend to pay a premium price for it. Hopefully it is common sense but these machines offer very fast Thunderbolt connections to external SSDs. Work out what you need as a whole but decide how much of that has to be internal v external storage.
Oh and please hurry up with the replacement 27 in iMac. You have guaranteed revenue from me and I suspect many others replacing our old (2015 in my case) iMacs provide the replacement hardware is not crazily priced!

 

[currocj]

Because Apple started defining ‘Pro’ machines as having 1 port so now ‘high end’ just means ‘practical’

My sentiments exactly. The first m1 Mac mini has 3 flaws: too few ports, 1 external thunderbolt monitor limit (plus one lame hdmi one), some serious Bluetooth, audio issues

 

[macsplusmacs]

Should be quite the update.

I just hope we have a better idea how soon after the macbooks they come by the time those are announced.

 

[lee27]

This is what I have been waiting for! Mac Mini M1X!

Me too!!!!

 

[McScooby]

It's their insane desire to make everything as small/thin as possible for no reason at all.
Look at the rest of the competition in the Windows laptop market with i9's. They have some extra fans and thickness. Heck even competing AiOs have better cooling and thermal designs.
It was completely stupid to go from the rMBP to butterfly to shave a millimeter off the top.

Smaller product means less packaging means cheaper shipping for apple as more can be transported at a time.

 

[LeadingHeat]

Did everyone in this forum skip over the plexiglass detail?? Uhh as far as I’m aware, that’s never been done before on a Mac. What is THAT going to look like?

 

[mrdf]

This is what I have been waiting for! Mac Mini M1X!

Not me. I've been waiting for the Mac Mini M5X!

 

[macsplusmacs]

Did everyone in this forum skip over the plexiglass detail?? Uhh as far as I’m aware, that’s never been done before on a Mac. What is THAT going to look like?

Old mac minis had this. I gave one of those to my mom years ago.