I’d love to see an updated Mac mini the same form factor as the 4K Apple TV! I’d buy that in a heartbeat!
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Kuo: 2023 Mac Mini to Retain Same Design as Current Model
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Keeping the same design let’s it continue to share design language with the Studio and there is plenty room in there if the M2 or M5 is suddenly getting a little toasty.
exactly. i mean now that they introduced the Mac Studio it no longer makes sense to put anything other than a M2 in the Mac Mini, maybe a M2 Pro (the lowest end upgrade) at the most... otherwise it basically becomes a Mac Studio (minus the ports I guess, but still.)
Basically here will be the lineup in time...
Desktop Macs:
iMac - all in one design, 24 inch model only (updated with M2 in late 2022 or early 2023?)
Mac Mini - regular user with a dedicated monitor, hopefully a Studio Display (updated with M2 in late 2022 or early 2023?)
Mac Studio - power user with a dedicated monitor, hopefully a Studio Display or Studio Display PRO (coming this summer?)
Mac Pro - extreme user / money no object user (maybe with modular needs, although this might go away?), hopefully with a Studio Display PRO (coming this summer, mini-LED and 120hz) or XDR 2.0 (maybe? or discontinued?)
Laptop Macs:
Macbook Air - (renamed Macbook maybe?) all new design with M2 (coming this summer?) - can use Studio Display
Macbook Pro - 2021 designs get updated with M2 Pro/Max in 2023 - can use Studio Display
I know there are still rumors of an iMac Pro with various folks saying it really is dead while others say 2023. I just don't see the market anymore. The users who had iMac Pros will want a Studio Display / Mac Studio combo and the price will be similar. If anything I think there was a market for LOW end 27 inch iMacs in the $1800-3000 range but I guess it wasn't big and Apple wants to steer them to the Mac Mini / Studio Display combos which would start at $2300+.
I'm a long time user of iMacs in the home and my last two have been 27 inch iMacs. I was holding out for M1/M2 version of that but now I'm pairing a seldom used M1 Macbook Air, Studio Display, and a Thunderbolt dock and seeing how it goes. Ironically it may make me update my main computer MORE often since the display likely will last me 7+ years hopefully and I'm more inclined to update when I'm not wasting the display. I suppose that's EXACTLY what Apple wanted to hear.
I just want a Mac Mini with an M1 Pro.
I dont mind if it looks the same.
I dont mind if it looks the same.
I like the design and it will help with cooling and adding more ports if they make a variant with a pro chip.
What is wrong with the current Mac mini? M1 is more then enough for regular use and those who needs more can buy the iMac or the Mac studio, IMHO, the current design is great too.
Really, you think this looks 1/2 empty?
Seems about right.
And that is with a PSU and cooling solution that is overkill for the M1.
Put an MxPro into it and things might get somewhat cramped again.
It seems that M2 will be a fall thing, so no M2Pro before 2023 seems about right.
Given the new Mac Studio's design, I'm 100% ok with Apple sticking with the current Mac mini's design. Sure Apple could probably make it more svelte, but honestly, does it really need it? My hesitation with the new Mac mini design that Jon Prosser put out was that Apple would make the power supply external like the iMac. I didn't like that aspect of the rumor at all.
Disagree…I think we’re getting a two year cycle from here on out. The mini is priced reasonably enough for Apple to make a profit on them now and with the engineering in-house and not dependent on Intel, this is an important cog in Apple’s consumer lineup.
Just add a 1-2 more USB ports on the back, one on the front and an SD card slot, an M2, 24GB of RAM option, WiFi 6E and 2.5G Ethernet.
The biggest design change in the last 12 years was adding a space gray option, so I think it's a safe bet lol
I would say Apple should use the Mini Studio for ALL the Mini's and just change internals for the different performance levels. The Mini Studio has a great set of ports that would be good for people doing all levels of work.
Apple's next-generation Mac mini will likely feature the same design as the current model, according to reputable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
In a brief tweet, Kuo said that the refreshed Mac mini is likely to retain the same form factor as the current model, which is an aluminum unibody design that Apple has used for every new Mac mini since 2010. Earlier this week, Kuo said that the new Mac mini will not launch until 2023.
Kuo's claim runs contrary to a rumor from leaker Jon Prosser, who last year said that Apple was working on a complete redesign for the small desktop computer, moving to a smaller chassis with a "plexiglass-like" top.
Apple has been believed to be working on a new Mac mini for some time. It updated the entry-level Mac mini with the M1 chip in November 2020, but the high-end offering is still the Space Gray model with an Intel processor from 2018. The potential of replacing this older high-end model with an Apple silicon machine was previously at the center of rumors related to new Mac minis, but now it looks like both the entry-level and the high-end model may be refreshed simultaneously.
9to5Mac recently said that Apple originally "had plans" to introduce high-end versions of the Mac mini with M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, but these plans were "probably scrapped" in favor of the Mac Studio. Now, Apple is believed to be working on two new Mac mini models, including one with the M2 chip and a higher-end model with the M2 Pro chip.
Article Link: Kuo: 2023 Mac Mini to Retain Same Design as Current Model
Wasn't he one of the people sure that Apple was going to release a Mini with a transparent glass top? If so, what happened to that? It would be awesome, but never happened. *shrug*
Yeah, the Mini, 'half empty'... There isn't a lot of empty in those things. It's kind of deceptive, but they are packed. Same with the Apple TVs. Not much 'free space' at all. A very elegant design...
Yeah, the Mini, 'half empty'... There isn't a lot of empty in those things. It's kind of deceptive, but they are packed. Same with the Apple TVs. Not much 'free space' at all. A very elegant design...
The space gray model is still available. I prefer silver though
Agree, but that would break Apple Tradition. They always are short on ports on most everything they make. I could use a few more USB-C ports on my IMP, and it has more than the standard iMac. If they used the same chassis, they would likely pull some of the ports off it.
It’s unnecessarily big for the regular M1 chip. I’m not against a redesign but not putting a small computer into a big housing just because we can.
EDIT: It's there. I just had to scroll down. (So embarrassed)
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I wouldn't say the Intel model is the "high-end". It may be a pricier option but it performs poorly compared with the M1 version (especially in the graphics department, even after adding an external GPU). The only reason I can see that anyone might want the Intel version is to run Windows.
Exactly; they could have made the M1 mini the size of an Apple TV, but that’d leave no room for more than a handful of ports and it’d need an audible fan and probably an external power brick like the 24” iMac . The Mac Studio looking just like a taller Mac mini further suggests they’re not moving away from this design.
Edit: The Apple that released the single port 12” MacBook might have considered this, but Apple has suddenly made ports a priority again.
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It’s still showing for me. It has lots of ports. Four thunderbolt ports, two of the older style USB-A ports, Ethernet and HDMI. The newer Apple Silicon version silicon version has two less thunderbolt ports but that’s a limitation of the chip. You can get a hub and have as many ports as you need and the right on your desk so you don’t have to reach behind the computer. That’s the way to go regardless of how many ports you have on your computer because it’s just right there
So the same wireless issues will persist?
Ugh -- no buy from me
Ugh -- no buy from me