This has been Apple’s modus operandi since 1984. It is quite literally ingrained in the DNA of the company. It will never change and it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who frequents this website.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Updated Mac Mini Still Coming With M2 and M2 Pro Chips
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I figure we’ll see a M1/2 Pro Mac Mini possibly by the fall. The tease of the Mac Pro yesterday means a high probability it shows up at WWDC. Will the M2 line of chips release then, too? I doubt it. They’ll want everything on an M1 for a good while before introducing the M2. They JUST introduced Mac Studio, and introducing an M2 chip immediately afterwards will hurt sales as many will want to wait for an M2 version. My guess is we’ll see Apple update their entire line-up in one year with M2s once they’re introduced, but it may not be until 2023.
I also think there’s the possibility they may release a completely new and different processor for the Mac Pro that exists outside of the M-series designation. This way they can update the Pro on a different cycle than their M chips.
It’s definitely an interesting time for Apple!
I also think there’s the possibility they may release a completely new and different processor for the Mac Pro that exists outside of the M-series designation. This way they can update the Pro on a different cycle than their M chips.
It’s definitely an interesting time for Apple!
Makes good sense. I'd bet the iMac will get an M1 Pro option as well. Then the Max and Ultra will exclusively be in the Pro/Studio products, but there won't be a gap of no desktops having the middle-child Pro processor.
Considering the rumors were more often wrong than right for the March 8 event, I wouldn’t put any belief in the newest ones. Gurman’s credibility is gone, and so is that of most of the guessers. The Apple secret squirrel security force has finally managed to lock them out of the loop.
As far as the Mac mini, an educated guess based on past history is that it might see an upgrade bump this year, but not to the point of competing with the iMac or Studio. It will likely get an M2 when they come out, if they come out. It probably won’t get a M1/M2 Pro or M1/M2 Max chip because they want us to buy more expensive computers if we go mid-level, and they want to keep the mini as an entry level.
As far as the Mac mini, an educated guess based on past history is that it might see an upgrade bump this year, but not to the point of competing with the iMac or Studio. It will likely get an M2 when they come out, if they come out. It probably won’t get a M1/M2 Pro or M1/M2 Max chip because they want us to buy more expensive computers if we go mid-level, and they want to keep the mini as an entry level.
For marketing, this makes a lot of sense. “We’ve completed the M1 family lineup, so we are now ready to show you the M2 family.” I also suspect the M2 family is fairly minor in nature - probably targeting a ~10% boost split between performance and battery life. M2 will bring the new designs and features made possible by Apple Silicon rather than just transitioning old designs to new chips.
Maybe Mac mini can be made to be Apple TV size-ish. MacBook Air can be made even thinner and lighter and bezel-less. Truly better camera systems, authentication methods, who knows whats can be made possible now. I’d love to see out of the box compatibility with the iOS accessory ecosystem, perhaps.
Maybe Mac mini can be made to be Apple TV size-ish. MacBook Air can be made even thinner and lighter and bezel-less. Truly better camera systems, authentication methods, who knows whats can be made possible now. I’d love to see out of the box compatibility with the iOS accessory ecosystem, perhaps.
We are getting to Sculley and Spindler levels of overlap and confused SKUs.
Mac mini prices are not going that low again…so you may need to GTFO.
It was always going to be complicated during the transition to Apple Silicon, but overlaying the pandemic supply chain disruptions on top and you get Complicated Pro.
It’s pretty clear that some of the products Apple planned to release earlier but could not get ready in time. I think, but the time we get through the M2 rollouts and redesigns, the product lines and choices will be a lot clearer.
There is a glaring lack of any desktop system with the "Pro" CPU variant right now. If it's a Mac mini with M2 pro, that'll be fine and dandy. It would be great if the next M2 iMac offered a Pro option as well, if they can squeeze it in. That would have been my ideal machine (my M1 iMac is great but I would have definitely gone for the Pro with 32 GB if it existed).
Apple took the time to create the M1 Ultra and you’re already hoping for M2 chips?
I’d be delighted if Apple upgrades all the base model Mac to the M1 Pro. It should still be faster than a standard M2 while keep the price reasonable.
I mean $1999 for a base M1 Max Studio with 32GB and 512GB storage is already an improvement over 14” base model MBP.
I’d be delighted if Apple upgrades all the base model Mac to the M1 Pro. It should still be faster than a standard M2 while keep the price reasonable.
I mean $1999 for a base M1 Max Studio with 32GB and 512GB storage is already an improvement over 14” base model MBP.
How in the world is it a "mix" of the Mini and Pro? It has nothing to do with the Mini, other than a similar footprint. Admittedly, Apple did a poor job of distinguishing the Studio as a new class, and mainstream press is likening it to a Mini Pro. Bad messaging by Apple.
Why would you think they would phase out the entry-level Mini just because they introduced a new, powerful consumer desktop?
We are not through the white-water rapids, yet. Hang on and you’ll see some clear water in about 9 months.
Ahh yeah, right. Hmmm …M1, M2, Pro, Max, Ultra … it's getting hard to remember what this nomenclature signifies as far performance levels. I think I need the Ultra Premium Maxi Pro, but with fewer carbs.
During the keynote on Tuesday, John Turnus specifically stated that the M1 Ultra is the last SoC in the M1 family of processors so I'm not convinced the Mac Pro will get a processor based on M1 architecture.
's Chuck Norris.You cannot say Chuck Norris ... he's a liar and that whole chuck mean life died years ago.
When a Karate champion admits on television publicly that Bruce him the hardest he's ever experienced and did this in both their prime, only to later decades after Bruce's death (and his son's death, cause you know either would've knocked him out), he changes his story?! Pffff.
Nah man ... Srouji is the Silicon SoC sugar-daddy! Let playa pimp-on!
He's not lying is a scientist B.A. and engineering major - has always been incredible in math and sciences before high-school and onward. Like Rubinstein and Mansfield before him at Apple he's bringing the good good to Apple.
What is interesting is Srouji's DOB is kept hidden/secret, all other executives it's public. Doesn't matter because Srouji is killing it, like-a-boss!
If you already have an M1, there would be little reason to upgrade to the M2 unless you need more than 16GB RAM and if the M2 raises that limit. Now that we are in Apple Silicon, expect relatively incremental updates from chip version to version. The big jump was from Intel to Apple Silicon.
This is similar to the iPhone. If you had the iPhone 12, there is little reason for you to buy the iPhone 13. If you have an iPhone 11 or iPhone X, then it might be time to upgrade to the 13.
Just because Apple is updating the chips doesn’t mean you must upgrade. Most Mac owners keep their Macs for several years before upgrading.
So with the Mac Pro's soc ... will it simply be the M2? If so will it pale behind in performance from the M2 Pro, Max and Ultra for that chip nomenclature if it remains the same?
One scenario is something that they mentioned in the lead up to the Ultra. Dual chips. They could put 2 M1 Ultras in a Mac Pro. As they said, it does require developers to manage resources more since there are now 2 separate chips, but the software running that kind of performance is not your everyday office app, anyway.
I guess? There are so many rumors at so many cross-purposes I still end up surprised at what actually is announced at Mac events.
M2 will have 4 performance and 4 efficiency CPUs and 10 GPUs, all based on the A15 in the iPhone 13.
It stands to reason M2 Pro and M2 Max will follow the same CPU and GPU pattern as M1 did, just based on A15 instead of A14.
They might, but I could also see the iMac 24" stay on just M2.
I love the Studio announcement yesterday but it's more power than I need in a desktop at home. For those of us who could use a machine more powerful than the current M1 Mini, a reasonably spec'd M2 Pro Mini that comes in $500 less than a similarly spec'd M1 Max Studio might just fit the bill, somewhere in the $1500 to $2000 range.