Apple cuts size of Mac mini in half with long-awaited revamp
APPLE overhauled the design of its Mac mini desktop computer for the first time in about 15 years, cutting the device’s size to just 12.7 centimetres across and adding speedier M4 chips.
The new models are less than half the size of the previous Mac mini design – introduced in 2010 by then chief executive officer Steve Jobs – making them closer to the dimensions of an Apple TV set-top box. Beyond the new chassis, which is five centimetres tall, the computers will run M4 and M4 Pro processors, part of a wave of Mac upgrades that feature that chip generation.
Apple is planning a week of Mac announcements, which started on Monday (Oct 28) with the unveiling of an iMac with the M4. It also just rolled out Apple Intelligence, its new artificial intelligence platform, for the iPhone, iPad and Mac.
As Bloomberg News previously reported, the new Mac mini features a pair of connectors on the front – matching the higher-end Mac Studio – as well as a slew of ports and other inputs on the back. The Mac mini continues to come in silver, matching prior generations. And the company touted the computer’s ability to handle Apple Intelligence tasks, though older M1 and M2 versions also support the software.
Apple rolled out separate accessories on Monday that have USB-C connectors. Like prior models, the Mac mini does not come with a keyboard, mouse or trackpad in the box. The 1.5-pound computer only includes a power cable. It’s available for preorder on Tuesday and will be available in stores on Nov 8.
The new Mac mini models replace versions with M2 and M2 Pro chips that debuted in early 2023. The M4 edition comes with 10 cores each in both in its CPU, or central processing unit, and GPU, or graphics processing unit. It starts at US$599, matching the price of the prior model. There’s also a US$799 version with the M4 that doubles the storage to half a terabyte.
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The M4 Pro edition, the first Mac with this higher-end chip, starts at US$1,399 – a US$100 price increase from the M2 Pro model. The base version with that chip includes 12 CPU cores, 16 GPU cores, half a terabyte of storage and 24 gigabytes of memory. A top-of-the-line model with 14 CPU cores and 20 GPU cores is US$1,599.
For the first time, the Mac mini includes 16 gigabytes of memory in the entry-level version – in line with the new base models of the iMac and upcoming MacBook Pro. Mac mini models with the M4 Pro also can be configured with 64 gigabytes of memory, a first for the product since Apple switched to in-house processors. They cap out at 8 terabytes of storage, such as the prior versions.
The Mac mini design includes two USB-C ports and a headphone jack on the front of every model, as well as three Thunderbolt connectors on the back. The M4 versions use the Thunderbolt 4 standard, while the M4 Pro models use Thunderbolt 5, which doubles the throughput for faster data transfers.
All models also include the power connector, an HDMI port and an Ethernet jack on the back. The power button has been moved to the bottom. BLOOMBERG
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