Why a Mac mini Pro is still on the way

On the very finish of the “Peek Performance” presentation Tuesday, John Ternus wrapped up the day’s bulletins by declaring the Mac’s transition to Apple silicon was almost full, with only one extra to go: the Mac Professional. That was shortly adopted by the unceremonious removing of the 27-inch iMac from Apple’s lineup.

That left Mac mini followers feeling slightly not noted. Whereas it’s true that Apple’s most cost-effective Mac was first in line to get the M1 processor again in 2020, it was little greater than a processor swap. Thoughts you, it was a superb processor swap, however basically the Mac mini didn’t change—the ports, design, and total sense of goal had been largely unchanged. It was a superb machine, however nonetheless slightly overpriced and slightly underwhelming.

Mac followers had been hoping the “Peek Performance” occasion modified that. For months, rumors had been swirling a few redesigned Mac mini packing an M1 Professional/M1 Max processor that dramatically elevated the efficiency. Moreover, it was anticipated to get an overdue overhaul with a smaller case, extra ports, colours, and a cool braided magnetic energy twine just like the iMac.

At first look, it might appear that the Mac Studio usurps that place. With an M1 Max processor, six USB-C/Thunderbolt ports, a card reader, and a model new design, the $1,999 Mac Studio could be very a lot a pro-level Mac mini. However that value is kind of a leap from the $699 Mac mini.

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In case your pockets isn’t able to fork over a few grand on a desktop Mac, there may be loads of proof that an upgraded Mac mini with extra pace and enlargement is certainly on the way in which. For one, Apple nonetheless sells the 3.0GHz Intel Core i5 Mac mini, so it clearly acknowledges that there’s a want for a machine that doesn’t high out at 16GB of RAM and has greater than two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports.

Moreover, the Mac Studio doesn’t match up with the rumors we had heard in regards to the new Mac mini. The most recent Mac mini rumors pointed to a two-tone plexiglass high with a number of shade choices and two rubberized strips on the underside, nothing just like the Mac Studio’s design. And the Mac Studio doesn’t have a magnetic energy cable, both.

And simply yesterday, 9to5Mac reported that Apple is engaged on an M2 improve for the Mac mini that may embrace an M2 Professional possibility for individuals who need extra energy. Apple conspicuously left the M1 Professional out of the Mac Studio choices, leaving it open for the Mac mini. The M2 chip is predicted to have the identical structure because the M1 with a 15 to twenty p.c pace increase, which might make an M2 Professional Mac mini an especially speedy machine.

The timing is one other query. Typically-accurate Ming-Chi Kuo doesn’t assume it’ll arrive till subsequent yr, whereas Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman and different have pegged it for a launch later in 2022. Apple clearly must announce the M2 chip first, and that may not occur till the autumn, which may push again the Mac mini to subsequent spring.