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The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming
- Thread starter GabrieleR
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Even the best laid plans can slip and looking at the unavailability of most of the newly presented M1Pro/Max MacBook Pro‘s, the high end mini may have to wait longer than originally planned. If in doubt, the new 27” iMac will be prioritized for M1Pro/Max chips - and even that important model is still waiting for its release.
If all things go wrong, the new high end mini may even have to wait until 2023 - after all the Pandemic may reach new (negative) heights with Omikron in 2022.
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Or maybe, just maybe, we'll see a return for the 12" form factor as the $999 option. A successor to the 12" MacBook, which was held back by its CPU. With Apple Silicon, it might finally be the product it was intended to be.
Putting on my moderator hat for a moment... this is getting really off-topic for a thread about the Mini in the Mini forum...
Hear, hear...!
To bring things back to a Mac mini focus:
- High-end Intel Mac mini still for sale on Apple website, a clear sign for future M1 Pro / Max models
- Prosser render is a No-Go, woefully inadequate venting
- External PSU is a Stupid Idea
- Supply chain issues hobbling new model introductions
- The machine in my sig would make a fine birthday (mid-April) present
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Me thinks that the next Apple M chip hoopla will be about the big iMac. It will get a presentation of its own. I just can’t imagine them pulling a high performance Mac mini out of a hat 30 seconds after the iMac dog & pony show.
While a higher performance Mac Mini is inevitable some day, it’s got to wait months AFTER the big iMac presentation dust settles.
So my prediction: no new Mac Mini until after big iMac.
While a higher performance Mac Mini is inevitable some day, it’s got to wait months AFTER the big iMac presentation dust settles.
So my prediction: no new Mac Mini until after big iMac.
They can announce multiple macs all at once. They easily could announce the Mac mini before they announce the iMac. We already know about the chipset. There’s almost no way the mini is getting some type of new chipset we haven’t seen.
They usually end events with their most pro, most powerful device anyways which is going to be the iMac. Why would the mini, which is going to be less powerful, and less interesting, need to be announced after an iMac?
Yeah the prosser rendering has me really confused. It always had a major red flag with the layout of those ports (USB-C ports were way too close in my opinion).
I agree external PSU is dumb, but it does take up 1/3 of the current design and if they are using the same power adaptor as the iMac I have a feeling they may be using a power brick. It’ll also allow them to shrink the design while still beefing up the cooling capacity. Not my favorite but I’ll manage (it can be hidden under a desk).
I personally am hoping for a taller mini, that’s not as wide or deep. More of a cube shape.
Because if chips are in short supply due to the various effects (Pandemic, display drivers shortage, generally short supply for increasingly more standard parts), the Mac mini has to stand back to help securing the required amount for the iMac.
Of course no one outside Apple knows how tight the supply is in reality, so it may well be that Apple introduces both iMac and Mac mini at the same event.
But _if_ there’s a shortage, the priority is clearly Notebooks >> iMac >> Mac mini.
That's what I'm scared of...
I sent the macbook pro 16" back as I suspected it was a defective unit and the software on it is still not 100% M1 compatible (it'll be in spring).
However I'm getting the money back in a few days and I have to decide if risking for an iMac (which could end up being oitrageously expensive) or take a gamble on the mini (which could potentially be released not earlier than summer)...
I could end up buying the Macbook Pro again but I'd be annoyed if a 2x M1 max imac would end up being made available for a similar price.
I'm not too annoyed by the fact I'd have to wait 4-6 weeks for a new macbook pto, as I'm still waiting for a few important updates and the experience would be quite smoother once I'd get it.
So many choices here...
I could even decide to "downgrade" to the 14", even if I'd lose a little power, as my desk is very small and I'd appreciate having something that could be also used in bed to watch films (the 16" is too large and heavy for that).
The reason why waiting months could be a problem for me is that I'll have lots of work this january and my M1 mac mini has reached its limits...
On the other hand I have a 5k$ budget (I'd still like to spend less) and I can only buy one machine that has to last me at least through '22 and '23.
It's a whole mess to balance...
If I had no pressure with regards to my work, I'd wait for a mac mini regardless of when it would be released.
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M1 Max Duo would add an easy US$1500+ to the cost of a maxed-out MacBook Pro...
Lease a 16" MacBook Pro from Apple...?
With the long lead times of BTO MacBook Prop laptops, it seems supplies of the SoCs may be an issue; so if the new ASi 27" iMac (Pro) has priority, a new high-end ASi Mac mini (Pro) may release perilously close to newer revisions of the Mn Pro/Max SoCs (M2, M3); this might cause Apple to skip the M1 Pro/Max in the Mac mini & wait for the M2 or M3-based Pro/Max SoC, same for the end users, skipping the very late release of the M1 Pro/Max-based minis & waiting for the M2/M3 Pro/Max variants...?
Most of the reports about chip shortages indicate the problem is mostly with small common third party chips. eg. Something you might find not just in a Mac, but also a car or a refrigerator.
Agreed.
For now I'll wait for the money to be refunded to me and I'll have a chat with my collaborators in early January to understand what the work load for the first quarter of 2022 would be.
Based on that, I'll make my decision.
I think there are so many risks involved here as we don't know exactly what plans does apple have for the mini.
Buying the macbook once again could mean at least securing an M1 max chip for (let's say) mid february.
I'm still glad I sent back the one I got as I'd like to have an actual work calendar laid out before committing once again.
I see the last time Apple announced a new iMAC 27” and a Mac Mini together was October 2014. The Mac Mini then was pretty much downgraded from the 2012 Mac Mini TOTL quad-core processor to just a TOTL dual-core processor. The reason seemed to rest with Intel but many users were not happy about it.
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Mac Mini "Pro" is coming! It will be a new line though and redesigned/priced accordingly. A Mac as you will. Mac Mini is already positioned as an entry-level product just like its desktop partner the smaller iMac
It won’t ever be called a “Mac” as that’s a general category of all Macintosh computer products. Would be extremely confusing.
The name chosen is just a placeholder to convey the idea. Wouldn't Apple offer more desktops options when they start selling more external displays? Mac Mini stays as an entry-level M silicon, next up comes this mythical Mac Mini Pro which really is a Mac Pro Mini, redesigned as the new Mac Pro but both having different sizes. Mac Mini | Mac Pro Mini | Mac Pro
Am I the only one who would rather wait a bit more for the M2? If we waited this long, I would rather wait a bit more, rather than get the M1X Mini now, and then shortly after M2 is already a thing.
I've mentioned some of this before in this thread, but here this is my prediction:
Spring 2022
Early 2022 Mac mini Pro
New form factor, in space grey
M1 Pro/Max
More ports
More RAM, starting at 16 GB and going up to 64 GB
More expensive
Fall 2022
Late 2022 Mac mini
New form factor, in silver (same form factor as above)
M2 (which is a significant step up from M1 but not as fast as M1 Pro/Max)
Fewer ports than above model
Up to 16 GB RAM
Replaces M1 in that price tier
Not me. The M1 Max will still be much better than an M2 chip. They are two different categories. The only thing an M2 chip would be better at is 10-15% better single core speeds.
As long as it is still significantly less expensive than a corresponding MacBook Pro …
Batteries
Keyboard
Trackpad
Six speaker array
Triple microphone array
Webcam
Mini LED ProMotion Liquid Retina XDR display
Much more complicated chassis
I would expect a base M1 Pro Mac mini desktop to be half the cost of a base M1 Pro 14" MacBook Pro laptop...
I hope so, but that might just be a tad optimistic, at least based on existing pricing.
$699 - M1 8/256
$899 - M1 8/512
$1099 - M1 16/512
$1099 - i5 8/512
$1299 - i5 16/512
Base M1 Pro MacBook Pro is $1999, so half of that is US$1000.
I would be pleasantly shocked to see the M1 Pro Mac mini (Pro) at $1000 with 16 GB RAM and 512 GB storage. Perhaps you might be right if there are lower memory and storage options, but I don't foresee an 8 GB RAM model being released. However, I could potentially see a 256 GB storage model (although I'm still thinking it may start at 512 GB).