The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming

[Neodym]

Hi folks!

It seems like Mac Mini M1Pro/Max is coming this sprint and Mac Mini M2 in the fall.

Do you know if both versions will get the new design? I am awaiting plexiglass as I think it will eliminate all WiFi/Bluetooth issues the full aluminum body box has.

I wonder if M2 chip will get the possibility to configure it with >16GB of RAM and whether it will get the armv9 arch. If M2 can be configured with 32GB I guess it will be a tempting option to choose vs M1Pro.

Only a few people inside Apple really "know" about new designs and hardware options of yet-to-be-disclosed products.

In general Apple showed a rather slow pace in updating the mini over the past years, so I'm not sure if they would refresh the line already in autumn, if it will be updated in spring.

Someone else in this thread speculated that the M1Pro (and more so the Max) will still offer good performance in comparison to a potential M2, so I'm not sure it'd be worthwhile to bet on a better M2 (base) option in autumn and skip the M1Pro/Max expected in spring.

 

[EntropyQ3]

Actually, the Mac Mini has been conspicuously absent from recent rumors. It was always mentioned in conjunction with the MacBook Pros, but when those were finally introduced, the corresponding Mac Mini wasn’t there. Which was strange given that it is far easier to build a mini than a laptop where sourcing and QAing screens, webcams, fixing the software to accomodate the notch, et cetera enters into the release date.
And since then - silence.

Regarding M2 and AArch64v9 we just don’t know. We do know, however, that the A15 isn’t v9, so if the M2 would be, it would be a new core (or rather set of cores as both P and E cores would be compliant). I would assume that the M2 would use LPDDR5, and that Apple would use larger memory modules.

 

[LFO8]

Hi folks!

It seems like Mac Mini M1Pro/Max is coming this spring and Mac Mini M2 in the fall.

Do you know if both versions will get the new design? I am awaiting plexiglass as I think it will eliminate all WiFi/Bluetooth issues the full aluminum body box has.

I wonder if the M2 chip will get the possibility to configure it with >16GB of RAM and whether it will get the armv9 arch. If M2 can be configured with 32GB I guess it will be a tempting option to choose over M1Pro for some people.

It’s all speculation. No one knows anything (no matter what impression any YouTuber may give you). The ones who do actually know have signed NDA’s and will be taken to court if the my share anything.

 

[Maximara]

Actually, the Mac Mini has been conspicuously absent from recent rumors. It was always mentioned in conjunction with the MacBook Pros, but when those were finally introduced, the corresponding Mac Mini wasn’t there. Which was strange given that it is far easier to build a mini than a laptop where sourcing and QAing screens, webcams, fixing the software to accomodate the notch, et cetera enters into the release date.
And since then - silence.

Uh Mac Mini 2022: Design, performance, ports, and features (January 18th, 2022) was just two days before you made the above post so it isn't a case there as been silence it is just that the Mini doesn't have the "bang" factor that other Apple products have and do doesn't get much notice.

The reality is if Apple wants to keep to 'its get off the Intel boat in two years' plan Apple needs something to replace the "3.0GHz Intel Core i5 6-Core Processor with Intel UHD Graphics 630 512GB Storage" MacMini in the $1,099.00 base slot. At worst that would mean by end of the fiscal quarter (End of last full week in September) two years after the M1 was announced (Nov 2020) which produces a target of early Sept 2022. So Apple has some wiggle room.

The only thing the Intel Mini really has going for it is the "Four Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, one HDMI 2.0 port, two USB 3 ports and Gigabit Ethernet" compared to the current M1 Mini's 'Two USB-A ports (up to 5Gb/s), one HDMI 2.0 port, two USB 3 ports, and Gigabit Ethernet with its $899.00 base.

 

[AlteMac]

Actually that report on Jan 18 is just a rehash of earlier reports. There has been nothing new from Apple in quite some time and not even new credible rumors. So while it is reasonable to assume that a new Mini is coming in 2022, predicting what it will be and when we will see it is an exercise in sheer speculation.

 

[iAssimilated]

The only thing the Intel Mini really has going for it is the "Four Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, one HDMI 2.0 port, two USB 3 ports and Gigabit Ethernet" compared to the current M1 Mini's 'Two USB-A ports (up to 5Gb/s), one HDMI 2.0 port, two USB 3 ports, and Gigabit Ethernet with its $899.00 base.

And eGPU support. Which is why I am really hoping for an M1 Pro/Max option, I want a better GPU than the current M1 mini offers.

EDIT: Oh, plus an option to have more than 16GB of RAM.

 

[norwaypianoman]

I have a strange feeling, that there won't be any Mac mini Pro.

I have changed my mind, from the doubt I expressed before. Probably not buying the Macbook 16.

And I am back at hoping for a Mac Mini Pro - or waiting for a Mac Pro with Silicon.

 

[trickster is meaningless]

And eGPU support. Which is why I am really hoping for an M1 Pro/Max option, I want a better GPU than the current M1 mini offers.

EDIT: Oh, plus an option to have more than 16GB of RAM.

The 16gb ram limit was the only thing that stopped me buying the M1 as I’m using it for virtualisation and containers. I’ve usually got 14gb wired on my current Mac mini.

I have changed my mind, from the doubt I expressed before. Probably not buying the Macbook 16.

And I am back at hoping for a Mac Mini Pro - or waiting for a Mac Pro with Silicon.

Welcome back. I empathise entirely; buying a MacBook Pro is an expensive pill to swallow if you want something headless. I hope we’re on the final few weeks of waiting… before the inevitable waiting for delivery thread

 

[Maximara]

And eGPU support. Which is why I am really hoping for an M1 Pro/Max option, I want a better GPU than the current M1 mini offers.

EDIT: Oh, plus an option to have more than 16GB of RAM.

It seems the M1 Mini was a rush job - get a low cost M1 out to the masses. Never mind, the Mini is generally looked at as an entry level Mac. Also the benefits for an eGPU seems to be limited to gaming and let's be honest here - gaming on the Mac sucks if you are into AAA titles (in terms of selection or performance) and the wattage consumption is insane.

 

[Jorbanead]

In general Apple showed a rather slow pace in updating the mini over the past years, so I'm not sure if they would refresh the line already in autumn, if it will be updated in spring.

Apple didn’t update it often because they didn’t need to as Intel was still in production of those chips, but I wonder if that may change with Apple silicon. If all M1 products move to M2, would Apple still manufacture M1 chips just for the mini? It may make more sense for them to just update the mini along with all the other M1 devices. Since they know what chips are coming down the pipeline they could even design the mobo so it’s a fairly simple switch (not requiring tons of dev time to re-engineer).

 

[Jorbanead]

It’s all speculation. No one knows anything (no matter what impression any YouTuber may give you). The ones who do actually know have signed NDA’s and will be taken to court if the my share anything.

Often leaks come from supply chain sources. Apple has less control over them. You may be a worker in a factory and you tell your buddy about the new iPhone. Your buddy is on Twitter one day, sees a known “leaker” and sends them a DM. Your buddy doesn’t work for Apple, and by the time it gets to a leaker, there’s 4 degrees of separation from the company. That’s why it can be hard to crack down on leaks.

Other ways leaks come out is engineers work on something they’re super proud of, and they can’t help but talk about it in casual conversation with their engineer friends. Then maybe one day one of those friends decides to talk to Gurman or DylanTDK (whoever) and they leak something too.

No one that works directly for Apple to my knowledge has ever leaked something themselves, but people slip clues and secrets to others that don’t work for Apple.

 

[Neodym]

Also the benefits for an eGPU seems to be limited to gaming

I did not watch the video, but can tell from 1st hand experience that an eGPU significantly reduces load on the pathetic UHD630 in the mini when working with 3D objects on a multi-monitor, high-resolution setup. That lead to significantly lower temperatures (from around 90-100 down to 50ish Centigrades).

The only reason for me not keeping the eGPU box was the lack of proper graphic cards available - the old R9 380 I intended to use was also reaching its limits and with the current craziness in the GPU sector I decided to rather spend the money on a new M1Pro/Max mini.

But an eGPU is not generally a lost cause on an Intel mini.

 

[EntropyQ3]

Uh Mac Mini 2022: Design, performance, ports, and features (January 18th, 2022) was just two days before you made the above post so it isn't a case there as been silence it is just that the Mini doesn't have the "bang" factor that other Apple products have and do doesn't get much notice.

The reality is if Apple wants to keep to 'its get off the Intel boat in two years' plan Apple needs something to replace the "3.0GHz Intel Core i5 6-Core Processor with Intel UHD Graphics 630 512GB Storage" MacMini in the $1,099.00 base slot. At worst that would mean by end of the fiscal quarter (End of last full week in September) two years after the M1 was announced (Nov 2020) which produces a target of early Sept 2022. So Apple has some wiggle room.

The only thing the Intel Mini really has going for it is the "Four Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, one HDMI 2.0 port, two USB 3 ports and Gigabit Ethernet" compared to the current M1 Mini's 'Two USB-A ports (up to 5Gb/s), one HDMI 2.0 port, two USB 3 ports, and Gigabit Ethernet with its $899.00 base.

That is not a rumour. That is MacRumors summary of rumours to date.
Also I was a bit unclear - the silence has been concerning M1P/M1M Minis.

 

[iAssimilated]

It seems the M1 Mini was a rush job - get a low cost M1 out to the masses. Never mind, the Mini is generally looked at as an entry level Mac. Also the benefits for an eGPU seems to be limited to gaming and let's be honest here - gaming on the Mac sucks if you are into AAA titles (in terms of selection or performance) and the wattage consumption is insane.

My eGPU has been a great asset for my 2018 mini. As mentioned by @Neodym , it is a massive upgrade over the UHD630 for many things (depending on the GPU you are using). As for gaming, all I can say is: YMMV, but for the games I play it is fantastic.

Any issues I ever had with my eGPU was cleared up by replacing the included thunderbolt cable with Apple's TB3 cable. Big Sur has helped as well.

 

[Maximara]

The only reason for me not keeping the eGPU box was the lack of proper graphic cards available - the old R9 380 I intended to use was also reaching its limits and with the current craziness in the GPU sector I decided to rather spend the money on a new M1Pro/Max mini.

If there aren't cards to put into the eGPU that is a little bit of a problem.

As the video I linked to explained there are bottlenecks to using an eGPU (that was another reason I linked to it). For the video card they used as an example it went from 13s in BruceX as an eGPU to an 8s in a MacPro. Meanwhile the M1 mini got a 14s.

More over the M1 mini got that speed on 5.6 W while the Intel Mini+eGPU used a staggering 200+ W

Can an M1 BEAT the BEST GPU in a Mac Pro? You'll be Surprised.. shows that how well the M1 does compared to an GPU card varies wildly depending on what you are doing.

As I keep pointing out you can't really compare how system RAM behaves in Intel to how it is handled by the M1. Here is how an article I found explained it:

"The M1 processor’s memory is a single pool that’s accessible by any portion of the processor. If the system needs more memory for graphics, it can allocate that. If it needs more memory for the Neural Engine, likewise. Even better, because all the aspects of the processor can access all of the system memory, there’s no performance hit when the graphics cores need to access something that was previously being accessed by a processor core. On other systems, the data has to be copied from one portion of memory to another—but on the M1, it’s just instantly accessible." - With M1 Macs, memory just isn’t what it used to be

How the Mwhatever MacPro will handle card slots will be interesting.

My eGPU has been a great asset for my 2018 mini. As mentioned by @Neodym , it is a massive upgrade over the UHD630 for many things (depending on the GPU you are using). As for gaming, all I can say is: YMMV, but for the games I play it is fantastic.

Again the mini was intended as an entry level transition Mac. If Apple was smart they would find a workaround so you could us an Intel iMac as a monitor for the M1 Mini.

Note I wasn't saying there aren't good games for the MacOS just that the selection compared to Windows really suck (especially in the AAA space)

 

[Neodym]

If there aren't cards to put into the eGPU that is a little bit of a problem.
[…]
Again the mini was intended as an entry level transition Mac. If Apple was smart they would find a workaround so you could us an Intel iMac as a monitor for the M1 Mini.

Note I wasn't saying there aren't good games for the MacOS just that the selection compared to Windows really suck (especially in the AAA space)

Well - I had that old R9 380 in the cupboard and figured I’d give it a try. And it was indeed a huge (pun intended!) upgrade over the UHD630. But for my use case still insufficient, unfortunately. Plus I had that eGPU behemoth on my desktop and both mini and eGPU were guzzling electricity as if there was no tomorrow.

For people with - say - single monitor setups and/or with a better GPU card available (e.g. as remnant from an upgraded gaming PC), it could be a significantly less expensive improvement for an Intel mini than the still-not-announced M1Pro/Max.

Talking of gaming: On an Intel Mac it’s no problem to boot into Windows to get access to all the PC games available. The setup with an eGPU might not take (significantly) less space than a dedicated gaming PC, but you could do PC gaming _and_ improve your Mac experience, probably with less money than required for going for a dedicated PC for gaming.

 

[BootLoxes]

Hi folks!

It seems like Mac Mini M1Pro/Max is coming this spring and Mac Mini M2 in the fall.

Do you know if both versions will get the new design? I am awaiting plexiglass as I think it will eliminate all WiFi/Bluetooth issues the full aluminum body box has.

I wonder if the M2 chip will get the possibility to configure it with >16GB of RAM and whether it will get the armv9 arch. If M2 can be configured with 32GB I guess it will be a tempting option to choose over M1Pro for some people.

I dont expect armv9 until M3 to be honest. I don't think M2 will get it. That said, it would be nice to see a ram increase to 32gb and support for an additional monitor.

 

[imofean]

Hello all, is it not wise to buy a low end mac mini now?
My parents have a 2009 iMac as their tv / computer but it finally doesn't turn on anymore.
I have a 2015 iMac and I'm holding out for the iMac upgrade.
However, since my parents need a new mac, I'm thinking about buying a m1 mac mini and give them my iMac.
I'll consider upgrade again when the new iMac come out, so buying a low end mini is the best option?

 

[Boil]

Hello all, is it not wise to buy a low end mac mini now?
My parents have a 2009 iMac as their tv / computer but it finally doesn't turn on anymore.
I have a 2015 iMac and I'm holding out for the iMac upgrade.
However, since my parents need a new mac, I'm thinking about buying a m1 mac mini and give them my iMac.
I'll consider upgrade again when the new iMac come out, so buying a low end mini is the best option?

M1 Mac mini seems about half way through its product cycle; released in November 2020, expected refresh with the M2 SoC at an October Event...

Once the new iMac comes out (I assume you are referring to a M1 Pro/Max 27" iMac rumored for a Spring release) you can either trade-in the M1 Mac mini to Apple or repurpose it as a file server or living room Plex server or whatnot...?

 

[MikeDr206]

My eGPU has been a great asset for my 2018 mini. As mentioned by @Neodym , it is a massive upgrade over the UHD630 for many things (depending on the GPU you are using). As for gaming, all I can say is: YMMV, but for the games I play it is fantastic.

Any issues I ever had with my eGPU was cleared up by replacing the included thunderbolt cable with Apple's TB3 cable. Big Sur has helped as well.

Do you find for things like web browsing and productivity programs, and Adobe Acrobat and Preview, there’s a benefit using an egpu? I have a 5K monitor, and find that scrolling quickly in Word, Acrobat, and Preview seems to bog down sometimes with my 2018 Mini, and wonder if I added an egpu (BlackMagic) things would go smoother.

 

[iAssimilated]

Do you find for things like web browsing and productivity programs, and Adobe Acrobat and Preview, there’s a benefit using an egpu? I have a 5K monitor, and find that scrolling quickly in Word, Acrobat, and Preview seems to bog down sometimes with my 2018 Mini, and wonder if I added an egpu (BlackMagic) things would go smoother.

Yes. OS animations as well as application loading/refreshing/scrolling is much better with my eGPU than without it.

 

[MikeDr206]

Yes. OS animations as well as application loading/refreshing/scrolling is much better with my eGPU than without it.

That’s good info! May have to look into picking one up.

 

[Micky Do]

Hello all, is it not wise to buy a low end mac mini now?
My parents have a 2009 iMac as their tv / computer but it finally doesn't turn on anymore.
I have a 2015 iMac and I'm holding out for the iMac upgrade.
However, since my parents need a new mac, I'm thinking about buying a m1 mac mini and give them my iMac.
I'll consider upgrade again when the new iMac come out, so buying a low end mini is the best option?

If you have need for new Mac Mini now, it is certainly wise to buy one now.

If what you have fits your needs for now, it could be prudent to wait...... the new Mac Mini is almost certainly coming.

When the HDD and power supply failed on my 2005 Mac Mini original, I replaced it immediately with the 2009 Mac Mini I am using today for general internet browsing, entertainment etc. It has mostly been on 24/7, and is still running the HDD it came with.

A new M1 iMac or M1 Mac Mini would be nice to have, but it is not a priority for now. I also have a 2018 (old form) MacBook Air, which I got to use for work (as a teacher) when I started to need a computer to take with me most days.

 

[Micky Do]

Actually, the Mac Mini has been conspicuously absent from recent rumors. It was always mentioned in conjunction with the MacBook Pros, but when those were finally introduced, the corresponding Mac Mini wasn’t there. Which was strange given that it is far easier to build a mini than a laptop where sourcing and QAing screens, webcams, fixing the software to accomodate the notch, et cetera enters into the release date.
And since then - silence.

Regarding M2 and AArch64v9 we just don’t know. We do know, however, that the A15 isn’t v9, so if the M2 would be, it would be a new core (or rather set of cores as both P and E cores would be compliant). I would assume that the M2 would use LPDDR5, and that Apple would use larger memory modules.

The Mac Mini has almost always been conspicuously absent from recent rumours, though has often been subject of recent speculation over the years since it arrived on the scene, unheralded, in 2005. None the less, the new Mac Mini is almost certainly coming..... almost certainly eternally, for the time being.

 

[Neodym]

That’s good info! May have to look into picking one up.

If you have a GPU card (ideally a recent AMD model) lying around, I can recommend the Razor Core X: (Comparably) Inexpensive, no frills housing with integrated 650W PSU and a clever and very comfortable slide-out mechanism, built like a tank, fully Plug-and-Play. IIRC it’s even in Apple’s list of officially recommended eGPU housings. Only drawback: It’s huge!

Sidenote: If you need (driver) support for older AMD cards or nVidia cards in general, I had good experiences with Kryptonite. Other tools exist, but Kryptonite seems the most recent and most system-friendly one.

Without that tool, BigSur did not recognize the installed card (in my case an older AMD model). The wiki on the linked Kryptonite site is a good start to read up about installation and supported cards.