The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming

[Jorbanead]

As a Mac "mini" though? I mean the M1 Ultra is extremely impressive, but it's not really targeting mini users. Most in this thread wanted an upgraded mini, not necessarily a new class of desktop.

For the scalability of Apple's CPU's and compared to workstations in terms of power/size it's of course amazing, but I think many hoped that with Apple moving to their own CPU's, the mini would be upgraded with those as options on the regular.

There are several groups of people in this thread. Many of us wanted a high-end mac mini (myself) and this fit that need perfectly. Nobody should have expected an update to the M1 mini (M2), but I do feel bad for those that were hoping for an M1 Pro desktop.

 

[Jorbanead]

I think I did alright for some dude smoking dabs and speculating on Apple hardware...! ;^p

But I do think Apple could have had a M1 Pro variant of the Mac Studio as well, make it a really well-rounded machine as far as hardware offerings go...?

Hey just wanted to say that we ordered the same exact Mac Studio. Cheers! I hope it serves you well.

Also, I agree that Apple still needs to serve the M1 Pro desktop market. I feel bad for those in this forum who were looking for an M1 Pro mini. I wonder why they didn't do this, but maybe the future M2 mini will be set up in a way to also handle an M2 Pro?

 

[EugW]

I have to admit...

Mac Studio argues against a significant form factor change for a new M1 Pro / M2 Mac mini. Mac Studio has the same 7.7" square footprint and aluminum top. However, while they may fit, don't use those Mac mini hubs that the Mac mini sits in, since the base is part of the ventilation.

As mentioned previously, one big reason I wanted more than the M1 Mac mini, was to get more ports. The Mac Studio has the ports I want, but I'm not going to spend that kind of dough, since I only need (less than) M1 performance. I also don't want the increase in height.

BTW, that Apple dude said there is only one more Mac to transition, and that's the Mac Pro. Hmmm...

...our transition nearly complete, with just one more product to go, Mac Pro.

Is there going to be an M1 Pro Mac mini? Is there going to be a 27" iMac?

 

[trickster is meaningless]

I’m a little baffled by the lack of a pro option, but it is Apple, so they love screwing people on the upsell. I hope an M1 pro mini appears at the redesign (I’m guessing November?). I wish I could be ordering today, but my medical expenses are too high unless I can find a decent long term credit deal to take the sting out. I reckon I’ll be receiving at approximately wwdc week by the look of things. Or we might all be dead in a nuclear apocalypse by then… so there’s a (skin melting) bright side at least

 

[IngerMan]

On the bright side, they still sell the high end 2018 MM. It still has value and performance. You just have to match It up with a eGPU. The Sonnet puck is what I have and it makes a world of difference. I guess I got another 4 years of use on it since it is still being sold 😂

 

[trickster is meaningless]

BTW, that Apple dude said there is only one more Mac to transition, and that's the Mac Pro. Hmmm...

Is there going to be an M1 Pro Mac mini? Is there going to be a 27" iMac?

I kind of zoned out while making dinner, but I was surprised they were so explicit. I guess that’s the axe falling on the big iMac. It’s a shame as that’s so iconic, not that I’ve ever seriously considered one. Maybe there’ll be a “one more thing” at WWDC and it’s just apple trolling?

 

[Fragment Shader]

There are several groups of people in this thread. Many of us wanted a high-end mac mini (myself) and this fit that need perfectly. Nobody should have expected an update to the M1 mini (M2), but I do feel bad for those that were hoping for an M1 Pro desktop.

The most obvious "update" to the M1 mini would be an M1 Pro Mini though, most everyone knew an M2 was a longshot at this point.

I guess I don't see this as a higher-tier mini (I mean kinda neither does Apple, hence the new name). It definitely fills a gap no doubt in Apple's prosumer lineup, but when I think 'upgraded Mini', I think sticking the most obvious processor upgrade that they could do into the same chassis (hell, many rumors had it shrinking) and bumping up the price a tad, exactly the options they give you with the Macbooks now. More ram, more external display support, 2x faster GPU/CPU - this is another category though.

 

[Boil]

Mac Studio argues against a significant form factor change for a new M1 Pro / M2 Mac mini. Mac Studio has the same 7.7" square footprint and aluminum top. However, while they may fit, don't use those Mac mini hubs that the Mac mini sits in, since the base is part of the ventilation.

How is placing the Mac Studio on top of a footprint-matching hub any different, airflow-wise, than placing it on your desktop...?

 

[Moonjumper]

We could see an M2 and M2 Pro in a future mini, but it does seem odd to not have the Pro chip in the Studio when the Pro and Max share the same form factor on the MBP. It seems an easy fit.

 

[Moonjumper]

How is placing the Mac Studio on top of a footprint-matching hub any different, airflow-wise, than placing it on your desktop...?

The Mac mini hubs have a recess for the mini's bottom cover. Placing a Studio on those hubs would mean some air holes sitting in that recess, and so blocking them.

 

[Fragment Shader]

We could see an M2 and M2 Pro in a future mini, but it does seem odd to not have the Pro chip in the Studio when the Pro and Max share the same form factor on the MBP. It seems an easy fit.

I think the cooling system in the Studio is overkill for the M1 Pro though. There's more than enough empty space in the current Mini chassis to expand the cooling system to accommodate the extra thermal demands of the M1 Pro, it's just the most sensible upgrade to keep it in the Mini line. The original M1 is still a decent performer but the limited ram/port capacity is somewhat archaic going into 2022.

 

[Acorn]

if a Mac studio configures at $5000 to get all the cores and all the gpu than I hate to see what the Mac Pro will cost. apple really seems to like that 5000 dollar price point. first the 5000 dollar monitors with the 1000 dollar stands now the Mac studio with 5000 just to get all the cores cpu/gpu.

 

[vhw]

Ordered with the same specs! This an upgrade from a 2012 Mac mini / 2017 15” flexgate MBP.

The nerd-side is but the finance-side is . Buyers remorse is in full effect, but I know I could keep this machine for 10 years. If I keep the Mac Studio, I’ll recycle all older devices except for the 2012 Mac mini.

Same combo here Guaranteed more RAM than I need but saved some $$$ on edu pricing. Could not resist...

 

[EugW]

How is placing the Mac Studio on top of a footprint-matching hub any different, airflow-wise, than placing it on your desktop...?

The Mac mini hubs have a recess for the mini's bottom cover. Placing a Studio on those hubs would mean some air holes sitting in that recess, and so blocking them.

Yep exactly.

 

[mrmister]

"Is there going to be an M1 Pro Mac mini? Is there going to be a 27" iMac?"

I think you got your answers today.

 

[now i see it]

The mini will get updated again - some day. But today was not the day.

The line now has been drawn in the sand: The Mac Mini will now forever be the low end Mac playing 2nd fiddle to the Studio Mac. I believe the days of the “Mac Mini Pro” are over.

 

[Spanky Deluxe]

Never say never but I think M1 Pro in a Mac Mini (or iMac) isn't going to happen anytime soon. Come the big M2 refresh, I suspect it'll be M2 for the 'consumer' grade lines, Mac Mini, MacBook and iMac and then M2 Pro/Max/Ultra for the 'professional' lines and they'll update them roughly in a tic-toc fashion with no overlap of Pro chip in the consumer models. I think it's more likely that they release an M2 Plus rather than add an M2 Pro to a model line that is consumer M2 grade only. I would be very surprised if the iMac doesn't get a 27" variant when it gets refreshed to M2 though. Hopefully the next generation of M2 chips will go with 16GB RAM as standard with 32GB available as an option. That will make the consumer models considerably more capable in the long term.

 

[Icaras]

Never say never but I think M1 Pro in a Mac Mini (or iMac) isn't going to happen anytime soon. Come the big M2 refresh, I suspect it'll be M2 for the 'consumer' grade lines, Mac Mini, MacBook and iMac and then M2 Pro/Max/Ultra for the 'professional' lines and they'll update them roughly in a tic-toc fashion with no overlap of Pro chip in the consumer models. I think it's more likely that they release an M2 Plus rather than add an M2 Pro to a model line that is consumer M2 grade only. I would be very surprised if the iMac doesn't get a 27" variant when it gets refreshed to M2 though. Hopefully the next generation of M2 chips will go with 16GB RAM as standard with 32GB available as an option. That will make the consumer models considerably more capable in the long term.

While I am following your logic, my only question is, why then keep the high end Mac mini around at all? Surely it has to be a place holder for something, or else shouldn’t it have been axed alongside the 27” today?

 

[sublunar]

John Ternus (SVP, Hardware Engineering) said "...making our transition nearly complete, with just one more product to go, Mac Pro."

So the 2018 Intel Mac mini still on the website may be an error, there may be no more Mac mini than the Mn-series SoC model...?

I don't think it's an error, two possibilities occur to me:

1. They have contractual amounts of parts in oversupply for the Intel Mac mini so they are continuing to sell it for an unspecified length of time - as long as it's gone before October they won't need to support the mini for another year in terms of macOS.

2. They will discontinue it at a future event - for example the day the Mac Pro replacement comes out.

3. They still haven't decided what to do with the upper SKU. The best case scenario here is that the M1 Pro is coming and it's going into the existing case or the rumoured smaller M2 case as the true 'upper SKU' Mini replacement.


Either way they are boosting the average selling price of the ARM Mac Pro by any other name and I don't blame them. To be fair, the Mac Studio spec that would suit me would be the 32Gb RAM/1Tb storage one - it's not horribly more expensive like the trashcan Mac Pro and 2019 Mac Pro.

They'd have had a lot of buyers if they'd offered a lower spec M1 Pro variant at a lower cost. As it is, the M1 Pro MacBook Pro 14" - connected to a monitor - becomes the alternative at roughly the same cost. But at least they have offered something rather than leave the headless version as an increasingly overpriced white elephant.

Most reviews of the M1 Pro MacBook Pro 14" have questioned the need for an M1 Max BTO for a significant segment of users as the benchmarks don't favour them. The M1 Max has much better GPU but given the option people would flock to the base model M1 Pro 14".

For the same money you get still adequate performance for must use cases, plus portability.

 

[teksurv]

The Studio seems like an awesome device. Congrats to those who ordered. My M1 16/512 mini meets my needs, otherwise I would consider the Studio.

 

[Boil]

14" MacBook Pro - M1 Max SoC, 10/24, 32/512 - $2899

Mac Studio - M1 Max SoC, 10/24, 32/512 - $1999

So the Mac Studio is $900 cheaper than a like equipped 14" MBP...!

Apple could be selling a M1 Pro Mac Studio (8/14, 16/512) for $1099...!

 

[EugW]

I don't think it's an error, two possibilities occur to me:

1. They have contractual amounts of parts in oversupply for the Intel Mac mini so they are continuing to sell it for an unspecified length of time - as long as it's gone before October they won't need to support the mini for another year in terms of macOS.

Nah. There are still a lot of people out there on legacy code, and will be for quite some time. Apple will keep selling some Intel SKUs for most of this year, meaning that macOS will continue to support it until 2027.

Remember, they said it would take 2 years for the transition, which didn't start until the second half of 2020. It was announced June 2020, and then the first Apple Silicon Mac arrived in the fall.

My guess is that the Intel Mac Pro and Intel Mac mini will continue to be sold until at least WWDC 2022, and possibly longer.

2. They will discontinue it at a future event - for example the day the Mac Pro replacement comes out.

IIRC, in the past when they've discontinued legacy products, they have sometimes done it silently. It could be when the Mac Pro comes out, but no guarantees.

BTW, they didn't announce the end of the 27" Intel Mac. It just happened. Meanwhile, Mark Gurman still claims the 27" high end iMac is still coming.

3. They still haven't decided what to do with the upper SKU. The best case scenario here is that the M1 Pro is coming and it's going into the existing case or the rumoured smaller M2 case as the true 'upper SKU' Mini replacement.

They would've planned this out a long time ago.

 

[Miat]

trading in my 2013 mac pro for the new Mini Studio. Apple is giving me a decent amount for my 8 year old Pro.

Sweet upgrade.

 

[Spanky Deluxe]

While I am following your logic, my only question is, why then keep the high end Mac mini around at all? Surely it has to be a place holder for something, or else shouldn’t it have been axed alongside the 27” today?

I would guess that the main reason for keeping the high end Mac mini around is that it leaves a 'low cost' Intel option available to those that need it while the transition is still underway without those people having to buy a Mac Pro. There are some customers for whom an Intel machine is going to be a requirement for a while, so leaving them with an option to purchase for as long as possible, while the transition is still in process makes sense. It's a cheap to produce model and they likely have good stocks of it still available so why not use it. Let's be honest, if Apple removed the cheap x86 option, there would be uproar from people as those who 'need' x86 would be forced to spend $$$$ on a Mac Pro. An M2 Mac Mini with an option for 32GB of RAM could easily fill the 'top spot'.

However, I really wouldn't be surprised if they release a second tier to the consumer models. An M2 Plus that can be dropped into the same logic boards as the M2, just like how the M1 Pro/Max/Ultra feature effectively the same logic boards.

Something like this:

Mx and Mx Plus - Consumer Machines - Mac Mini, MacBook Air, iMac (24 and 27")
Mx Pro, Mx Max, Mx Ultra - Professional Machines - MacBook Pro, Mac Studio
Mx Extreme - Ultra High End Professional Machines - Mac Pro

They'd effectively have three logic board lines, 'chipsets' that would get upgraded in waves, consumer->professional->consumer->professional and the ultra high end variant would get upgraded less frequently because they've been happy with longer cycles for Mac Pros in the past. So maybe new consumer and professional models every year staggered by half a year or so and new ultra professional (Mac Pro) every 2-3 years. The Mac Pro would probably start at 5k with an Mx Ultra performance level model but would scale up to 20k for like 80 cores. It'll remain top dog for 2-3 years in multithreaded workload even with new professional iterations in-between.

 

[rasputin666]

Studio fits my use case perfectly. had the 6,1 trashcan when that became end of life for me after 7 years i bought the M1 Mini knowing it was only a bridge to see if Apple would bring a desktop that wasn't $5k, Pro was overkill and not worth the money for me, but the M1 Max Studio is perfect for me. hit the button 30min after the event. My parents get my M1 replacing their 2014 Mac Mini, everyone wins.