It’s certainly an option. I have the M2 Pro variant and am quite happy with its footprint and connectivity. What you’re saying isn’t a bad idea at all but I just don’t see Apple going that route. Who knows, maybe they will.
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The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming
- Thread starter GabrieleR
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Since Apple put the base M3 in the MacBook Pro as their new entry level "Pro" computer, I can see them putting the M3 Pro as the base model Mac Studio for 1599 with 512GB/16 or 18GB RAM. This would then relegate the Mac mini to the M3 only and align it with the MacBook Air. I am not a fan of this idea, but would not surprise me if the separated their lineups this way. I just hope they don't...
While I also doubt the end of the pro chip in the Mac mini. If Apple did this is would help differentiate between the Mac mini pro and Mac Studio [binned] max. So there would be some marketing rationale.
I think (and hope) Apple is going to keep the Mac mini with the M3 and M3 Pro. They already differentiated enough the M3 Pro from the M3 Max, so I see no reason to leave the M3 Pro as an entry Mac Studio. The M3 Max is much more powerful, relative to the M3 Pro, than it was the M2 Max relative to the M2 Pro.
The Mac headless/slotless desktop lineup should be:
- Mn/Mn Pro = Mac mini
- Mn Max/Mn Ultra = Mac Studio
- Mn Extreme = Mac Pro Cube
As Apple is obsessed with wireless connections and adapters/dongles in their mobile devices, something similar could happen to the Mini:
Compact enclosure (such as AppleTV with 2-3 USB/TB ports added) as standard.
Those who want/need more, can buy an external port extender to be placed underneath the device (or at some other fancy, Apple-like position).
The bigger issue would probably indeed be the cooling. While an MBA is also passively cooled, it has a bigger surface to spread the heat. Even with restricting such a hypothetical Mini to the base M3, I’m not sure if that would be sufficient to keep temperatures in check.
Yes, the new M3/M3 Pro/M3 Max progression is much clearer than it was previously, with the Max being all-round more powerful than the Pro whereas, before, it was mostly just about extra GPU cores and RAM. That would reduce the M2 Pro Mini vs M2 Max Studio dilemma.
That said - I wouldn't completely reject a Mx Pro Studio at a proportionate price - the front ports are good to have and it seems more repairable than the Mini: if you look at the repair manual, most of the ports that might break are on separate boards and, of course, the SSD modules are replaceable - even if Apple won't let you upgrade they can be replaced like-for-like if they fail.
The flipside of that is whether the M3 Max is now cool-running enough to fit in a Mac Mini-size case (given that 1/3 of the Mac Studio enclosure is to fit the heatsink needed to cool a M1 Ultra). Since it fits in a 14" MacBook Pro I'd guess that's a yes. That would leave the M3 Ultra to the Mac Studio. I'd be disappointed in that, but then Tim Cook isn't currently returning my calls
Then, there's the question of whether the M3 Ultra will still be two M3 Maxes fused together, or something different (given that Apple have already changed the relationship between the Pro and Max). The M3 Max is already a beast - and the main reason that the Mac Pro can't have a "max" version is that it needs the second die to provide the extra PCIe bandwidth. Perhaps Apple could go for an asymmetric SoC where the second die was all about I/O (or all about GPU, like the NVIDIA Grace/Hopper).
In my opinion (all of this is speculation) Apple shouldn’t use the AppleTV form factor, for the thermal constraints that you mention, and because of product differentiation. Marketing.
That being said, they could make it slightly smaller, slightly thinner, replace the top with a polycarbonate cover in order to improve wireless connections and lower the weight, and give them COLORS, the iMac colors. I’d get the navy blue, the teal green, or the orange one. Wow, that would be a great revamp of the Mac mini.
I didn’t know this! Are you sure that Apple will replace your Mac Studio SSD (paying for it, or course) once it reaches its write lifespan? If that’s true, then the Studio has an added benefit over the mini that I wasn’t aware of.
Anyways, the Mac Studio isn’t for me, for many reasons: I don’t need the power of an M2/M3 Max, I’m good with an M2/M3 Pro, and provided that I sometimes move, the heavy weight of the Studio isn’t convenient, along with the bigger size, while my Mac mini fits well on my travel suitcase. But definitely the replaceable SSD is an advantage. Wish it was the same for the mini!
Regarding that, I have my own theory, but remember this is all speculation: the M3 Ultra will be manufactured in TSMCs 3nm N3E process, and it will likely be an M4 ultra instead. Thus, I’m predicting that we’ll only have M3 Mac mini and M3 MBA in spring, and the Mac Studio will be released in autumn/fall with the M4 SoC family.
See: https://support.apple.com/en-us/104013
NB: Its worth checking out the complete repair manuals at: https://support.apple.com/manuals/macdesktops - if you're in a country supported by the Apple self-repair program, you can even do it yourself. How much Apple will charge for the parts is another matter...
Post in thread 'The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming' https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...almost-certainly-coming.1681773/post-32848464
I kinda prefer the Mini chassis over the Studio for one reason - the Mini is relatively easy to open up and gain access to the fan for cleaning. Cleaning dust out of a Studio would be a huge pain as you basically have to remove the whole rest of the computer to gain access to the fan.
I cleaned mine once when I installed 32GB of Ram after a good year of use, it really showed no signs of dust. I been running mine since early 2019 non stop. No plans on a teardown to clean unless it starts acting up. I guess it depends on the environment it is in.
My 2012 quad runs 24/7 as a headless fileserver these days. Never opened it up, no problems... in spite of this. 😁
When they release the M3 Mini this will turn into "well the performance difference is barely noticeable, that's not good enough, Tim Apple."
This is the kind of "If I Fits, I Sits" I didn't expect. Small, flat base. Slightly warm. Kept clean. Much approval.
I unintentionally found the information I was looking for right in this comment. How soon will I be looking to replace a Mac Mini that just sits there holding files for other devices 24/7?
Apparently, until it croaks - whenever, far off into the future that actually is.
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I think the Mac mini is just beautiful as art or a sculpture
the mini is always visible and in view.
that silver dot of a light is elegant and the clean front is eclectic!
hopefully the satechi hub does not take away from this marvelous piece of elegance!
the mini is always visible and in view.
that silver dot of a light is elegant and the clean front is eclectic!
hopefully the satechi hub does not take away from this marvelous piece of elegance!
But the downside, you are probably have to get a new mouse.
Depends if it's switched on or not.
If you didn't own a dozen Minis I'd think you were trolling.
- Where is the power supply for the Mini vs that NUC?
- It's a PC.
- You'd be better off comparing the size and capabilities of that NUC to, perhaps, an AppleTV HD.
I rest my case utilizing the exhibit above. Yeah, that NUC is simply stunning.