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The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming
- Thread starter GabrieleR
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Let’s hope it supports 32 GB Ram. Otherwise, DOA to me! Wasn’t fond of hearing about the redesign. Will be interesting how Apple does this. My M1 is doing fine but a M4 in a mini should smoke all previous minis. I’ll wait for official reports from users if it kicking butt.
Well, there is a reasonable chance that Apple will sell 32 GB non-Pro models if they bump the base memory.
Personally though, I'd hope Apple would keep the 24 GB option as well, for a lower cost option. Assuming my previous prediction of 12 GB base is wrong, then Apple could sell Mac mini non-Pros with 16, 24, and 32 GB options.
Mind you, if the non-Pro comes with only 3 USB-C ports, I personally wouldn't buy one. My sweet spot would be a non-Pro with 24 GB RAM and 5 USB-C ports, but I suspect Apple won't offer one, and I also suspect Apple won't offer a Pro with 24 GB RAM either. Here's hoping 32 GB RAM won't be priced as high as it used to be priced.
I hope you are wrong. The time of 8gb updates for $200 needs to go.
If we get baseline 16gb I hope the next $200 update is 32gb.
If we get baseline 16gb I hope the next $200 update is 32gb.
Sure, and I said as much, but personally I'd rather have a $100 16->24 GB upgrade option actually. I don't need 32 GB, and neither do most mainstream Mac mini users. But I'd take a $200 32 GB too option though.
I'm just not optimistic Apple would price a 16->32 GB option at $200 in 2024.If Apple does $100 for extra 8gb and $200 for extra 16gb then that could work but knowing Apple I doubt we will get that. IF they simplify they will go straight to 32gb especially now that the AI needs more ram its logical conclusion.
We shall see what they do but I hope they will be sensible here.
I really don't want to pay $400 to upgrade to 32gb.
We shall see what they do but I hope they will be sensible here.
I really don't want to pay $400 to upgrade to 32gb.
Sure, and I said as much, but personally I'd rather have a $100 16->24 GB upgrade option actually. I don't need 32 GB, and neither do most mainstream Mac mini users. But I'd take a $200 32 GB too option though.
Actually, the scenario I could see is Apple starting the M4 Mac mini at 16 GB but at a higher entry level price than the current M2 8 GB model, but keeping the M2 8 GB model around for budget consumers.
I expect the M4 Mini with 16/512 will start at 799$. They'll still keep the base M2 Mini at current levels for another year I'd expect.
Reasonable guess. I'm guessing $899 myself though.
$599 - M2 8 GB / 256 GB
$899 - M4 16 GB / 512 GB
I'm curious to see if the price of an M4 Pro with a RAM and storage bump up from stock will approach that of the Studio. If the M4 mini starts at $899, that will happen unless the price of the Studio also goes up.
M4 at $899 starting at 16/512 will actually be cheaper than the current M2 16/512 at $999.
If that happens, hopefully the M4 Pro follows and also drops $100 in price.
I'm wondering this too. If the base M4 Mini starts with 16/512GB, then would the Pro move up from the M3's 18GB/512GB starting point?
Could we see a binned model with 24GB or even (unlikely!) 36GB RAM ?
The Mini Pro quickly loses its value proposition once you upgrade the RAM and CPU/GPU cores, so I'm curious how the binned M4 Pro will compare to the current M2 Max Studio in price and specs.
An M4 Pro Mini with 24GB/1TB and the binned CPU for $1500-1700 could be a sweet spot. I suspect the M4 Max Studio will see a price increase next year.
Currently an M2 Mini specced up to 16/512 would cost you $999
The 16/256 (most likely the entry SKU if Apple indeed decide that 16Gb is minimum SKU going forwards) would cost you $799. Based entirely on Apple adopting the M2 price scheme for the M4 Mini.
The difference here is that without an 8Gb SKU Apple would not be able to offer a $599 price point.
And therefore continuing the M2 Mini (until a point when they decide to quietly drop it) at $599 in the Apple Store (they did this with the 2012 non retina MacBook Pro I believe) - or leave it entirely to third party retailers - seems like the way ahead.
A more recent example would include the M1 MacBook Air which you can still pick up brand new at third party retailers in the UK - although they are now starting to get marked up as clearance (and I bet the likes of Best Buy in the US) despite the M2 Air being launched and getting a price cut in the interim followed by the M3 launch which I am sure they'll just quietly allow to disappear.
Based on this, it might be reasonable to assume that Apple might actually officially discontinue the M2 Mini so they can't a deadline on official support, but allow third party retailers to continue to sell it for an unspecified length of time - the M1 MacBook Air has had an incredible run at third party retailers. The M2 might get as good a run if Apple decide the M3 is going to die out fast because they don't want to keep ordering M3 CPUs on the expensive N3B process to make them.
I assumed base M4 mini to be 16/256 - $799 starting price. There's room then for a 16/512 SKU above that for $999
It would not impinge on an M4 Pro 16/512 which would remain a $1299 SKU.
Anyone looking for cheaper might then be offered the old M2 Mini at third party retailers starting at $599, Apple could allow pre-upgraded SKUs of what remains into the channel for a limited time for people who really want those.
I recall reading about the difference between the M2 Pro and M3 Pro not being all that great, the smaller process majors on energy efficiency which would be good for cooling in a smaller case.
Performance isn't necessarily going to be a massive uplift on M2 Pro in that case if they are optimising for M4 and M4 Pro laptops and want power/heat savings. M4 Max when it comes would be the flagship for the Mac Studio and they'll want to keep that strong.
I'd like to think that wise money purchasers would look out for deals on M2 Max Studios up against upgraded M4 Minis - I know that Costco in the UK seemed to have deals for £1299 M1 Max Studios only a few months ago (the M2 Max Mac Studio had been launched by that point) - outstanding value if you needed something because it was essentially price rivalling an M2 Pro Mini but with double the RAM, more Thunderbolt ports, and double the encoders/decoders. The main drawback being probably fewer years support and perhaps AV1 hardware decode and M4 latest generation having better single core performance - admitted quite a strong point there.
If there comes a time where you're comparing a discount M2 Max Mac Studio from Costco with an M4 Pro Mac mini from Apple - at the same price - what would you pick?
I don't see how M4 Max Mac Studio would get a price increase due to the way Apple prices their hardware - they'd always try and use existing price points and keep them for the lifetime of the product. Only a material change in spec (like potentially going to 16Gb for the new mini) would affect retail price in my opinion and even there Apple are likely changing the form factor in part to make it look like a new product - they might even choose this time to call it a new product so they can untie the old Mini price points from the new product.
I've likely been saying Mac Nano for years at this point
With a completely new product they can hand wave away any perceived lack of ports between that and a Mini because they are different products. This would work best for Apple if they officially discontinue the Mini - but they can let third party continue to sell M2 SKUs with discounts at key times of year 'while stocks last' - might be years going by the M1 Air.
So we potentially have 3 or 5 USB-C ports, with the front 2 being USB-C on M4 Mini and both of them being Thunderbolt on the M4 Pro (with 3 Thunderbolt ports at the back on both models. And because it's a 'Nano' and not a 'Mini' no direct comparison can be made between the two products, especially if Apple don't have to make that comparison because they don't sell the Mini any more.
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That would be nice, but knowing Apple, they will use this well overdue redesign to keep the prices the same or raise them $100, and keep the M2 mini around. Thankfully my M2 is ticking over nicely so I will wait for the M5/6 mini.
I can't see like for like prices increasing, especially if a 16Gb minimum RAM SKU means the entry price increases to $799 - the average selling price will be higher than the M2 Minis. Keeping roughly the same tier prices seems more likely to me, especially if the M2 Mini continues being sold at third party retailers to (unofficially) satisfy the people who need a cheaper Mini.
I find it interesting that the M3 Pro SKUs in the MacBook Pro 14/16 series start with 18Gb RAM and optionally increase to 36Gb and higher SKUs in higher multiples of RAM.
With M3 CPUs maxing out at 24Gb RAM it makes sense that the M4 follows this scheme too.
It won’t be 10 GB due to the chips available. I had predicted 12 GB but that’s not what the rumours are saying.
I’m taking the optimistic route that Apple will decrease tier pricing by $100 when they increase base RAM. They’ve done that before with other Apple products. Then again, the pessimist will remind us that Apple sometimes doesn’t decrease tier pricing in that context. I don’t truly know which will happen, but I’m hoping for the former. I don’t see the M4 Mac mini as a premium new product either. The redesign is a cost cutting measure, memory notwithstanding.
BTW, even if Apple keeps the M2 around, there is no guarantee Apple would continue to officially offer a true 16 GB M2 tier after M4 comes out.
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Yeah that makes sense. 2x 6Gb LPDDR chips sounds more sensible.
We will see!
Depending on the pricing, an M2 Pro refurb might be a better bet if the incremental pricing for 16/512 is too high.
I think Mark Gurman described the new Mini as an "iPad Pro in a box." Taken literally I guess that suggests that the new Mini will not have a cooling fan, like the iPad Pro. That would probably hamper performance a bit, but would make the new Mini hot enough to serve as a cat warmer. It would also limit performance which would be a shame. I like silence but I'm hoping for active cooling on the new Mini.
Maybe the whole thing is just an enormous heat sink with an iPad chipset connected and a USB C port to power it.
Perhaps it even has a minuscule battery with enough juice to immediately hibernate the machine when the power is pulled.
Don't even go there! You may as well be calling out the name of the infamous titular Tony Todd horror film 3 times (I won't name it for obvious reasons!)Maybe the whole thing is just an enormous heat sink with an iPad chipset connected and a USB C port to power it.
Perhaps it even has a minuscule battery with enough juice to immediately hibernate the machine when the power is pulled.
But seriously, big heatsink is the Mac Studio plan - a design that came years later - but although it might work for the M4 (in Mac mini Air style) it might be a struggle for M4 Pro. Music studio types might be drawn to a totally silent Mac though
Active cooling for sure, but if no fan they have to make it easy to open up and get rid of dust - even if we can't add our own SSD or extra RAM.
12Gb where Apple use 2x 6Gb RAM chips is such an odd number, would obviously make the next upgrade up to 24Gb a doubling. Does Apple see a market for 6Gb chips for the next 4 generations of Mac mini though? I think it's safer to get 16Gb as Minis won't get upgraded every year and 4 generations of mini might take 8 years.
Most recent price decrease I recall was for 13 inch M2 Air - and that was with the 13" inch product unchanged after the 15 inch Air came out. It was priced high to begin with though. And the M1 Air continued as an option thoughout with regular price offers in the US. I think the M1 Air is starting to disappear from third party retailers now though.
A 16Gb M2 mini might occur as a rare third party CTO at specialist retailers but would only be for a limited time going on previous iterations of Apple stuff I have seen in the UK.
Would be amusing if Apple produced an 8Gb / 256Gb SKU of the M4 Nano that only booted into TvOS (Jailbreaking community wakes up here) - there's your $599 AppleTV pro right there (probably $649 with remote) but you'd want all models to come with a fan.
Would be fun to see benchmarks up against a PS5 or Xbox Series X.