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The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming
- Thread starter GabrieleR
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Me like, but I would have done something to the Apple logo, maybe backlight it to appear red...?
Still waiting for more 2025s and maybe longer to 2026s ... see if more choices. Last cars I've looked at are the Toyota Camry hybrid and the Hyundai Ioniqs EVs (still expensive). But a mundane VW Jetta ICE? (they seem to be around $23k). Just so simple to go back to ICE. Except for the environment. Toyota hybrids are getting 50 mpg.
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So, is the $23k, 50 mpg 2026 Mac Mini almost certainly coming?
I posted this to the wrong thread! Hahaha ... if the Mac mini could replace my car I'd gladly go for it!
They're saying the M5 Mini will be faster than the M4 Mini. Merry Christmas!
Of course. But, unless it is almost certainly coming, speed won't matter.
I’m not convinced there will be an M5 Mac mini, ever.
It seems to me that all of the Mac desktops (iMac, Mini, studio, Pro) will NOT be updated on an annual basis. Although I suspect at least one model will be updated with each M Chip generation. Some years it would be a mini and other years it might be an iMac. Assuming the entire product line is updated to an M4, then the real question is which product will skip the M5?
Even if the Mac mini always skips a generation, it means a new Mac mini every two years which is still a lot better than its past history of upgrades.
Edit/update:
Here's a list I compiled from Wikipedia:
2005-01-11: 1.25 GHz and 1.33 GHz G4
2005-09-27: 1.33 GHz and 1.5 GHz G4
2006-02-28: 1.5 GHz Core Solo and 1.66 GHz Core Duo
2006-09-06: 1.6 and 1.83 GHz Core Duo
2007-08-07: 1.83 and 2.0 GHz Core 2 Duo
2009-03-03: 2.0 GHz Core 2 Duo
2009-10-20: 2.26 and 2.53 GHz Core 2 Duo
2010-06-15: 2.4 and 2.66 GHz Core 2 Duo
2011-07-20: from 2.3 GHz dual-core i5 up to 2.7 GHz dual-core i7 or 2.0 GHz quad-core i7 (weird options IMHO)
2012-10-23: from 2.5 GHz dual-core i5 up to 2.6 GHz quad-core i7
2014-10-16: from 1.4 GHz dual-core i5 up to 3.0 GHz dual-core i7 (no more quad-core options)
2018-11-07: from 3.6 GHz quad-core i3 up to 3.2 GHz six-core i7
2020-11-17: 8-core M1
2023-01-24: 10-core M2 up to 12-core M2 Pro
2024-10-29: 10-core M4 up to 16-core M4 Pro
So we got upgrades much more often at the very beginning but with much smaller gains in actual computing power.
But apart from the big gaps in 2014-2018 and 2020-2023, we've always had between an average of one to two years between each upgrade, so I wouldn't dismiss the possibility of an M5 Mac mini in the last quarter of 2025 just yet.
I also realized, doing this list, that I'm still using a Mac mini that's now seven generations behind. And even if it's much slower, at least I have 16GB RAM just like the newly released entry-level M4 Mac mini. That tells you how far behind Apple are in terms of minimum RAM in their computers, my mid-2010 computer being on par with their new model. And remember that macOS is not some magical software. The RAM requirements for things like databases, 64-bit machine code, images, audio and video is the same on all platforms.
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When I look at this list I see that the low points for the Mini were the Core Solo model and the 2014 abomination. Those seemed like a mixture of neuter the beast and we don't know what the heck we're doing. The 2018 model totally saved the Mini and 2 years later we have the 2020 model and two years later the M2 model and two years later then M4 model. So yep two year cadence and we might or might not get a M5 Mini.
While I see your point, I view it differently. 16gb was the maximum RAM available on your 2010 Mini. On the new m4, 16gb is the base RAM with a maximum of 64gb (m4 Pro). According to everymac, the base RAM on the mid 2010 Mini was 2gb. So, today's base Mini configuration has 8 times the memory with a max 4x greater than your 2010 Mini.
Using your own argument, RAM requirements for many types of software are still the same, so a 16gb $600 base m4 Mini sounds like a pretty good deal compared to a $700 ($1020 inflation-adjusted) 2gb base Mid-2010 Mini.
Me? I'm sticking with my maxxed-out 2018 Mini for awhile since I rely heavily on Windows in Parallels. A new Mac Mini is surely coming before I'm ready to upgrade (although I just got a base m4 for a media server)
You might be right. The Mac Mini might skip M5 and go straight to M6, or whatever comes next.
Naysayers have been predicting the demise of the Mac Mini for a decade and a half or so, but new Mac Minis have continued to come at irregular intervals , and will almost certainly continue to do so.
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While we're on the subject of upgrades, I would like to know if an M4 Mac mini is able to run Sketchup Make v17.1 (intel binary) and if it does work, is there any possibility that it will stop working in the future?
That might change my decision to upgrade to a 2018 Mac mini instead, the leap from my 2010 will still be huge and the price would probably be much lower and I'll still have the ability to upgrade the RAM later depending on which model I'm able to find.
I'm asking this question because basically all companies have gone insane with their so-called "upgrade path" of only being able to rent software and I have a few dozen personal projects in Sketchup 2017 and I'm not willing to move to a new CAD software, go to the trouble of converting all my projects since almost nothing can import Sketchup files, and the fact that the other CAD software will most certainly be rent-only too.
That might change my decision to upgrade to a 2018 Mac mini instead, the leap from my 2010 will still be huge and the price would probably be much lower and I'll still have the ability to upgrade the RAM later depending on which model I'm able to find.
I'm asking this question because basically all companies have gone insane with their so-called "upgrade path" of only being able to rent software and I have a few dozen personal projects in Sketchup 2017 and I'm not willing to move to a new CAD software, go to the trouble of converting all my projects since almost nothing can import Sketchup files, and the fact that the other CAD software will most certainly be rent-only too.
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I've recently picked up the base M4 Mini with 16GB (for learning iOS dev) and it is a bit funny that my main PC from 2014 and had 16 GB of RAM plus 4GB of dedicated graphics, so it had more RAM. I think it was about C$1100 ten years ago vs the C$800 of the Mini, but still... actually that old GTX970 is about the same performance in many ways as the M4 except of course the media engine.
Also I remember getting 2x 1TB SSDs for a total of C$140 while just going from 256GB to 512GB, Apple wants C$250. So while it's a good machine, it's also very low-spec in terms of RAM and storage since I've had more for less for about a decade.
Still, a cool little machine. I use it with a Dell U2723QE 4k monitor with built-in KVM, so I can boot either the Mini or my PC on the same setup without changing anything. Although I'm having to use a wired keyboard because the Apple keyboard, while paired and works perfectly with the PC, refuses to disconnect from the Mini even when it's "Off" (is it not?) so it won't connect to the paired PC anymore.
Curious about this. Can you explain a little how the KVM works and how you hook it up? Thanks!
Getting back to the power button....I've been using these rubber boots to lift and stop any sliding with both my Minis.
The great part is you can press down on the left rear top corner of the mini quickly to turn it on and a long press and hold to shut it down. I hope this helps a lot for you guys who are pissed over the power button placement.
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The great part is you can press down on the left rear top corner of the mini quickly to turn it on and a long press and hold to shut it down. I hope this helps a lot for you guys who are pissed over the power button placement.
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The Mini connects to the U2723QE monitor via a single USB-C cable.
The PC connects via a DisplayPort cable and a USB-C (monitor) to USB-A (PC) upstream cable.
Mouse, keyboard, and audio interface (Focusrite) all connect to the USB-A hub ports on the monitor. It has ethernet too but I prefer to connect the Mini and PC to their own ethernet cables so I can remote into one from the other or have one working in the background. I also will probably add an SSD in exFAT format to this so I can easily share files between them.
Everything just works automatically for whichever machine I turn on.
I also have a second 1080p display that's connected to the Mini via the HDMI port and the PC via DVI-D. That monitor just turns on to whichever computer sends it signal as well, or I can switch it manually.
Also, for 4k scaling, I leave it on "default 1080p" sizing but made the default text size a bit smaller, as well as the dock. Works quite well since everything is sharp (integer-multiple scaling) but most things are normal size.
I also am suspect about the M5. If Star Trek is any indication then the M5 (Daystrum's engram) may not be what you would wish for.
Now you are making me think maybe there will be an M5 Mini.