Mac Mini to feature Apple’s M4 chips, smaller form factor may launch soon
Apple is working on a redesigned version of the Mac Mini, the company’s most affordable computer, according to a report. The upcoming Mac Mini model could launch in the coming months as the smallest version of the company’s device, resembling another compact device from the iPhone maker. It would be powered by Apple’s M4 and M4 Pro chipsets – the former of which made its debut in the iPad Pro (2024) that the company unveiled in May.
A Bloomberg report Citing people familiar with the company’s plans, Apple will launch the next-generation Mac Mini model later this year with a new design, while retaining the same aluminum enclosure. While the current Mac Mini (2023) model (Review) resembles the model launched in November 2020, the new model — codenamed J773 — will be almost as small as the Apple TV set-top box (STB), the report says.
While the overall size of Apple’s next Mac Mini model could be smaller, it is expected to be larger than the existing device, Bloomberg reports. The Mac Mini (2023) is 35mm tall, while the Apple TV 4K is slightly shorter at 31mm. Meanwhile, the Mac Studio (2023) is 95mm tall.
The upcoming Mac Mini model is also expected to be powered by an M4 chipset, while the company will reportedly offer a more powerful variant of its computer equipped with an M4 Pro chip. The chipset was first introduced on the 2024 iPad Pro model, which also marks the company’s first tablet to feature a dual-layer “Tandem OLED” display.
Connectivity options on the Mac Mini (2024) are said to include “at least three USB ports,” along with an HDMI port and a power port. There’s currently no word on whether the computer will have an Ethernet port like the current model, which comes with two Thunderbolt 4 ports (M2 model) and four Thunderbolt 4 ports (M2 Pro variant). The 2023 model will also have two USB Type-A ports, along with HDMI, Ethernet, and a 3.5mm audio port.
There’s no word on how much the M4-powered Mac Mini could cost — the current-generation Mac Mini is priced at Rs. 59,999 for the base configuration with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of built-in storage. Regardless, we can expect to hear more about the Mac Mini (2024) in the coming months.
