The Mac Mini has been without a design update in 14 years
The Mac Mini with the new M4 Pro processor: Thunderbolt ports, Ethernet, ethernet, HDMI, USB-A and USB-C ports
The Mac Mini is Apple’s tiniest desktop computer and it’s getting its first redesign in decades. This machine was refreshed early in the 20th Century with the M2 chipset, but is powered by the new M4 Pro processor, which is set to be released today. The M4 lineup improves on power efficiency and speed, and like its predecessor, it can take advantage of the new Apple Intelligence that rolled out this week in macOS Sequoia 15.1.
On the front of this thing is a 3.5mm audio jack, twoUSB-C ports and a lot of I/O. Around back you’ll find ethernet, HDMI, and three USB-C / Thunderbolt ports. The M2 Mini only had two Thunderbolt 4 ports and twoUSB-A ports for the base version, so this is where the history of the ports ends. You will get five ports with the M4. So you’re losing native USB-A but picking up an extra Thunderbolt port.
The speed of those ports will be based on the processor you choose. The regular M4 chip includes Thunderbolt 4, whereas the M4 Pro gets you the very latest Thunderbolt 5 throughput.
The Rise and Fall of the Apple Mac Mini: The Metal Cube That Is Still A Little Taller Than It Happened to Be
It’s a busy week for Apple. The M4 iMac made its debut on Monday, and the company also rolled out its first Apple Intelligence software capabilities across iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. There will be more Artificial Intelligence features in December. As Apple works on its new hardware tomorrow, the debut of those upgraded MacBook Pros could happen. During Thursday’s earnings report, the company will surely promote its latest fleet of Macs.
When Apple said that the Apple Watch Series 10 had an all-new design, it still looked exactly the same as the other Apple Watches. The Series 10 is more comfortable and nicer to wear but the new design is not as flexible as it could be. That’s kind of like the Mac Mini. It hasn’t received a major redesign in the last five years, but is changing now.
The small desktop computer has shrunk to just 5 inches. Despite the smaller footprint, it’s a little taller, and the base slopes down with vents for airflow. It’s still, for all intents and purposes, a metallic cube.