The M4 Mac mini is Getting a Significantly ‘Small’ Redesign
Credit: Apple
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If recent reports are accurate, Apple is about to make one of the most significant design changes to its Mac lineup in recent years — and the first for the Mac mini in well over a decade.
That’s according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who reported earlier today that the next-generation Mac mini will not only get an M4 chip but will shrink to the smallest computer Apple has ever made.
This would be only the second design change to Apple’s entry-level desktop Mac since it was introduced nearly 20 years ago. While the original Mac mini was about twice the height of the current model and featured an aluminum exterior with a glossy white top, Apple changed that up to an aluminum unibody design in 2010, and, other than a splash of space gray, it’s been the same ever since.
However, it’s also the system that is most ready to shed some weight. There’s a limit to how small Apple’s MacBooks can get, as they still need to accommodate a screen and a keyboard. This leaves Apple with only one dimension to work with — reducing the thickness. Of course, it’s working on slimming it down when the M5 debuts, but don’t expect the laptop’s other dimensions to change much.
The Mac mini Gets More ‘Mini’
Apple showed us precisely what its M-series chips can do with the 2022 Mac Studio, packing the kind of power that was once exclusive to the towering Mac Pro into a device with the same footprint as the Mac mini. When the Mac Pro got the Apple silicon treatment a year later, many folks didn’t see the point since it has the same M2 Ultra chip as the Mac Studio. Even Apple conceded that the only reason to opt for the larger model was for those who needed room to add PCI expansion cards.
With all that power packed into such a small frame, the Mac mini starts to look like a behemoth by comparison. While some felt that Apple has neglected its most affordable Mac — it’s been coasting since getting the M1 chip in 2020 — it turns out Apple has been looking at ways to shrink it down to make an even bigger splash.
According to Gurman, the M4 Mac mini will be close to the size of the Apple TV set-top box, although it will still feature an aluminum shell to set it apart and may grow slightly in height over the current model. This suggests it may get a more cube-like design, giving it a look that resembles a miniature version of the Mac Studio rather than merely the flatter one that it is currently.
The good news is that the smaller size won’t result in Apple skimping on ports. Gurman’s sources say that Apple has tested a smaller Mac mini with at least three USB-C ports plus an HDMI port and a separate power connector.
It’s not hard to see how the M4 chip could allow Apple to shrink the Mac mini, considering that the same chip is already in the M4 iPad Pro, which is the thinnest device Apple has made so far — and that’s with a new dual-layer tandem OLED display mixed in.
After all, a DIY’er already showed us two years ago how the M1 Mac mini could be fit into a 78% smaller case, and while that reduction required omitting the power supply, it also used all the existing Mac mini components as-is.
Apple’s M-series chips generate significantly less heat and run more efficiently than the Intel ones that came before, so there’s no need for large heatsinks or fans to keep things cool, and we’re also long past the era of spinning mechanical hard drives that once drove the need for a larger footprint.
When Will We See the M4 Mac mini?
Unsurprisingly, Gurman notes that Apple is working on two versions of the new M4 Mac mini that will follow in the footsteps of the M2 models. The base one will use a standard M4 chip, while a higher-end version will sport an upcoming M4 Pro, with the usual boosts to RAM and GPU power that come with Apple’s higher-end silicon.
More significantly, it looks like the new Mac may be right around the corner. Suppliers are already preparing shipments of the base M4 model for a fall release, although the M4 Pro model isn’t expected to go on sale until at least October. Based on Apple’s usual fall schedule, we’re unlikely to see any mention of Macs during Apple’s expected September event, which typically focuses solely on the iPhone and Apple Watch. However, that will likely be followed by one of Apple’s typical Mac-focused October events, during which it will unveil the M4 Mac mini along with a new M4-powered MacBook Pro lineup.
[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]
