Apple will sell the smallest Mac computer in history this fall - the new Mac Mini with the M4 chip, embracing AI features

Author: Du Yu

Source: Hard AI

On Thursday, August 8th, according to information from well-known tech journalist Mark Gurman, the consumer desktop Mac Mini will undergo a thorough redesign. It will not only be equipped with the latest Apple self-developed M4 and M4 Pro chips when released this fall, but will also become the smallest computer in Apple's history.

This will also be the first major design change for the Mac Mini desktop since 2010, during the era of Steve Jobs. It is said that this device will be much smaller in appearance compared to previous generations, closer in size to the Apple TV set-top box, described by developers involved as "essentially an iPad Pro in a small box". The current design has been around for at least fifteen years.

Analysts suggest that the new Mac Mini will not only be the smallest in Apple's Mac lineup, but also the smallest desktop computer in the world, representing the most portable desktop equipment.

It is reported that in the models currently being tested by Apple, the latest Mac Mini will have at least three USB-C ports on the back, a power port, and an HDMI port for connecting the device to a TV or monitor, with an aluminum body. The new Mac Mini models featuring the M4 and the unreleased higher-end M4 Pro self-developed chips are internally referred to as "J773".

Prior market rumors suggested that the new Mac Mini would feature a short and chubby all-aluminum design, possibly moving the power supply outside the device, allowing for the reuse of the power plug from the iMac all-in-one computer.

Regarding the rumors of a smaller appearance for the Mac Mini, MacRumors, a website that tracks Apple news and product information, expressed affirmation. On one hand, Mac computers with Apple self-developed chips do not have expandable RAM or storage space, so they do not require a larger size. Additionally, previous models with Intel chips were prone to overheating, requiring sufficient heat dissipation space in the Mac Mini design. Since the transition to Apple self-developed chips in 2020, the Mac Mini no longer has this heat dissipation requirement in terms of size.

The Mac Mini is one of Apple's four desktop product models, serving as a consumer-level alternative to the iMac all-in-one, with performance lower than the high-end Mac Studio and the professional Mac Pro. In November 2020, the fifth-generation Mac Mini became one of the first Mac desktop models to be equipped with Apple's self-developed M1 chip. In January 2023, Apple directly listed the next-generation Mac Mini based on the M2 and M2 Pro chips on its official website without holding a launch event Afterwards, both the Mac Mini and Mac Studio desktops did not upgrade to the M3 chip, but continued to use the M2 chip. In addition, the MacBook Air thin and light notebook product line launched the latest version with the M3 chip in March this year.

It is reported that Apple plans to upgrade all Mac computer models to the latest M4 chip. This fall, along with the M4 Mac Mini, Apple will also release iMac desktops and MacBook Pro high-end notebook product lines equipped with the M4 chip. In the spring of next year, a MacBook Air notebook with the M4 chip is planned to be released, followed by the M4 Mac Studio and Mac Pro desktops in mid-next year.

Analysts believe that upgrading the entire Mac computer product line to the M4 chip with AI processing capabilities marks the latest milestone in Apple's development, as this will be the first time in the company's history that the same generation chip is used in all Mac models. Earlier this year, Apple released the first product with the M4 chip, the iPad Pro, which provides strong support for the latest AI features starting this fall.

Current market reports indicate that Apple suppliers will begin shipping Mac Minis with the M4 chip in August, possibly selling them in September alongside the new iPhone models. Mac Minis with the higher-end M4 Pro chip may not be available until October this year. The starting price for the current Mac Mini is $599, and although the production cost of the latest model may be lower, it is unknown whether Apple will reduce the price.

Analysts point out that Apple held a rare new product launch event in October last year just before Halloween, introducing the MacBook Pro high-end notebook and iMac all-in-one desktop with the M3 chip. It would not be surprising if another event is held in October this year.

The market expects Apple to promote the M4 chip released in May this year as the company's most powerful neural engine to date, providing the necessary processing power for the new AI features, hoping to revitalize the Mac computer market demand that has slowed down in the late stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the latest financial report, Mac sales increased by 2.5% year-on-year to approximately $7 billion.

After the news of the Mac Mini was released, Apple's stock price expanded by 1.6% in Thursday's trading session, marking a two-day consecutive increase and recovering nearly half of the decline since last Friday.