The foreign technology media MacWorld introduced the specifications and selling price of the Mac Mini with the M2 Pro chip in its latest article. According to reports, Apple will completely replace the Intel model on the new Mac Mini, which may be released in the first half of this year.
Will Apple replace or kill the Intel-based Mac Mini?
At last year’s WWDC conference, Apple introduced the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro with the M2 chip, but made no mention of the Mac Mini at all. Apple’s failure to update the Mac mini either shows that Apple doesn’t see it as a priority, or that it’s preparing something different with the Mac mini.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported in April 2022 that Apple was testing a Mac mini with an M1 Pro processor code-named J374, as well as an M1 Max Mac mini.
Gurman also said that Apple is testing an M2 Mac mini, code-named J473, with eight CPU cores and 10 GPU cores (matching the chip Apple unveiled at WWDC), and a Mac mini, code-named J474, with Mac mini with the M2 Pro chip.
In this regard, MacWorld predicts that Apple will launch two models in 2023. The M2 chip will replace the existing M1 chip model, and the M2 Pro model will replace the existing Intel model.
M2 Pro Mac mini release date
In the June 2022 Power On newsletter, Gurman said that Apple will soon launch Mac mini models with M2 and M2 Pro chips.
“Apple will launch a more powerful Mac mini and high-end MacBook Pro later this year, with more models to follow between fall 2022 and the first half of 2023,” Gurman wrote at the time.
However, Apple did not launch a new Mac Mini in 2022, so MacWorld introduced that Apple may launch a new Mac Mini with M2 Pro and M2 Max chips in the form of a special spring event, or in the form of a press release in the future.
M2 Pro Mac mini design
In order to distinguish the Intel version and the Apple Silicon version of the Mac Mini, Apple has dark gray for the Intel model and silver for the M1 model. The M2 Pro Mac mini may also remain in silver.
However, the design of the Mac mini may be about to change. The Mac mini has had a similar square design since its introduction in 2005. It got thinner over time, lacked a CD drive, and changed colors. According to the renders, the next-generation Mac mini will allegedly shrink in size and may be less than an inch tall. However, these more compact design rumors seem to be related to the new M2 version of the Mac mini.
M2 Pro Mac mini Specifications
M2 Pro: 10-core CPU, up to 20-core GPU, up to 48GB RAM
The M2 Pro chip is estimated to feature 18-20 GPU cores, while there could be 10 or 12 CPU cores. It has been reported that Apple may use a new 3nm process for the M2 Pro chip, which may make the gap between the M2 and M2 Pro even wider than the gap between the M1 and M1 Pro.
The M2 supports a maximum of 24GB, so the M2 Pro is estimated to support 48GB of unified memory.
Prices for the new Mac mini
The Mac mini with the M2 chip starts at $699/£699 (about 5,760 CNY), and the larger capacity model sells for $899/£899 (about 7,408 CNY). The M2 Pro Mac Mini, which replaces the Intel model, starts at $1099 / £1099 (about 9056 CNY).
