The next Mac Mini could be powered by Apple’s rumoured M1X chip. The computer will launch in the next several months, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
“Last fall, as part of its trio of initial Macs to transition over to Apple Silicon chips, the company updated the older Mac mini design with the M1 processor”, wrote Gurman in his weekly Power On newsletter (via MacRumors).
“The Mac mini is used for more basic tasks like video streaming, but many people use it as a software development machine, as a server or for their video editing needs. Apple knows that, so it kept the Intel model around. Well, expect that to go away in the next several months with a high-end, M1X Mac mini. It will have an updated design and more ports than the current model”.
The M1X is the latest processor rumoured to be joining the M1 in Apple’s Apple Silicon line-up in its move away from Intel-powered Macs.
The chip is expected to launch in the MacBook Pro 2021 as a more powerful variation of the M1 designed to power Apple’s Pro models, unlike the M2 which has been pegged as the successor to the M1 in the company’s MacBook Air and iMac lines.
According to the rumours, the M1X could surpass chips by the likes of AMD and Intel in terms of CPU performance.
Gurman also suggests that the high-end Mini will feature an updated design with more ports than the current Mac Mini, which launched in late 2020 with the M1 chip and featured two Thunderbolt ports on its rear, along with two USB-A ports, Ethernet, HDMI 2.0 and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
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We initially heard hints about a redesign back in May, when Front Page Tech’s Jon Prosser reported that Apple was slimming down the Mac Mini and giving it a new reflective surface on top.
Prosser also stated that Apple is bringing back the two additional Thunderbolt ports it cut with the 2020 M1 model, bringing the Mac Mini back to a total of four Thunderbolt/USB 4 outlets.
Furthermore, a report from Bloomberg last December suggested that the Mac Mini will take advantage of eight high-performance cores, two efficiency cores and up to 64GB of RAM, making it significantly more powerful than its predecessor.
While these are all still rumours, it doesn’t sound as though we’ll need to wait long to learn if there’s any truth to them. Gurman believes that the high-end Mac Mini will launch in the next several months.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.