Apple announces new Mac Mini: More powerful, smaller than ever

Continuing its series of announcements this week, Apple today (Tuesday) unveiled the next generation of the Mac mini. The company’s compact desktop has undergone a major redesign, now boasting a sleek look that resembles a streaming device more than a traditional desktop. The new Mac mini is powered by Apple’s M4 Pro chip, promising enhanced performance. This reveal follows Apple’s introduction of a new iMac yesterday and the release of iOS 18.1, which includes AI-based features.

The new Mac mini takes up less than half the space of the previous design, made possible by Apple’s latest power-efficient chips and an innovative cooling system that disperses heat effectively. Additionally, it boasts up to 1.8 times faster CPU performance and 2.2 times faster graphics performance compared to the previous model with the M1 chip.

The M4 Pro chip offers a more professional level of performance, with exceptionally high processing speeds and support for up to 64GB of memory. The M4 Pro’s graphics processor is reportedly twice as powerful as that of the M4.

For the first time, the Mac mini includes Thunderbolt 5 in the M4 Pro model, enabling ultra-fast data transfer speeds. Apple also highlights that this is the company’s first carbon-neutral Mac, featuring an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

“The new Mac mini delivers tremendous performance in a remarkably small design thanks to the energy efficiency of Apple silicon and an innovative thermal architecture,” said John Ternus, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering. “Combined with the M4 and new M4 Pro chips, improved connectivity front and back, and Apple’s personalized AI, the Mac mini is more powerful and versatile than ever, unlike anything else.”

Pricing starts at $599 for the M4 model and $1,399 for the M4 Pro model. The first units will arrive for customers with pre-orders on November 8.