Now, some four years later, we finally have a proper Mac mini redesign -- and yes, it's more mini than ever before. Here's how this newly-announced model compares with the outgoing M2 model, which had served as a spec-bump release last year.
There's simply no way around it -- the iMac is one of the most important computers to have ever been released. Upon his return to a floundering Apple in 1997, co-founder Steve Jobs ushered in a new era for the company with the launch of the original iMac model.
Often referred to as the iMac G3 in retrospect, this 1998 product represented a pivotal moment in the consumer tech market. In a sea of uninspired beige PC boxes, Jobs had the gall to release a statement piece -- the iMac shipped with a translucent casing, a fun bondi blue colorway, a built-in handle for maneuverability, a puck-shaped mouse, and without a floppy disk drive in sight.
Apple has kept the iMac product line alive ever since, redesigning the chassis more than once to keep up with the times. The latest rendition of the iMac -- with its flat-edges, bright colors, and iconic front chin -- is in many ways an homage to the original iMac, which had also incorporated playful colors of its own.
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The Mac mini that currently exists on the market -- the model with either an M2 or an M2 Pro chip -- was first released in January 2023 for a starting price point of $600. As mentioned, this model was a spec-bump release over the M1-based 2020 Mac Mini, which was one of the first Mac products to have ushered in the era of Apple Silicon.
The all-new M4 Mac Mini, which has just been announced, is available for pre-order starting at the same $600 price point, with availability beginning on November 8. This new model can be configured with either an M4 chip, or the all-new M4 Pro chip, which features additional processing power and more powerful ports.
The Mac mini has always been a delightful mini desktop PC, and the new M4 edition doubles down on this virtue
Apple
The M4 Mac mini is arguably a great deal -- $600 will net you a powerful-yet-compact desktop PC that can be plugged into any number of monitors, peripherals, and accessories. For this base asking price, you're getting 16GB or unified memory (RAM), which is double the amount included in the outgoing model. The M4 unit ships in only a 5 x 5 inch chassis, which equates to a footprint that's less than half the size of the previous design, according to Apple.
The M4 model also includes a refreshed set of ports when compared to the older M2 variant. The rear side offers 3x USB-C Thunderbolt 3 ports, 1x HDMI port, and 1x ethernet port, in addition to the dedicated I/O for power supply. The front incorporates ports for the very first time in a Mac mini, with 2x additional USB-C ports and a 3.5 mm audio jack flanking the user-facing side of the unit.
Apple / Pocket-lint
By contrast, the M2 Mac mini has all its ports on the back of the unit, and offers 2x USB-A ports that are absent in the M4 variant. It also offers only 4 USB-C ports, as opposed to 5 on the newer model. The new Mac mini with the M4 Pro chip is also the only model in the lineup with Thunderbolt 5 support, which increases USB-C bandwidth to a whopping 120 Gbps for data transfer.
I'd lean towards the new M4 model, unless you can find a great deal on a refurbished M2 unit
Apple / Pocket-lint
For the most part, I'd recommend springing for a new M4 or M4 Pro-based Mac mini as opposed to its predecessor. Apple has outfitted these new models with double the RAM, without increasing the base MSRP in the process. The new Mac mini is impressively tiny, while also managing to incorporate front-facing ports for added flexibility.
Apple often marks down the prices of older Mac mini models on its official Certified Refurbished storefront. If you're able to find a deal on an outgoing M2-based Mac mini, then you won't be disappointed with your pick-up. The device isn't as state-of-the-art as the new M4 model, but it's still a relatively compact and performant computer, and it'll still support Apple Intelligence.
