A “Far Smaller” M4-Powered Mac Mini is Reportedly Coming This Fall

Apple reportedly plans to refresh its Mac Mini with M4 chips and a smaller design later this fall. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman is reporting that the redesign Mac Mini will be “far smaller than its predecessor, approaching the size of an Apple TV set-top box,” citing people familiar with the project.

The Mac Mini was last redesigned in 2010 when Steve Jobs was CEO of Apple. 10 years later, the Mac Mini was one of the first Mac models to transition from Intel chips to Apple Silicon. However, Apple hasn’t updated the Mac Mini since the release of the M2 and M2 Pro versions in January 2023. Apple didn’t bother to upgrade the computer (and other Mac Models like the Mac Studio) with its newer M3 chips last fall.

“People involved in the development of the new Mac mini say it’s essentially an iPad Pro in a small box — an approach that takes advantage of the lower power requirements of the company’s in-house silicon,” Gurman explained in his report. The reporter added that the new Mac Mini will still come with an aluminum body, but it may be taller than the current version, which is 1.4 inches high.

According to the report, the Mac Mini may feature up to three USB-C ports on the back. Apple’s M4 chip, which first made its debut in the latest iPad Pro, should power the new base Mac Mini model. Apple is also expected to offer a high-end model with an upcoming M4 Pro chip that comes with more GPU cores and supports additional memory. Gurman believes that the M4 Pro Mac Mini may not start shipping until October.

Apple is reportedly planning to refresh other Mac models with M4 chips this fall, including the 14” and 16” MacBook Pro and the 24” iMac. The rest of the Mac lineup should follow this year, with M4 MacBook Airs possibly coming in Spring 2025, and M4 Mac Pro and Mac Studio to follow in mid-2025.