Last year, the Mac mini was among the first wave of Mac computers to undergo an M1 refresh and was among the first few Macs to be powered by the new M1 chipset. That being said, there have been rumors that Apple is planning another refresh and according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, this model could see Apple phase out the Intel Mac mini in the process.
Right now, Apple sells both the Intel and M1 version of the Mac mini, with the Intel version being offered as an alternative for those who might need or prefer using a computer with Intel’s processors. However, this upcoming refresh could see Apple get rid of the Intel model for good. Apple did say they were planning on fully transitioning in the next couple of years, so in a way this is kind of to be expected.
Gurman also shared additional details about the alleged Mac mini refresh, where it is said to come with the M1X chipset and that it could also sport a redesign and come with additional ports. This is something we had previously heard as well, but it’s good that the rumors are corroborated and are consistent with each other.
There’s no word on when the computer is expected to be launched, but Apple is rumored to launch redesigned and new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros later this year, so there is a good chance this new Mac mini could be announced then as well.