Apple Mac Mini Rumors: High-End Version To Come With These Features – Report

Apple is reportedly busy working on a new device: a more powerful Mac Mini that will be much better than its predecessor. A new report said it will be a high-end version that will run on an improved Apple silicon chip and feature additional ports.

This leak came from Mark Gurman of Bloomberg who said the upcoming Mac Mini is being positioned as a high-end variant of the existing M1 model. The new Mac Mini will use the same chip as the next-generation MacBook Pro, Gurman said.

The next MacBook Pro models are expected to make use of an improved version of the M1 chip with a 10-core CPU, featuring eight high-performance cores as well as a couple of energy-efficient ones. Aside from that, there will also be 16-core or 32-core GPU options available — things that should be expected from the new Mac Mini as well, the report said.

Gurman added that the Apple silicon chip will also be able to support up to 64 GB of memory, a big jump from the existing one available, 16 GB. Other than that, the new Mac Mini will also have four Thunderbolt ports located at the rear, double the two ports that existing Mac Minis with an M1 chip offer, the report said.

Also worth noting for the new breed of Apple Mac Minis is that they are expected to run on the company's silicon chip. When the Mac Mini M1 came out last year, these were still based on Intel and had two additional ports for the high-end option.

The iPhone maker did the same for the MacBook Pro and iMac, with the M1 option replacing the entry-level variants. The high-end Intel models with more ports were kept on sale.

Once out, the new Mac Minis are expected to replace the Intel-based variants. With that in mind, it appears Apple will be offering a whole new Mac Mini product line that will now bank on the Apple silicon.

As for an official release date, there is a possibility that the upcoming Mac Mini may encounter delays or be canceled, as per Gurman's report. "Apple could delay or cancel the new mini's launch - as it has in the past - but eventually the company will likely replace the Intel-equipped version it now sells," he said.