Today Apple has unveiled a new Mac mini that has the M4. This is not just a spec bump, but it includes a couple of new features, chief amongst them is a new form factor.

Form Factor

The Mac mini was introduced in 2005, and was a smaller version of the Mac, hence the name Mac mini. The Mac mini was 6.5 inches wide, had a 6.5 inch depth, and was 2 inches tall. This remained the form factor until 2011 when a new Unibody version was introduced, one that eliminated the internal disc drive. This Mac mini was physical larger at 7.7 inches wide, 7.7-inches in depth, and only 1.4 inches tall. All Mac minis introduced since 2011 have had the exact same physical footprint, including the M1 and M2 Mac minis. This all changes with the M4.

In 2022 Apple introduced a whole new machine, the Mac Studio. This took some of the design elements from the Mac mini but expanded them. The M1 and M2 Mac Studio were 7.7-inches wide, had a 7.7 inch depth, but was significantly taller at 3.7 inches.

The M4 Mac mini takes some design cues from the Apple TV. The M4 Mac mini is 5 inches wide, has a 5 inch depth, and is only 2 inches tall. This means that it is smaller than the previous Mac mini, but still a bit larger than an Apple TV. Before we dive into the ports, let us look at the processor.

M4 and M4 Pro

The Mac mini has come with a variety of processors. The previous M2 Mac mini was available in both M2 and M2 Pro variants. The same continues for the M4 Mac mini, with the M4 and M4 Pro. The M4 consists of a 10-core CPU, with 4 performance cores and 6-efficiency cores, and a 10-Core GPU. According to Apple, the M4 Mac mini is significantly faster than the M1 Mac mini. Specifically,

When compared to the Mac mini with M1, Mac mini with M4:
- Performs spreadsheet calculations up to 1.7x faster in Microsoft Excel.
- Transcribes with on-device AI speech-to-text up to 2x faster in MacWhisper.
- Merges panoramic images up to 4.9x faster in Adobe Lightroom Classic.

The M4 Pro has tow configurations, a 12-core version with 8 performance cores, and 4 efficiency cores with a 16-Core GPU. The other M4 Pro option is a 14-core CPU, with 10 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores and a 20-core GPU. From Apple’s press release:

When compared to the Mac mini with M2 Pro, Mac mini with M4 Pro:
- Applies up to 1.8x more audio effect plugins in a Logic Pro project.
- Renders motion graphics to RAM up to 2x faster in Motion.
- Completes 3D renders up to 2.9x faster in Blender.

All M4 and M4 Pro models have a 16-core Neural engine for machine learning and Apple Intelligence tasks.

Ports

The M4 Mac mini has a total of 7 ports, an ethernet jack, an HDMI port, and 5 USB-C ports. Of these ports, two are on the front, much like the Mac Studio, and three are on the back. The two on the front are USB-C with USB 3 speeds up to 10 gigabits per second. The three ports on the back are Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports. For the M4 models, these are Thunderbolt 4 ports, which can delivery data up to 40 Gigabits per second. The M4 M4 Pro devices are Thunderbolt 5 ports, which can deliver a whopping 120 Gigabits per second. The USB portion can deliver up to 40 Gigabits per second.

The difference in Thunderbolt ports does mean that there is a difference in DisplayPort compatibility. The Thunderbolt 4 ports support DisplayPort 1.4 while the Thunderbolt 5 ports support DisplayPort 2.1. The HDMI port on either model can support one display with 8K resolution at 60Hz, or 4K resolution at 240Hz.

By default the ethernet port is a gigabit port, but you can opt for a 10-gigabit per second port for $100 more. The Mac mini has long had a headphone jack this is still present on all models of the M4 Mac mini.

Pricing and Availability

The M4 Mac mini starts at $599 for 16GB of unified memory and 256GB of storage. You can configure the M4 models with 24GB or 32GB of memory, and up to 2TB of storage.

The M4 Pro Mac mini starts at $1399 for a 12-core CPU and 16-core GPU, 24GB of unified memory, 512GB of storage. You can configure the M4 Pro Mac mini with 48GB or 64GB of unified memory, and 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, or 8TB of storage.

The M4 Mac mini is available for pre-order today and will be available for delivery and in store on Friday November 8th.

Closing Thoughts

While other devices have received a redesign specifically for the lower power usage of Apple Silicon, the Mac mini was not one of them. The Mac mini has finally received its redesign. The smaller form factor takes cues from both the Mac Studio and Apple TV. The M4 and M4 Pro should be great upgrades from anyone who has an Intel Mac, and if you are upgrading from the M1, it will still be a solid update.

Source: Apple Newsroom

Today Apple announced updates to the Mac mini and 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro lines. All of these machines have versions of the M2 processor. Before we delve into the specific products, let us look at the M2 and M2 Pro.

M2 Pro and M2 Max

The M2 Pro and M2 Max build on the M2 and provide even faster capabilities. The M2 Pro has 40 billion transistors, which is 20% more than the M1 Pro, and double the M2. According to Apple graphics processing on the M2 Pro is up to 30% faster than the M1 Pro.

The M2 Max has 67 billion transistors on the chip, The graphics processing in the M2 Max sees a similar increase to that of the M2 Pro, and is up to 30% faster than the M1 Max. Next, let us look at the Mac mini.

Here are three overview images from the introduction video:

M2 feature and options overview

M2 Pro feature and options overview

M2 Max feature and options overview

Mac mini

The Mac mini was one of the first machines to begin the transition from Intel to Apple Silicon, with the introduction of the M1-based Mac mini in November of 2020. At the time a higher end configuration of the 2018 Intel Mac mini remained on sale. Today, that item is no longer on sale because Apple has introduced two new Mac minis, with the M2 and M2 Pro processors.

There are three models overall, two with an M2, and one with an M2 Pro.

The first model is an M2 with 8-Core CPU, 10-Core CPU with 8GB memory and 256GB of storage that starts at $599. The second model is the same M2 with an 8-Core CPU, 10-Core CPU with 8GB memory, but has 512GB of storage, that starts at $799. You can configure either of these models with up to 24GB of unified memory, and up to 2TB of storage.

The last model is an M2 Pro with 10-Core CPU, 16-Core GPU, 16GB of unified memory, and 512GB SSD Storage, which starts at $1299. This can be configured to use 12-core CPU, 19-core GPU, processor if desired. This model can also be configured with 32GB of unified memory. The storage options allow you to configure it with up to 8TB of storage.

All models allow you to configure a 10-gigabit per second adapter for $100. All models have 2 USB-A ports, 2 USB-C ports, an HDMI port, and a 3.5mm Headphone jack. The M2 Pro model has 4 USB-C ports. All of the machines come with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.

As mentioned above, the Mac mini starts at $599, which is $100 less than the previous M1 Mac mini. There is only one color for this Mac mini, silver. You can order it today and it will begin arriving starting January 24th. Let us now move onto the MacBook Pros.

Mac mini feature and options overview

MacBook Pro

The 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro moved from Intel to Apple Silicon in 2021 and were introduced with the M1 Pro and M1 Max. Today, these machines received an update to the M2 Pro and M2 Max. There are two M2 Pro processors, and two M2 Max processors. All models have 4 effiency cores, and either 6 or 8 high-performance cores.

Here are the processo options available:

• M2 Pro with 10‑core CPU, 16‑core GPU, 16‑core Neural Engine (14-inch only)
• M2 Pro with 12‑core CPU, 19‑core GPU, 16‑core Neural Engine
• M2 Max with 12‑core CPU, 30‑core GPU, 16‑core Neural Engine
• M2 Pro with 12‑core CPU, 38‑core GPU, 16‑core Neural Engine

The M2 Pro models can be configured with 16GB or 32GB of unified memory, the 30-Core CPU M2 Max can be configured with 32GB or 64GB of unified memory, and the 38-core GPU M2 Max can be configured with 32GB, 64GB, or 96GB of unified memory. All models can be configured with 512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, or even 8TB of storage.

All 14-inch models come with 96-watt power bricks, that support fast charging, with the exception of the 10-core version, which only has a 67-watt power brick. The 16-inch models all come with 140-watt power bricks, which also support fast charging, with the 140-watt adapter.

According to Apple, battery life has improved as well with the 14-inch models now getting up to 18 hours of , and the 16-inch models getting up to 22 hours.

The 14-inch MacBook Pro with a 10-Core GPU, 16-core GPU M2 Pro, 16GB of unified memory, and 512GB of storage starts at $1999. The 16-inch model with an M2 Pro with 12‑core CPU, 19‑core GPU, 16GB of unified memory, and 512GB of storage starts at $2499.

There is one tidbit with these machines, the MagSafe cable is now color-matched to the machine. Previously, these the MagSafe cable would be silver. Just like the Mac mini, you can order these machines today and they will start arriving on January 24th. Custom build times have slipped from late-January to early-February.

MacBook Pro feature and options overview

Closing Thoughts

Today's updates are smaller, in comparison to that of the M1, but they are great additions to the Mac line up. THe Intel-based Mac mini is no longer available, but it was four years old, so it not the worst thing. The M2 Pro Mac mini would be a fantastic upgrade for anybody who is still using an Intel Mac mini.

The 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros offer some good upgrades, and keep the same base price. The highest-end configurations have increased in price, but if you are in the market for those, you know you need the power.

Source: Apple Newsroom: , M2 Pro and M2 Max, Mac mini, MacBook Pros

Back in November of 2021 Apple announced that they would be opening up a Self-Service Repair program in the United States in 2022, and in April they did launch the program. Earlier this month that program was expanded to include a few European countries, including

• Belgium
• France
• Germany
• Italy
• Poland
• Spain
• Sweden
• United Kingdom

Without much fanfare some additional devices have been added to the repair program. Specifically the following items have been added:

• M1 Mac mini (2020)
• iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021, Two ports)
• iMac (24-inch, M1, 2022, Four ports)
• Mac Studio (2022)
• Studio Display (2022)

You can now order replacement parts for these devices as well as links to the manuals on the Self Service Repair website. Below is a gallery of the exploded views of the items added.

Via: 512pixels.net

I thought I would add a few additional tidbits that have been made known after the Spring Loaded event. The topics will include some new information about iOS 14.5, AirTag, Apple TV, and Macs.

iOS 14.5

One tidbit that was made known is that iOS 14.5 is out today. iOS 14.5 supports AirTag, additional Siri voices, and the Xbox Series X|S and Playstation 5 controllers.

The second thing with iOS 14.5 is that there is a new feature, that may be very helpful for developers. If there are multiple beta versions available, both versions will be shown to the user, so they can decide which beta version they want to install. This will be a nice feature for developers.

The question that remains is whether or not you can downgrade a device to a previous version or not. I would suspect the answer is no.

Apple TV

While there is a lot of information about the new Apple TV 4K, one thing that was not mentioned before is that you can now get AppleCare+ on the Apple TV. You could purchase AppleCare previously, but this only covered two years of support.

Now with AppleCare+, you get up to 3 years of coverage for $29. This includes accidental damage coverage as well.

Macs

Similar to the change in AppleCare on the Apple TV, there are some AppleCare+ changes on the Mac now as well. You can now get AppleCare+ on a monthly basis. This means that you can get support beyond three years, which makes a lot of sense given that many people keep their Macs far beyond the previous two years of AppleCare support.

iMac 24-inch Tidbits

There is another tidbit specifically with the new 24-inch iMac. The power cord that goes into the iMac is a magnetic one. The magnets are quite strong because you do not want the power cord to accidentally come out of a running iMac, even if it has solid-state storage.

M1 Mac mini

Another update that Apple made is the additional option on the M1 Mac mini. now you can optionally choose a 10 gigabit Ethernet connection. This will cost an additional $100, but if you need the extra speed, it is an option. This was an option that was available on the previous generation Mac mini and it is good to see it make its way back to the current M1 Mac mini.

Magic Keyboard with Touch ID

One of the new features of 24-inch iMac is the option for a Magic Keyboard with Touch ID. While these will be available for the 24-inch iMac, the keyboards will actually work with other M1 Macs. This is most particularly useful with the M1 Mac mini.

As of now the keyboards are not available for purchase separately from the 24-inch iMac, but it is quite likely that they will be available for purchase separately at some point in the future. As an owner of an M1 Mac mini, I know I would like to use Touch ID with that Mac, so I cannot wait until these are available.

AirTag

When Apple announced the AirTag it was not known how the they would be powered. It turns out that the battery in each AirTag is replaceable. These batteries are not proprietary in anyway, in fact, they are ones that you can buy almost anywhere. The specific battery is a CR2032 batteries, so you can get them just about anywhere.

The next question is how long with the battery last. Apple says the batteries should last "over a year".

iPad Accessories

Apple added a whole new accessory for the iPad, the Magic Keyboard. The Magic Keyboard allows you to have a full keyboard with a trackpad. The new 5th Generation 11-inch iPad Pro does not have any change in its dimensions. However, that is not the case with the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

The 5th Generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro is a bit thicker than the 3rd and 4th generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro. What this means is that the original Magic Keyboard will not work on the 5th generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro. Therefore, if you are upgrading to a 5th generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro and you want to use the Magic Keyboard, you will need to purchase a new one, which is not cheap at $349.

Closing Thoughts

There are just a few of the other tidbits from Apple's "Spring Loaded" event that could not be fit into the event itself. Well, they could have, if Apple wanted to have the event go longer than an hour.