Here comes the incredible shrinking M4 Mac mini | Cult of Mac

Nov 02, 2024

By Ed Hardy • 10:16 am, August 8, 2024

Apple is going to shrink the next Mac mini when it adds an M4 processor, according to an often-reliable source of insider information. The desktop could be the size of an Apple TV.

So, Mac micro?

Apple hasn’t redesigned the Mac mini since 2010. There has been no need — the current one is both attractive and functional.

But Apple has finally found a way to improve on the tiny desktop. It’ll get much smaller, according to information leaked to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman on Thursday.

The design change will allegedly be more than making Mac mini shorter. It’ll shrink the overall dimensions, and may actually end up slightly taller, according to Gurman. The computer really could end up about the size of an Apple TV: 3.7-inch square. For reference, the current Mac mini is 7.8-inch square.

“Apple has tested models with at least three USB-C ports on the back of the mini, in addition to an area for plugging in the power cable and an HDMI port for connecting the device to TV sets and monitors,” reported Gurman.

The next Mac mini will supposedly keep its aluminum casing, not switch to plastic.

Apple will offer M4 and M4 Pro versions of the tiny desktop, says Bloomberg. They’re expected to hit the market later this year, though not necessarily at the same time. The current version is available with M2 or M2 Pro.

Cupertino can shrink the Mac mini so much because the M4 is so efficient it generates little waste heat. The chip already runs the super-slim 2024 iPad Pro without needing a fan.

The Mac mini is part of a move to upgrade all macOS models with the new processor. That includes the MacBook Pro lineup getting the chip before the end of 2024, and the iMac, too. There’ll reportedly be a somewhat longer wait for other models, with the M4 coming to the MacBook Air, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro in 2025.

Still, Apple is reportedly going to bring the M4 to every type of Mac, something that hasn’t happened with any previous version of Apple silicon. Currently, some models are on M2 while others on M3.