Apple’s next Mac Mini could be as small as an Apple TV

Apple’s smallest Mac will undergo some major changes, according to Bloombergin Marco Gurman. A new version of the Mac Mini, launching later this year, will see the product’s most significant redesign in more than a decade. Gurman says “the device will be much smaller than its predecessor, approaching the size of an Apple TV set-top box.” That’s it smalleven though the Mini is probably louder than Apple’s streamer.

The company is testing a design with “at least” three USB-C ports and an HDMI output, and the device will retain its aluminum casing. A Mac Mini that could sit discreetly on a TV stand? This thing looks like a Plex lover’s dream.

The 2024 Mini will also receive a processor upgrade to Apple’s M4 chip, which is expected to gradually reach the company’s entire desktop and laptop portfolio. The M4 debuted on the latest iPad Pro, but will soon expand to the Mini, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, and Mac Studio.

Apple last updated the Mac Mini in 2023 and has since offered two variants of the machine: one has the standard M2 chip inside, while the other features the more powerful M2 Pro. Gurman says the company will continue this approach with the next revision, which will come in M4 and M4 Pro configurations. Bloomberg Report says that vendors are preparing to ship M4 hardware this month, although the M4 Pro Mini won’t be ready until October.

Apart from some changes to its inputs/outputs and internal design, the Mini’s overall shape hasn’t undergone any drastic changes in a long time. Here’s our review of the 2023 Mac Mini and here’s one that David Pierce wrote in 2012. Despite a decade between the models, it looks largely the same. Bring the even smaller Mini.