William Gallagher
A reference to an as-yet unannounced new Mac mini has been found, backing up rumors of a revised model being launched soon.
The Mac mini was one of the first machines to get Apple Silicon, and it has more recently been rumored to be among the first to get a second generation M2 version.
The rumor mill is a little unclear as to what new Macs are imminent; for what it's worth, there is one concrete clue: the shipping Studio Display firmware references one unaccounted-for mystery machine — a new model generation of Mac mini ("Macmini10,1"). My guess: M2, not M1 Pro
— Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) April 12, 2022
Developer Steve Troughton-Smith, who most recently uncovered "realityOS" references in App Store logs, has no further details.
Previous reports have claimed that a new Mac mini will feature Apple's next generation of Apple Silicon processors. One model codenamed J473, would be based on the anticipated "M2" processor, and the more powerful model, codenamed J474, would feature the "M2 Pro" one.
The entry-level "M2" chip is said to be based on Apple's A15 processor. It will feature the same eight-core CPU of the current M1 Mac mini, but the GPU will be increased to 10 cores.
Reports also claim that the "M2 Pro" will have a 12-core CPU, made up for four efficiency cores and eight performance ones.
It's been rumored that a new Mac mini would be launched in the spring of 2022, and more recently it's been supposed that it may be unveiled at WWDC on June 6.
WWDC is very specifically and purposely a software event, as is always pointed out afterwards when it hasn't included any hardware. For 2022, though, there is perhaps more chance of hardware than usual, since it marks the end of Apple's self-imposed two-year transition to Apple Silicon.
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
Chip Loder
Malcolm Owen
19 Comments
Why would M2 pro jump to 12 cores from 8 and 10?
if m2 and pro are updated same time then wouldn’t they be both likely same core count 2+6 with Pro having use of all Gpu cores on the die say 12 then M2 with the 8 Gpu core bin.
An important note the author is missing is Apple has released hardware at WWDC most recently when it unveiled the Mac Mini developer’s edition for the AS migration. It would not be out of line for Apple to carry that tradition forward to new releases if the new design warrants getting the devices into developer’s hands before the general public to have the software optimized for the new chipset.
A new Mini is, of course, a given. Hopefully it will put an end to those complaining the Pro is too much, and the Studio is too much, but the Mini is not enough.
12 CPU core base M2 sounds right. All AS SOCs should move to increased CPU core counts from the base on up.
The A series keeps improving with each generation, so that will be passed along to the M series. But that's not enough to continue to whoop the competition. Need more cores and higher GHZ ratings.