Apple has upgraded the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air lineup with its new M3 SoC, but the chip still has to reach the Mac mini and the Mac Studio before the next version is announced. It appears that the M3 Mac mini will not see daylight at all as the company aims to jump directly to the M4 version. The current model of the Mac mini is powered by the M2 chip, which was introduced in January of last year.
Apple will not launch the M3 Mac mini in favor of the M4 upgrade, skipping the entire generation, similar to the M2 iMac
In this week's Power On newsletter, Mark Gurman from Bloomberg claims that Apple will launch the M4 Mac mini later this year, skipping the M3 generation of chips entirely. Other than the processor, the company could introduce improved components for faster wireless connectivity speeds. As of now, it is unclear if the company will tweak the external design of the machine for better thermals and extended I/O.
Last year, the M2 Mac mini also included support for additional Thunderbolt 4 ports and a new HDMI 2.1 port for the M2 Pro model, but the general design language was the same as its predecessor. In this regard, users can expect the M4 Mac mini to come with the same design as well, and to be fair, performance is the only aspect of the machine that users are looking forward to. In terms of connectivity, the M2 variant of the Mac mini also came with Wi-Fi 6E support along with Bluetooth 5.3.
Gurman previously claimed that the M4 and M4 Pro Mac mini will be announced by the end of this year or early next year, but it seems that the company is targeting an early launch. In the latest report, Gurman states that the M4 Mac mini will be available sooner rather than later, hinting at end of year launch.
If we stick to the launch time frame of the M4 Mac mini, we can safely presume that the company will not announce the M3 variant of the machine. This is because it is very unlikely that the company will upgrade the machine twice in a single year. However, Apple's decision to skip the M3 chip upgrade for the Mac mini is not unusual, as the company followed the same approach with the upgrade cycle of the 24-inch iMac. The technology giant did not launch the M2 iMac and instead announced the M3 version that brought major performance gains thanks to TSMC's 3nm fabrication of the chip.
The M4 chip will not only bring enhanced computational and graphical performance but will also include a faster Neural Engine. This will allow the machine to handle AI tasks, similar to the A18 Pro chip for the iPhone 16 lineup.
About the author: Ali Salman is a technology reporter for Wccftech mobile section with a specialized focus on Apple and the intellectual property that drives mobile innovation. He has cultivated a unique expertise in analyzing and deconstructing complex technology patents, translating dense legal and technical documents into clear, insightful reports on future products.
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