Mac mini M2 Release date: When will the next Mac mini be released?
Apple introduced the M1 chip in the Mac mini, MacBook Air and 13in MacBook Pro at its One More Thing event on November 10 2020. Two of those Macs now have M2 chips, so what about the Mac mini? As the M1 Mac mini approaches its two year anniversary, the introduction of a M2 Mac mini in the fall of 2022 doesn’t only look likely, it looks tardy. (Read about why we say it’s not a good time to buy the Mac mini.)
Apple often holds an event in October or November at which it has often announced updated Macs, so October is a possibility for a new Mac mini. If not at an event we could still see Apple issue a press release about the a new model (Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has suggested that the upcoming new products might not be enough to justify an event).
We could be waiting until 2023 though. In March 2022 analyst Ming-Chi Kuo stated that a new Mac mini will ship in 2023 (the Mac mini in his original tweet was the Mac Studio). Kuo doesn’t offer specifics, but it’s possible this 2023 Mac mini could be the M2 Mac mini.
Mac mini M2 Design: Will the Mac mini have a new design?
One reason why we could have a longer wait for a new Mac mini is if rumours that Apple will be changing the design turn out to be true.
The Mac mini has had a similar square design ever since Apple introduced it in 2005, over time it has gotten thinner, lost the CD drive, and had a color change. The next Mac mini could get a brand new look, according to reports.
Jon Prosser claimed back in June 2021 that the next Mac mini will shrink even further, which could put it at less than an inch tall. The body could be getting a change too. While the Mac mini has had its aluminum chassis since 2010, Apple is reportedly considering a “plexiglass” top, according to Prosser. That could mean Apple will bring a little pizzazz to the Mac mini with a new color. The Mac mini is currently limited to silver and space gray.
