Apple is planning a new version of the Mac mini using the M4 chip, according to reports from Bloomberg. It’s expected sometime before the end of the year, and insider information suggests that it will be significantly smaller than the previous generation — almost as small as the Apple TV box. This will be the first significant redesign of the product since it was overhauled in 2010 under late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.
It seems there will be two versions of the new Mac mini, one with the standard M4 chip and one with an M4 Pro chip that has yet to be announced. Like other Pro chips, it’s expected that the M4 Pro will support additional memory and enhanced graphic performance.
Apple has also reportedly tested models of the mini with at least three USB-C ports alongside the power and HDMI ports, and Bloomberg speculates that it will be cheaper to make than the previous model. Whether this will translate to a smaller price tag is yet to be seen.
Mac mini is not the only Mac getting upgraded to the M4 chip, however. If the rumors are true, Apple will be putting an M4 chip in every one of its Macs, and this will be the first time the entire lineup has shared the same chip generation.
The iMac desktop and MacBook Pros with M4 chips could launch as early as this year, with M4 MacBook Airs planned for spring 2025 and Mac Pro and Mac Studio models expected in mid-2025. Whether we’ll truly see M4 MacBook Pros before 2024 ends, however, is currently in question after some cryptic comments during Apple’s recent quarterly earnings call. This is despite assurances by Mark Gurman of Bloomberg that things are still on track for later this year.
The reason for these upgrades could be to make sure the entire Mac lineup benefits from the AI-focused M4 chip, which will enable each model to handle upcoming and future Apple Intelligence features smoothly.
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
I've spent a good amount of time digging into the spec sheet of the new M6 MacBook Pro (14-inch), and for all intents and purposes, this is a classic Apple "chip and connectivity" refresh. It's not a full redesign. The chassis, Liquid Retina XDR panel, speakers, ports, and battery, all of them carry over unchanged.
However, the M6 brings more cores, stronger on-device AI, higher memory bandwidth on the larger configs, and modern wireless. Here’s the practical rundown of what actually improved, and whether those gains are worth your money.