Something to look forward to: We are getting closer to Apple’s debut of an all-new Mac mini, and thanks to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, we know a fair bit about the product’s redesign as well as other plans from Cupertino. Apple has removed connectors in the past to simplify designs, and it is following this playbook again with this new version. Also, if you liked this year’s Magic Keyboard but not its price point, you are in luck. Apple’s M4 Mac mini drops USB-A ports, will feature five USB-C ports
Little by little, we are learning more
about Apple’s redesign plans for its Mac mini, courtesy of Bloomberg columnist Mark Gurman and his extensive line up of sources at Apple.
To briefly recap, we know that the Mac mini is set for its first significant design overhaul since 2010, making it Apple’s smallest desktop computer: the size of an Apple TV set-top box, though slightly taller. We also know that the new Mac mini will be available in two versions, one equipped with the base M4 chip and one featuring the higher-end M4 Pro chip.
Insiders working on the Mac mini’s development say it will look like an iPad Pro encased in an aluminum shell and that Apple has tested models with at least three USB-C ports, an HDMI port, and a power cable area.
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Now, Gurman has some additional details to share. The M4 Pro version will have five USB-C ports, with three on the back and two on the front like the Mac Studio. That model will also keep its existing Ethernet port, HDMI connector and headphone jack.
But the USB-A ports on the current Mac
mini will disappear and Gurman speculates that it is possible they won’t survive the Mac Pro and Mac Studio upgrades next year. Sources say that the power supply will be internal, “so don’t expect to need to lug around a separate brick,” he writes.
He also reports that suppliers are scheduled to begin shipping Mac mini units from China sporting the standard M4 chip to warehouses globally in early September and that the higher-end version, with an M4 Pro, won’t begin shipping until October. That timeline suggests that neither product will make their debut until at least a month after the new iPhone is unveiled in September.Apple’s M4 Mac mini drops USB-A ports, will feature five USB-C ports
Cupertino suppliers are also working on a new iPad keyboard for next year following this year’s rollout of a revamped Magic Keyboard that added a metal palm rest, larger trackpad and function keys.
The new keyboard will be a low-end version designed for an entry-level iPad or the new iPad Airs, lacking some of the more expensive components such as the metal palm rest, but it will have some new features, possibly including a function row. It should be released by the middle of next year if its development stays on track.
Gurman also observed that in the weeks leading up to an Apple launch event, you can tell what type of new products are coming based on the inventory at the company’s retail stores. Namely, when certain items are running low, it’s typically a sign that they’re about to be upgraded or phased out.
There are numerous iPhone models whose stock is currently low, he reports, including the low-budget SE, many Apple Watch models, AirPods and the iPad mini. Cupertino is planning to release new Apple Watches and AirPods this fall, and given the scarcity of the iPad mini, a new model for that may be coming as well.
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