It’s shark week and then it’s mac week. It’s a little less exciting, but Apple first announced a New iMac yesterdayand today we are treated to a new Mac Mini. Tomorrow, there’s a good chance you’ll be expecting a new MacBook Pro, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

The Mac Mini is Apple’s smallest desktop computer and is getting its first redesign in decades. Apple refreshed this machine in early 2023 with the M2 chipset, but the latest entry is powered by the new M4 Pro, a processor that makes its debut today. The M4 range improves energy efficiency and speed and, like its predecessor, can take advantage of the new Apple Intelligence which was released this week in macOS Sequoia 15.1.

Apple’s smallest desktop starts at $599 and is available for pre-order now. Starts shipping on November 8th.

Photo: Courtesy of Apple

Small but stronger than ever

OK, remember when Apple said Apple Watch Series 10 it had a completely new design and still looked pretty much identical to everything else Apple Watch? Yes, the small changes made the 10 series more comfortable and pleasant to wear, but new the design is a bit stretched. It’s kind of like a Mac Mini. It hasn’t received a major redesign since 2010, but things are changing now.

The already small desktop computer is now equal smaller– comes in at 5 x 5 inches. Despite the smaller footprint, it’s slightly taller and the base is angled down with vents for airflow. It is still, to all intents and purposes, a metal cube.

Apple has finally added ports to the front, making them easier to access. Two USB-C ports support USB 3.0 and there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack. On the back, the M4-powered Mac Mini includes three Thunderbolt 4 ports, while the M4 Pro version has three Thunderbolt 5 ports USB-C ports (another first-Thunderbolt 5 is the latest standard that supports data transfer speeds of up to 80 Gbps and is only available in very few devices at this time). Both models also have an HDMI (for connecting a external display), an Ethernet connection (configurable up to 10 GB) and a port for the power cable. Apple has completely canceled the USB-A ports in this model.

Unlike the iPhone, which arrives right on time every September, Apple’s desktop hardware can be a bit more sporadic, and of course that means the processors powering these machines aren’t chronological. The last Mac Mini had the M2 chip, and no, this one doesn’t have the M3, but the M4 instead. There are two types to choose from: M4 or M4 Pro.