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- The Mac Mini M1/M2 were instant hits, replacing the outgoing Intel-based Mac Minis with up to triple the power and much lower prices.
- Apple Silicon meant that the Mac Minis were so successful, they were starting to hurt the sales of the MacBooks with M1/M2/M3.
- As such, Apple refrained from refreshing the Mac Mini with M3 in order to drive up demand for the MacBook Air/Pro.
Ever since the Cupertino-based brand transitioned to Apple Silicon, the Mac Mini has amassed tremendous popularity. However, the Mac Mini would never be chosen by professionals or enthusiasts, simply because it lacked the prowess of heavy-duty CPUs and GPUs, failing to keep up with workstations.
Nevertheless, all of that changed with the release of the Mac Mini M1.
Mac Mini M1: Don’t Be Fooled By The ‘Mini’
This is where Apple really hit it out of the ballpark.
Along with its siblings, i.e., the M1 MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, Apple rejuvenated the Mac Mini by transitioning from the Intel CPUs/iGPUs to the all-in-one Apple-designed M1 SoC (System on a Chip).
Moving on, thanks to the M1’s super low power draw of 20W, the miniature aluminium chassis actually serves as a very efficient means of heat dissipation.
When you take into consideration the fact that the Mac Mini M1 also features an active cooling system akin to the M1 MacBook Pro, you start to appreciate this palm-sized computer’s value proposition.
Speaking of value, the Mac Mini M1 retailed for $700 at the time of launch, although you can find it for almost half that price in terms of used units now.
That $700 got you a baseline configuration, i.e., 8 GB RAM coupled with a 256 GB SSD.
Of course, the Mac Mini M1 received an overwhelming reception thanks to its stellar performance at such a reasonable price point.
To this day, it is primarily responsible for capturing a sizeable market share when it comes to switching PC (Windows/ChromeOS/Linux/Ubuntu) users to macOS.
Mac Mini M2: One Step Further
The Mac Mini M2 showed the world that it’s not impossible to improvise an already near-perfect product.
For starters, Apple added customisable configurations meaning that people could now spec their Mac Mini with an M2 Pro complemented by up to 32 GB of RAM and a 2 TB SSD in the same miniature form factor.
You know what would be even better? A lower price. So that’s exactly what Apple gave you. Not only did the baseline Mac Mini get refreshed with the vanilla M2, it also became the subject of a $100 price drop.
That meant you could now get a brand new Mac Mini with the updated M2 chip for just $600. Insane.
Mac Mini With Apple Silicon: The Side Effects
I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m rambling on about the Intel Macs as well as the M1 and M2 Mac Minis when I’m supposed to be talking about the nonexistent M3 Mac Mini.
The Mac Mini M2 flaunted a slew of seriously powerful configurations meaning that the Mac Mini would now find itself in the vying hands of professionals and enthusiasts. But on top of that, Apple would outdo itself once again and reduce the price to $600.
Even better, if you were a student, you could use Apple’s educational discount pricing to grab the baseline Mac Mini M2 for just $500. While the Mac Mini had never been more popular, it was now starting to cannibalize the sales of the equally impressive MacBook Air which started at $1,200 for the M2 variant.
Don’t get me wrong. For $1,200, the MacBook Air was still a no-brainer for anyone who wanted an ultraportable yet powerful all-rounder laptop.
But you could get the same specs minus the screen, keyboard, mouse, and battery for just $600. This meant Apple would have a hard time selling the MacBook Air and even the MacBook Pro.
M3’s Absence: Do You Get It Now?
As I’m sure you’ve already understood, Apple needed an excuse to keep selling the MacBooks for double the price. This is exactly why the Mac Mini never received the M3 refresh even though the MacBooks did because Apple was afraid the MacBooks would see a drop in demand.
However, Apple’s plan might’ve backfired because when the Mac Mini did get refreshed with the M4 SoC, it also received an upgrade to 16 GB RAM for the baseline config. That was previously a $200 upgrade.
That’s not all. Apple also saw the fact that the Mac Mini had its most major design refresh in the last decade. That’s right, the Mac Mini M4 is now a square measuring 5”x5” and only 2” tall.
As such, don’t be surprised if the Mac Mini isn’t updated for another year or even two. Why? For the exact same reason you never saw a Mac Mini M3.
For $600, people will happily buy the Mac Mini M4 till at least 2026.
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[Wiki Editor]
Ali Rashid Khan is an avid gamer, hardware enthusiast, photographer, and devoted litterateur with a period of experience spanning more than 14 years. Sporting a specialization with regards to the latest tech in flagship phones, gaming laptops, and top-of-the-line PCs, Ali is known for consistently presenting the most detailed objective perspective on all types of gaming products, ranging from the Best Motherboards, CPU Coolers, RAM kits, GPUs, and PSUs amongst numerous other peripherals. When he’s not busy writing, you’ll find Ali meddling with mechanical keyboards, indulging in vehicular racing, or professionally competing worldwide with fellow mind-sport athletes in Scrabble at an international level. Currently speaking, Ali has completed his A-Level GCEs with plans to go into either Allopathic Medicine or Business Studies, or who knows, perhaps a full-time dedicated technological journalist.
Get In Touch: alirashid@tech4gamers.com
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