Apple's Mac Mini Finally Gets An Update For The First Time Since 2014

The all-new Mac mini features super-fast processors, up to 64Gb of RAM and all-flash storage. It looks as if it's been worth the wait.Apple

It’s been a long wait but after almost four years since its last refresh, Apple has finally updated the Mac mini and given those on a budget the opportunity to join the Mac community without bankrupting themselves.

The Mac mini is basically a laptop in a small square enclosure about the same size as a small biscuit tin. The idea is that user supplies the monitor, keyboard and mouse, and then simply slots the mini into the system. The result is a near-silent desktop Mac with some pretty impressive specifications. The mini is a small enough form factor to move around from office to home by simply having a monitor, keyboard, and mouse in each location.

The latest iteration of this dinky little desktop now has some serious power under the hood and should satisfy critics who have long complained that Apple appeared to have given up on the mini.

The brand new Mac mini is now available with quad- and 6-core 8th-generation Intel Core processors with Turbo Boost Speeds up to 4.6GHz and Intel UHD graphics. Mac mini delivers up to five times faster performance than the previous generation. There’s also up to 64GB of 2666 MHz onboard RAM for loading larger files into memory, running more virtual machines or manipulating very large data sets. All Mac minis now feature solid-state storage, with capacities of up to 2TB. The solid-state drives used in the new Mac mini are up to four times faster than before.

Also new to the Mac mini is Apple’s T2 Security Chip with its SSD controller providing on-the-fly data encryption so everything stored on the SSD is automatically and fully encrypted. The Secure Enclave in T2 ensures that software loaded during the boot process has not been tampered with. T2 also features HEVC video transcoding enabling pro users to work more quickly with higher resolution video.

With four Thunderbolt 3 ports – twice as many as the previous generation – and each with double the performance, the new Mac mini can connect to high-speed storage, 4K and 5K Thunderbolt displays, and output video in three formats. Mac mini also features an HDMI 2.0 port, two USB-A ports, an audio jack, and Gigabit Ethernet so it can connect to almost anything. There’s also a 10Gb Ethernet option available for the first time.

The new Mac mini is available in new space grey finish, and every new Mac mini enclosure uses aluminum alloy made from 100% recycled aluminum, which has the same strength, durability and finish as the aluminum in all Apple products. Apple also claims that the new Mac mini also uses more post-consumer recycled plastic in parts like the foot, helping to reduce the carbon footprint of the new Mac mini by nearly 50%.

Pricing and Availability

The new Mac mini starts at $799 / £799 with 8GB of RAM and 128GB storage and is available to order today on apple.com. It will be available in Apple retail stores and through Apple Authorised Resellers starting Wednesday, November 7

Let's block ads! (Why?)