Almost four years have passed since the Mac mini underwent a major overhaul, and although some people assume that Apple's silence means we will never see a mini renewal, we can still hold on to the hope that a new Mac mini will come out to the surface in 2018.
We did not get a new Mac mini in 2017, and although that disappointed many people, Apple's own CEO, Tim Cook, reiterated Apple's support for the Mac mini, so there's still hope for to appear this year.
Now, while the official word of when, or even if, a Mac Mini 2018 may be arriving has been elusive, there has been a great wave of speculation surrounding it. This includes everything from adding an independent coprocessor to the commands of & # 39; Hey Siri & # 39; until the inclusion of iOS applications through some kind of magic.
Cut to the hunt
- What is it? A new version of Apple's compact Mac
- When did it come out? Already in March 2018?
- How much will it cost? Let's wait for the price of the previous models
Mac mini 2018 release date
As with other upcoming Apple products, we do not have a solid release date for Mac mini 2018. rumors have also been thin on the ground, so we're going to have to use some speculation in regards to the possible release date.
The previous Mac mini was released long before October 16, 2014, so we could witness an October release for the new Mac mini?
Apple's WWDC 2018 event could be another opportunity for Apple to announce the new Mac mini. WWDC events are usually held in early June, and last year's conference showed the appearance of the HomePod and a new iPad Pro 12.9 and iPad Pro 10.5.
If June 2018 feels too far away, then Apple might have something planned for March, since it has revealed new products at that time in the past. We will keep up with any rumors and update this article as soon as we have a clearer idea of when the Mac mini 2018 will be launched.
Price of Mac mini 2018
Again, we have not heard much about the potential price of the Mac. Mac mini 2018 for the time being, but that's to be expected, since price rumors generally begin to circulate closer to the release date.
But could the price of previous Mac minis give us a clue as to what the price would any new Mac minis be?
The lowest priced Mac mini cost $ 499 (£ 399, around AU $ 650) when it was launched in 2014, with the average cost of Mac mini costing $ 699 (£ 569, around AU $ 900) and The upper range of Mac mini comes with a price of $ 999 (£ 569, around AU $ 1,300).
What we want to see in Mac mini 2018
Although we do not know much about Mac Mini 2018 at the moment, we certainly know what we want to see from a refreshed Mac mini.
1. A new and attractive design
Really, there is nothing wrong with the appearance of the current Mac mini, but if we are going to get the first major revision in almost four years, it would be amazing if I had a good makeover as well. Thinner, smaller and quieter. Is it too much to ask?
An old rumor of early 2017 suggested that the high-end mini-Mac would no longer be so mini, which led people to assume that more powerful components would be added, which would require more space to improve. cooling.
However, this rumor is quite vague, so we urge caution by taking this completely at face value.
Of course, the powerful components will mean more heat produced, so a redesigned Mac mini is not available from the question, but as Apple has shown with iMac and iMac Pro, it's a handy hand to put powerful components into devices Slender and keep them cool.
2. An increase in power
One of the things that we would most like to see of a Mac mini 2018 is an update of its components, which would make it a formidable mini machine to compete with other small format PCs such as Asus VivoMini and Intel NUC , which have been upgraded to seventh and eighth generation Intel Core processors, respectively.
So, to begin with, we would like to see a newer CPU than the current fourth-generation chip of the Mac mini. Upgrading the silicon would make possible modern conveniences such as Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C), Display Port 1.2 and 4K video, and would give the Mac mini 2018 considerable power over previous models.
According to reports, Apple plans to launch three Macs in 2018 with custom coprocessors, although we doubt that the Mac mini, even if it appears, would be included.
As for RAM, the previous Mac mini came with 4 GB, and while that might remain, we'd like to see a base of 8 GB of RAM, as with the MacBook Air.
2. Mouse and keyboard included
Although the Mac mini has the reputation of being the most compact and economical Apple computer, it is also known for its lack of included (though essential) accessories. Magic Mouse 2 and Magic Keyboard can only be purchased separately from the Mac mini. That means you will have to pay an additional cost for the parts that are required to use it.
A recent patent filed by Apple suggests that the company is interested in bringing spill-resistant and crumb-resista
nt keyboards to their MacBooks. We could argue that this protective structure technology, designed to "prevent contaminants from reaching the bowels of the machine" would be a useful addition to the Mac mini as well.
3. Support 4K
Would not it be great if the Mac mini 2018 could also act as an alternative to Apple TV? For that to happen, the Mac Mini 2018 would need to be a capable 4K machine, something that previous models definitely did not have.
Fortunately, as we mentioned earlier, if the new Mac mini is going to feature recent Intel processors, then the integrated graphics should give it enough graphics power to handle 4K.
Previous Mac mini models could not handle the content 4K, and this was due to hardware limitations at the time, along with Apple's desire to keep the Mac mini as an entry-level device, in terms of pricing.
However, by 2018 even budget processors come with integrated graphics that are powerful enough to render 4K interfaces and play ultra high definition content from Netflix and iTunes, so we want to see Apple make use of this technology in any new Mac mini that it produces.
4. To really exist
We can speculate all day about what the Mac Mini 2018 would look like, and what it is capable of, but none of that matters if it does not exist in the first place. It's been a long time since we saw a Mac Mini update, and Apple has a lot to gain in a market where they start to see more competition than ever.
If Apple can take out a Mac Mini that improves and innovates in its design, it could end up with one of the best multimedia PCs on the market. So, let's hope that Tim Cook's support of the Mac mini means that the Cupertino giant has something up his sleeve.
- These are the best Macs that 2018 has to offer so far
Gabe Carey has also contributed to this report