New Mac Mini With M2 & M2 Pro Chips Is In The Making
The M1 Mac Mini debuted in 2020, and a new report says that two new models, the M2 Mac Mini and M2 Pro Mac Mini are in the making. The M2 chip will make for the second generation of Apple’s M series chips that power their Mac and iPad lineup.
The report says that the M2 chip is codenamed “Staten” and that the M2 Mac Mini and the M2 Pro Mac Mini are named J473 and J474 respectively. With the launch of the M2 chip, we can expect the M1 chip to make its way to the entire iPad lineup. So far, the new iPad Air and the iPad Pro have got the M1 chip.
M2 Mac Mini release date
You can expect the M2 Mac Mini to debut at WWDC in June 2022. There’s no expected release date for the M2 Pro Mac Mini. The pro model may come out later this year.
According to the 9to5Mac report, Apple planned to launch the M1 Pro and M1 Max Mac Minis at their Spring event. But Apple scrapped them in favor of Mac Studio. This ultimately means we won’t get more M1 Mac Minis, but there is room for the next-gen M2 Mac Mini.
M2 & M2 Pro specifications
Let’s talk about the M2 chip first. We expect it to be a successor to the M1 chip, and the reports don’t disappoint. The M2 chip will be based on the A15 Bionic chip. It’ll also pack an 8-core CPU with 4 performance and 4 efficiency cores but will have a bigger 10-core GPU. The new performance cores are codenamed “Avalanche,” and the new efficiency cores are codenamed “Blizzard.”
Coming to the M2 Pro, it will be packing a staggering 12-core CPU with 8 performance and 4 efficiency cores. It sounds like a performance powerhouse and is most likely to be a popular choice for people looking at something between the base Mac Mini and the new Mac Studio.
However, Apple’s pricing will also play a major role in telling us where the new Macs fit. So far, the company has cleverly positioned the Mac lineup to cover every price point north of $999. The Mac Mini is also a good alternative for the iMac. But if you’re in the market to buy one now, we’d suggest you wait as the new chips are just around the corner.
