Apple Mac mini: Small in stature, big on power
Wednesday, October 30, 2024 at 5:31AM 
Photo: Apple
Apple's taking the mini in the Mac mini's name quite seriously. As part of its week of Mac launches, the Apple Mac mini gets a refresh, featuring an even smaller form factor that packs in some serious guts.
The Mac mini now runs on the latest Apple M4 silicon, with options for either the regular M4 chip or the M4 Pro. This desktop PC is now smaller, measuring five inches long and wide. Apple says the M4's efficiency and the machine's "innovative thermal architecture" allow it to run smoothly and coolly.
Even with a compact form factor, the Apple Mac mini doesn't sacrifice connectivity. There are two USB-C ports in front alongside a 3.5mm audio jack. Around the back, there's an ethernet, HDMI, and three USB-C / Thunderbolt ports. Apple ditches the USB-A ports but gives you an extra Thunderbolt one for your trouble. The speed of these ports differs depending on the M4 processor you pick. The base chip has Thunderbolt 5, while the M4 Pro has the latest Thunderbolt 5 throughput.
You get a greater performance boost with the M4 Pro-powered Mac mini with its 14 CPU and 20 GPU cores. You can configure RAM up to 32GB with the regular M4 or 64GB with the M4 Pro. Storage can be configured to up to 8TB. And if you want 10 gigabit ethernet, that's an option you can spring for as well.
The Apple Mac mini starts at $799 in Canada for the regular M4 model and $1,899 for the M4 Pro variant. You can pre-order the Mac mini now before it arrives in stores on November 8.
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