Pile Photo/NBD

This year, Apple's Mac lineup is expected to undergo a significant upgrade, particularly for the Mac mini, which serves as the entry-level model in Apple's computer system and is anticipated to see its first major design innovation since the era of Steve Jobs.

Famous tech Analyst Mark Gurman revealed on Thursday that the Mac Mini consumer desktop computer will undergo a complete design overhaul. Not only will it be equipped with the latest Apple-designed M4 and M4 Pro chips upon its release this fall, but it will also become the smallest computer in Apple's history.

The current version of the Mac mini is a square box with a length and width of 7.7 inches (19.7 cm) and a height of 1.4 inches (3.58 cm). This design dates back to the modifications during the Steve Jobs era in 2010 and has been in use ever since. The recent updates to this product include the introduction of the M1 chip in 2020 and the M2 and M2 Pro chip models launched in early 2023.

In contrast, the Apple TV box has a length and width of only 9.3 cm. Mini hosts from Intel and other manufacturers are generally around 4 inches (10 cm to 11 cm).

Photo/Apple website

Analysts claim that the new Mac Mini will not only be the smallest in Apple's Mac lineup but also the smallest desktop computer in the world.

Gurman also disclosed that with the reduction in occupied area, the height of the new Mac mini may be slightly taller. Apple has tested models with at least three USB-C ports and one HDMI port on the back. Like the current generation, the new Mac mini will also come in two versions, one with the M4 chip used in the iPad Pro and another with the yet unreleased M4 Pro chip.

Gurman concluded that the Mac mini, iMac all-in-one, and MacBook Pro are all models expected to be released this year. The MacBook Air, currently in development, is scheduled for next year's spring release, while the desktop Mac Pro and the higher-end desktop computer Mac Studio are set to be updated in the middle of next year.

Reports suggest that Apple plans to upgrade all Mac models to the latest M4 chip. Along with the M4 Mac Mini to be launched this fall, there will also be iMac desktops and MacBook Pro high-end notebook product lines equipped with M4 chips. Next spring, Apple plans to release the MacBook Air laptop equipped with the M4 chip, and in the middle of next year, the M4 Mac Studio and Mac Pro desktops will be launched.

Analysts say that upgrading the entire Mac computer product line to support AI processing capabilities with the M4 chip marks the latest milestone in Apple's development, as this will be the first time in the company's history to adopt the same generation of chips across all Mac models. Earlier this year, Apple released the first product equipped with the M4 chip, the iPad Pro, which can provide strong support for the new AI functions starting this fall.

The biggest improvement of the M4 chip lies in its AI capabilities, with the company's claimed computing power reaching 38 trillion operations per second, compared to the data of the previous M3 chip at 18 trillion operations per second.

Current market news indicates that Apple's suppliers will begin shipping Mac Mini models equipped with the M4 chip in August, which may be sold together with the new iPhone models in September. The Mac Mini with the higher-end M4 Pro chip may not be available until October this year.

Interestingly, "insiders" also revealed that compared to the current starting price of $599, the manufacturing cost of the new model may be cheaper, but it is unclear whether Apple will reduce the price or not.

Analysts pointed out that Apple held a rare product launch event in October last year, just before Halloween, introducing the MacBook Pro high-end notebook and iMac all-in-one with the M3 chip. It would not be surprising if Apple held another launch event in October this year.

The market expects Apple to promote the M4 chip released in May this year as the company's most powerful neural engine to date, providing the necessary processing power for new AI functions, hoping to revitalize the demand for Mac computers, which has slowed down since the post-pandemic period of COVID-19.

Looking at Apple's financial report released last week, this upgrade strategy has already shown returns - the sales of the iPad category increased by 24% year-on-year, reaching $7.16 billion, far exceeding the market expectation of $6.61 billion.

After the news of the Mac Mini was released, Apple's stock price increased by 1.6%, and as of the closing on August 8th, Apple reported at $213.31, with a market value of $3.2 trillion.