In a recent issue of his “Power On” newsletter, Gurman shared insights suggesting that Apple will not update the Mac mini with M3 chips. The last enhancement for the Mac mini occurred in January 2023, featuring M2 and M2 Pro chips. Additional upgrades at the time included two more Thunderbolt 4 ports and an HDMI 2.1 port in the M2 Pro models, along with support for Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, assuming a compatible router is used.
Previously, Gurman had indicated that new Mac mini models with M4 and M4 Pro chips would likely launch sometime between the end of 2024 and early 2025. However, he has now revised this forecast, suggesting the release could occur as early as the end of 2024. He argues there is little space in the schedule for an M3 update before then, leading to the likelihood of the M3 generation being omitted entirely.
This strategy mirrors Apple’s previous decisions, such as with the iMac, which skipped the M2 chip to wait for a more substantial upgrade with the M3. The forthcoming M4 series is expected to deliver significant CPU performance enhancements over the current M2 series models.
Additionally, the M4 chips are rumored to feature an improved Neural Engine for artificial intelligence functions.
