Many Apple fans were hoping yesterday Apple would unveil the new Mac mini powered by the blazing-fast M1 Pro or M1 Max chip — the first Apple silicon designed for pros.

So what do we know and when should we expect to see them?

What To Expect In The New Mac mini

New Apple Silicon 2nd-Gen Chips

We expect the new Mac mini to use the same two new SoCs, the M1 Pro and M1 Max. The CPU part is the same on both chips, with a 10-core processor made up of eight high-performance cores and two energy-efficient cores. The difference is in the GPU part of the SoC. One version of the new 2nd-gen chip has 16 graphics cores, and the other has 32 cores. This compares to 8 CPU cores, four high-performance cores and four energy-efficient cores and only 8 graphics cores.

When it comes to memory as we expect the chips to the M1 Pro and M1 Max, there will be the same 32GB and 64GB unified memory options as we have seen with the new MacBook Pro laptops.

More Ports

Before the release of the new MacBook Pro laptops, we would have expected the new Mac mini to have the same ports as was on the Intel Mac mini, however, the MBPs only have 3 Thunderbolt 4 ports and so we expect the Mac mini to match the ports on the MBP.

• 3 Thunderbolt ports, up from 2 on the entry-level Mac mini.

• 2 USB-A ports

• SD Card slot

• Ethernet

• HDMI port

Power

We expect the new Mac mini to come with the same magnetic power port as was first seen on the M1 24-inch ‌iMac‌.

New Design

It’s possible the new Mac mini will have a new Plexi-glass top. It’s also possible the new Mac mini could have a two-tone look similar to the 24-inch M1 iMacs.

No More Intel Mac mini

We expect the new 2nd-gen Mac mini compact desktop computer to replace the Intel-powered version that is currently on sale.

How Much Will The New Mac mini Cost?

When Apple started selling the Mac mini in M1 format it dropped the price to $699. It might be the case this happens with the higher powered M1 Pro and M1 Max versions, this could mean the new Mac mini would start at $999 with similar upgrade options seen on the new MacBook Pros. A fully maxed pro Mac mini with an M1 Max chip and all the extras could cost around $4899.00.

When Will The New Mac mini Be Here?

Many expected the Mac mini to be announced at the Unleashed event, it’s still possible that Apple could announce the new Mac mini before the end of 2021 but it’s more likely to slip into early 2022.

All we can say is watch this space.