M2 Mac Mini - speculation on release date changes

[ElmerJFudd]

It’s unlikely we’ll see a new Mac mini this year according to Ming-Chi Kuo. In March, when Apple’s SVP of Hardware Engineering, John Ternus spoke about the progress of the move to Apple Silicon he said, “just one more product to go: ‌Mac Pro‌.” This means if you need a new Mac mini this year, the Mac Studio is your best bet.

 

Pro-tools Expert reported last month that M2 testing is happening now. This claim was also backed up through developer logs from certain third-party apps and references in the most recent beta of macOS Monterey.

 

We will likely see updates to both the entry-level and top-spec Mac mini models. For the entry-level model, it will be equipped with the same new M2 chip as with the MacBook Air. The more high-end model will likely carry the M1 Pro series chips that have already been successful in the MacBook Pro range.

 

Although an M1 Pro Max version of the Mac Mini did go through the test build phase, it’s unlikely that we will see it on the market. The reason for this is due to the release of the powerful and expandable Mac Studio.

 

Meanwhile, at Bloomberg, Mark Gurman has said that the updated entry-level M2‌ chip will also have an eight-core CPU like the ‌M1‌. However, it will offer increased performance and efficiency. In addition to this, there will be a new higher-spec M2 model with a nine or ten core GPU.

 

Has Apple abandoned the Mac mini redesign set for 2022?

 

 

 

[Anderton]

Meanwhile...pandemic upheavals in China are delaying MacBook Pro orders, big-time. Some people think orders placed now could take up to six months to arrive.

[ElmerJFudd]

Indeed. The great chip shortage of the 2020s continues to delay upgrades, replacements and advancements. 

[RABid]

2 hours ago, Anderton said:

Meanwhile...pandemic upheavals in China are delaying MacBook Pro orders, big-time. Some people think orders placed now could take up to six months to arrive.

Noooooo. Say it isn't so. I play to buy myself a MacBookPro at the end of October. Cannot order it now because I have to sell off some music equipment first. I'm going pretty big. What I want will be $4200 plus tax.

[KuruPrionz]

2 hours ago, RABid said:

Noooooo. Say it isn't so. I play to buy myself a MacBookPro at the end of October. Cannot order it now because I have to sell off some music equipment first. I'm going pretty big. What I want will be $4200 plus tax.

When the time comes keep an eye on the Apple Refurbished page and be ready to strike. Stuff can move quickly there.

They only list what they have in stock, you won't have to wait for months to get it.

 

I got a Mac Mini that way, probably a more thorough inspection than a computer coming off the line gets and a lower price too. Warranty period is shorter but still long enough to make sure all is well. I think you can buy the Apple Care warranty if you want as well. 

[Philip OKeefe]

On 5/9/2022 at 6:04 PM, KuruPrionz said:

When the time comes keep an eye on the Apple Refurbished page and be ready to strike. Stuff can move quickly there.

They only list what they have in stock, you won't have to wait for months to get it.

 

I got a Mac Mini that way, probably a more thorough inspection than a computer coming off the line gets and a lower price too. Warranty period is shorter but still long enough to make sure all is well. I think you can buy the Apple Care warranty if you want as well. 

 

The warranty on Apple refurbished computers is the same as it is on their brand-new computers - 1 year, with 90 days of tech support. You can also purchase up to three years of Apple Care for them, just as if they were brand-new computers. 

 

https://www.apple.com/shop/refurbished/about

 

My 2012 MacBook Pro was a refurb. I recently purchased an M1 MacBook Air 16GB/1TB, and it is a refurb too. Both came with full warranties, and both looked identical to brand new computers when they arrived. If the boxes didn't have refurb stickers on them, and if I didn't purchase them from the refurb section of the Apple Store, I would have no way of knowing that they weren't brand new machines. I think I saved $200-$250 on each of those computers just by getting refurbished models. As long as you're lucky enough to find exactly what you want (in terms of model and features/specs) it's a very good way to go, IMHO. 

 

 

[Philip OKeefe]

Why did I decide to get the M1 Air now instead of waiting for the M2-equipped version? The M1 Air is available now... who knows what the supply chain and chip situation will be in six months? And it's kind of up in the air (no pun intended) whether or not they'll launch the new models in June, or even in the fall. 

 

While I suspect the M2 MBA will be ~10-20% faster, have a couple of extra GPU cores, and may have a redesigned case and new color options, the M1 still has more than enough horsepower for my mobile needs. If I need anything faster, I have the M1 Max Mac Studio. Plus, I really like the design of the current M1 MBA. And because I saw a refurb with the exact specs I wanted, I was able to get it for less than what an equivalently spec'ed-out M2 is likely to cost. Even if they don't go up in price (a big "if", considering the current state of inflation in the world), I doubt I'd find anything similar in terms of a refurb for several months after they finally launch the new M2 MBA's. So I went ahead and bought the M1 MBA and saved myself some waiting and some money. 

 

 

[KuruPrionz]

19 minutes ago, Philip OKeefe said:

 

The warranty on Apple refurbished computers is the same as it is on their brand-new computers - 1 year, with 90 days of tech support. You can also purchase up to three years of Apple Care for them, just as if they were brand-new computers. 

 

https://www.apple.com/shop/refurbished/about

 

My 2012 MacBook Pro was a refurb. I recently purchased an M1 MacBook Air 16GB/1TB, and it is a refurb too. Both came with full warranties, and both looked identical to brand new computers when they arrived. If the boxes didn't have refurb stickers on them, and if I didn't purchase them from the refurb section of the Apple Store, I would have no way of knowing that they weren't brand new machines. I think I saved $200-$250 on each of those computers just by getting refurbished models. As long as you're lucky enough to find exactly what you want (in terms of model and features/specs) it's a very good way to go, IMHO. 

 

 

Thanks Phil, I did not know that but I am pleased with my M1 Mac Mini. As you said, it looks like new. Not only was it less expensive but I doubt the machines on the line get an inspection at the same level as the refurbished do, so far I've had no problems with the computer. I do find myself wishing I'd held out for the 1tb drive instead of the 512mb. 

 

So it goes, there is still a good sized chunk of internal drive I can track on and then move it off to mix. I really only need the low latency when tracking, I can set it much longer for mixing and not notice a thing. I've been finding that some of the plugins I mix with suck down some serious firepower and need a bit more time. 

[RABid]

I like the performance of my M1 Air. What I don't like is the performance of the USB-C connections for data and power. I keep getting error messages for disconnecting my external drive which I never disconnect. And at times the USB-C charging just stops. I have to unplug the power adapter and remove all cables to get it to reset and start powering again. Very frustrating when you don't notice until your MacBook or iPad runs out of power.

[ElmerJFudd]

56 minutes ago, RABid said:

I like the performance of my M1 Air. What I don't like is the performance of the USB-C connections for data and power. I keep getting error messages for disconnecting my external drive which I never disconnect. And at times the USB-C charging just stops. I have to unplug the power adapter and remove all cables to get it to reset and start powering again. Very frustrating when you don't notice until your MacBook or iPad runs out of power.

Any OS or firmware updates you have not applied yet?  There was a big one for Monterey this week. Something like a 3gb download and the Macs reboot 3 times post install. 
 

If you believe it’s hardware related - like a bum USB-C port or it’s connection to the motherboard… do you have Apple C︅a︅r︅e?  Bring it in and have them make it right. Heck, I bring stuff in even without Apple Care and they  do their best to appease me. 

[RABid]

The M1 stays updates, which causes some problems with music software. It is not limited to the specific charger, cables or machine. I have a few chargers and multiple cables. It can happen anywhere on both the computer and the iPad air.

[Philip OKeefe]

Knock on wood, but so far, mine hasn't had any issues with external drives or other peripherals disconnecting. It seems to charge pretty fast, and has much better battery life than my MacBook Pro does. 

 

I am running macOS 12.3.1 Monterey. If there's something newer, I haven't heard about it yet. If there is, unless it's an urgent, highly-recommended security-related update, I'll probably wait a bit before I install it since this OS seems to be pretty darned stable and is approved by Avid for use with Pro Tools 2022.4.

[ElmerJFudd]

58 minutes ago, RABid said:

The M1 stays updates, which causes some problems with music software. It is not limited to the specific charger, cables or machine. I have a few chargers and multiple cables. It can happen anywhere on both the computer and the iPad air.

Bring it in.  

[Anderton]

16 hours ago, ElmerJFudd said:

Bring it in.  

 

I concur. Sounds like a possible hardware problem.

[Philip OKeefe]

There IS a newer macOS version now - 12.4. I am now running it on both of my new Macs with no issues to report.