Mac mini 2024: the 5 new features from Apple that will make you fall in love
Apple continues to stand out with its compact desktop computer, the Mac mini. Available since 2005, this model has endured in the Apple firm's catalog. The M2 version has also benefited from a nice price drop, from €699, the opportunity for consumers to have a discreet, efficient and durable Mac at a lower cost.
At the end of 2024, it is now time to move on to a new generation, which is about to benefit from much more than a new chip.
The five new features planned for the Mac mini 2024
Design
Expected for next week, the Mac mini (2024) would first benefit froma new design. The very well informed Mark Gurman mentioned last July a computer in an even more compact format. The Bloomberg journalist had also made people dream by mentioning a size half as imposing as that of the current generation. It would therefore be a box of approximately 10 x 10 cm, dimensions close to the Apple TV 4K. In return, this new Mac mini would be higher.
M4 chips
The second big novelty would be found inside the beast with the introduction of the new Apple Silicon M4 and M4 Pro chips. Engraved in 3 nm (5 nm for the M1 and M2), they promise increased performance and better energy efficiency.
Although power is not an issue for previous Mac mini chips, this new generation has a big strength in the Neural Engine, a component dedicated to processing artificial intelligence and machine learning tasks.
The Neural Engine of the M4 chip of iPad Pro 2024 can effectively process up to 38 trillion operations per second, compared to 15.8 trillion operations per second on the M2. A significant boost that Apple could take advantage of for more advanced Apple Intelligence features.
RAM
Speaking of power, RAM is also a central point for artificial intelligence tools. Faced with its growing need, particularly to keep pace in the field of AI with Apple Intelligence, the Californian company has reportedly revised its basic model with greater RAM capacity.
We would thus go from 8 GB to 16 GB by default, providing additional memory for resource-intensive applications, such as Adobe's professional editing software. A new maximum amount of RAM of 32 GB would be offered, while the Mac mini M2 were limited to 24 GB. Until now, only the M2 Pro was entitled to a 32 GB option.
USB-C
The latest rumors suggest a change in connectivity with the Mac mini 2024. Apple is betting everything on USB-C, thus abandoning the two USB-A ports present on the back. A choice in tune with the times where USB-C is becoming the standard, particularly by legal means within the EU. You will therefore need to opt for a USB-C to USB-A dongle in order to connect your accessories equipped with this port to this new Mac min (2024).
The leaks also report that this new Mac mini would be entitled to a new connectivity configuration with three ports on the back and two ports on the front, compared to four only on the back previously (six for the M2 Pro).
Apple Intelligence
According to MacRumors, “Apple should emphasize the artificial intelligence capabilities of the M4 series of chips”. All in all, logical information knowing that the first features of Apple Intelligence should appear next week with the update macOS Sequoia 15.1.
The opportunity to take advantage of the new features of the Siri assistant, intelligent responses in Mail and Messages, priority messages always in Mail, or even the magic eraser in Photos.
However, the poor Europeans that we are will not be entitled to Apple Intelligence during this period. Indeed, the Apple firm is currently focusing on a launch in the United States, then in other English-speaking countries at the end of 2024, before tackling the European Union and its various languages during 2025…
