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Kuo: Mac mini unlikely to get new design anytime soon; 3nm M3 Pro and Max chips expected next year

Apple on Tuesday updated the Mac mini with the M2 chip, and also introduced another version with the new, more powerful M2 Pro chip. However, despite the new chips, the Mac mini still has the same design introduced a decade ago. And according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the Mac mini won’t be getting a new design anytime soon.

Mac mini to keep the same old design

Back in 2021, YouTuber and leaker Jon Prosser reported that Apple would adopt a new, even more compact industrial design for the Mac mini. Prosser even revealed some renders showing what this new design would look like. However, the Mac mini introduced today kept the design of the previous generation, which is basically the same since 2010.

It’s unclear at this point whether the renders weren’t real or whether Apple has given up on the idea of redesigning the Mac mini. However, for those who still have hope of seeing a redesigned Mac mini, Ming-Chi Kuo reported on Tuesday that it won’t happen anytime soon.

Right after 9to5Mac exclusively revealed details about the M2 Mac mini in March 2022, Kuo briefly said on Twitter that the 2023 Mac mini (which is the one introduced today) would probably keep the same design as before. Following the launch of the new M2 Mac mini today, the analyst tweeted that the 2024 Mac mini won’t have a new design either.

“My new prediction for next new Mac mini is similar to the one I made about ten months ago. I think the new Mac mini in 2024 will likely remain the similar form factor design,” Kuo said. One reason why Apple may have chosen to keep the same design as before is to reduce production costs. The base model of the M2 Mac mini now $599 – that’s $100 less than the M1 model.

New MacBook Pro with 3nm M3 Pro and Max chips coming in 2024

new MacBook pro features

In addition to the M2 Mac mini, Apple today also introduced new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro powered by the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips. Aside from the new chips and support for Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, and HDMI 2.1 port, there isn’t much new about these laptops.

But according to Kuo, Apple is already working on M3 Pro and M3 Max chips for the next generation MacBook Pro. The analyst claims that the chips will be made by TSMC using the 3-nanometer process and will go into mass production in the first half of 2024.

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Avatar for Filipe Espósito Filipe Espósito

Filipe Espósito is a Brazilian tech Journalist who started covering Apple news on iHelp BR with some exclusive scoops — including the reveal of the new Apple Watch Series 5 models in titanium and ceramic. He joined 9to5Mac to share even more tech news around the world.

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