2022 Mac Mini with M2 Chip May Release Sooner Than Expected
In a Tweet posted earlier today, developer Steve Troughton-Smith has shared a reference about a new Mac mini within the Studio Display firmware, suggesting that an M2 Mac mini may debut sooner than expected.
Previously, veteran Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has claimed Apple’s Mac mini refresh, expected to feature next-generation Apple Silicon, will launch in 2023 and retain the same form factor and design as its predecessor.
However, a new detail spotted in the Studio Display firmware by Steve Houghton-Smith references various Mac models, including one with the code ‘Macmini10,1’. The developer believes this sequence refers to a new Mac mini which would sport a new M2 processor instead of an M1 Pro chip.
The rumor mill is a little unclear as to what new Macs are imminent; for what it’s worth, there is one concrete clue: the shipping Studio Display firmware references one unaccounted-for mystery machine — a new model generation of Mac mini (“Macmini10,1”). My guess: M2, not M1 Pro
— Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) April 12, 2022
Reports have suggested that Apple’s M2 chip will sport the same eight-core CPU as the M1, but will offer speed and efficiency improvements, along with a new nine or ten core GPU, up from seven or eight cores in the M1.