The new MacBook Pros with the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips aren’t the only novelties we’ve seen today. Apple also used the day to present the new Mac mini with the M2 and M2 Pro chip to the public, thus ending an update that was also long overdue.
And about this new Mac mini we can make something clear even before any analysis: it has become a much more flexible computer than before. It can be a simple Mac for those who don’t need much, or it can be a machine suitable for many professionals.
Mac mini can be the computer you want it to be
There are three reasons I dare say this. The first: prices have not increased as much as feared and the base Mac mini costs 719 euros. It’s still a very reasonable price for the general market who If we take inflation into account, it even counts as a discount.
Second: now there is a model with the M2 Pro chip, which is more powerful and becomes a “high-end”. And thirdly, this “high-end” can be configured to have enviable specifications.
This allows the same Mac mini to be configured for a person who just wants to browse and manage their email, or for a hobbyist video editor who needs something professional without having to go to the Mac Studio price point. It’s no longer a computer for the general public, it’s a computer for almost everyone. Only discerning professionals looking for a Mac Studio or the Mac Pro, which isn’t here yet, are left out.
You only have to compare the technical specifications of the cheapest and most expensive Mac mini to see its flexibility:
|
simple mac mini |
Top-of-the-line Mac Mini |
|---|---|
|
M2 chips 8 CPU cores 10 GPU cores Neural Engine with 16 cores |
M2 Pro chip 12 CPU cores 19 GPU cores Neural Engine with 16 cores |
|
8GB of RAM |
32GB RAM |
|
256GB SSD storage |
8TB SSD storage |
|
2 Thunderbolt 4 ports |
4 Thunderbolt 4 ports |
|
Gbit ethernet port |
10Gb Ethernet port |
|
Price: 719 euros |
Price: 5,249 euros |
It must be said that this 5,249 euros of the most expensive Mac mini M2 Pro is largely due to the 8 TB of storage: we could have the same configuration with 4 TB for 3,869 euros or with 1 TB for 2,719 euros. Stop being so exaggerated.
In short, Apple has made a good move with this new Mac mini. It hasn’t changed its design, but its price is still good (I was afraid of a basic $899 or $999 Mac mini). And it’s possibly the most flexible computer Apple has ever had. I don’t think it’s going to go that wrong.
Source : www.applesfera.com