Apple has updated the Mac Mini with an M4 chip as well

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Last week, Apple hinted that this week would be a week of announcements. Following yesterday's iMac update, Apple has today unveiled its updated Mac Mini.

Considerably smaller than the previous generation of Mac Mini, the M4 model measures just 5 x 5 inches, or about 12.7 cm, and sits just 5 cm high. That's less than half the size of the last version.

The reason it manages to be so small is a combination of the M4 chip's efficiency, combined with a design that sucks air through the front of the unit's foot, cycles it around the components before expelling it from the back of the base.

One of the other benefits of the compact design is that it is much more user friendly for connections than the iMac. There are two USB-C/Thunderbolt ports on the front of the Mac Mini, alongside a 3.5mm headphone jack, while the back of the device has the power connector, ethernet, HDMI and an additional three USB-C/Thunderbolt ports.

So, USB-A ports are gone completely (finally). There's also a boost from Thunderbolt 4 to Thunderbolt 5 is you opt for a Mac Mini with the M4 Pro chip.

Yes, that's right: Apple has introduced the M4 Pro as an option for the Mac Mini. While the standard M4 chip has a 10-core CPU with four performance cores and six efficiency cores, plus a 10-core GPU, the M4 Pro is a 12 core CPU with eight performance cores and four efficiency cores. It also has a 16-core GPU, and offers 273GB/s memory bandwidth vs the M4's 120GB/s.

You can also configure the M4 Pro to a 14-core CPU with a 20-core GPU if you really want to push performance.

Speaking of configuration, the cheapest Mac Mini comes with a 256GB SSD, which is configurable to 2TB. The M4 Pro Mac Mini, however, can be configured to an 8TB SSD, though that'll set you back an additional $3,600.

Apple has also made it clear that the M4 Mac Mini family is ready for Apple Intelligence. We have to wait until December for that to launch officially in Australia, but if you're really keen you can just change your device's language to US English.

Pricing and availability

The Mac mini with M4 starts at RRP $999. It's available for pre-order now, with delivery from 8 November.

The Mac Mini with M4 Pro starts at $2,199.

The new Mac Mini is also Apple's first carbon neutral Mac, made with over 50 percent recycled content. This includes 100 percent recycled aluminium in the enclosure, 100 percent recycled gold plating in all Apple-designed printed circuit boards, and 100 percent recycled rare earth elements in all magnets.