A teardown of the new Mac mini has surfaced on the forum eGPU.io (via Reddit), providing us with a real-world look at Apple's new M1 chip, which is soldered onto a much smaller logic board than the one found in the 2018 model of the computer.
The M1 is the silver chip labeled with APL1102, housing the 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine, I/O controllers, and more all in one. The unified system memory is also visible on the right side of the chip, and takes up far less space than the standalone RAM modules used in the previous Mac mini, contributing to the smaller logic board.
As expected, the switch to unified system memory also means that there is no user-upgradeable RAM, as there was with the previous Mac mini, so choose wisely between 8GB or 16GB of memory when configuring the Mac mini on Apple's online store. The SSD also remains soldered to the logic board, so there is no user-upgradeable storage either.
A video teardown of the new Mac mini has also surfaced, revealing that the overall disassembly process is similar to the 2018 model:
There's also a video teardown of the new MacBook Air, providing a peek inside the notebook, although many components are covered with shielding. We'll have to wait on iFixit for its more in-depth teardowns of the new Macs for a closer look.
They couldn't make a smaller enclosure for this? Really?
Why do multiple engineering challenges at a time when you don't have to?
Odds are the Air and mini will both receive a redesign in the next two or so years.
Both the 68k-to-PowerPC nor the PowerPC-to-Intel transitions came with mostly identical cases:
* the 6100 was the same cases as the 660AV * the 8100 as the 840AV * the 7100 was a little different to the 650, I believe * the MacBook Pro was virtually identical to the PowerBook G4 except for things like adding a webcam * the (Intel) iMac looked just like the iMac G5 * the Mac mini was identical * the MacBook that came after a few months was a noticeable change from its preceding iBook
So, we might see a model or two next year that looks noticeably (but not drastically) different. The iMac would be one obvious choice.
I am so excited to see what is inside my new Apple Silicon Mac mini! I am especially happy to learn that the M1 Mac mini has 2 Thunderbolt 3 controller chips (one for each Thunderbolt/USB4 port) so they do not need to share bandwidth, nor reduce device speed, between the 2 Thunderbolt 3 40Gbps ports.
I just received my custom order M1 Mac mini yesterday with 16GB RAM and 1 TB SSD Flash drive. I love it! Although 8GB RAM seems to be fine for most people, I chose to go 16GB because of Final Cut Pro video editing. From everything I see the M1 Mac mini works great for video editing (even 8GB RAM). See The Everyday Dad video about Mac mini M1 video editing:
Technicians in China have reportedly succeeded in upgrading the memory and storage of the M1 chip, suggesting that Apple's integrated custom silicon for the Mac may be more flexible than previously thought.
Reports of maintenance technicians being able to expand the memory and storage of M1 Macs began circulating on Chinese social media over the weekend, but now international reports have...
Tuesday November 10, 2020 10:32 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple today introduced a new Mac mini, one of three new Macs powered by the company's new custom M1 chip with integrated graphics.
Thanks to the introduction of the M1 chip, the Mac mini's 8-core CPU provides faster performance than the previous generation. Specifically, Apple says that the M1-powered Mac mini is able to compile code in Xcode up to three times faster, play a...
Tuesday April 27, 2021 1:38 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple's custom next-generation Mac processor entered mass production this month, claims a new report today from Nikkei Asia. Tentatively dubbed the "M2" after Apple's M1 chip, the processors take at least three months to produce and could begin shipping as early as July in time for incorporation in Apple's next line of MacBooks, according to the paper's sources.
The next generation of Mac...
WWDC is quickly approaching, and that means rumors are starting to ramp up including the possibility that we might see the long-rumored MacBook Pro redesign at the keynote. This week also saw rumors about future updates to the AirPods and AirPods Pro, as well as a redesigned Mac mini.
In other news, Apple has released iOS 14.6 with new features like Apple Card Family and podcast...
Apple is working on a high-end version of the Mac mini, featuring a more powerful Apple silicon chip and extra ports, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
In a wide-reaching report, Gurman explained that Apple is developing a more powerful version of the Mac mini, positioned as a high-end version of the current M1 model. The new Mac mini is expected to use the same chip as the...
Thursday March 25, 2021 2:32 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Some customers who have purchased an M1 Mac mini have been experiencing an issue that causes the machine not to wake a connected third-party display from sleep.
This is not an issue that's affecting all M1 Mac mini owners, but there are numerous complaints on the MacRumors forums and the Apple Support Communities dating back to November when the Mac mini was first released. MacRumors reader...
Despite Apple offering the M1 iPad Pro in configurations with 8GB and 16GB of RAM, developers are now indicating that apps are limited to just 5GB of RAM usage, regardless of the configuration the app is running on.
The M1 iPad Pro comes in two memory configurations; the 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB models feature 8GB of RAM, while the 1TB and 2TB variants offer 16GB of memory, the highest ever...
Apple is working on a high-end version of the MacBook Air that will feature an improved iteration of the current M1 Apple silicon chip, featuring improved graphics, but the same number of high efficiency, and high performance cores, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Apple updated its 13-inch MacBook Air alongside the 13-inch MacBook Pro and Mac mini with the M1 Apple silicon chip in...
Continuing the tradition set with the iPhone 13 Pro, only the highest-end iPhone 14 models will feature Apple's ProMotion display technology, according to a respected display analyst.
Ross Young, who on multiple occasions has detailed accurate information about Apple's future products, said in a tweet that ProMotion will not be expanded to the entire iPhone 14 lineup and will remain...
Sunday January 16, 2022 3:37 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
A bug in WebKit's implementation of a JavaScript API called IndexedDB can reveal your recent browsing history and even your identity, according to a blog post shared on Friday by browser fingerprinting service FingerprintJS.
In a nutshell, the bug allows any website that uses IndexedDB to access the names of IndexedDB databases generated by other websites during a user's browsing session....
Saturday January 15, 2022 8:05 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple is planning to release a fifth-generation iPad Air with similar features as the sixth-generation iPad mini, including an A15 Bionic chip, 12-megapixel Ultra Wide front camera with Center Stage support, 5G for cellular models, and Quad-LED True Tone flash, according to Japanese blog Mac Otakara.
Citing reliables sources in China, the report claims that the new iPad Air could be...
Saturday January 15, 2022 2:06 pm PST by Tim Hardwick
Much has been said about what consumers could see from Apple in 2022, but the company is also working on a handful of rumored products that aren't expected to be unveiled for at least another 12 months, and in some cases a lot longer. Of course, that's assuming they get released at all. Apple works on many potential products some of which ultimately never see the light of day. With that in...
Apple's second-generation AirPods Pro could arrive alongside a new series of accessories, recent leaked images suggest.
Alleged leaked photos of the next-generation AirPods Pro obtained by MacRumors showed a charging case with a metal loop on the side for attaching a strap. Apple has not used this design for any of its other AirPod models and it is unclear why it would be added in this...
Friday January 14, 2022 12:46 pm PST by Juli Clover
Netflix today updated the prices for its streaming plans, and all of its offerings are now more expensive. The Basic plan is now priced at $9.99 per month, the Standard plan is priced at $15.49 per month, and the Premium plan is priced at $19.99 per month.
The Basic plan is $1 more expensive, up from $8.99 per month. This plan allows users to watch on just one screen at a time, and it limits ...
A Tesla Model 3 owner has resorted to a workaround to implement Apple CarPlay in his vehicle, amid no sign of official support from Tesla (via Tesla North).
Apple CarPlay and Apple Music support are among the most-requested Tesla features, but with no indication that Tesla is willing to implement Apple CarPlay in its vehicles, Polish developer Michał Gapiński took matters into his own...
Hole-punch? Pill? Hole-punch and pill? Rumors about what the front camera system on the iPhone 14 Pro will look like are evolving rapidly, and it now appears we might be getting a novel but potentially controversial design later this year.
Other major stories this week included some confusion and controversy about iCloud Private Relay being disabled for some T-Mobile customers, increasing...
Top Rated Comments
I think the number of people in the “the Mini would be nice but it won’t fit my available space” crowd isn’t much of a crowd.
Odds are the Air and mini will both receive a redesign in the next two or so years.
Both the 68k-to-PowerPC nor the PowerPC-to-Intel transitions came with mostly identical cases:
* the 6100 was the same cases as the 660AV
* the 8100 as the 840AV
* the 7100 was a little different to the 650, I believe
* the MacBook Pro was virtually identical to the PowerBook G4 except for things like adding a webcam
* the (Intel) iMac looked just like the iMac G5
* the Mac mini was identical
* the MacBook that came after a few months was a noticeable change from its preceding iBook
So, we might see a model or two next year that looks noticeably (but not drastically) different. The iMac would be one obvious choice.
I just received my custom order M1 Mac mini yesterday with 16GB RAM and 1 TB SSD Flash drive. I love it! Although 8GB RAM seems to be fine for most people, I chose to go 16GB because of Final Cut Pro video editing. From everything I see the M1 Mac mini works great for video editing (even 8GB RAM). See The Everyday Dad video about Mac mini M1 video editing: