Imagined Mac Mini Redesign Argues Apple Should Borrow From Mac Studio

With the Mac mini's current design dating back over a decade, one MacRumors forums user has imagined what a redesign could look like if Apple were to take hints from the Mac Studio.

mac mini with mac studio design
The idea mainly comes from MacRumors forums user "Rickroller," who shared basic images of the concept earlier today. They suggest that a Mac Studio-like design could bring significant thermal improvements to the ‌Mac mini‌ to enable better performance, and even add some simple quality-of-life enhancements such as front-facing USB-C ports and an SDXC card reader.

Leaker Jon Prosser shared renders of a complete redesign for the ‌Mac mini‌ in early 2021, thought to be destined for an M1 Pro or M2-series model. The design depicted a smaller chassis with a "plexiglass-like" top, but did not emerge with the latest M2 and ‌M2‌ Pro ‌Mac mini‌ models last year.

m2 pro mac miniThe unibody design of the ‌Mac mini‌, 2010-present.

In 2022, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo warned that the next ‌Mac mini‌ models would have the same design as prior models. Looking to the future, Kuo again believes that the new ‌Mac mini‌ models in 2024 will have the exact same design as their predecessors.

The ‌Mac mini‌ currently features a silver aluminum unibody design that Apple introduced in 2010. It has used this design for every ‌Mac mini‌, other than offering a Space Gray colorway in 2018. By the time the next-generation ‌Mac mini‌ models launch in 2024, this design will be 14 years old – becoming the longest continuously used Apple design in the company's history.

mac mini with mac studio design rearProposed ‌Mac mini‌ redesign, rear.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman recently suggested that Apple has no plans to update the Mac Studio with the ‌M2‌ Max and ‌M2‌ Ultra chips in the near future. The main reason for the decision seems to be the change in direction of the Apple silicon Mac Pro, which will now have the M2 Ultra chip as a top-tier option and offer limited modularity. Apple may leave the ‌Mac Studio‌ without a hardware refresh for some time and could even discontinue the product line, similar to 2017's iMac Pro, which served as a stop-gap device until the release of the 2019 ‌Mac Pro‌.

m2 pro mac miniThe ‌M2‌ Pro ‌Mac mini‌'s rear and selection of ports.

If the ‌Mac Studio‌ is indeed discontinued sometime in the next several years, a post-2024 ‌Mac mini‌ may be even more likely to adopt a Mac Studio-like design, since there would no longer be a risk of further cannibalizing the ‌Mac Studio‌ with a similar design. Apple often introduces new designs and features on its high-end devices before slowly trickling them down to other products in the lineup, such as the squared-off industrial design of the 2018 iPad Pro, which finally came to dominate the whole latest-generation iPad lineup upon the release of the 10th-generation ‌iPad‌ last year.

What is in store for the ‌Mac mini‌'s design after 2024 is unclear and likely has not even have been firmly decided upon by Apple yet, but considering how long the company has stuck with the aluminum unibody design, a redesign sometime in 2025 or beyond is highly plausible.

Related Roundups: Mac Studio, Mac mini
Related Forums: Mac Studio, Mac mini

Popular Stories

apple tv 4k new orange

New Apple TV Expected Later This Year With These New Features

Saturday July 12, 2025 3:09 pm PDT by
A new Apple TV is expected to be released later this year, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the next Apple TV, according to rumors. Rumors Faster Wi-Fi Support The next Apple TV will be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He said the chip supports ...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

5 Reasons to Skip This Year's iPhone 17 Pro

Thursday July 10, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series in two months, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 16 New Features

Friday July 11, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are only two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:A redesigned Dynamic Island: It has been rumored that all iPhone 17 models will have a redesigned Dynamic Island interface — it might ...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

Apple Watch Ultra 3: What to Expect

Sunday July 13, 2025 10:30 am PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 is nearly over, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the Apple Watch Ultra 3:Satellite connectivity for sending and receiving text messages when Wi-Fi and cellular coverage is unavailable 5G support, up from LTE on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Likely a wide-angle OLED display that ...
iphone 16 pro pro max

iPhone 17 Pro Models With BOE Displays Will Be Sold in China Only

Thursday July 10, 2025 11:59 pm PDT by
iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models with displays made by BOE will be sold exclusively in China, according to a new report. Last week, it emerged that Chinese display manufacturer BOE was aggressively ramping up its OLED production capacity for future iPhone models as part of a plan to recapture a major role in Apple's supply chain. Now, tech news aggregator Jukan Choi reports...
top stories 2025 07 12

Top Stories: iPhone 17 Pro Rumors, iOS 26 Beta 3, and More

Saturday July 12, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
The iOS 26 public beta release is quickly approaching, while developers have recently gotten their hands on a third round of betas that has seen Apple continue to tweak features, design, and functionality. We're also continuing to hear rumors about the iPhone 17 lineup that is now just about right around the corner, while Apple's latest big-budget film appears to be taking off, so read on...

Top Rated Comments

PauloSera Avatar
31 months ago
Huh? The Mac mini is the right size for what it is. The Mac Studio is the right size for what it is. Why even post this?
Score: 43 Votes (Like | Disagree)
4odomi Avatar
31 months ago
No point in the Mac Studio, if they redesign the Mac mini.....it's a cheap powerful desk top and that's the way it should stay, why fix something that isn't broken?
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
azentropy Avatar
31 months ago
The Mac mini design is near perfect. They could improve it in two main ways though.
1) ports on the front like the Studio.
2) User upgradable internal storage similar to how you used to be able to upgrade the Ram easily.
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
trip1ex Avatar
31 months ago
Seems like a pointless exercise. Same difference.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
paradox00 Avatar
31 months ago
Makes zero sense. Why would you redesign the cheapest Mac to be more expensive?
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
31 months ago

I really like these images of a proposed new Mac Mini form factor redesign. Maybe they can eventually merge the Mac Studio and the Mac Mini models together, when the M3 Apple Silicon chips come out with less heat. They can put the Ultra exclusively in the Mac Pro, and have the M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max in this enhanced mini case.
Dont care much about the re-design. But it would have been nicer if it comes in a Jet Black or Midnight color.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)