Apple's Much Smaller M4 Mac Mini Has All-New Thermal Architecture to Maximize Speed
The Mac mini received a major update today, with Apple introducing a slimmed down design that shaves more than two inches off of the size so it takes up less space on a desktop or in a rack. Despite the size change, the Mac mini uses Apple's most powerful M-series chips, including the new M4 Pro.
Combining the smaller form factor and updated chips necessitated a redesigned thermal architecture. The foot of the Mac mini allows it to pull in air from the surrounding environment, and the air is able to circulate throughout before being vented back out through the bottom foot.
Apple says that air is guided to each level of the system, and that combined with the power efficiency of the M4 chips, the Mac mini can "breeze through intensive workloads at outrageous speeds."
The redesigned Mac mini measures in at five inches square and two inches tall. It's taller than the prior version, but it is 2.75 inches smaller. Rumors suggested that it could be as small as the Apple TV (which is 3.66 inches), but it ended up being a bit bigger than that.
The M4 Pro hasn't been benchmarked yet, but it has a 14-core CPU and up to a 20-core GPU, which is up to twice as powerful as the M4 GPU. 3D renders in Blender are up to 2.9x faster compared to the M2 Pro and motion graphics render up to 2x faster.
Popular Stories
Apple's iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models will feature a number of significant display, thermal, and battery improvements, according to new late-stage rumors.
According to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital," the iPhone 17 Pro models will feature displays with higher brightness, making it more suitable for use in direct sunlight for prolonged periods. The iPhone 16 Pro and...
Apple is set to unveil the iPhone 17 series in just four days from now, and the biggest design mystery surrounding the Pro models has finally been solved.
In a report outlining his expectations for Apple's event next week, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the iPhone 17 Pro models will have "a new cutout area on the bottom two-thirds of the phone that doubles as the wireless charging area."...
iOS 26 introduces an Adaptive Power Mode on the iPhone, alongside the existing Low Power Mode.
Apple says Adaptive Power Mode can make "performance adjustments" when necessary to extend an iPhone's battery life, including slightly lowering the display brightness, allowing some activities to "take longer," and automatically turning on Low Power Mode when the iPhone's remaining battery life...
Apple is preparing to launch two versions of the AirPods Pro 3 over 2025 and 2026, according to a Weibo leaker.
Yesterday, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to debut the AirPods Pro 3 this year. They could arrive as soon as this week at Apple's "Awe dropping" event.
Crucially, Kuo added that Apple is planning to introduce a successor to this year's AirPods ...
