Apple today introduced the new Mac Mini, the first desktop computer powered by the company’s custom M1 Apple Silicon SoC. With faster performance and improved thermals, Apple’s new Mac Mini outperforms most Windows laptops at its $699 price-point.
Central to the new Mac Mini is its M1 SoC, an in-house chip that replaces the Intel Core processor and integrated graphics of previous Macs. According to Apple, the 8-core M1 Silicon SoC offers marginally better performance per watt than Intel chips, leading to six-times faster render times in Final Cut Pro and four-times higher frame rates in 3D games. All of these performance improvements come with better thermals, leading to a quieter Mini PC.
The new Mac Mini sports an Ethernet port, two Thunderbolt (USB 4.0) ports, an HDMI 2.0 output, two USB-A 3.0 ports, and a headphone jack. It supports Wi-Fi 6 and can connect to an external display at 6K resolution via Thunderbolt cable.
You can order the new Mac Mini today from the Apple Store and get it November 17th. The basic model starts at $699 and offers 256GB of SSD storage with 8GB of RAM. You can also pay $899 for a Mac Mini with 512GB SSD storage, although it offers the same M1 chip and 8GB of RAM as the cheaper Mac Mini.
Apple is also selling its new M1-equipped MacBook Air and MacBook Pro today. Like the Mac Mini, new MacBook orders will arrive November 17th.