An early teardown of the new Mac mini offers our first glimpse at Apple’s new M1 chip and redesigned logic board. The desktop’s internals are much smaller than before, despite the increase in power.
Still on the fence over Apple’s new M1 Mac mini, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro despite their stellar benchmarks? Find out what tech experts think of them in new reviews and hands-on videos.
The first crop of Apple Silicon machines is now available for in-store pickup across Asia, Australia, and Europe. Preorders for the new M1 Mac mini, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro are also arriving today.
Apple’s newest Mac mini, its first desktop with an Apple Silicon M1 chip, is substantially faster than all Intel-based Macs in single-core tests, according to new Geekbench benchmarks.
The only machines that come close to matching its performance are the newest MacBook Air and MacBook Pro — also powered by M1 chipsets. The 27-inch iMac lags far behind in the same tests.
Early benchmark results for the new M1 MacBook Air have begun surfacing online, and boy are they impressive. Not only does Apple’s newest ultraportable blow away its predecessors, but its M1 chip outperforms every other mobile CPU on the market.
That’s even more astounding when you remember the new MacBook Air has a completely fan-less design that stays silent no matter how hard you push it.
Apple’s “One More Thing” event showed us far more than one thing about its plans. Composite: Apple/Cult of Mac
Apple took a huge step in switching Macs from Intel processors to Apple Silicon on Tuesday. The M1 processor will bring big performance boosts to a trio of new Macs.
Here’s a rundown of not only what Apple CEO Tim Cook and Co. said during the “One More Thing” event, but what the announcements mean for the future of the Mac — and the company.
With the M1 chip inside, the new Mac mini delivers blazing-fast performance. Photo: Apple
Apple just unveiled a new M1 Mac that no one was expecting (but should have) — the Mac mini.
Featuring the Apple M1 chip, the new Mac mini boasts 3x faster CPU performance and up to 6x faster graphics, compared to the previous generation mini, Apple said during Tuesday’s “One More Thing” keynote.
This rig conveniently mixes fun with work. Photo: Merényi Márk
The heart of Merényi Márk’s setup is a 2018 Mac mini. Even though it’s a base-line model, this little Mac that could executes every task he throws at it.
Márk recently ditched his LG UlraWide Monitor and replaced it with an LG 32UK550-B 32-inch 4K VA Monitor, which is made for gaming. He prefers the standard 16:9 aspect ratio of his new monitor when playing on his Xbox. In terms of fewer viewing angles that come with a VA (Vertical Alignment) panel, he sits right in front of it, so it’s not an issue. And he “expected far worse viewing angles and colors from [a VA panel],” so it came as a “pleasant surprise” to him that it’s so good.
Reddit user @u/ilovenyc’s plant-themed setup is warm and inviting. The favorite part of @u/ilovenyc’s setup is a jaw-dropping, 49-inch Samsung CRG9 Curved Gaming Monitor, which is hooked up to a Mac mini. @u/ilovenyc (who prefers to remain autonomous) says it “never fails to put a smile on my face every time I sit down, whether to work or game.”
Next to the Mac mini, the cybersecurity expert has a PC rig for gaming. It has a AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 8-Core Desktop Processor with a NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2080 graphic card. They are encased in a ZXT H210 Mini-ITX PC Gaming Case.
His Mac may be mini but his screen certainly is not. Photo: Duncan Schultz
Duncan Schultz, a government official from the land down under, started working from his home in Brisbane earlier this year. It turned out to be a great opportunity to upgrade his setup. He got rid of his 2015 iMac and instead bought himself a 2020 Mac mini and decided to experiment. He specced out his Mac mini with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. He wanted plenty of screen real estate without having two screens. So he connected it to a Samsung 43-inch 4K Smart TV and is not looking back.
The Mac mini could have had a dedicated data/charging port for the iPod. Photo: Apple
Apple reportedly explored adding an iPod port to the Mac mini. Images of a prototype unit surfaced online over the weekend, showing a product Apple decided not to release.
One of the fastest models at one of its lowest prices. Photo: Apple
In desperate need of a home office upgrade? Pick up Apple’s smallest and most affordable machine — the newest Mac mini — and enjoy $172.75 off the usual price for a limited time, courtesy of Amazon.
This setup can handle any task you throw at it. Photo: Mark Davis
Mark Davis is somewhat of a Renaissance man. He is an author of four novels, an entrepreneur, an engineer and a scientist. He is between startups right now but recently sold a data analytics platform to Dell. In order to perform all of his duties, he needs a setup that can match his tempo. Naturally, he has a dual-monitor setup.
His main monitor is a Samsung U28E590D 28-inch 4k UHD which has a one-millisecond response time that obliterates latency. He pairs it up with a LG 27-inch IPS Monitor which he mainly runs off of his 2018 iPad Pro. A 13-inch MacBook Pro is the backbone of the setup. It is covertly hidden on a Twelve South BookArc behind the monitors. His MacBook is specced out with 16GB of RAM storage, which is important to him “so I can run multiple virtual machines in parallel when needed,” he said.
You can save up to $500 on last year’s 13-inch MacBook Pro, up to $300 on a 16-inch MacBook Pro, and up to $535 on a 2018 iPad Pro. There are also some sweet discounts on Apple Watch and AirPods.
B&H Photo has slashed up to $100 off Apple’s newest Mac mini for a limited time only. Prices start at $759 — down from $799 — for the entry-level machine, but you’ll save even more on beefier models.
B&H says a limited supply is available, so claim yours before they’re gone.
Apple Silicon looks to be be at least as powerful as Intel processors. CGI: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
A benchmark done on a Mac mini running Apple Silicon hints that these processors will live up to the promise that they’ll offer performance comparable to Intel chips.
Apple’s first ARM-powered Mac is a beefy Mac mini featuring an A12Z Bionic processor — the same chip found in the 2020 iPad Pro — and 16GB of RAM. But don’t get too excited. This one is just for developers.
Busy medical student Zach Hicks spent years developing this mouth-watering, Mac mini-powered setup. His main screen is actually a 43-inch smart TV, which gives him a bunch of screen real estate so he can open up a lot of PowerPoint presentations at once.
To accompany these big screens, he uses an Apple Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse. A HomePod pumps out the audio, while two Philips Hue Bloom lamps illuminate everything. And, if you are wondering about the Apple boxes above his desk, they serve as a visual reminder of his journey to build this dream setup.
You can finally buy a certified pre-owned Mac Pro. Photo: Apple
Looking for a new Mac but don’t want to put a dent in your bank account during the COVID-19-induced economic meltdown?
Apple added a bunch of 2018 Mac mini and 2019 Mac Pro units to its online refurbished store late Thursday, offering customers huge savings with the same warranty as a brand-new machine. In the case of the Mac Pro, you can save up to $4,000!
We hope the 2020 iMac looks a lot like this. Photo: Viktor Kádár and Patrik Borgatai
The iMac might finally get a big design change in 2020 after going untouched for seven years and one team of concept designers is hoping it borrows heavily from the new Mac Pro.
Viktor Kádár and Patrik Borgatai imagined what the 2020 iMac lineup will look like if Apple added a new Pro Display XDR and a base that looks like a Pro Stand that doesn’t cost $999. The end result is a more industrial looking iMac with slimmer bezels and louder sound.
Expect to pay around 10% more for each component. Screenshot: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Apple in recent days has ramped up its prices on build-to-order Mac configurations in many countries outside the United States.
Pricing for standard machine configurations remains the same. But if you want to upgrade your Mac’s processor or increase its RAM or storage, you can expect to pay around 10% more for each component.
Find out what makes that practically blasphemous statement true in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. Download it now and read it on your iPad or iPhone. Or get the links below for our blowout coverage of the new iPad Pro. You’ll also find the rest of the week’s top Apple news, reviews and how-tos.