Mac Studio firmware hints at new Mac Mini

Daniel Sims

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Rumor mill: Rumors have indicated for some time now that multiple new Mac models are on the way this year, among them an M2-powered Mac Mini. It didn't appear at Apple's event in early March, but one developer has found possible signs of it in the company's newest desktop model.

Instead of a new Mac Mini, Apple used its March event to unveil the Mac Studio, which looks like a souped-up Mac Mini. This week, developer Steve Troughton-Smith tweeted he'd found signs of a new Mini in the Studio's firmware.

The firmware mentions one as-of-yet unknown device as "Macmini10,1," indicating a new generation Mac Mini based on model identifiers for the series. The 2020 Mac Mini M1's firmware code was "Macmini9,1," and the final 2018 Intel model was "Macmini8,1."

Last February, rumors emerged of an M2 Mac Mini accompanying a new MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and iMac. Troughton-Smith initially suspected the Macmini10,1 could be an M2 version but changed his prediction to M1 Pro and M1 Max models.

Critics praise the M1 Mac Mini for its fast, cool, and quiet performance. However, its weaknesses included too few USB-C ports and lower than desirable storage and memory capacity, the latter of which isn't upgradable. It remains to be seen whether the next Mac Mini will address those areas.

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