Apple’s new Mac Mini M4 is smaller, more powerful, and the first carbon-neutral Mac.

Continuing the second day of its “announcement week” instead of an official event, Apple introduced an updated version Mac Mini and Mac Mini Pro with new M4 and M4 Pro chips respectively, and also touts it as the first carbon-neutral Mac.

The updated Mac Mini lives up to its name as it’s significantly smaller, measuring just 5 x 5 inches, and easily fits in the palm of your hand or on your desktop (for reference, the previous Mac Mini measured 7.75 x 7.75 inches).

Also: the Mac Studio feature is keeping me from buying the new M4 Mac Mini this fall.

Inside, the device is powered by Apple’s latest M4 and M4 Pro processors, which Apple says can deliver 1.8 times faster CPU performance and 2.2 times faster GPU performance than the previous M2 chip model. It also comes with 16GB of unified storage and starts at $599, which was the same price as the previous model when it was released.

The new Mac Mini also features front and rear ports, including the new Thunderbolt 5 port, which is designed to deliver incredibly fast data transfer speeds when combined with the M4 chip. There are three additional Thunderbolt 4 ports on the back of the M4 Mac Mini, and three Thunderbolt 5 ports on the back of the M4 Pro Mac Mini. Both also feature a Gigabit Ethernet port and an HDMI port.

Also: iOS 18.1 is officially available for iPhone. How to download (and which models support it)

Obviously, you’ll need to connect a display to this little device, and Apple has made sure it’s more than capable of extending support for external monitors. A Mac Mini with M4 can support up to two 6K displays and up to one 5K display, while a Mac Mini with M4 Pro can support up to three 6K displays running at 60Hz, supporting a total of 60 million pixels.

In terms of designating the device as the first carbon-neutral Mac, Apple says it has reduced the carbon footprint of materials used in manufacturing by 80% and designed the device with more than 50% recycled materials overall. .

New iMacs with M4 chip (and all colors)

Announced yesterday and starting at $1,299. new iMac comes with 16GB of unified storage and is available for pre-order now, with general availability beginning on November 8th. Apple says the new iMac M4 is 1.7 times faster than the current version and 2.1 times faster for demanding workflows like gaming and video editing. Here are the main features:

• They are available in seven colors (green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue and silver) with color-matching USB-C accessories.
• The 24-inch 4.5K Retina display features new nano-texture glass.
• An M4 chip with 16GB of RAM powers Apple Intelligence features on the new iMac.
• New iMacs come with up to four Thunderbolt 4 ports.
• A new 12MP Center Stage camera that automatically centers during video calls, and a wide-angle lens that can show a top-down view of the desktop, designed for teachers and students.
• Supports up to two external 6K monitors.

What else does Apple plan to announce?

Apple marketing chief Greg Joswiak last week announced “announcement week” X, ensuring that new M4-based devices are just around the corner. Yesterday we received the first announcements of the brand new iMacs, and today there was the announcement of the Mac Mini. We’re expecting news about an update to the MacBook and MacBook Air line later this week.

Apple is updating its line of Mac computers with several new models equipped with the M4. Some of them will be available as early as this year, but updates to the MacBook Air line and iMac Pro Studio models likely won’t arrive until early next year.

Also: Apple Intelligence is finally coming to your iPhone at the end of October.

Despite the M4’s first appearance in the new iPad Pros in May of this year, Apple has been fairly tight-lipped regarding the M4 chip, instead focusing the conversation on Apple Intelligence – the company’s artificial intelligence model – at WWDC and then its integration into the iPhone 16.

Now is the perfect time to make an announcement. Around this time last year, Apple announced M3 processors for the MacBook Pro and 24-inch iMac. However, as Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported earlier this month, Apple is moving away from its annual product update cycle, opening the door to smaller and more frequent software deployments and new product launches.

Rumors of an M4 chip in the new Mac Studio and Mac Pro are unconvincing, but it looks like they won’t be announced until more affordable mainstream consumer products get the new chip.

In addition, Gurman reports that the M4 chip is unlikely to appear in the MacBook Air line of laptops until the first half of next year. The 11- and 13-inch iPad Air models will also likely receive the new chip in early 2025, along with peripherals such as the new Magic Keyboard.

Plus: all the new features Apple introduced this fall for iPhone, iPad, Mac and other devices (including artificial intelligence).

Apple’s “announcement week” is tied to news about its MacBook and Mac desktop lines, but that’s not the only thing that will be revealed. The latest version of iOS 18.1 has also just been released, bringing call recording and transcription features powered by Apple Intelligence.

New Apple devices with the next-generation M4 chip will propel Apple forward in the artificial intelligence race currently unfolding on PCs with the explosive growth of Windows Copilot+ products and processors from Qualcomm, Intel and AMD. Let’s hope the Cupertino giant brings some firepower to the busy holiday shopping season ahead.