Apple’s new Studio Display update may have provided hints to the rumored M2 Mac Mini -- or maybe you should call it the Macmini10,1.
Steve Troughton-Smith, a developer, spotted the information in a new firmware update for the Studio Display, according to a report from 9to5Mac. The Studio Display features an A13 Bionic chip, which helps with image processing for the built-in camera, as well as controlling features such as Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos. But buried within the code were references to a product that's marked as ‘Macmini10,1’ which apparently is a model ID not used for any of the existing Mac product lines.
Troughton-Smith goes on to speculate that the next Mac Mini may feature an M2 chipset, not an M1 Pro or M1 Max.
The rumor mill is a little unclear as to what new Macs are imminent; for what it’s worth, there is one concrete clue: the shipping Studio Display firmware references one unaccounted-for mystery machine — a new model generation of Mac mini (“Macmini10,1”). My guess: M2, not M1 ProApril 12, 2022
Apple unveiled the M1 Ultra recently, a chipset that combines two M1 Max chipsets to work in tandem with each other. The new chipset is available in the Mac Studio which shares a similar design to the Mac Mini but is larger in size due to the bigger thermal management system.
For months speculation swirled that the Cupertino giant would update the 2020 Mac Mini, while also introducing the next generation of Apple silicon. The company could also showcase the products during the upcoming WWDC event that starts on June 6.
More info during WWDC
Even before Apple unveiled its original M1 chipset, rumours indicated that it would be launched during WWDC. However, the company launched the chipsets in November 2020 in the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. Could Apple change tack and showcase the new M2 Mac mini at the upcoming developer's conference?
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman had also previously hinted that Apple may announce two new Macs in June, which lines up with that theory.
Mac Pro may also be announced
During Apple’s March launch event where we saw the M1 Ultra officially introduced , the company ended with the note that the majority of the Mac products have transitioned to the M1 series of chipsets. Except one. This could potentially be the Mac Pro which is the only system that still runs on Intel’s Xeon processor.
If Apple was able to fuse together two separate M1 Max chips into one unit, there may already be plans to launch another larger chipset which could include two M1 Ultra SoCs for this powerhouse computer.
