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Reports indicate Apple is preparing an updated Mac mini built around the M6 chip, with the biggest improvements expected in graphics performance and AI processing rather than overall design changes. The move follows strong demand for the current M4 Mac mini, which had become a popular low-cost entry point into the Mac lineup.
Apple has updated the Mac mini and Mac Studio with two new chips: the M6, its first 2nm chip, and the M5 Ultra, now the most powerful chip in its lineup for AI tasks. The hardware itself sees no major feature additions beyond the spec bump, but Apple's messaging emphasizes their suitability for local AI inference and development.
Apple unveiled updated Mac Mini and Mac Studio desktops featuring new chip options, including the first Apple computer built on an M6-generation chip made with TSMC's 2-nanometer process, alongside an M5 Pro option. The company emphasized neural engine hardware and a memory architecture designed to help developers run and fine-tune large AI models directly on the machines rather than in the cloud.
Apple has refreshed its Mac Mini and Mac Studio lineups, but industry-wide memory chip shortages combined with surging demand for AI computing hardware are expected to limit availability. Buyers hoping for quick access to these updated compact desktops may face delays or stock shortages in the near term.
Apple has updated the Mac mini for the first time in nearly two years, keeping its compact design but switching to a new chip lineup. The base model now runs on the newly introduced M6 chip, Apple's first built on a 2nm process, while the higher tier uses the M5 Pro chip that debuted earlier this year in the MacBook Pro. Both configurations are available for pre-order starting today.
Apple introduced two new Apple Silicon chips: the M6, its first processor built on a 2-nanometer process, arrives in a redesigned Mac mini, while the M5 Ultra, described as Apple's most powerful chip yet, powers an updated Mac Studio. The M6 combines three CPU core types—super, performance and efficiency cores—for the first time, alongside a 12-core GPU with per-core Neural Accelerators and native FP8 support for faster AI processing.
Apple has refreshed the Mac Studio desktop lineup with new M5 Max and M5 Ultra chip options, now available for pre-order alongside the updated Mac mini. The M5 Max configuration brings an 18-core CPU, up to 40 GPU cores with Neural Accelerators, and faster memory bandwidth, while the top-end M5 Ultra model scales up to a 36-core CPU and supports up to 512GB of unified memory.
Apple has introduced the M5 Ultra, its most powerful chip yet, by fusing two M5 Max dies into a single quad-die processor connected at 4.4TB/s. It offers up to 36 CPU cores, an 80-core GPU option, and support for up to 512GB of unified memory with 1.2TB/s bandwidth, arriving in new Mac Studio models starting at $5,499.
Apple introduced new Mac Mini and Mac Studio desktops built on updated silicon, including an M6 chip fabricated on a 2nm process and an M5 Ultra option, alongside M5 Pro and M5 Max tiers to match its MacBook Pro lineup. The hardware designs remain unchanged, but most base prices rose—Mac Mini now starts at $899, and the M5 Ultra Mac Studio jumps to $5,499—while preorders begin today ahead of shipping later in September.
Apple has updated its Mac Mini and Mac Studio desktops with new internals while keeping their exterior designs unchanged. The Mac Mini now ships with either the M5 Pro or the all-new M6 chip, Apple's first built on 2-nanometer technology, featuring a 12-core CPU, a 12-core GPU, and a dual 16-core Neural Engine for improved AI performance. The Mac Studio gains an M5 Ultra option, and both machines return to steady availability after months of limited stock.
Apple unveiled two new chips, the 2nm M6 and the quad-die M5 Ultra, alongside refreshed Mac desktops built around them. The M6 combines super, performance and efficiency cores for the first time and adds a Neural Accelerator to each GPU core, while the M5 Ultra fuses two M5 Max chips into one processor with up to 36 CPU cores, 80 GPU cores and 512GB of unified memory. Neither desktop gets major new features beyond faster specs and higher pricing.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in a podcast interview that AI has not yet had a transformative breakthrough moment comparable to the iPhone's impact on smartphones, despite having the underlying technology in place. He also acknowledged struggling with a lesson from Steve Jobs' Apple playbook: saying no to good ideas to focus resources on great ones, and admitted he was too optimistic about how fast AI would reshape the economy.