A Mac Mini may be rounding out the company’s M3 Mac lineup as Apple begins testing a new computer ahead of a 2024 release.
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Apple could have a Mac Mini powered by its new M3 chip in the works for 2024, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in his Power On newsletter today. Gurman says Apple is now testing a computer at its campus under model identifier Mac 15,12, but whether it’s a Mac Mini is his speculation.
Gurman says the company is testing an eight-core CPU and a 10-core GPU Mac with 24GB RAM that’s running macOS Sonoma 14.1. Those specs are similar to the base model M2 Mac Mini, except for the memory installed — so far, entry-level Apple silicon Macs have started at 8GB RAM. (I wouldn’t read anything into that though; it would be very surprising if Apple jumped to 24GB for the base model.)
Gurman points out that in Apple’s earnings call, the company said it expected a double-digit decline in Mac revenue in the fourth quarter of this year, and Gurman reiterates that he doesn’t expect any M3-powered Macs to come before the first fiscal quarter of 2024 begins in October.
That brings the total expected M3 Macs up to six and covers all of the company’s primary desktops and laptops, including the iMac, which is expected to see its first refresh since 2021 soon. Unsurprisingly, Gurman doesn’t yet seem to expect M3 versions of the Mac Studio and Mac Pro, both of which only made the jump to Apple’s M2 silicon this year at WWDC. If you haven’t yet, check out our reviews for the 2023 Mac Studio and 2023 Mac Pro.
