New Mac Mini Reportedly Set to Launch Before iPhone 18 Pro Event

Apple plans to unveil a new Mac mini in the "coming days," according to the latest word from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

The new Mac mini will potentially be unveiled before the iPhone 18 Pro event, which is likely to take place on Wednesday, September 9, the report said. Gurman said the new Mac mini will likely be Apple's final new product unveiled before Tim Cook steps down as CEO on September 1, and if so, then it would need to be announced before August ends.

Apple has tested versions of the Mac mini with both M5 and M6 chips, according to Gurman, but it remains unclear which generation of chips Apple ultimately plans to use in the next model. Currently, the Mac mini can be configured with a standard M4 chip or a higher-end M4 Pro chip, 16GB to 48GB of RAM, and up to 8TB of storage.

At the start of May, Apple stopped offering the Mac mini with 256GB of storage for $599, resulting in a 512GB model for $799 becoming the lowest-priced configuration available. Then, in late June, Apple reintroduced the 256GB configuration for $799 after raising prices on all Macs and iPads, the Apple TV, HomePods, and the Vision Pro.

Due to the rising popularity of the Mac mini for on-device AI models, combined with the ongoing memory chip shortage, the Mac mini has been facing extended delivery estimates over the past few months. Currently, the Mac mini has a 4-10 week delivery estimate on Apple's online store in the U.S. depending on the configuration.

In February, Apple announced that Foxconn would begin assembling some Mac mini units at a factory in Houston, Texas later this year. The facility opened this month, with Cook joining U.S. government officials to celebrate the grand opening. So, perhaps Apple's announcement for the new Mac mini will emphasize U.S. assembly.