Sep 02, 2024 10:39:00

Apple may eliminate USB-A ports on new Mac mini

Apple announced

the M4 chip in May 2024, but at the time of writing, the only device equipped with the M4 is the iPad Pro . Therefore, it is expected that a Mac equipped with the M4 will appear soon, but it has been reported that the USB-A port will finally be abolished in one of them, the new Mac mini.

Apple's Succession Strategy; M4 Mac Mini; Cheaper iPad Magic Keyboard - Bloomberg
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-09-01/apple-s-succession-strategy-m4-mac-mini-cheaper-ipad-magic-keyboard-m0jkdrx5

Apple may ditch those old familiar USB-A ports in the new Mac mini | TechCrunch
https://techcrunch.com/2024/09/01/apple-may-ditch-those-old-familiar-usb-a-ports-in-the-new-mac-mini/

According to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, who is well known for his leaks of Apple-related information, Apple will release a new Mac equipped with the M4 series between the end of 2024 and the first half of 2025. Gurman reports that Apple will release the Mac mini, iMac, and MacBook Pro as the first Macs equipped with the M4, and points out that the Mac mini in particular will be significantly redesigned.

Specifically, it will be reborn as a compact device the size of an Apple TV, and it will reportedly be 'Apple's smallest computer ever.' If the Mac mini adopts a new design, it will be a major redesign since 2010, the year the iPhone 4 was released.

Reports that Apple will redesign the Mac mini to create the 'smallest computer in Apple's history,' with the size equivalent to Apple TV - GIGAZINE

Garman said he received information from the supply chain that the new Mac mini will begin shipping from China to the world in early September 2024 with the standard M4 chip. In addition, there will be a model with the M4 Pro, but it won't be shipped until October 2024. Therefore, Garman pointed out that the new Mac mini may not be announced until one month after the new iPhone is announced. Garman also pointed out that the new Mac mini will have a built-in power supply, so there will be no need to carry a power adapter.

The Mac mini with M4 Pro will also have five USB-C ports, with three on the back and two on the front, just like the Mac Studio. Although it will have an Ethernet port, an HDMI port, and an earphone jack, it will finally get rid of the USB-A port. The abolition of the USB-A port may also occur in the new Mac Pro and Mac Studio models scheduled for release in 2025.

Garman also wrote that Apple may phase out fine woven leather, a material that was introduced as an alternative to leather but received poor reviews, and that inventory levels of fine woven products are at an all-time low, and that Apple is already moving to phase them out.

Additionally, Gurman reported that Apple is developing a low-end Magic Keyboard for the iPad.