After only 1,475 days, Apple announced a new Mac mini on Tuesday at the company’s “There’s More in the Making” media event. The device now comes with 4 or 6 core processors, up to 64GB of RAM, and up to 2TB of internal SSD. And they start at $799.
4 and 6-Core Processors on Mac mini 2018
Mac mini has two processor options. The entry-level processor is a 4-core 8th generation i3 processor at 3.66GHz and no turbo mode. The faster option is a 3.2GHz 6‑core 8th‑generation Intel Core i7, with Turbo Boost up to 4.6GHz for $300 more.
RAM starts off at 8GB, with 16GB ($200), 32GB ($600), and 64GB ($1,400!!) options. Storage starts at 128GB, with 256GB ($200), 512GB ($400), 1TB ($800!!), and 2TB ($1,600!!!) options.
Mac mini and the T2 Security Chip
One of the biggest new features on Mac mini is the T2 Security Chip. The TX line of security chips was originally introduced in 2016 MacBook Pros, while the T2 Security Chips was introduced in last year’s iMac Pro, and then added to Apple’s 2018 MacBook Pro lineup. That makes the new Mac mini the first non-pro Mac to get this feature.
The T2 chip means that everything stored on the internal SSD is encrypted on-the-fly, automatically. The T2 also has a Secure Enclave that makes sure software loaded up during the boot process hasn’t been tampered with. Lastly, the T2 chip handles HEVC video transcoding, a feature aimed at pro users.
Mac mini Ports
Mac Mini 2018 boosts 4 Thunderbolt 3 ports, an HDMI 2.0 port, two USB-A ports, an audio jack, and 10 Gigabit Ethernet.
The starting configuration includes a 3.66 GHz 4-core i3 processor, 128GB of SD storage, and 8GB of memory at $799.
Apple’s new Mac mini models are available for order now, and will ship on November 7th.
“The starting configuration includes a 3.6GHz 4-core i5 processor, 128GB of SD storage, and 8GB of memory at $799. ” The processor is an i3 8th gen not an i5 ……
Thanks!
Wow enormously disappointed. This is what they see as having “pro” uses. Soldered in non upgradable 2TB SSD for $1400. Soldered in non upgradable 64gb of RAM for $1400. Top end machine has only 64gb or ram, 2TB storage and goes for $4200 without apple care or tax.
Apple totally doesn’t get it anymore. What a total disappointment.
The SO-DIMMs are NOT soldered in. And the SSD is PCIe. So, not sure why you want to claim “soldered-in”.
That’s great news. The SSD is supposed to be PCIe. Cannot tell if it’s soldered in, if not, then a) my bad, b) that will be great!
The RAM is not soldered in and it is up-gradable. “Mac mini comes standard with 8GB of high-performance memory running at 2666MHz speeds, and can be expanded to 64GB of Double Data Rate 4 (DDR4) synchronous dynamic random-access memory (SDRAM). “
I didn’t see the presentation (eastern time, missed the whole thing), but I don’t think anyone is calling this a Pro machine. Certainly not at the intro end.
So you can see the guts if you scroll down here:
https://www.apple.com/mac-mini/?afid=p238%7Cs8I4kbUTZ-dc_mtid_20925top39173_pcrid_307882469438&cid=wwa-us-kwgo-mac-slid–
So the ram is upgradable. I’m not positive but it looks like the SSD is not soldered in, but is ‘hovering’ over the main board. I suspect it’s a similar connector to what is in the iMac pro. A proprietary slot of some sort. I suspect it is also tied to the T2 chip like on the iMac Pro, which likely kills the ability to use that slot for anything other than an original apple SSD. In which case, it might as well be soldered in, as it is practically not upgradable.
Which is a shame if true. I hope Im wrong. If this thing has upgradable RAM and internal storage, that will make it a huge hit.