Apple has, at long last, updated the Mac mini with the latest technologies and a new lower starting price. It now features fourth generation Intel Core processors, integrated graphics that are up to 90% faster, 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Thunderbolt 2.
“With the latest CPU and graphics, faster Wi-Fi, two Thunderbolt 2 ports, OS X Yosemite, and starting at just $499, the new Mac mini is the best value ever.”
“People love Mac mini. It’s a great first Mac or addition to your home network, and the new Mac mini is a nice upgrade packed into an incredibly compact design,” says Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “With the latest CPU and graphics, faster Wi-Fi, two Thunderbolt 2 ports, OS X Yosemite, and starting at just $499, the new Mac mini is the best value ever.”
He says that new integrated Intel HD Graphics 5000 and Intel Iris Graphics deliver up to 90% faster graphics performance than the previous generation. The Mac mini now includes two Thunderbolt 2 ports, each delivering up to 20Gbps of bandwidth to each port, as well as next-generation 802.11ac Wi-Fi that is up to three times faster when connected to an 802.11ac base station.
Apple says the Mac mini is still the world’s most energy efficient desktop, exceeding Energy Star 6.1 requirements by seven times the standard and consuming as few as six watts of power at idle. And, of course, it comes with Mac OS X Yosemite.
The Mac mini is now shipping and comes in three standard models: a 1.4 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 with Turbo Boost speeds up to 2.7 GHz, 4GB of memory, Intel HD Graphics 5000 and a 500GB hard drive starting at a suggested retail price of US$499; a 2.6 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.1 GHz, 8GB of memory, Intel Iris Graphics and a 1TB hard drive starting at suggested retail price of $699; and a 2.8 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.3 GHz, 8GB of memory, Intel Iris Graphics and a 1TB Fusion Drive starting at a suggested retail price of $999.
Customers can choose to configure their Mac mini with up to a 3.0 GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 processor, up to 16GB of memory, and up to a 1TB PCIe-based flash drive.