The Mac Mini Pro is Here!
Apple has come out with a new desktop machine, called the Apple Studio. Essentially a “Mac Mini Pro”, it’s the middle ground for people that don’t need all of the bells and whistles that the iMac or Mac Pro offers. Is this the sweetest sweet spot desktop for smaller teams?
The new Apple Studio comes with a beefier processor and graphics card than the standard Mac mini. It’s got more ports on the back, so you can easily connect it to all of your other devices, and even a former no-no from Apple: two USB-C ports and an SD card reader on the front of the thing. The price tag is much more reasonable than its bigger brothers have been; $2k for the base-line model that is already far-and-above more Max than the Mini, and $4k for a serious upgrade with the new M1 Ultra chip.
So what’s the drawback? Well, there is no screen, of course. And the design and color are not for everyone. It’s chonky. And the same Apple Silver that has been Silver for more than a decade. It really looks like Apple just stretched the Mini to be taller, instead of coming up with an entirely new design. But look: if it ain’t broke, right?
We also got a good-bit-cheaper new monitor, the 27″ Apple Studio Display. $1600 will get you a 5k monitor with some brains. It’s not just a display, it has 3 USB-C and one Thunderbolt ports, a 12mp camera with Center Stage, which means the thing can follow you around the room while you talk, and 6 speakers that sound good, apparently. The screen itself is identical to the LG UltraFine that Apple was selling, which I’m guessing they’ll discontinue, now. You have three options for holding the thing up: one that lets the monitor say “yes”, a more expensive one that says “yes” and you can raise up and down, and a very strange VESA mount. You can’t change the type of stand, though, after you buy, so know what you want.
Long story short: I want one, of course. I don’t need one, but that’s Current Me talking, and I’m sure that Future Me will find a reason to try out these new treats.