Apple May Be Testing an M3 Mac Mini, Based on Developer Logs

Apple may be actively testing an M3 version of the Mac mini, based on specifications found in third-party developer logs and reported by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

mac mini purple
In his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman said Apple is testing a Mac under model identifier "Mac 15,12" that includes eight CPU cores (consisting of four efficiency cores and four performance cores), 10 graphics processor cores, and 24GB of RAM.

The machine is said to be running macOS Sonoma 14.1, the first point update of Apple's forthcoming operating system, and given the similar specifications to the base M2 Mac mini (bar the existing model's 8GB RAM as standard), Gurman believes it represents a next-generation Mac mini.

In his latest newsletter, Gurman repeated that he expects the first M3-powered Macs to debut as early as October. However, based on previous reporting, he does not expect the Mac mini to be one of the first models with the M3 chip. They are likely to be the 13-inch MacBook Pro, 13-inch MacBook Air, and 24-inch iMac.

Gurman last month said that he did not expect a new Mac mini to emerge until late 2024 at the earliest. If the developer logs do indicate Apple is testing an M3 Mac mini, that could mean we could see it sooner than previously expected. That said, the latest Mac mini models are less than a year old, having been introduced in January 2023.

The ‌M3‌ chip is widely expected to be fabricated using TSMC's 3nm process for significant performance and power efficiency improvements compared to the 5nm-based ‌M2‌ chip in existing devices.

Related Roundup: Mac mini
Buyer's Guide: Mac Mini (Neutral)
Related Forum: Mac mini

Top Rated Comments

reverie Avatar
9 months ago
Just because this self-marketing genius needs to fill his regular newsletter doesn’t mean that there is a story worth reporting for MacRumors? “An M3 Mac Mini will at some point exist.” What’s the news value in that?
Score: 39 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ScottishDuck Avatar
9 months ago
Rumour has it there will be an M4 after the M3
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Cromulent Avatar
9 months ago
People come to a rumour site and complain when the rumour site posts rumours.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Wokis Avatar
9 months ago

The specs, for instance.
Here's the scoop on the specs!


* M3
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pacmania1982 Avatar
9 months ago
Please don't take this the wrong way - but colour me NOT surprised... I'd be more surprised if Apple weren't testing their M3 CPUs in products at this point.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
contacos Avatar
9 months ago

Just because this self-marketing genius needs to fill his regular newsletter doesn’t mean that there is a story worth reporting for MacRumors? “An M3 Mac Mini will at some point exist.” What’s the news value in that?
Do you know what site you are on? I highlighted it again in bold just in case ;)

Also, the annual media "summer slump" is still on going
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple to Launch New iPad Pro and iPad Air Models in May

Thursday March 28, 2024 11:07 am PDT by
Apple will introduce new iPad Pro and iPad Air models in early May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman previously suggested the new iPads would come out in March, and then April, but the timeline has been pushed back once again. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Apple is working on updates to both the iPad Pro and iPad Air models. The iPad Pro models will...
General Apps Messages

Google Reveals When to Expect RCS Support on iPhone for Improved Texting With Android Users

Friday March 29, 2024 7:14 am PDT by
In November, Apple announced that the iPhone would support the cross-platform messaging standard RCS (Rich Communication Services) in the Messages app starting "later" in 2024, and Google has now revealed a more narrow timeframe. In a since-deleted section of the revamped Google Messages web page, spotted by 9to5Google, Google said that Apple would be adopting RCS on the iPhone in the "fall...
airtag new orange

Criminals in Montreal Using AirTags to Steal Vehicles

Friday March 29, 2024 12:50 pm PDT by
Thieves in Montreal, Canada have been using Apple's AirTags to facilitate vehicle theft, according to a report from Vermont news sites WCAX and NBC5 (via 9to5Mac). Police officers in Burlington, Vermont have issued a warning about AirTags for drivers who recently visited Canada. Two Burlington residents found Apple AirTags in their vehicles after returning from trips to Montreal, and these...
top stories 30mar2024

Top Stories: WWDC 2024 Announced, New iPads Delayed, and More

Saturday March 30, 2024 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's WWDC 2024 dates have been announced, giving us timing for the unveiling of the company's next round of major operating system updates and likely some other announcements. This week also saw some disappointing news on the iPad front, with update timing for the iPad Pro and iPad Air pushed back from previous rumors. We did hear some new tidbits about what might be coming in iOS 18 and...
iphone 16 cases sonny dickson 1

First iPhone 16 Cases Outline New Rear Vertical Camera Bump

Friday March 29, 2024 4:09 am PDT by
Photos of the first iPhone 16 cases have been shared online, offering another preview of the rumored new vertical rear camera arrangement on the standard iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus. Image credit: Accessory leaker Sonny Dickson Over the last few months, Apple has been experimenting with different camera bump designs for the standard iPhone 16 models, all of which have featured a vertical ...
Apple iPhone 15 Pro spatial video capture lifestyle

$3 App Shoots Better Quality Spatial Video Than iPhone's Camera App

Friday March 29, 2024 4:48 am PDT by
A $3 third-party app can now record spatial video on iPhone 15 Pro models in a higher resolution than Apple's very own Camera app. Thanks to an update first spotted by UploadVR, Spatialify can now record spatial videos with HDR in 1080p at 60fps or in 4K at 30fps. In comparison, Apple's native Camera app is limited to recording spatial video in 1080p at 30fps. Shortly after Apple's Vision ...