The new Mac mini was announced at today’s Apple event, featuring an M1 chip with an 8-core CPU and GPU. The price? It starts at just $699 or $679 for students– $100 less than the previous generation Mac mini, which is still available in some configurations. It’s available for pre-order today and will start arriving on November 17th.

The new Mac mini comes in a silver design, with no other color options available (Sorry, Space Gray lovers.)
When compared to the previous generation, the M1-powered Mac mini can:
- Compile code in Xcode up to 3x faster.
- Play a graphics-intensive game like “Shadow of the Tomb Raider” with up to 4x higher frame rates.
- Render a complex timeline in Final Cut Pro up to 6x faster.
- Take music production to new levels by using up to 3x as many real-time plug-ins in Logic Pro.
- Magically increase the resolution of a photo in Pixelmator Pro up to 15x faster.
- Utilize ML frameworks like TensorFlow or Create ML, now accelerated by the M1 chip.