Apple launches new Mac mini and Mac Studio with next-gen chips, M6 debuts

Apple has refreshed its Mac desktop lineup with the introduction of the new Mac mini and Mac Studio. While the exterior designs remain largely unchanged, the significant upgrades lie within, featuring new generation chips, Wi-Fi 7, and Bluetooth 6 for enhanced performance and connectivity.

The new Mac mini is aimed at everyday tasks and general creators, offering a choice between the M6 and M5 Pro chips. Notably, the M6 chip signifies Apple's debut in 2nm chip technology. It boasts a 12-core CPU, 12-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine, supporting up to 32GB of unified memory with a memory bandwidth of up to 170GB/s. Apple claims the M6-equipped Mac mini delivers AI performance up to four times faster than the previous M4 model.

For users requiring more power, the Mac Studio receives upgrades to the M5 Max and the newly introduced M5 Ultra chips. The M5 Ultra chip is equipped with up to a 36-core CPU, an 80-core GPU, and a 32-core Neural Engine. It supports unified memory starting from 96GB, expandable to 512GB, and offers a memory bandwidth of 1.2TB/s, making it suitable for intensive AI computations, video production, and other professional workloads.

The new Mac mini starts at NT$29,900 for the M6 chip version and NT$59,900 for the M5 Pro version. The Mac Studio begins at NT$84,900 for the M5 Max model and NT$199,900 for the M5 Ultra version. Pre-orders for both models open on August 27th, with availability scheduled for September 22nd. The high-end M5 Ultra version with 512GB memory is expected to be available in late October.