According to Electronista and server colocation firm Macminicolo, Apple could be gearing up to refresh the neglected Mac Mini in the coming weeks. Two of the three rumors are alleged to come from a reputable source with the third being a “99% educated guess”. The rumored changes include:
- Transition to mini display port: The Mac Mini could see an udpated display port, similar to the ports on the recently updated MacBooks and MacBook Pros. This would obviously free up a lot of extra space in the back of the unit that could be used for more expansion or better cooling of the box.
- Increase in memory: In the current version, the Mac Mini only supports up to 2GB of memory. Macminicolo’s source indicates that the Mini will shed the current, 1.5-year-old processor and be replaced with a new chip set that supports up to 4GB of memory. This would be welcomed greatly by the folks using the Mini as a media player.
- An optical drive switch: This is where the story starts to get a little foggy. The final claim is suggests that the Mini might give the buyer the option to switch out the optical drive for the a second hard drive if on-board space is more important. This one could be a little far fetched considering the rumor is cited from a server colocation firm.
As Electronista points out, however, the company has no real track record with support for the rumor other than the fact that it regularly orders Mac Minis and could possibly know of a slow down in the amount available.
Perhaps Apple will update the Mini quietly as it did in August of 2007, we’ll have to wait and see. One thing’s for sure though, if Apple isn’t going to be phased out the unit, an update is long overdue.
