Kuo: 2024 Mac mini to feature similar form factor, M3 Pro and M3 Max MacBook models to use 3nm chip tech

Apple just unveiled a new Mac mini with the M2 and M2 Pro processors. While it was first rumored that Apple would release a new iteration with a new design last year, the company decided to keep the same form factor and only improve its hardware.

Now, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says the 2024 Mac mini will likely remain with a “similar form factor design.” With that in mind, not only is Apple planning to upgrade this machine for the M3 lineup, but it’s also not changing its design.

Apart from that, the analyst didn’t say exactly when he expects this machine to be unveiled or what other features it could have.

With a focus on productivity, the recently-announced M2 Mac mini is also as cheaper as ever, being a great machine for students or those planning to get started on the Apple/Mac ecosystem.

M3 MacBook Pro models to adopt 3nm technology

Another interesting tidbit shared by Kuo is about a future generation of MacBook Pro models. Since it was rumored that the M2 Pro and M2 Max could have featured a 3nm chip, which we now know it’s the second-generation 5nm process, the analyst says the next M3 Pro and M3 Max will be the ones with more advanced technology.

Kuo believes these 3nm processors will enter mass production in the first quarter of 2024, meaning Apple could prepare a spring event to unveil new Macs. In addition, the 2024 MacBook Pro models could make the switch to an OLED display.

Since Apple is still in the first years of its own silicon, it’s unclear what the timeframe will be for each Mac to be updated. Currently, Apple has announced a new base-model MacBook Pro every year, a new Mac mini every two years, and a high-end MacBook Pro every 14 months.

The MacBook Air needed around two years, and the iMac hasn’t been updated for more than two years.