Good question. Thunderbolt 4 and DisplayPort 1.4 support it at 60Hz. So in theory the M1 Max (not sure about M1 Pro) would support it if the display has Thunderbolt 4 input. But I don’t think such a display exists. The 8k monitor currently on the market from Dell has dual DisplayPort 1.2 inputs, basically stitching together two displays. But true 8k support is another story. I don’t know if any were announced at CES 2022.
There is still a strong need for a way to expand the SSD. A small slot in the back with the ability to insert and remove a M2 SSD module would do the trick nicely. Bonus points if it can be hot-swapped while the computer is on. SSDs are evolving rapidly in both speed and capacity. For a computer to have a 5 to 8 year life, you will want to upgrade the onboard storage. No external port, be it USB 4 or Thunderbolt, can get anywhere close to the speed of a M2 SSD. Even game consoles allow the SSD to be replaced with performance above 6 GB/s.
Such a "slot" already exists. It's called an external drive. I am using a external 1tB SSD on my 2013 iMac, for example,
Seriously, Apple has looked at what people actually use not what they say they want to use and designed the Mac accordingly. So few people actually upgrade the internals that it just isn't worth the extra cost.
Never mind there are Intel Macs with SSDs (late-2010) working today with normal usage; that is 12 years. Heck my brother is using my 2007 iMac so the idea that a computer has a "a 5 to 8 year life" is nonsense.
As for the game consoles with replaceable SSDs those are specially designed slots where only the maker of the console's SSD will fit in the slot and so you will be paying a premium for that upgrade.
There is still a strong need for a way to expand the SSD. A small slot in the back with the ability to insert and remove a M2 SSD module would do the trick nicely. Bonus points if it can be hot-swapped while the computer is on. SSDs are evolving rapidly in both speed and capacity. For a computer to have a 5 to 8 year life, you will want to upgrade the onboard storage. No external port, be it USB 4 or Thunderbolt, can get anywhere close to the speed of a M2 SSD. Even game consoles allow the SSD to be replaced with performance above 6 GB/s.
Such a "slot" already exists. It's called an external drive. I am using a external 1tB SSD on my 2013 iMac, for example,
Seriously, Apple has looked at what people actually use not what they say they want to use and designed the Mac accordingly. So few people actually upgrade the internals that it just isn't worth the extra cost.
Never mind there are Intel Macs with SSDs (late-2010) working today with normal usage; that is 12 years. Heck my brother is using my 2007 iMac so the idea that a computer has a "a 5 to 8 year life" is nonsense.
As for the game consoles with replaceable SSDs those are specially designed slots where only the maker of the console's SSD will fit in the slot and so you will be paying a premium for that upgrade.
Actually that's not the case. None of the internal/built-in SSDs on the latest consoles are replaceable. Both the Microsoft XBOX & Sony PlayStation 5 have storage expansion slots. Only the Microsoft XBOX has a proprietary slot.
The Sony PlayStation 5 has a regular, long, PCIe Gen 4 x 4 slot built-in. You buy any standard NVMe drive that is fast enough (6MB/s I think is the requirement) and put it in - no premium price for the upgrade. Sony does recommend (require?) a heatsink on the NVMe drive. You can use what ever fits in the slot (there is a cover for the slot). When you next power the PlayStation 5 on, it formats the drive & does a speed test, and reports the results. Done. I've upgraded 3 x PlayStation 5's, personally & used 3rd party heatsinks (not from the NVMe Mfg). See Sony's documentation located here, for adding the storage: How to add an M.2 SSD to a PS5 console
There is still a strong need for a way to expand the SSD. A small slot in the back with the ability to insert and remove a M2 SSD module would do the trick nicely. Bonus points if it can be hot-swapped while the computer is on. SSDs are evolving rapidly in both speed and capacity. For a computer to have a 5 to 8 year life, you will want to upgrade the onboard storage. No external port, be it USB 4 or Thunderbolt, can get anywhere close to the speed of a M2 SSD. Even game consoles allow the SSD to be replaced with performance above 6 GB/s.
My understanding is that M2 uses 4 PCIe lanes and that TB4 uses 4 PCIe lanes, so…?
There is still a strong need for a way to expand the SSD. A small slot in the back with the ability to insert and remove a M2 SSD module would do the trick nicely. Bonus points if it can be hot-swapped while the computer is on. SSDs are evolving rapidly in both speed and capacity. For a computer to have a 5 to 8 year life, you will want to upgrade the onboard storage. No external port, be it USB 4 or Thunderbolt, can get anywhere close to the speed of a M2 SSD. Even game consoles allow the SSD to be replaced with performance above 6 GB/s.
My understanding is that M2 uses 4 PCIe lanes and that TB4 uses 4 PCIe lanes, so…?
You are correct - both use 4 x PCIe lanes. But - those lanes are PCI-e Gen 3 in TB4, about half the speed of PCIe Gen 4. To reach 6GB/s storage (like PS5 & modern Intel/AMD MB), you need PCI-e Gen 4 lanes. Also, with TB4, 8Gb of the 40Gb total bandwidth is reserved for video. Any single device (external storage) can only use a maximum of 32Gb of the bandwidth. And for whatever reason, even external NVMe chassis (I have 3 x models) don't seem to max out the 32Gb of bandwidth (one of mine has 4 x NVMe drives, striped).
"Redesigned Mac mini with M1 Pro & M1 Max set for spring" ...a few months before the M2 Pro/Max is released.
Why would the M2 Pro/Max be released in Spring? The M1 Pro/Max was released Oct '21, and with an 18-month cycle that would suggest April '23 for the M2 Pro/Max.
The 18-month cycle makes sense, as laptop/desktop releases don't need to be yearly like the iPhone. The base Mx release goes into the wide consumer audience products (MacBook, iMac 24"), while enhanced Mx releases go into ever-exclusive products over the next 18 months (culminating in the Mac Pro). So a base M2 release this year makes sense but not M2 Pro/Max. A consistent 18 month cycle is far better than what Intel have given Apple lately.
I'm hoping for an Apple display release alongside this rumoured Mini M1 Max/Pro product for my next Mac.
Do you really believe that iPhone releases need to be yearly? Why? Are you working for Apple marketing department?
There is still a strong need for a way to expand the SSD. A small slot in the back with the ability to insert and remove a M2 SSD module would do the trick nicely. Bonus points if it can be hot-swapped while the computer is on. SSDs are evolving rapidly in both speed and capacity. For a computer to have a 5 to 8 year life, you will want to upgrade the onboard storage. No external port, be it USB 4 or Thunderbolt, can get anywhere close to the speed of a M2 SSD. Even game consoles allow the SSD to be replaced with performance above 6 GB/s.
Unlike the Intel NUC, the mini is not well designed to be modified/upgraded. If we are talking about a mini Pro, I agree to above. Apple probably won’t though. The older Server models were still hard to access. As someone who wants nothing more to do with Windows, it is either Mac or Chrome, and the HP Chromebase has my attention. You might wonder why such a cheapskate such as I would follow an Apple site? Good question. Just for fun. Maybe someday Apple will go bonkers and create something I want and can afford. Apple in the classroom won’t happen if Google continues to undercut and dominate. A funny thing, this is not being talked about on the “other” site.
There is still a strong need for a way to expand the SSD. A small slot in the back with the ability to insert and remove a M2 SSD module would do the trick nicely. Bonus points if it can be hot-swapped while the computer is on. SSDs are evolving rapidly in both speed and capacity. For a computer to have a 5 to 8 year life, you will want to upgrade the onboard storage. No external port, be it USB 4 or Thunderbolt, can get anywhere close to the speed of a M2 SSD. Even game consoles allow the SSD to be replaced with performance above 6 GB/s.
There is? Based on what data? As this is a consumer Mac whether or not it has the rumored Apple Silicon, I bet its not as in need as you'd like to think. Maybe "you" would like to see it, but that doesn't mean the majority of the rest of the consumer base does. I'm sure most don't really give a shit one way or another to be quite honest about it. Same goes for RAM if you wanna also throw that into the mix.
Perhaps if they want to release a Mac mini Pro which I doubt then maybe, but even then I just don't see it. If you're a "Pro" user you're going to buy all you can afford from the beginning and not look back. Still to this day, most "Pro" users never open their computers. They buy what they need (or all they can afford), use it until its not useful anymore and then get something better.
"Redesigned Mac mini with M1 Pro & M1 Max set for spring" ...a few months before the M2 Pro/Max is released.
Why would the M2 Pro/Max be released in Spring? The M1 Pro/Max was released Oct '21, and with an 18-month cycle that would suggest April '23 for the M2 Pro/Max.
The 18-month cycle makes sense, as laptop/desktop releases don't need to be yearly like the iPhone. The base Mx release goes into the wide consumer audience products (MacBook, iMac 24"), while enhanced Mx releases go into ever-exclusive products over the next 18 months (culminating in the Mac Pro). So a base M2 release this year makes sense but not M2 Pro/Max. A consistent 18 month cycle is far better than what Intel have given Apple lately.
I'm hoping for an Apple display release alongside this rumoured Mini M1 Max/Pro product for my next Mac.
Do you really believe that iPhone releases need to be yearly? Why? Are you working for Apple marketing department?
Because the are people on different upgrade cycles? Do you really believe people don't hold out upgrading their current phone (iPhone or Android) until Apple releases a new phone?
There is still a strong need for a way to expand the SSD. A small slot in the back with the ability to insert and remove a M2 SSD module would do the trick nicely. Bonus points if it can be hot-swapped while the computer is on. SSDs are evolving rapidly in both speed and capacity. For a computer to have a 5 to 8 year life, you will want to upgrade the onboard storage. No external port, be it USB 4 or Thunderbolt, can get anywhere close to the speed of a M2 SSD. Even game consoles allow the SSD to be replaced with performance above 6 GB/s.
Unlike the Intel NUC, the mini is not well designed to be modified/upgraded. If we are talking about a mini Pro, I agree to above. Apple probably won’t though. The older Server models were still hard to access. As someone who wants nothing more to do with Windows, it is either Mac or Chrome, and the HP Chromebase has my attention. You might wonder why such a cheapskate such as I would follow an Apple site? Good question. Just for fun. Maybe someday Apple will go bonkers and create something I want and can afford. Apple in the classroom won’t happen if Google continues to undercut and dominate. A funny thing, this is not being talked about on the “other” site.
Apple doesn't compete on price, which is what you're eluding to. So if Google wants to continue selling $199 pieces of shit Crapbooks, its not keeping the folks at Apple awake all night. Apple uses the iPad to compete on this front and seems to do quite well.
This reminds me of the Netbook era where people wanted Apple to participate and they refused to do so because they cannot design a cheap computer. It's just not in Apple's DNA to design on price alone. As I think Apple has said (maybe even Steve Jobs said this, can't remember), Apple is not in a race to the bottom. Instead of Apple participating in Netbooks, they designed the iPad and it wasn't too long afterwards, Netbooks were a thing of the past.
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Seriously, Apple has looked at what people actually use not what they say they want to use and designed the Mac accordingly. So few people actually upgrade the internals that it just isn't worth the extra cost.
Never mind there are Intel Macs with SSDs (late-2010) working today with normal usage; that is 12 years. Heck my brother is using my 2007 iMac so the idea that a computer has a "a 5 to 8 year life" is nonsense.
As for the game consoles with replaceable SSDs those are specially designed slots where only the maker of the console's SSD will fit in the slot and so you will be paying a premium for that upgrade.
The Sony PlayStation 5 has a regular, long, PCIe Gen 4 x 4 slot built-in. You buy any standard NVMe drive that is fast enough (6MB/s I think is the requirement) and put it in - no premium price for the upgrade. Sony does recommend (require?) a heatsink on the NVMe drive. You can use what ever fits in the slot (there is a cover for the slot). When you next power the PlayStation 5 on, it formats the drive & does a speed test, and reports the results. Done. I've upgraded 3 x PlayStation 5's, personally & used 3rd party heatsinks (not from the NVMe Mfg). See Sony's documentation located here, for adding the storage: How to add an M.2 SSD to a PS5 console
1. is this a new design or are those cores already there but non-functional?
2. are the two extra cores performance or efficiency?
my guesses — “already there” and “efficiency”
Perhaps a good reminder @ 4:30s www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYMdRV6JD5w
If we are talking about a mini Pro, I agree to above.
Apple probably won’t though.
The older Server models were still hard to access.
As someone who wants nothing more to do with Windows, it is either Mac or Chrome, and the HP Chromebase has my attention.
You might wonder why such a cheapskate such as I would follow an Apple site?
Good question. Just for fun.
Maybe someday Apple will go bonkers and create something I want and can afford.
Apple in the classroom won’t happen if Google continues to undercut and dominate.
A funny thing, this is not being talked about on the “other” site.
Perhaps if they want to release a Mac mini Pro which I doubt then maybe, but even then I just don't see it. If you're a "Pro" user you're going to buy all you can afford from the beginning and not look back. Still to this day, most "Pro" users never open their computers. They buy what they need (or all they can afford), use it until its not useful anymore and then get something better.
This reminds me of the Netbook era where people wanted Apple to participate and they refused to do so because they cannot design a cheap computer. It's just not in Apple's DNA to design on price alone. As I think Apple has said (maybe even Steve Jobs said this, can't remember), Apple is not in a race to the bottom. Instead of Apple participating in Netbooks, they designed the iPad and it wasn't too long afterwards, Netbooks were a thing of the past.
So good discussion for nothing!