Mac mini overhaul

The Mac mini is supposedly getting an internal overhaul, rather than fading into nonexistence, as popular belief would indicate. According to AppleInsider, the miniature computer is to see the 45-nanometer Core 2 Duo chip, starting at 2.1GHz, with an 800MHz frontside buss and the Intel GMA X3100 graphics processor. This alleged update comes after almost a year of shipping the same model, without any major changes.

The future of the Mac mini is frequently called into question, since the line rarely receives the lavishing attention that Apple's other computer lines see. Several updates to the platform have been quiet, with the specifications listed on the product page, a "New" tag in the online store, and little fanfare.

AppleInsider says that while no official date has been given for the update, the Penryn-3M-based systems were in the engineering build stage around the middle of March. The publication also predicts that the aluminum iMacs will receive an upgrade to Penryn as well in the near future.

by MacNN Staff