While all eyes are on the colorful M1 iMacs During yesterday’s Spring Loaded event, Apple also quietly updated the M1 Mac Mini. You can now configure it with a 10 Gigabit Ethernet port!
Apple first added 10 Gbps Ethernet to the Mac Mini back in 2018. The M1 Mac mini launched in November, the network options include support for Wi-Fi 6, but you could only get it with a regular Ethernet port. This probably wasn’t that big of a deal for the average consumer, but it was a notable omission for professionals or creatives who might need that extra speed. Considering the M1 Mac Mini is super affordable at $ 699, this was quite the bummer for professionals on a budget. According to 9to5 Macleaked the 10 Gbps M1 Mac Mini configuration to internal Apple Authorized Service Providers, but it appears the models were not available in time for launch.
Not anymore! As with any Apple event, Apple’s online store went offline when new product announcements arrived. When the store was ready again, it turned out that you could now configure the M1 Mac Mini with 10 Gbps Ethernet – an option previously only available on Intel-powered Mac Minis.
That said, there are a few small things to keep in mind. For starters, adding the faster Ethernet port costs an extra $ 100, bringing the price to at least $ 799. (Still cheaper than the cheapest M1 iMac.) The other thing is, you can’t get this option from other retailers. Since this is an add-on upgrade, if you want this particular setup you will have to go through Apple’s official store. Plus, you have to wait a while to get one. When I went through the Apple Store the first time I was able to get a 10Gbps M1 Mac Mini was on May 4th.
Still, this is good news from yesterday that may have been buried in the US attack of shiny new product announcements. We like to see expanded options for consumers, so hooray for everyone in the Venn chart of “Mac Mini Fans,” “People Who Need Faster Networking,” and “People on a Budget.”
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