It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a new Mac Mini. And, while you might think that Apple’s silence signals the death of the Mac Mini, we’re still clinging to the hope that a Mac Mini 2018 might actually happen.

While 2017 came and went without a new Mac Mini, Tim Cook himself came out and reassured Apple fans that Apple would still support the Mac Mini, so maybe we’ll actually get a Mac Mini 2018.

Now, while we didn’t get any hardware news at WWDC 2018, we do at least know that if the Mac Mini does exist, will will run some iOS apps through macOS 10.14 Mojave. However, other than that, we don’t know much about what the Mac Mini 2018 will look like. That doesn’t mean we can’t speculate though, as there has been a ton of rumors about it, like the addition of a separate co-processor for ‘Hey Siri’ commands. 

Cut to the chase

• What is it? A new version of Apple’s compact Mac
• When is it out?  Maybe November 2018? 
• What will it cost? Hopefully around the price of previous models

Mac mini 2018 release date

As with other upcoming Apple products, we haven’t got a solid release date for the Mac mini 2018. Rumors have been thin on the ground as well, so we’re going to have to use a bit of speculation when it comes to the possible release date.

The previous Mac mini was released way back on October 16, 2014, so could we witness an October launch for the new Mac mini?

Now that Apple’s WWDC 2018 event has come and gone, the next chance for Apple to announce the Mac Mini 2018 would be the iPhone event in September. That’s admittedly pretty shaky, but unless Apple announces a surprise event before then, it’s the next Apple event on the schedule. Either way, we’ll keep an eye on any rumors and update this article as soon as new information surfaces.

Mac mini 2018 price

Again, we haven’t heard much about the potential price of the Mac mini 2018 just yet, but that’s to be expected, as pricing rumors usually begin to circulate closer to the release date.

But, could the price of previous Mac minis give us a clue to what the price of any new Mac minis would be?

The lowest spec Mac mini cost $499 (£399, around AU$650) when it launched in 2014, with the middle Mac mini costing cost $699 (£569, around AU$900) and the top-of-the range Mac mini came with a $999 (£569, around AU$1,300) price tag.

 What we want to see in Mac mini 2018 

While we don’t know a lot about the Mac mini 2018 at the moment, we certainly know what we want to see from a refreshed Mac mini. 

1. An attractive new design

Really, there’s nothing wrong with the way the current Mac mini looks, but if we’re going to get the first major revision in almost four years, it’d be awesome if it got a nice makeover as well. Thinner, smaller and quieter. Is that too much to ask?

An old rumor from early 2017 suggested that the high-end Mac mini ‘won’t be so mini anymore’ which led people to assume more powerful components will be added, requiring more room for better cooling.

However, this rumor is quite vague, so we’d urge caution when taking this completely at face value.

Of course, powerful components will mean more heat produced, so a redesigned Mac mini isn’t out of the question, but as Apple has shown with the iMac and iMac Pro, it’s a dab hand at putting powerful components into svelte devices and keep them cool.

2. A power boost

One of the things we’d most like to see from a Mac mini 2018 is an upgrade to its components, which would make it a formidable mini machine to compete with other small form factor PCs like the Asus VivoMini and Intel NUC, which have been upgraded to 7th- and 8th-generation Intel Core processors, respectively. 

So, to begin, we’d like to see a newer CPU than the current Mac mini’s 4th generation chip. Refreshing the silicon would make modern amenities like Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C), Display Port 1.2 and 4K video possible, and would give the Mac mini 2018 a considerable power boost over previous models. 

Apple is reportedly planning on releasing three Macs in 2018 with custom co-processors, though we doubt the Mac mini, even if it does come out, would be included.

RAM-wise, the previous Mac mini came with 4GB, and while that could remain, we’d like to see a base 8GB of RAM, as with the MacBook Air. 

2. Mouse and keyboard included

While the Mac mini has a reputation for being the most compact and economical Apple computer around, it’s also known for its lack of included (yet essential) accessories. The Magic Mouse 2 and Magic Keyboard can only be purchased separately from the Mac mini itself. That means you’ll have to shell out an additional cost for parts that are required to use it.

A recent patent filed by Apple suggests that the company is interested in bringing spill-free and crumb-resistant keyboards to its MacBooks. We would argue that this guard structure technology, designed to “keep contaminants from reaching the innards of the machine” would be a useful addition to the Mac mini as well.

3.  4K support 

Wouldn’t it be great if the Mac mini 2018 could also act as an alternative to the Apple TV? For that to happen, the Mac mini 2018 would need to be a capable 4K machine – something previous models were decidedly not.

Thankfully, as we mentioned earlier, if the new Mac mini is going to feature recent Intel processors, then the integrated graphics should give it enough graphical power to handle 4K.

Previous models of the Mac mini couldn’t quite handle 4K content, and this was due to hardware limitations of the time, coupled with Apple’s desire to keep the Mac mini as an entry-level device, price-wise.

However, in 2018 even budget processors come with integrated graphics that are powerful enough to render 4K interfaces and play ultra high definition content from Netflix and iTunes, so we want to see Apple make use of this technology in any new Mac mini that it produces. 

4.  For it to actually exist 

We can speculate all day about what the Mac Mini 2018 might look like, and what it’s capable of, but none of that matters if it doesn’t exist in the first place. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen an update to the Mac Mini, and Apple has a lot to gain from a market where they’re starting to see more competition than ever before. 

If Apple can put out a Mac Mini that improves and innovates on its design, they might end up with one of the best multimedia PCs on the market. So, let’s just hope that Tim Cook’s stated support of the Mac mini means that the Cupertino behemoth has something up its sleeves. 

• These are the best Macs that 2018 has to offer so far

Gabe Carey has also contributed to this report

http://www.techradar.com/news/mac-mini-2018-release-date-news-and-rumors

The original Surface Laptop might not even be a year old yet, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t get excited for its sequel, does it?

In this article, we’d like to lay out our expectations for what the Surface Laptop 2 will look like. No matter how much we love the original, Windows 10 powered, Surface Laptop, there’s always room to improve.

Now that the Windows 10 April Update is live, the Surface Laptop has access to a bunch of productivity-focused features, making it into even more of a worthy workplace companion. What about the sequel though? Well, now that Microsoft is actively developing Redstone 5 and we’re seeing rumors about the anticipated redesign to the Surface Pro not coming until next year, we may be seeing a Surface Laptop 2 announcement in the very near future. Maybe even as soon as October 2018.

Still, because there isn’t much in the way of concrete information about the Surface Laptop 2, all we can do is speculate about the key details, like the possible features, price and release date. We’d also like to create a wish list of sorts. So, keep this page bookmarked, as we’ll keep it updated with all the latest information that comes our way.

Cut to the chase

• What is it? The would-be second Surface Laptop
• When is it out? Probably around October 2018 
• What will it cost? Likely as much as – if not more than – the current model

Surface Laptop 2 release date

Unfortunately, we know next to nothing regarding when we’ll see the next Surface Laptop from Microsoft. So, that leaves us with the release of last year to base any speculation upon.

The first Surface Laptop was launched on June 15 2017 in the US. Given how hardware makers like Microsoft tend to annualize their releases, our best guess as to when we’ll see a Surface Laptop 2 in 2018 would be in June, especially if Microsoft continues to push it as a back-to-school laptop.

Granted, Microsoft hasn’t been awfully consistent with the release timings of its Surface Pro or Surface Book products. So, perhaps it’s just safer to expect the Surface Laptop 2 to release in time for the back-to-school sales in the US. 

Surface Laptop 2 price

Again, there has been little to no information regarding the Surface Laptop 2 price. So, we only have the current model’s pricing to go off of.

With that, we know that Surface Laptop today starts at $799 (around £560, AU$1,000), a new configuration featuring a lower-power Intel Core m3 processor. The original starting model, meanwhile, starts at $999 (around £705, AU$1,250).

So, if we are to see a Surface Laptop 2 in 2018, it’s tough to expect Microsoft to deviate far – if at all – from this price in either direction.

Surface Laptop 2 specs

Unsurprisingly, we know nothing with any amount of concrete certainty about what kind of hardware will be inside the would-be Surface Laptop 2. But, again, we have the current models as a baseline for our best guesses.

It’s safe to assume that, if Microsoft goes the Intel route once again, 8th-generation Kaby Lake R or Coffee Lake processors will be included. Whether that’s the Core U series processors found in the best Ultrabooks, or the new G series models with embedded AMD Vega graphics is anyone’s guess.

Otherwise, we wouldn’t be surprised to see the existing basic RAM and storage configurations to remain the same, as memory and storage standards haven’t drastically changed since last year.

What we want to see in a Surface Laptop 2

With such little known about a would-be Surface Laptop 2 for 2018, that leaves us plenty of room to develop a wish list of sorts for the product. So, here are the major upgrades we want to see from a Surface Laptop sequel:

More (or better) ports, please
Frankly, it’s about time for Microsoft to adopt USB-C 3.1 or Thunderbolt 3. The Surface Connect port is fine and allows for much of the same functionality as either, but it’s not quite the same. We deserve a bit more freedom to third-party high-speed accessories for the price of entry – just kill the mini DisplayPort and slap a USB-C port of some sort there?

LTE connectivity
Now that the Surface Pro LTE is on the horizon, we would love to see Microsoft’s other lightweight workhorse get nigh-universal connectivity. Whether that comes through an adaptation of the Surface Pro’s implementation, Intel’s new dedicated 5G modem or, say, a Windows 10 S on ARM implementation with Qualcomm, either would make the device that much more tempting.

Fast charging
It’s about time for this feature to become an expected standard on laptops. Fast charging techniques certainly have become an expected feature of high-end smartphones, so why not laptops? Such a move would only further solidify the Surface Laptop’s portability chops.

More colors
One of the Surface Laptop’s most attractive features is its propensity for color, with platinum, burgundy, graphite gold and cobalt blue options. Microsoft should absolutely blow this out of the water, as it very well could become the company’s iMac G3 moment.

http://www.techradar.com/news/surface-laptop-2

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