25th August 2026 – (Cupertino) Apple has introduced its first new Mac mini models in nearly two years, featuring the company’s freshly announced M6 and M5 Pro chips. The M6 version starts at US$899, while the M5 Pro configuration begins at US$1,699. Pre‑orders open today, with availability from 22nd September, according to the company. Apple says the M6 is its first 2nm processor and enables up to four‑times faster AI performance alongside higher CPU and graphics throughput and swifter storage. The M5 Pro‑equipped Mac mini targets professional workflows with an up to 18‑core CPU, up to a 20‑core GPU with third‑generation ray tracing, and support for as much as 64GB of unified memory and 307Gb/s of memory bandwidth.
The company confirmed that its new Advanced Manufacturing Center in Houston will begin assembling Mac mini units later this year, expanding Apple’s U.S. production footprint. Chief executive Tim Cook said the site sits within Apple’s existing Houston facility that also builds and ships advanced AI servers.
Today’s launch arrives days before a leadership transition at Apple. In April, Apple announced that Cook will become executive chairman and John Ternus will take over as chief executive officer on 1st September 2026.
Apple has also grappled with higher component costs this year amid a memory shortage linked to rapid investment in AI data centres. The company raised prices across several product lines in June and July, saying memory costs had surged at an unprecedented pace. Market researchers at Counterpoint expect global smartphone shipments to drop by around 14 per cent in 2026 as average selling prices rise by roughly 13–14 per cent due to the same pressures.
Apple’s latest update underscores growing demand for compact desktop machines used for on‑device AI tasks. Cook said in July that customers are increasingly deploying Mac mini systems for agentic AI and clustering Mac Studio machines to run advanced models locally, a trend Apple aims to accelerate with the M6 and M5 Pro options and expanded U.S. assembly later this year.