Smart Living is about surrounding yourself with tools that actually make everyday life easier — and today we got two new candidates. Without any warning, Apple updated both the Mac mini and Mac Studio on the same day. No leak, no rumor that was accurate. Just: here they are.
Mac mini gets its first 2-nanometer chip
The outside is exactly the same as before — the same little square block that fits anywhere on your desk. But inside, there's now M6, Apple's first chip built on the new 2-nanometer process. It's evident in the numbers: 12 cores in the processor (two more than its predecessor), a dual 16-core Neural Engine for AI tasks, and what Apple calls the world's fastest single-threaded performance.
The base model with M6, 16 GB of memory and 256 GB of storage costs 899 dollars — a price increase compared to the previous generation. If you want even more power, there is a variant with M5 Pro, the same chip that already debuted in the MacBook Pro earlier this year, starting at $1,699.
A fun detail: it's actually the M5 Pro version that's the more powerful of the two, even though M6 is later in the alphabet. Names don't always follow the logic you might think.
Mac Studio takes it a step further with the M5 Max and M5 Ultra
On the same day, Apple also unveiled the next-generation Mac Studio. It is now available with M5 Max (18 cores, up to 128GB of memory, starting at $2,499) or the new M5 Ultra — Apple's most powerful chip ever, with up to 36 cores, 80 graphics cores and a breathtaking 512GB of unified memory, starting at $5,499.
The point of all that power? Being able to run really big AI models locally on your own computer, without sending anything to the cloud. For anyone working with image processing, video, or their own AI projects, this is a computer built to last.
What does this mean in everyday life?
Of course, you don't need the most powerful computer to live a smart life. But this is a reminder of how quickly the tools we use every day are evolving — and that it often pays to wait for the right moment to upgrade, rather than buying on impulse.
Both new models are available for pre-order now, with delivery from September 22, along with the new macOS 27 operating system.
So — are you thinking about a new computer for the fall? It might be time to keep your eyes open, or maybe even pre-order!?
Smart Life, Tech Thursday