Since becoming active on a Twitter account that’s lain dormant for a decade, TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo’s Apple predictions have become a whole lot more frequent. Given he still boasts an accuracy rating of 72.5% on AppleTrack, his latest statements about the Mac mini are certainly noteworthy — especially as they go against the consensus view.
Last week, Kuo claimed that the Mac mini 2022 would actually slip into 2023, setting him directly against other recent reports, as well as the long-held predictions of reliable tipsters such as Mark Gurman.
Now Kuo is back with another prediction that goes against the grain. “I think the new Mac mini in 2023 will likely remain the same form factor design,” he tweeted.
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I think the new Mac mini in 2023 will likely remain the same form factor design.March 12, 2022
That goes against the views not only of Gurman (accuracy rating: 86.4%), but also of former Twitter leaker Dylandkt (70.2%) and Jon Prosser (69%).
Of these, Dylandkt was the most vague, saying only that “a new design is coming,” but the other two were more specific. Gurman said that the new Mac mini would feature “an updated design and more ports than the current model,” while Prosser went further still, predicting a thin new look, a plexiglass-like top panel and possible color options. He and his long-term artist collaborator, RendersByIan, also went as far as to provide a render:
What to make of this discrepancy? Well, the first thing to note is that all four have been wrong before, given the lack of 100% accuracy ratings, and that’s not necessarily due to faulty info. Apple is a company that can change its approach without notice, and the nature of early unofficial info is that some is inevitably subject to change.
It’s also worth noting that Kuo’s language implies a personal feeling, rather than any specific insider knowledge this time around — “I think” and “likely.” On top of that, “form factor design” is a bit vague: it could simply mean the dimensions or ‘look’, rather than materials, color schemes or ports, so there’s plenty of wiggle room there.
Of course, the sudden arrival of the Mac Studio does shake things up considerably: suddenly there’s a more powerful desktop Mac with extra ports, and maybe that has made Apple reconsider the need for a souped-up Mac mini. After all, Apple didn’t become the world’s richest company by downselling customers towards a cheaper option…
