The new Mac Mini powered by the M1 chip is already out, and from the first wave of reviews, it appears that Apple has a winner in its hands with its latest mini PC. The main reason is the exceptionally high performance delivered by the new chip, both in terms of processing power as well as graphics brawns. However, Apple might have another variant of the Mac Mini in the pipeline that will improve upon the existing model’s connectivity suite by adding support for 10 Gigabit ethernet

To recall, the new Mac Mini only supports gigabit connectivity. But as per a report by MacRumors, Apple has listed logic boards that offer 10 Gigabit Ethernet for M1-equipped Mac Mini. However, do keep in mind that the list is aimed at Apple Authorized Service Providers only, and may also turn out to be an old specifications list that never saw the light of the day in the form of a marketable product. 

“For every Mac mini logic board with Gigabit Ethernet in the parts list, obtained by MacRumors, there is a corresponding logic board with 10 Gigabit Ethernet. While the boards are available to order (in limited quantities), it is unclear why at this point,” the report says. Do keep in mind that the regular Intel-powered variant of the Mac Mini is configurable with up to a 10 Gigabit Ethernet port, but the variant powered by the M1 chip is stuck with the slower 1 Gigabit Ethernet port. 

As mentioned above, it is hard to establish the veracity of the report. However, it is quite likely that Apple has a new model of the M1-powered Mac Mini that is targeted at enterprise customers and professionals who would pay top dollars for a machine that offers a 10 Gigabit Ethernet port. Ad if that turns out to be true, Apple might launch the new Mac Mini variant at a later date.