Apple's upcoming Mac mini may be getting a much sleeker design that reflects some of the smart features of the iMac 2021

This is according to a mock-up rendering created by concept artist Ian Zelbo based on information from leaker Jon Prosser, showing a slimmer, more compact desktop Mac with more ports

Apple's compact desktop devices have changed little over the years Even when the latest Mac mini M1 was introduced, it showed no new design at all

Instead, Apple reused previous designs and focused on the internal components In hindsight, this is not entirely a bad thing, but a slight change in terms of appearance might still have been nice

Prosser said the next Mac mini design should be more compact than before With the new Apple Silicon, he explained, "the Mac mini doesn't need to be that much bigger," since Apple managed to pack a lot of Apple M1 chip power into the new iMac 2021 and still make it nearly as thin as the iPad Air 2020

Now, looking at the renderings, the first thing you notice is the addition of (finally) many ports According to Prosser, the next Mac mini will have the same magnetic charging connector found on the new iMac, four Thunderbolt ports, two USB-A ports, Ethernet, and HDMI ports However, much to the dismay of photo and video creators, it does not appear to have an SD card slot

Prosser also speculates on the possibility of more colors being added, but given that most of Apple's latest flagship devices now come in a wide range of funky color variations, including the iPhone 12, AirPods Max, and the latest iMac This is not that big of a surprise, considering that most of Apple's latest flagship devices now come in a wide range of funky colors, including the iPhone 12, AirPods Max, and the latest iMac The metal top of the desktop device will also be replaced with a "plexiglass-like material" and will sit atop an aluminum enclosure

"We hear they are testing different colors Interpret it however you like," Prosser said

And regarding the internals, a recent Bloomberg report mentions the fact that the upcoming Mac mini will feature the same Apple Silicon as the upcoming MacBook Pro 2021 This is believed to be the Apple M2 chip, which will reportedly support a 12-core CPU, 16 or 32 GPU cores, and up to 64 GB of RAM This new chip, which will be included in both the next Mac mini and the next MacBook Pro, is also said to have a "more advanced neural engine"

The design leak and renderings come shortly after John Prosser reassured everyone via Twitter that the new Macbook Pro could be revealed at Apple's WWDC 2021 conference, with WWDC 2021 just around the corner, Time will tell which of these leaks will materialize