Apple's M4 Mac mini is the smallest Mac ever and, with a new M4 Pro option, possibly the most powerful too

Apple is once again taking the mini name to heart, unveiling today an all-new, almost impossibly tiny Mac mini running not only a 3-nanometer M4 chip but with the option of an all-new piece of Apple silicon, the M4 Pro.

When Apple introduced the Mac mini almost a decade ago, it was the smallest Mac to date, at just 6.5 inches x 6.5 inches and 2 inches tall. Recent editions have grown to almost 8 inches square, making them feel less like tiny computers and a bit more like elegant hot plates. This new model clocks in at 5.5 inches square and perhaps a bit taller than the M2 model. That's still about two inches larger than an Apple TV 4K but also small enough to fit in one decent-sized hand.

At a glance, the Mac mini M4 is familiar. It's still made of recycled ...