Apple is working on new hardware. That should be nothing new to hear, especially as we approach that time of the year when the Cupertino-based firm likes to reveal updated computers, notebooks and AIOs, which is routinely preempted by the latest iPhone. In terms of what could be on the cards, reports suggest a higher specced version of the Mac Mini is on the cards.

We already saw one last year, when Apple unveiled its new M1 silicon, and it looks like the latest offering from the foundry could be powering a new iteration of Apple’s portable iMac in a box.

As far as the report it concerned, The Verge cites Bloomberg reporter Mark Gunman and his Power On newsletter, which says a “high-end, M1X Mac Mini” is on its way. Precisely when that will be is unclear, but Gunman notes the next few months as a window and that the new Mac Mini will feature, “an updated design and more ports than the current model.”

When Apple debuted the M1-powered Mac Mini last year, it featured fewer ports than the 2018 version that was Intel-based, so the higher spec model will likely address an issue found by those that purchased the aforementioned M1 variant.

Confirmed details on the M1X chip, if that is indeed its final name, are unclear for now, but it is believed that the chip’s design is similar to the architecture found in the M1 in terms of cores on offer. The difference, and reason for the boost in performance, comes from the fact that it will boast a greater number of CPU and GPU cores across a larger chipset.

When the M1X sees the light of day, Apple will likely share all the performance and efficiency improvements that have been made in greater detail.

For now, those who have resisted the urge to buy an M1-powered Mac Mini until now, may want to start saving.