Apple asks back developer version Mac mini with Arm-soc

Apple has emailed developers asking them to return the Mac mini with the Arm-based A12Z soc. The manufacturer distributed the device last summer so that developers could already prepare their apps for the Macs with M1-soc that came out at the end of last year.

The refund comes as no surprise, as it was known all along that it was a device developers had on loan, 9to5 Mac reports. Because the A12Z is ​​different from the eventually used M1 soc, it doesn’t seem planned to support the DTK, Developer Transition Kit, with security updates and version upgrades.

Developers paid $500 to access the Mac mini with A12Z last summer. They will not get that money back, because that was not part of the agreement. The manufacturer does offer a code to get a $200 discount on a Mac with M1-soc, such as a new Mac mini, MacBook Air or MacBook Pro.

Apple announced in June last year that developers could get started with the Mac mini with A12Z. That is a variant of the soc from the iPad Pro from 2018. The final M1 that is in the new hardware is much more powerful. By making the Mac mini with A12Z available in advance, developers could have apps ready the moment the hardware with M1 appeared.