New Apple Macs with M2 chip: What we know so far
Apple is reportedly developing 9 new Mac prototypes, featuring the upcoming M2 chip.
As always, rumours are swirling around the latest Apple news. Fresh reports suggest the tech giant is working on at least 9 new Mac models, featuring the improved M2 chip. While the rest of the tech world is struggling to keep up with the M1 and its ultra-powerful variants, Apple is already hard at work on its latest silicone paradigm-shifter.
There's a lot of information to sort through, so here's our simple guide to what you need to know. But the good news, is the first of the M2 mac models has landed, and you can now read our full MacBook Pro M2 13" laptop review.
Apple M2 Chip
First things first, let's take a look a what we know about the M2 chip. According to reports, the M2 chip will not be as powerful as M1 variants like the M1 Max and M1 Pro. It will replace the base M1 chip, and will have its own Pro and Max versions with even greater processing power.
The M2 is expected to use the same 8-core CPU as the M1, while boasting speed and efficiency improvements thanks to TSMC's 4-nanometre manufacturing process. It will have 9- and 10-core GPU options, 2 more than the 7- and 8-core options offered by the M1.
The M2 Max is expected to feature a 12-core CPU and a massive 38-core GPU, to go with 64GB memory. Less is known about the M2 Pro, but it's safe to bet it will be a seriously impressive piece of silicone.
MacBook Air 2022
The first product expected to feature the M2 chip is the hotly-anticipated MacBook Air 2022. While the M2 chip will obviously offer big boosts in processing power, what's really whipped the rumour mill into a frenzy is talk of a major redesign.
The tapering, wedge-shaped design of the Air's base is set to become a thing of the past. The width of the Air 2022's base will be uniform all the way along. It will still manage to be thinner and lighter, however. The bezels and keyboard will reportedly be off-white, with a number of colour choices for the chassis.
The Air 2022 will feature the 1080p camera currently available in current-generation MacBook Pros, an upgrade from the 720p camera of the current Air. Best guesses at the Air's release date place it sometime in spring.
Other new Macs
So, about these 8 other new Mac models. They include a new MacBook Pro, Mac mini and Mac Pro. The new MacBook Pro is expected to have options featuring both the M2 Pro and M2 Max, depending on how much processing power customers are seeking. The new Mac mini is also set to feature the M2.
Apple attempted to create the ultimate multimedia machine with the Mac Studio thanks to the incredibly powerful M1 Ultra, with a 20-core CPU and 64-core GPU. The M2 Ultra is reportedly in development, and while we don't know much about it right now, it's a mouth-watering thought. It's set to be featured in an upgraded Mac Pro.
Of these products, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects the MacBook Air, Mac mini and MacBook Pro to be released sometime in 2022. It's very likely we will also see the M2 eventually make its way to Apple's other products, like iPads, but we'll have to wait a little bit longer for news in that space.
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