The recent leaks suggesting we'll see an M1X chipset in new MacBook Pros later this year, with an M2 chip appearing in new MacBook Airs in 2022, seem quite credible. Still, it's safe to assume that we will see a more powerful version of the M1 chip debuting sometime later this year or early next. The ongoing chip shortage has likely thrown a wrench into Apple's production pipeline, making it even more difficult to predict when and what hardware the company will release next. Leaks and rumors over the past six months have painted a hazy, shifting picture of what to expect from the next generation of Apple silicon. While these chips will still be faster and more performant than the current M1, there's good reason to suspect they'll be slightly less speedy than the M1X chips we expect to see powering new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros later this year. One of Bloomberg's most recent reports claims Apple will ship new MacBook Airs early next year in a bunch of new colors, each sporting an M2 chip with 9-10 GPU cores but just 8 CPU cores. These renders, created by Devam Jangra, give us an idea of what a new M2-powered MacBook Air with thinner bezels and an iMac-like array of color options might look like (Image credit: Devam Jangra/YouTube)Īnd while you might assume a chip called the M2 would be better in every way than one branded the M1X, rumors suggest that in fact the M2 could be slightly less beefy. However, we've heard enough corroborating leaks and rumors to believe that there is a separate M2 chip, and that it's significantly different from the M1X mentioned above.
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Now, it's possible that this leak is true and refers to the afore-mentioned improved M1X chips we expect to see in the long-rumored 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro refreshes, since those are still expected to debut in late 2021. For example, back in April Nikkei Asia reportedly heard from sources that a new chipset called the M2 had entered production, which (if true) would mean those chips would be ready to ship in Apple products by the end of this year. Could have up to 9-10 GPU cores but just 8 CPU coresĪs noted above, we've alternatively heard about both the M1X chip and an M1 successor branded the M2.Rumored to be built on 4nm process (vs 5nm for M1).Tipped to launch in 2022 with new MacBook Air.The return of MagSafe charging, the addition of an HDMI port, and (if the rumors prove true) slimmer bezels would all just be icing on the cake.
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If that proves true, what it means for the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros (or any other Mac that gets an M1X injection) is simple: significant boosts to performance and battery life, as well as the ability to natively run iOS and iPadOS apps. What's much more credible is the suggestion that Apple will release refreshed 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros this year sporting M1X chips (or however Apple ends up branding an improved M1) with slightly more Thunderbolt channels, CPU cores, and GPU cores. While it's hard to believe a new M1X chip from Apple could deliver a 32-core GPU and 64 GB of RAM, it's certainly possible. The same Bloomberg report also suggested that the next generation of Apple silicon could support as much as 64 GB of RAM and sport a GPU as large as 16-core or 32-core, which seems like a nigh-unbelievable improvement over the M1 chip's 8 GB of RAM and octa-core GPU.
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"These devices will both feature a 1080p webcam, SD card reader, three Thunderbolt USB C ports, an updated MagSafe port, and an HDMI port."Īround the same time, Bloomberg published a report suggesting that the next iteration of Apple silicon will arrive with as many as 10 CPU cores, a notable improvement over the octa-core CPUs on the current M1 chip. He predicts these M1X chips would appear in new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, with an expected release date of late 2021. "The M1X is an extension of the M1 that will contain more Thunderbolt channels, CPU cores, GPU cores, multiple external monitor support, and greater power draw," Dylandkt claims. However, a MacBook Pro 2021 leak earlier this year from iOS developer Dylandkt (opens in new tab) (whose Apple predictions on Twitter have proven correct in the past) helps elucidate things by suggesting that there are in fact two chips in development: the M1 successor M2, and an improved version of the M1 known as M1X. It's been a bit confusing to try and parse everything we're hearing about the future of Apple silicon, in part because we've heard future Macs will include more powerful chips branded either M1X or M2. GPU could be 16-core or 32-core (up from 8-core) and up to 64GB RAM.M1X tipped to feature 10 CPU cores, compared to 8 core for M1.Expected to power 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro 2021.