Apple Files New Macs in Regulatory Database Ahead of Rumored Spring Event

[HobeSoundDarryl]

30inch 6k iMac pro please! With 2x M2 chips

Approx. 40-inch ultra-wide 5K2K with M1 or M2 MAX Duo chips please. ???

And the return of Target Display Mode or equivalent so that I don't have to toss a perfectly-fine screen in only a few years when M1 or 2 MAX Duo seems "long in tooth." Better yet, how about getting real crazy and making it easy to swap out the tech guts, like swapping out a hard drive? Less waste, much better value, etc. Remove a few screws/latch to open the case, remove outdated guts, unhook from display with a simple plug/slot, insert new guts, connect new guts to display, replace back of case, screw down those few screws/latch again.

And while dreaming, how about a wedge-shaped iMac with about 4 slots for some M.2 sticks? Stock comes with super-fast Apple SSD storage. Then add your own when you need more storage. Apple still gets to sell theirs (on speed advantages) but consumers can add not-quite-as-fast storage as needed in the traditional "all-in-one" instead of having to do similar with separate hubs/boxes.

 

[nikaru]

All of this talk about a M2 MacBook Air..why? I really don’t understand why the MacBook Air needs a M2. Even the current M1 would be over kill. Doesn’t the entry MacBook Pro cover any need over the current MacBook Air? The current entry MacBook Pro with the Touch Bar is probably the next upgraded Mac, but I don’t understand all of the hype about an updated MacBook Air and a refresh or design.

The MacBook Air is by a wide margin, the most popular Mac. It probably accounts for 3/4 of all Mac sells.

 

[fakestrawberryflavor]

Plus, and I keep saying this, and might as well be wrong with it: M2 will be based on A16, not A15. So it's unlikely they would release it before they released the new iPhone with the A16. Also releasing an M2 machine the same time they release the biggest M1s doesn't make sense.

I agree with this completely.

My logic is, the 'big' mobile chip was always the X chip, and always came out every other generation

A10 had an A10X
A11
A12 had an A12X
A13
A14 became A14X M1
A15
A16 will have A16X M2

This works out in my head, anyway lmao

 

[JPack]

I agree with this completely.

My logic is, the 'big' mobile chip was always the X chip, and always came out every other generation

A10 had an A10X
A11
A12 had an A12X
A13
A14 became A14X M1
A15
A16 will have A16X M2

This works out in my head, anyway lmao

The counterpoint would be credible sources like Gurman has stated M2 offers only a “marginal” performance increase over M1, which suggests A15.

If you think about it, the silicon team would have to lock down the A16 design and grow it to M2 within a month or two to launch iPhone 14 followed by Mac, which seems extremely unrealistic. Hence, A15 based M2 is far more likely. With A14, we saw a much smaller generational improvement over A13 and it seems likely Apple spread their design resources thin to launch A14 and M1 so close to each other.

 

[rajador]

I just want a 32” imac with target display mode, tired of looking at ugly monitors ?

 

[JPack]

My guess would be

- entry level macbook pro (with 14' looks)
- high end mac mini
- high end imac

I suspect at least two of those products will be for WWDC.

 

[ratspg]

Apple said up to 2 years to transition to Apple Silicon. Crazy that people here expecting refreshes already when there are still Mac’s that are Intel and haven’t transitioned yet…

MacBook Air: Apple Silicon.
Mac Mini: Apple Silicon
MacBook Pro 13: Apple Silicon.
iMac 24: Apple Silicon
MacBook Pro 14/16: Apple Silicon
High-End Mac Mini: Still Intel
iMac 27: Still Intel.
Mac Pro: Still Intel.

 

[Bug-Creator]

My logic is, the 'big' mobile chip was always the X chip, and always came out every other generation

That "logic" is based on chips only used in the iPadPro so it might not hold much water.
Also the M1 is already the A14x, the M1Pro the A14xx and the M1Max the A14xXx so surely a different logic in place.

Atm it seems that everything might be on a 2 year track, so base Mini, MBA and base MBP with A16 based M2 in fall, M2 24" iMac in early 2023, the realProMBPs in fall 2023.....

Wether that is(was) the plan or just a case of #### hitting the fan and wether that is the speed for the future is to be seen.
I do hope that Apple has learned so much from tripple_X_ing the A14 that it will be easier in the future to the point where everything but the 5x version for the MacPro will be on an annual schedule. This might be needed as it is not certain that Intel/AMD will stay as far behind as they are right now (evenmore if Windows on ARM gains any traction).

 

[blairh]

Translating the Consomac article to english, it says one is a portable device. And that it doesn't mean all 3 devices are coming next month. So I believe it is a cheaper MacBook Pro, a Mac Mini Pro, and the iMac Pro. But the iMac Pro won't be announced until WWDC. Hope I'm wrong.

 

[Ethosik]

I think the Max and Pro should have been badged as the M2 instead of M1. Now it’s going to seem strange if the MacBook Air has M2 while the MacBook Pro has M1. With or without the Max or Pro, M2 could still be mistaken for a more powerful chip even without the Pro and Max badges. 2 is always better than 1.

I think they should have called it P1 or something for pro/performance. What’s going to be better than an M1 Max? M1 Ultra?

 

[Black Magic]

Most likely. Apple would be releasing new processors each year, just like they do with the iPhone. Sometimes, there will be some small improvements, but other times we can see more substantial redesign of the silicon with improved architecture. Previously, Apple had to rely on Intel which conditioned when new Macs could be released. Now Apple could decide its own refresh cycles. I suspect that M2 will be 10% more powerful than M1 in CPU and 20% in GPU performance. In any case, it would be strange to see MBA with M2, and then iMac with M1 Pro/Max in the same release.

Another alternatives is that we see iMac and MacMini with M1/Pro and a new Mac Pro with 2 and 4 CPU M1 Max configurations, and then push the M2 chips for later in 2022, when all Macs are duly upgraded to first gen Apple silicon. This makes most sense. MBA with M1 does not need refresh currently while these other Macs need it more urgently as they are running on Intel.

I doubt Apple would push M2 so soon. I'm guessing they will do a cycle similar too iPhones with the tick tock implementation. Drop the new version one year, then the pro/max mod, then back to new version.

 

[Isengardtom]

The real exciting part are potential redesigns.

For me M2 itself is just a spec bump, especially if it’s based of A15 (minor CPU jump, more significant GPU bump with1 or 2 more GPU cores). Definitely not worth upgrading from M1 for

The bigger jump there will be when they go to 3nm.

 

[pshufd]

It's a Confirmed Rumor. I hate YouTube videos that used Confirmed in the title - and then they talk about the rumors.

I unsubscribed to Matt Talks Tech because all he does is talk about the same rumors every single day.

 

[greenbreadmmm]

I haven't been following the rumours, but a M2 chip released before the iPhone? I personally can't see that happening. But who knows... not me.

Eh, theres a lot more competition in the computer chips than phone chips. I could see Apple needing the nudge vs intel and AMD.

 

[4jasontv]

All of this talk about a M2 MacBook Air..why? I really don’t understand why the MacBook Air needs a M2. Even the current M1 would be over kill. Doesn’t the entry MacBook Pro cover any need over the current MacBook Air? The current entry MacBook Pro with the Touch Bar is probably the next upgraded Mac, but I don’t understand all of the hype about an updated MacBook Air and a refresh or design.

If the rumored VR requires some minimum power than its Apples best interest to have an established population with the minimum specs needed to use it. It might be that the m2 adds 6E or some other protocol. We keep looking at wireless renders of the potential product, but I haven’t seen any evidence that the VR won’t be wirelessly tethered to an existing device.

 

[EdT]

Apple said up to 2 years to transition to Apple Silicon. Crazy that people here expecting refreshes already when there are still Mac’s that are Intel and haven’t transitioned yet…

MacBook Air: Apple Silicon.
Mac Mini: Apple Silicon
MacBook Pro 13: Apple Silicon.
iMac 24: Apple Silicon
MacBook Pro 14/16: Apple Silicon
iMac 27: Still Intel.
Mac Pro: Still Intel.

Apple said 2 years to transition but that was before the chip shortage hit pretty much every industry, especially computers.

I don't know if I have heard or seen an actual explanation of what caused the chip shortage in the first place and why it has lasted for over a year. I have guesses why it lasted but not why it happened in the first place.

 

[greenbreadmmm]

I think the Max and Pro should have been badged as the M2 instead of M1. Now it’s going to seem strange if the MacBook Air has M2 while the MacBook Pro has M1. With or without the Max or Pro, M2 could still be mistaken for a more powerful chip even without the Pro and Max badges. 2 is always better than 1.

We had this occurance in iPads and they seemed to do fine.

”I can buy an A14 iPad Air? 14 is more than 12…or I can buy an A12z iPad Pro.“ Perhaps we will rely on product names more this generation? MacBook Pro with an m1pro will be faster than a regular MacBook with m2, type thang ? Perhaps this is the time they clean up their product Names and remove the air monicker

 

[chucker23n1]

Apple said 2 years to transition but that was before the chip shortage hit pretty much every industry, especially computers.

I don't know if I have heard or seen an actual explanation of what caused the chip shortage in the first place and why it has lasted for over a year. I have guesses why it lasted but not why it happened in the first place.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020–present_global_chip_shortage#Causes

 

[Jimmdean]

I'm a big fan of the utility of the Mac Mini, but it has never really been event-worthy. And with all the Mac laptops available (kind of) I don't see one more being a big deal either. I think this pretty much has to be the larger iMac and/or the Mac Pro or there would not be an event.

Personally I am hoping that this event showcases what we haven't seen yet - Apple desktop silicon. And it will blow everyone away.

 

[JPack]

I think the Max and Pro should have been badged as the M2 instead of M1. Now it’s going to seem strange if the MacBook Air has M2 while the MacBook Pro has M1. With or without the Max or Pro, M2 could still be mistaken for a more powerful chip even without the Pro and Max badges. 2 is always better than 1.

No one really cross-shops between a $999 MacBook Air and $1,999 MacBook Pro 14. The people that do are very likely aware of the differences ranging from core count to external monitor support.

 

[fde101]

A "true" Mac Pro will need to have expandable RAM. A "pure" SOC implementation will not be appropriate, so I am crossing my fingers this is addressed. What could be done is integrated RAM on the chip, plus the ability to add external ram using something like a NUMA architecture - but expandable RAM needs to be there or it is not a true Mac Pro.

To support this, and multiple processors in the same system, they would need a chip which is something more than the M1 Pro / Max (as the chip itself generally needs support for use in multi-processor systems).

Thus I think they need one additional level of chip to support the Mac Pro. My guess is that this is not part of the spring line-up.

Guessing instead there might at most be a "Mac Mini Pro" or "Mac Pro Mini" using the pure SOC design (but expandable in other ways) with a "real" Mac Pro coming later (full-size tower) that supports multiple swappable CPU chips, expandable RAM, etc.

 

[Attirex]

C'mon, Mac Mini. 2014 Mini is torturing me with its slllllllllownnnnnnesssssssssss.

 

[BWhaler]

It would be odd to me for Apple to release the M2 before the rest of the lineup makes the transition to Apple silicon. It would also put negative sales pressure on existing M1 products.

 

[banfiz]

Lets have a think, the two year for the total transition of the Mac line is now only 9 months away. The only Macs not yet transitioned are the high end Mac mini, the 27" iMac and the Mac Pro.
What ever happens in the March event we will not have that long to see all three be announced. I doubt the three model numbers will be all three yet to be transitioned but fear not they will be announced before you know it.

 

[dugbug]

Would just guess this given we think its one laptop and two desktops:
New M2 MBA (new design)
New M2 24" iMac
New M2 mac mini (new design)

Then later in year we get the m2 pro/max 'tock' variations and stuff like the larger imac.