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Apple Planning Five New Macs for 2022, Including Entry-Level MacBook Pro Refresh
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Perhaps in terms of price. There certainly is a market niche for laptops between $1249 (the high-end MacBook Air) and $1999 (the low-end 14-inch MacBook Pro).
But I suppose there is not a market for an in-between laptop in terms of size. The MacBook Air is a 13.3-inch laptop weighing 2.8 lbs, while the MacBook Pro has a 14.2-inch display and weighs 3.5 lbs.
I guess Apple will either make more expensive versions of the Air or will launch a larger model to fill this price gap. But, in my mind, it does not make sense to make a smaller Pro to sit between these two models.
People need a near $1k laptop with more expansion that Macbook Air and less concern about thinness and weight. Not everyone can afford $2-6k 14" MBP. On the other hand, if the number and type of ports (and performance) is the same as Macbook Air, then of course it would be redundant.
I am trading my MBP 8/512 for a 16/512 since it is the perfect MacBook for me, only thing i noticed is the need for more memory if running lots of apps, which I do. Note battery life is way better than the 14 inch MBP.
I highly doubt they will create a new MBP entry level. Here is my take:
MBA will there, updated with new design and cost 999-1299 depending on config.
MBP 14 with entry level specs so maybe 8/256 at 1499.
I can't see 4 models of laptops it would be too many. They will "simplify" to create a lower cost 14" MBP
Although I would love to see the 12 inch MacBook come back with a M1 in it!
I had one and I loved it! So easy to travel with and I used it for reading in bed instead of my iPad and if you got the 2017 model it was reasonably fast until Catalina came along...
I highly doubt they will create a new MBP entry level. Here is my take:
MBA will there, updated with new design and cost 999-1299 depending on config.
MBP 14 with entry level specs so maybe 8/256 at 1499.
I can't see 4 models of laptops it would be too many. They will "simplify" to create a lower cost 14" MBP
Although I would love to see the 12 inch MacBook come back with a M1 in it!
I had one and I loved it! So easy to travel with and I used it for reading in bed instead of my iPad and if you got the 2017 model it was reasonably fast until Catalina came along...
Well, yes, but this has not been Apple's approach. Until the launch of the M1 MacBook Pro, Apple has constantly reduced the number and type of ports available. The M1 MacBook Pro may (or may not) have represented a shift in Apple's strategy.
Apple could simply just launch a brand-new MacBook Air with more ports and the problem would be solved. Two similarly sized and priced laptops are redundant, and they may only be artificially differentiated by some features (or the lack of them) such as the availability of ports.
The best part about this is the M1 can handle literally almost anything.
Supreme overkill chips. And I'm cool with it.
Supreme overkill chips. And I'm cool with it.
This is just a rumor and IMO Apple isn't going to be able to update every single processor for every single Mac in one year (2022).
The next machines to be updated will be a larger iMac and the Mac Pro. That would more or less complete the transition to Apple silicon and everything else will probably have to wait until 2023.
That said, they might put the M1 Max or Pro into the Mac mini or into something to replace the current 27" iMac (to kill off the remaining Intel products), but the only totally new silicon that may appear in 2022 will probably be for the Mac Pro and everything else will likely have to wait for the 3nm chips that should appear in 2023.
If they introduced a new processor for the MacBook Air and Mac mini how would that fit with the MacBook Pros that were just introduced? Seems like that could produce a MacBook Air that would be faster that the just introduced MacBook Pros and that's not going to happen.
There is really no reason to expect Apple to update the Macs on anything other than a two year cycle (minimum) and they may delay even longer on some of the less costly products (like the Mac mini and MacBook Air).
Just remember, Apple is mainly an iPhone and services company and Macs are still a minor part of their business. In any case, the M1 family of Macs are all very good products.
The next machines to be updated will be a larger iMac and the Mac Pro. That would more or less complete the transition to Apple silicon and everything else will probably have to wait until 2023.
That said, they might put the M1 Max or Pro into the Mac mini or into something to replace the current 27" iMac (to kill off the remaining Intel products), but the only totally new silicon that may appear in 2022 will probably be for the Mac Pro and everything else will likely have to wait for the 3nm chips that should appear in 2023.
If they introduced a new processor for the MacBook Air and Mac mini how would that fit with the MacBook Pros that were just introduced? Seems like that could produce a MacBook Air that would be faster that the just introduced MacBook Pros and that's not going to happen.
There is really no reason to expect Apple to update the Macs on anything other than a two year cycle (minimum) and they may delay even longer on some of the less costly products (like the Mac mini and MacBook Air).
Just remember, Apple is mainly an iPhone and services company and Macs are still a minor part of their business. In any case, the M1 family of Macs are all very good products.
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My understanding is the future M2 will have a faster single-core speed than the M1 Pro/Max but still be significantly slower in multi-core processes. This may mean, and I could be wrong, that the future M2 (in future MBA) may be a little faster in basic applications but still be far behind current MBP's in more complex/intensive apps.
Max Tech has weighed in on the 2022 M2 13" MacBook Air / MacBook Pro and their opinion is:
- M1 MacBook Air will remain in the line-up at $999
- M2 MacBook Air will launch at $1199+ to cover the cost of the new display and the M2 SoC
- M2 MacBook Pro will launch at $1499. It will have the same 14" display as the $1999 model, but will be de-contented (8GB RAM with 256GB SSD and dropping HDMI and one TB4 port) to bring the price down $500.
And Rene Ritchie's thoughts:
- M2 MacBook Air and MacBook Pro will likely have the same ~13" display with MiniLED, but without ProMotion.
- M2 MacBook Air and MacBook Pro could share the same case with just two TB4 ports and MagSafe 3.
- M2 MacBook Pro would keep the cooling fan and this could have real benefit considering the extra GPU cores expected with M2.
Do they really want to give the not-a-Pro Pro a redesign without fixing the name, though? It made sense at the time because the Air was on its way out, in favor of the 12-inch MacBook, but now that that project is canceled and the Air is back, it's really weird naming.
I think it will depend on a number of factors:
- What price does the M2 Air start at?
- What is the M2 Air's thermal envelope?
- If Apple does launch a cheaper M2 MacBook Pro, will it have a 13" display shared with the Air or a 14" display shared with the $1999 MBP?
- How much will that M2 MacBook Pro cost?
A 13" M2 MacBook Pro could stay at $1299 with a 13" display or it could go up to $1499 if the Air goes to $1199. A 14" M2 MacBook Pro would likely start at $1499 since with 16/512 it would be $1899 - $100 cheaper than the M1 PRO model.
In terms of size, how large is the market for a 13" M2 MacBook Pro that was thinner and lighter than the 14" model? If they could keep the 13" at 3 pounds, that is a half-pound lighter than the 14" model. And how thick is the Air? And does it have a fan? If there is no fan, how soon and how hard does it throttle under load?
Agreed. They do have to do something in between, even if they — which I agree they will — raise the M2 Air's price to $1199, or even $1299. It's too big a gap. I just can't imagine they're very happy with "it's kind of like the Air and kind of like the Pro and also not and anyway, let's just call it the Pro". (In the "hey, we have a Pro that his price point X" sense, yes, but it's too confusing.)
The first generation of Apple Silicon Macs were more or less their Intel equivalents, just with the Intel CPU replaced with an M1 - the one outlier was the M1 MacBook Pro since it did have the TouchBar that the 2-port 13" Intel MBP lacked. One option is to just replace the M1 with the M2 in the 13" MBP and keep it with 2 ports and the TouchBar, but I do not believe Apple is going to want to keep the TouchBar around, even if there are people who use it and want to keep it.
As such, I believe they will take the easiest course, which is to take the 14" MacBook Pro and replace the M1 PRO with an M2 and reduce the RAM to 8GB and the storage to 256GB and drop the price to $1499. That would eliminate the "name confusion" because like it's $1999 big brother, it would still have the same case with the same 14" MiniLED ProMotion display, 3 TB4 ports, HDMI out, SD card and MagSafe 3. It would just have less RAM and storage and likely better battery life due to less performance cores, more efficiency cores and less GPU cores (while likely sill offering similar Metal performance as the 14 core M1 PRO). And leveraging the case and display of the 14" would lower the Bill of Materials to the point Apple should still be able to make the margin they want with a $1499 price.
As such, I believe they will take the easiest course, which is to take the 14" MacBook Pro and replace the M1 PRO with an M2 and reduce the RAM to 8GB and the storage to 256GB and drop the price to $1499. That would eliminate the "name confusion" because like it's $1999 big brother, it would still have the same case with the same 14" MiniLED ProMotion display, 3 TB4 ports, HDMI out, SD card and MagSafe 3. It would just have less RAM and storage and likely better battery life due to less performance cores, more efficiency cores and less GPU cores (while likely sill offering similar Metal performance as the 14 core M1 PRO). And leveraging the case and display of the 14" would lower the Bill of Materials to the point Apple should still be able to make the margin they want with a $1499 price.
I do not think Apple will take this route. That would result in the lower-end 14-inch Pro having insane battery life, but being too heavy compared to PC counterparts. Apple launched the M-series processors to be thermal-efficient and to allow smaller devices with better performance and battery life. Unnecessarily increasing the size and weight of the low-end Pro model sounds counterproductive.
Right, but the Air already exists as a lightweight product. The Pro doesn't need to do the same thing.
Not a Pro Pro is funny. Apple’s distinction amongst the current MBA/MBP is funny. We already have a Not an Air Air with many functional (retina-type displays, M1 processor) and aesthetic (aluminum unibody & Pro-looking black bezel treatment) “upgrades” that morphed it into being a Not a Pro Pro. The rumors of a ghastly (to me) white keyboard and white bezel MBA sound like Apple trying to put the genie back into the bottle by reinserting some separation from the Pros, like back when the MBA’s were plasticky all-white or all-silver, with lower resolution screens, weaker processors, etc.
I think the only way Apple can introduce a new Not a Pro Pro would be to re-insert some of the separation into the MBA, but I sure think a Barbie/Revlon-looking MBA is going to bed a hard pill to swallow for many, unless it has a killer M2, 16 gb, 512 gb, etc, at an attractive price point but at which point the separation will be more form than function.
Yes, the Pro does not need to be a glorified Air.
In fact, I do not see a reason why Apple would even need a 13/14-inch lower-end Pro other than to fill the price gap between $1249 (the high-end Air) and $1999 (the low-end 14-inch Pro). And releasing a product just to fill a "price point" (as Tim Cook likes to say) seems too artificial.
Apple could just make a more expensive Air, or bring the Air in two sizes, to offer more options to customers, and then fill all the price points.
I think that's all it is, though. The MacBook Air is the $329 iPad, and the 14- and 16-inch MacBooks Pro are the 11- and 13-inch iPads Pro. So what's the iPad Air? Right now, it's the awkward 13-inch MacBook Pro.
They could do another Air size, but they'd still want to leave that one fanless.
I understand why people who carry their laptop with them all day prioritize lightness, but we're still only talking half a pound moving from the current 13.3" chassis to the new 14.2" chassis.
And the new Air chassis will likely weigh more than the current one because it is said to be thicker. So that will probably go from the current 2.8 pounds to 3.0 pounds (or more) so the difference between a 13.3" M2 MacBook Air and a 14" M1P MacBook Pro could be a handful of ounces.
As to battery life, there are people who do not need maximum power, but would benefit from hours more battery life than what even the M1 PRO model offers. And the 14" MBP already offers almost 50% more battery life than the M1 Air so even with the 13.3" M2 Air getting a battery bump from the larger case, an M2 14" MBP would still offer significantly more battery life.
The chances of a larger MacBook Air seem to be dead with the reports that Apple scrapped their development of a 15.4" model.
If the M2 is close in performance to an 8/14 M1 PRO, then that helps negate the need for a model between the 13.3" MacBook Air and the 14.2" MacBook Pro. It would also give Apple some cover to deciding to increase the price to $1199/1299 which would then bring the 16/512GB model to $1599/1699 and Apple might consider that enough of a price gap between the Air and the MBP.
I believe the MacBook Air is supposed to be thinner than the current Air because it will not have a wedged design with tapering edges which create an illusion of incredible thinness. So although the new device will be more square at the edges it will actually be thinner overall than the current model.
The current M1 MBA varies in thickness from 410mm to 1610mm, compared to the uniform 1560cm of the 13.3" MBP and 1540mm of the 14" MBP.
Since the M2 MBA is expected to add MagSafe 3, it will likely have a similar uniform thickness to the 14" MBP at around 1500mm since there are limits to how thin it can be due to the MagSafe 3 plug and 3.5" audio jack.