Apple's 'M2' Next-Gen Mac Chip Enters Mass Production, Expected to Debut in Redesigned MacBooks Later This Year

[eoblaed]

Wahoo, the power of marketing hits strong on some 😮

It's not marketing. I have both. I've used both extensively.

As I mentioned just above, my 16" MBP is sitting unused. That's not marketing, that's real world experience. Experience that, despite only being able to run a single 5K external monitor, rather than the 5K + 4K I prefer to run, and despite not having the RAM I need to run some large VMs I like to run, I do all my work on the M1 MBP, and it's not even a distant consideration for me to go back to the 16" Intel.

 

[EugW]

Yes people buy $1000 iPhone every year but this is a very small majority of iPhone users. Would I be happy spending $3000 every two years hell no, and the majority of the public would say the same. When I was a mobile manager, the average customer kept phones for 4 years. And these are not iPhones or iPads so Mac users expect longer live out a product unless you like throwing away your money every couple of years.

Not sure who you are talking to, but people who have last year's iPhone or MacBook Pro are not Apple's main target market. It's exactly those people with 3-4 year-old devices.

 

[usagora]

So many people will be disappointed they 'didn't wait' when this appears.

Ditto for M3, M4, etc. Unless you're going to trade your machine in every time a new line is released, then you just have to get the best that's available at the time and be happy for a few years.

 

[planteater]

Do you guys remember the Haswell MacBook Pro machines (2013?). I vividly remember upgrading to one of those at work. It was significantly faster than the previous generation. And, at the same time, it had significantly better battery life. It ran cool, even with an external monitor attached. My mind was blown. I was ecstatic. Well, that was the very last time I was delighted by an incremental Intel chip update in a Mac.

In addition to having the infamously mediocre keyboard, my current 2016 15" is on its 4th motherboard (storage related kernel panics) and the fan blasts at near full speed whenever it does some spotlight index updating or two or more app updates are installed in parallel. When used with an external 4K monitor, I could easily bake a half-dozen little cookies on the case between the hinge and the Touch Bar.

I really, really need to be delighted again. Soon.

Every time I read a story like yours, I’m delighted in the luck I had the day I decided to purchase my mid2015, instead of the newly released 2016. I’m not sure I could have stuck around as long had I went with the 2016. Even now I like my 2015 enough that upgrading to the coming 16 inch Apple silicon might be difficult. Long live the mid-2015 which was the reigning king of MacBook Pros for so many years.

 

[Original_FTL83]

I'm disappointed in them releasing something so soon after the M1.
I was already less than excited about the lack of ports on the 13" but the computer I was using was literally dying on me all the time. I either bought into the M1 or stayed with intel based chips.
Now my newest computer is going to be dwarfed so soon after release.
I'd hate to be a Karen but if they release a 13" (or 14") with these leaked specs I'm going in for a return/exchange. Yes I get it, technology changes, but it feels like a slap in the face to be an early adopter and then be given a real 'pro' version device so soon after.

 

[Dark_Omen]

While I don’t know if you’re right or not (time will tell!), you DO have a clear understanding of how Apple Silicon has upended the industry. While some folks are still falling back to the old ways (multiple discrete tiers of varying performance primarily to… appease the folks that buy the high end models?), your post made me stop and think. There was similarly no need to have a “special chip” just for the iPad and we now live in the future folks wouldn’t have believed just two years ago.

I am not sure how it works from a developer's perspective, but I am sure it's easier to develop apps for all three devices for those folks too.

 

[SuperMatt]

I'm disappointed in them releasing something so soon after the M1.
I was already less than excited about the lack of ports on the 13" but the computer I was using was literally dying on me all the time. I either bought into the M1 or stayed with intel based chips.
Now my newest computer is going to be dwarfed so soon after release.
I'd hate to be a Karen but if they release a 13" (or 14") with these leaked specs I'm going in for a return/exchange. Yes I get it, technology changes, but it feels like a slap in the face to be an early adopter and then be given a real 'pro' version device so soon after.

No matter when you buy a computer, there will be a faster one released soon after. There is no way around this.

 

[Dark_Omen]

Yes people buy $1000 iPhone every year but this is a very small majority of iPhone users. Would I be happy spending $3000 every two years hell no, and the majority of the public would say the same. When I was a mobile manager, the average customer kept phones for 4 years. And these are not iPhones or iPads so Mac users expect longer live out a product unless you like throwing away your money every couple of years.

True about the Mac life expectation. I think many are willing to make an exception to jump ship early to get rid of Intel and move to Apple's chips. You can't argue with the battery life improvements, speed, and what will eventually be very smooth cross app compatibility.

 

[jeremiah256]

More like 99.999999999999% Computing performance outstripped the average user’s ability to tell the difference a long time ago. If you tap something and the response happens in 12ns or 30ns…. they’re functionally the same for humans. I’d bet that the HEAVIEST load the vast majority of computers out there have ever been put under… was when the user decided to run a benchmark! LOL

Blame heavy websites. For the average user, they don’t realize how unreasonably demanding of resources some sites are. So, when your computer slows down while ‘just’ browsing with multiple tabs, they think their entire computing experience is probably suffering.

 

[LeeW]

I'm disappointed in them releasing something so soon after the M1.

It was going to happen, the M1 was entry, get the ball rolling and give everyone a taste of the new Apple Silicone. M1X or M2 whatever they call it was always going to be 'soon after'.

 

[ascender]

It's not marketing. I have both. I've used both extensively.

As I mentioned just above, my 16" MBP is sitting unused. That's not marketing, that's real world experience. Experience that, despite only being able to run a single 5K external monitor, rather than the 5K + 4K I prefer to run, and despite not having the RAM I need to run some large VMs I like to run, I do all my work on the M1 MBP, and it's not even a distant consideration for me to go back to the 16" Intel.

Same here. I really miss the screen size of my 16", but my M1 MacBook Air is an absolute joy to use. Silent, fast, cool... and sitting here showing an estimated 12 hours of battery life left having been working on it since about 6pm tonight.

I've even swapped my iMac out for an M1 and screen. Once you're used to the M1s, its really hard to go back unless you absolutely need to do something which can only run on Intel.

 

[eoblaed]

I'm disappointed in them releasing something so soon after the M1.

They were pretty clear that this first batch of M1s are the low powered, entry level devices. Apple was also very clear that they were going to be transitioning their entire line to Apple Silicon, which of course will include the higher end, more 'pro', devices.

This first batch is still amazing to use, don't get me wrong, and will be amazing devices for the majority of people that don't require the more specialized firepower of the higher end machines, but no one should've been surprised that bigger/faster/better was just around the corner; Apple told us in pretty clear terms that was the case.

It's been hard to wait, I know it has, especially after spending a few months with my work-supplied M1 13" MBP ... but wait I shall!

 

[jlocker]

Not sure who you are talking to, but people who have last year's iPhone or MacBook Pro are not Apple's main target market. It's exactly those people with 3-4 year-old devices.

Apple is changing the purchase cycle for the Mac, they want you to buy a Mac more often, by making smaller updates, more often. This might work for a iPhone or iPad but when a customer can not upgrade and Apple charges the same. They win not you. I had my $4000 Mac Pro for 10 years with upgrades.

 

[tubular]

Every time I read a story like yours, I’m delighted in the luck I had the day I decided to purchase my mid2015, instead of the newly released 2016. I’m not sure I could have stuck around as long had I went with the 2016. Even now I like my 2015 enough that upgrading to the coming 16 inch Apple silicon might be difficult. Long live the mid-2015 which was the reigning king of MacBook Pros for so many years.

By the time late 2017 rolled around and with it another round of Ive-style laptops, with that one lone 2015-era 15" MagSafe-and-all model still being sold, I thought I'd better grab it while I could rather than miss it and mourn the opportunity later. It's the most I'd ever spent on a computer, by a pretty good margin, but it was the right move to make. And that's back when the butterfly keyboard was only *suspect* and Apple was telling people they were holding it wrong.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

This is a great point. The M1 changes everything. In so many ways, I'm not sure anyone can predict the trajectory of how Apple releases Macs in particular. The M1 with 16GB RAM is already comparable to what, the higher end i7s from Intel? and it's running in a fan-less $999 MacBook Air. Crazy what Apple has done in a couple of years. They fixed the keyboard, gave us a monster of a processor in a Mac that is sub $1000.

The M1 beats the i7 across the board. I’d say the M1 is on level with the i9 where M1 wins some and i9 wins some.

It’s impossibly hard to predict the trajectory if you use Intel and AMD as landmarks. Those two MUST have a tower of different processors and features in order to make a profit. And PC OEM’s are more than happy to profit from the same tower. Remove the requirement to profit from the CPU and you end up with something like Apple’s Silicon. The differences between Macs will be based on the features of the device more than the performance. To me, that’s wild.

 

[jwdsail]

I have never, and will never:

Buy the first model year Mac after a major update
Buy the first model year car after a major update
I know way too many people who have been burned by both..


So, I sit here with a 2012 15" MBP...

I could get the last Intel 16" MBP, a buttload of ram and storage.. (and pay more than I'd like.. I'd originally hoped to get the 16" right away but cash has been tighter than I'd have hoped)

or..

Get a decent condition 2015 MBP to hold me over until the first revision of these new M-based systems hits production in a year or so... (for a lot less $)

The 2015s are going for more than I'd like to pay for a 5yr old system... and could die in a few months if I'm unlucky?
The new 16" would have 3 years of AppleCare+...

I don't use Intel OSs in VMs often, but would like to preserve the flexibility a bit longer, and not need to buy a dedicated Intel box just for that purpose when I get an M1/2 system?


I have to believe that I'm not the only one out here looking at a similar situation?

 

[Unregistered 4U]

Apple is changing the purchase cycle for the Mac, they want you to buy a Mac more often, by making smaller updates, more often.

“Oh, darn, Apple has updated the Mac again. Even though it’s a smaller update, guess I gotta pull out the wallet and buy it. I mean, they changed it and I have to have all of them. I bought the M1 Air, then the M1 MacBook Pro, and the M1 Mini. I’ll have to buy whatever they release this year, then I’m sure I’ll have to buy all of what they release next year. Because, you know, they updated in a small way.”
—-Said No one. Ever.

 

[jlocker]

The M1 beats the i7 across the board. I’d say the M1 is on level with the i9 where M1 wins some and i9 wins some.

It’s impossibly hard to predict the trajectory if you use Intel and AMD as landmarks. Those two MUST have a tower of different processors and features in order to make a profit. And PC OEM’s are more than happy to profit from the same tower. Remove the requirement to profit from the CPU and you end up with something like Apple’s Silicon. The differences between Macs will be based on the features of the device more than the performance. To me, that’s wild.

Untrue the i9 beats the M1 in multiple threaded apps which a lot of apps are now multi threaded applications, once the programmers figured out to program in this environment 15 years ago.

 

[jsnuff1]

I'm disappointed in them releasing something so soon after the M1.
I was already less than excited about the lack of ports on the 13" but the computer I was using was literally dying on me all the time. I either bought into the M1 or stayed with intel based chips.
Now my newest computer is going to be dwarfed so soon after release.
I'd hate to be a Karen but if they release a 13" (or 14") with these leaked specs I'm going in for a return/exchange. Yes I get it, technology changes, but it feels like a slap in the face to be an early adopter and then be given a real 'pro' version device so soon after.

Uhh you bought the low end MBP...what did you expect? It was always clear that Apple was going to transition the low end first then the high end. Did you want them to wait a little longer so you feel better about the fact that you couldn't wait and needed to buy the latest right now?

If you wanted the high end then you could have waited for the high end.

 

[robertosh]

I suspect the M1 will stay in the Mac mini for a few years before APPLE decides to update it.
I can see anything that uses the M2 will be pretty much money. MacBook Pro's in the $2500 range and UP.

Well, They are still selling high end intel minis, an m2 mini would make sense for me to replace that line.

 

[EugW]

Apple is changing the purchase cycle for the Mac, they want you to buy a Mac more often, by making smaller updates, more often. This might work for a iPhone or iPad but when a customer can not upgrade and Apple charges the same. They win not you. I had my $4000 Mac Pro for 10 years with upgrades.

No they aren't. As great as M1 is, they didn't even bother to change the shell. You basically couldn't tell the difference between the Intel and M1 MacBook Airs and Mac minis. That didn't change until the iMac...

...which reminds me...

I wouldn't be shocked if the M2 Mac minis and Mac laptops get an updated look just like the iMac did.

 

[zombierunner]

I don't get this fascination for a SD card reader, and in particular in a hard to reach area like the back of an iMac. I take 100's of pictures a week with my Sony mirrorless and only took the card out once, and that was because I had not learned to connect via USB C. Once I figured that out, I have a USB C cable permanently connected to the back of my iMac that I can reach easily and simply plug it into my camera. It's faster. It's easier. And when I am not using it with my camera I can use the cable to plug in a back up drive.

Yep, people will say, whoop to doo good for you, I want my SD card slot!

Would love to hear a use case where it is easier to pull a card out of a camera, wiggle it into a slot on the back of my Mac (or side), copy the photos off it, then pull the card out and push it back into my camera... vs plugging in a USB C cable.

The only allure to me to removing a card is one of those standalone hard drives designed to make backing up easier on the road... but yeah, it has a slot, and its not my computer lol

I use a dash cam and the only way to transfer data is by removing the card from the dashcam and inserting into my imac.

 

[coolbreeze2]

Yippee!! I hope to trade-in/sell my MBP and my MBA and buy a 16 inch MBP with M2 chip.

 

[gnasher729]

I'm disappointed in them releasing something so soon after the M1.
I was already less than excited about the lack of ports on the 13" but the computer I was using was literally dying on me all the time. I either bought into the M1 or stayed with intel based chips.
Now my newest computer is going to be dwarfed so soon after release.
I'd hate to be a Karen but if they release a 13" (or 14") with these leaked specs I'm going in for a return/exchange. Yes I get it, technology changes, but it feels like a slap in the face to be an early adopter and then be given a real 'pro' version device so soon after.

The M1 is there to replace Intel processors in all low-end Macs. Whatever the new chip is called, it is there to replace Intel processors in all high-end Macs except the extreme high end MacPro. You bought a low-end Mac. I very fast low-end Mac, but a low-end Mac. Any discussion here would have told you that. If you want to swap it for a high-end Mac when they are released, you put your Mac up for sale on eBay.

 

[kaycrystal626]

Please don't charge $200 for an extra 8GB of RAM. Don't make it more pricy to buy more RAM!