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Apple's 'M2' Next-Gen Mac Chip Enters Mass Production, Expected to Debut in Redesigned MacBooks Later This Year
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Why are people confused about a made up chip name - that never existed to begin with - not actually existing. Did Apple ever say there was a M1X.
Got to love it. How dare they use logic and go to the M2 after the M1.
Got to love it. How dare they use logic and go to the M2 after the M1.
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.
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.
Life is full of disappointment... we could ALL wait and not buy anything and Apple would go out of business ...
People who bought an entry level product when they really wanted a "prosumer" one? Has always been 100% clear that everything M1 was lowend and the it only felt different cos Intel was so bad lately.
Names are just marketing and for all we know they could just name it the N1
But.... if this chip is produced on TMSC's refined fab and features the same core design as the A15 (which seems to be the case) it would only be logical to call it the M2. If they add an "x" would depend on wether they plan to to more than one version. If it is only 1 bigger chips (8 fast CPU cores or more) than it will be called the M2, if they also plan to do a basic version similar to the M1(4/4/8) that will be the M2 and the bigger one gets an x added.
Neither of these chips will be found in a MBA,24" iMac or base config 13" MBP and MacMinis any time soon.
How do you know that M2 isn’t the smaller brother of M1, optimized for cost and low energy consumption and sacrificing a tad performance for it? 😈😉
I don’t think the name is what makes the baby, but here that is what people are discussing.
In the current situation where TSMC have so limited possibilities to keep up with the demand from it biggest customers I think Apple are ordering preemptively. And keeping options at a low until they are able to ramp up. So Apple may have chips ready much earlier than they expect to deliver the next generation M-silicon devices, just from a logistics situation.
From what I would expect from Apple for their silicon CPU lineup is to have:
1. Their ultra low-power mobile chip (A# for iPhones, and home devices)
2. Low-power entry/ultra mobile PC (Today’s M1 for Macs and IPad Pro, this rumored chip could be the replacement )
3. Top-tier mobile/desktop (Macs)
A fourth one could be a special run for Mac Pro class workstations.
What interest me most however is what will be the performance especially for graphics. I sold my old PC after Christmas to buy a new one, and I am still on waiting list for the components. This was for a graphics workstation which I also could game on. But my Mac mini have been the de facto replacement and while it have had difficulties with the most heavy loads it held up remarkably well for my use. Even for my stop-gap gaming needs it is the first time an entry level Mac is relevant.
To be honest I might be inclined to drop the Pc altogether.
In the current situation where TSMC have so limited possibilities to keep up with the demand from it biggest customers I think Apple are ordering preemptively. And keeping options at a low until they are able to ramp up. So Apple may have chips ready much earlier than they expect to deliver the next generation M-silicon devices, just from a logistics situation.
From what I would expect from Apple for their silicon CPU lineup is to have:
1. Their ultra low-power mobile chip (A# for iPhones, and home devices)
2. Low-power entry/ultra mobile PC (Today’s M1 for Macs and IPad Pro, this rumored chip could be the replacement )
3. Top-tier mobile/desktop (Macs)
A fourth one could be a special run for Mac Pro class workstations.
What interest me most however is what will be the performance especially for graphics. I sold my old PC after Christmas to buy a new one, and I am still on waiting list for the components. This was for a graphics workstation which I also could game on. But my Mac mini have been the de facto replacement and while it have had difficulties with the most heavy loads it held up remarkably well for my use. Even for my stop-gap gaming needs it is the first time an entry level Mac is relevant.
To be honest I might be inclined to drop the Pc altogether.
The chip was released five months ago. It's hardly old. It's still very fast.
I was about to pull the trigger in January but then I was like, I have been using this MBP since 2012, I might as well wait for the next one and go all in.
I've bought the Air as an ultraportable typewriter/thick client and as a cheap testbed whether apple silicon works for me. The pro won't do that better, and I highly doubt that this m2 (or rather m1x) will ever go into the Air. But who knows, I didn't expect them to degrade the imac into an "unportable macbook air", yet they did.
Shrinking down the number of SKU‘s (and thus the amount of variants the customer has to choose between) significantly would be a good thing on so many levels. Reminds me of how Steve laid the foundation for Apple’s success when he returned the last time.
That kickstarted a trip down memory lane: “Chip Ram” - let’s call the other Ram “Fast Ram” and we’re back in good old Amiga times
Even the superior performance compared to other machines shines through a tiny bit (though Amiga’s lead was far bigger back then).M2 + redesign is when I finally upgrade from my 2013 rMBP.
Was tempted by the M1, but being a very infrequent laptop buyer, I knew I'd regret it.
Was tempted by the M1, but being a very infrequent laptop buyer, I knew I'd regret it.
Tell me about it. Video conferencing also kills the battery life way too quick.
By that example, customers will be disappointed after every purchase because a year later a better version will come out.
In fact, I think current-gen M1 machines are probably going to disappoint the least due to the jump in performance vs value. I don't think future M chip-based machines will have quite the same advantage as the transition did on the current generation.
I'm very happy with my M1 and it does everything I ask of it, I don't see a reason to need an M2 or M3 at this time in the same way I probably don't need a new iPhone every year because they are all so fast now.
But kinda makes the iMac redundant. With intel macbook air/ pro 13 had the worst sustained performance, then mini with integrated graphics as cheap desktop entry, then imac with dedicated graphics. Now all four are the same except a fan. A desktop should be more powerful, configurable with more ram, have more ports. Imac delivers neither. It's only purpose is to push the price of the real entry imac with better chips much higher. It would be better if Apple made the imac's display as a thunderbolt monitor without the chin, then one could use it with a macbook or mini with a single cable.
Macrumors is calling it the M2. There is no guarantee that it will be the M2, could be the M1x, M1y or whatever... It is just the next gen chip to power the higher end MacBooks
Now that Apple is using the same chips in iPad pros and all Macs, maybe we'll even get M2 and M2X if they decide to go with a yearly update schedule like the A chips.
Now the real game begins. An m1 mac can be had for as low as $800. Will an m2 be only a $1,000 more or can it only be had at a higher starting price? Then realize that in any other computer jumping from one processor speed to another doesnt cost $1,000 for that privilege.
When will apple allow us to configure any mac to a higher cpu that won’t push you over $2,000 again? It’s probably going to take several years.
When will apple allow us to configure any mac to a higher cpu that won’t push you over $2,000 again? It’s probably going to take several years.
There is actually some logic involved when talking about and naming it M1X, because the M1X would not be a replacement for the M1, and its naming assumes that it’s from the same technological generation of the M1. A M2 name assumes that it’s a new generation of SoC
Just look at the naming conventions that Apple used for the iPhone SoC and the iPad.
Exactly. The Apple SOC performs a number of dedicated functions, and it will be a matter of taste when the upgrades collectively add up to a major update or not. It's not like with the Intel chips, where the jump to the next nanometer class in the chip production was the single biggest defining factor.
Apple just announced the iMac with the M1 processor. It makes no sense to release an M2 processor in the next months.
The upcoming processor is likely not the M2, but the "pro" version of the M1. The M1 "pro" (or M1X) will likely be based on the same core architecture but will feature more cores and maybe even a slightly faster clock speed.
The actual M2, the one that is going to be based on the next core architecture, is likely to be introduced in 2022.
I expect Apple to introduce a new architecture every even year and release the corresponding pro version on odd years.
It will likely turn out to be something like this:
2020: M1
2021: M1X
2022: M2
2023: M2X
and so on.
The upcoming processor is likely not the M2, but the "pro" version of the M1. The M1 "pro" (or M1X) will likely be based on the same core architecture but will feature more cores and maybe even a slightly faster clock speed.
The actual M2, the one that is going to be based on the next core architecture, is likely to be introduced in 2022.
I expect Apple to introduce a new architecture every even year and release the corresponding pro version on odd years.
It will likely turn out to be something like this:
2020: M1
2021: M1X
2022: M2
2023: M2X
and so on.