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

amack said:
That was quick, I was expecting M2 next year and the M1X this year? I wonder what the core count and GPU will be?

MacBook Pro for Oct then and maybe the fabled 30+" iMac.
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An “M1X” is much more likely. If it is an ‘M2’ then the naming scheme might simply be working different compared to how it was in the past. This processor is clearly destined for the next power level up the hierarchy (4-port 13”(Future 14”), 16”, 4-port Mac Mini, and 30” iMac). Considering that Apple is shipping a brand new M1 iMac well into may, I doubt this affects current M1 Macs.
 
matrix07 said:
Whatever the new generation of Apple Silicon is it will be launched on iPhone first, before any other devices including Mac.
There is no way it will be launched in July.
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It is certainly not unprecedented. Last year the iPad Air 3 launched with the A14, the actual SoC that was destined for the iPhone, a month before the iPhone 12 was presented.
 
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amack said:
That was quick, I was expecting M2 next year and the M1X this year? I wonder what the core count and GPU will be?

MacBook Pro for Oct then and maybe the fabled 30+" iMac.
Click to expand...
It’s just a name why does it matter? Basically any name indicating the next iteration will work. Maybe the “X” naming convention is only for the “A” series of ARM chips.
 
Wouldn’t be surprised if they used different letters to classify their CPUs e.g. X1 or P1 and segment products.
 
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loby said:
Because it would cut into their current M1 sales/profits.
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MacMini (2 variants?)
24" iMac
"big" iMac
MacPro
MBA (maybe at a 2nd size)
13" MB"P"
13(14)" real MBP
16" MBP

-> 8-10 different Macs before going into BTO options

So yeah they will probably never be on the same "M"- generation at any given point in time, most of them might even skip a generation and only see an update every 2 years and as long as the don't create a situation where the consumer products outperforms the "Pro" ones it won't be a problem (which is what Apple faces atm with the Intel-Macs being as bad as they are).
 
I would not go crazy about the processor until we know the real spec's on the chip. I am hoping the M2 will be pared with a better graphics chip. If not, the current MacBook Pro 16 with the AMD 5600 mobile could beat it, in head to head testing. Including multithreaded applications.
 
I'm very much hoping for this chip to use the ARMv9 architecture. A 14" redesigned MBP with M1X / M2 (doesn't really matter what the name is) that has more performance cores, ARMv9 based, more ports and upgraded GPU would have me buy back into Mac again. I've currently moved to Linux due to gripes with both macOS and apples hardware, but as things are looking, all can be forgiven :)
 
Very excited to see their chips progressing so fast. We've been deprived of meaningful chip updates for a long time thanks to Intel
 
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This makes me curious about the possibility of an odd/even cadence: Odd processors are low end, even processors higher end (let's forget the Mac Pro for the moment). Machines updated every two years.

That means that the M2, which is legitimately new and based on the same core components as the forthcoming A15, will have more cores and be intended *only* for the higher end machines.

The M3, in 2022, will be an upgrade for the existing M1 machines. The M4, in 2023, for the M2 machines. Etc.

There is nothing carved in stone that every Mac processor is going to get upgraded every year. And the Apple Silicon team has only so much bandwidth.

Even if this is true, though, I still do expect a Mac Mini with the M2. The fact that they're still selling the higher-core-count Intel Mini suggests that they want to eventually have a higher end Mini with Apple Silicon. That machine plus an Apple display would be fantastic... but I can't hold out any longer, gonna get an iMac.
 
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zombierunner said:
I hope the bigger imac will have more ports. I mean a desktop shouldn't have to compromise on ports. sd card atleast?
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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
 
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To my simple mind, if it scaled:
M2 - 16GPU core, 32gb memory limit, requires some modest cooling -> Macbook pro, iMac Pro, ?Mac Mini pro? (or Mac Pro Mini - whatever)

6 months later:
M3 - 32GPU core, 128gb memory limit, requires significant cooling ->Mac Pro

Transition complete by Spring 2022?
 
gnasher729 said:
Extremetech had an interesting article, about how Apple uses ONE chip for everything, from the cheapest MacMini to a rather expensive iMac.
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But they are clearly not using the same chip for everything. There are multiple chips under the M1 Family. Don't see how this is different to INTEL
 
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It is going to take TSMC 3 years to build a new US plant to produce chips, they're is a world chip shortage until late next year. I am worried that Apple will not have enough production capacity to meet the needs of building a new MacBook Pro. This could lead to a problem they had 20 year ago with a wait list of months for a consumer getting a computer. People were not happy waiting months for a delivery of a computer they ordered. I had people screaming at me 20 years ago.

My suggestion is if the new MacBook Pro 16 looks good, order it the second that the store opens. I have a bad feeling that people who wait, will be waiting months for a delivery of a new computer.
 
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Hrmm I was just going to replace my 2014 Mac Mini (which is struggling because I made the mistake of putting the OS on an external SSD, encrypting it, and making everything APFS which apparently is the "screw your Mac over trifecta") with a Macbook Air.... should I hold off? I don't really use the Mac that often since my work computer is a Surface...
 
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doc james said:
6 months later:
M3 - 32GPU core, 128gb memory limit, requires significant cooling ->Mac Pro
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Unless they want to put their naming completely out of whack I'd expect anything before summer 22 to be still labeled "M2..". So a new MacPro would get an M2Z (just CPU cores and IO) combined with an G1 or M2G GPU.
That is if they do plan to do a proper MacPro, or else it might be something between a MacMini and the TrashPro featuring 1 superfat M2XL.
 
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