DigiTimes: Arm-Based 13-inch MacBook Pro and MacBook Air to Ship By End of 2020

[Manzanito]

I’d expect future Macs (especially the consumer side first) to be more iPad-like than ever. Count on stuff like FaceID, longer battery life, cellular connectivity options, Apple pencil support, ProMotion, and multitouch screens - I’d say.

Choosing RAM or processor type will disappear... just like on the iPad, you can pick storage and color.

I don’t think so. Different use cases need different amounts of RAM. Same goes for processors, some work loads are better handled by faster processors while others can benefit from higher core counts.

Maybe the macbook air gets just one processor model and then you can configure the storage and RAM.

 

[RowellE]

My body and my wallet are ready.

 

[SmokeItLow]

Great.

I'll set a calendar reminder for 3 years time to see where Apple is with their ARM lineup.

Meanwhile the 100million+ Intel Mac users (https://www.cnet.com/news/apple-says-there-are-100-million-macs-out-in-the-wild/) will carry on using our intel Macs for years to come, fuelling demand for software.

Yep. And if they kill support too soon it will have been the last Mac I purchase.

 

[Vasilisxd]

I bet it will come with A12Z

 

[yyc_engineer]

What are the chances these machines will see updated webcams? Not a radical new chassis design - just a webcam that isn't an embarrassment in 2020. I'm all for ARM but can't justify $1600 CAD for a new MPB with the same webcam as my 8 year old 2012 rMBP.

Throwing in a killer webcam could be a big selling point/upgrade feature.

 

[pers0n]

Same case with the Apple Watch. First couple of generations became obsolete and only supported around 2-3 watchOS updates

Have to wait for gen3 at least. Many of the old gens got updated 6months later w better specs

 

[CalfCanuck]

This is consistent with Apple history - this first model is targeted for developers, who need to develop and test their existing apps on a real machine.

January 2006 saw the release of a 15" MBP With an Intel Core processor, which I bought for development and testing, (and I believe an iMac was also released), which was rapidly updated with a Core Duo CPU a four months later.

My first gen MBP served me well with software upgrades. Never had a problem for years, until I left it on a thick down comforter in my hotel room by mistake in late 2010. Air vents were covered and the board was fried within about 10 minutes!

 

[patent10021]

2021 is going to be the new design so I'm not buying anything until then.

 

[LinkRS]

Personally, I hope what Apple at least implied at WWDC is true. That is the AS chipsets for MacBook/Pros and Desktop useage are actual, ground-up designs for the class of system they are targeting. I will be very dissapointed to see them just throw in spins of the mobile (iPhone/iPad) SOCs. This is their chance to go back to what made Apple great in the first place. Where every component is designed to work together and serve a purpose. Just pumping up the clockspeed of an A-series chip would not meet this idea. Plus, I am still anxious to see real performance benchmarks, comparing AS to the Intel CPUs. High GeekBench scores do not necessarily mean high real-world performance. Lets see a full version of Photoshop compared on the two systems, or compiling a large desktop class program in Xcode, not syntethic scores. Something that needs to be remembered, is that in at least the new MacBook Air, Apple has kneecapped the Intel CPU. The single fan system is not connected to the heat pipe assembly over the CPU, and from a tear down shown at Linus Tech Tips, the heatpipe doesn't even make contact with the IHS of the Intel chip. This means that the Intel CPU is not being cooled very effectively.

Rich S.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Any update on Macbook Pro 16"???

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

DigiTimes, taking other people’s leaks and presenting them as their own.
I don’t think these 2 laptops are two separate laptops.
It’s just one. This fall, we will see a 13 inch MacBook.
Not Air, not pro, just a 13 inch MacBook.
Then next year, we will see a 14 and 16 inch MacBook Pro.
So MacBook, and MacBook Pro
The Air name hasn’t made much cents for a while now, the 12 inch MB was lighter and thinner.

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

I would not mind a 14"...if they can keep the overall dimensions of the 13". Considering that the current 13" is really 13.4".

That would be nice, yes, squeeze the side bezels a bit more to fit a 14" into a similar sized device.

What I really want, though, is for Apple to make something really cool and unexpected, like the unveiling of the _original_ air back in 2008. (And I don't mean just another Air or something like the 12" rMB, but something genuinely new...)

I salute you brave (guinea pigs) souls that will be among of the first to get a ARM based Mac. I’m sure it will be smooth sailing..

As I said above, 2 of my last 3 private MacBooks have been 1 gen, and I was very happy with those (especially the Air).

Edit: I also got the 1. gen iPad, and that is still going strong in the hands of the kindergarten children on my girlfriend's work.

The only 1. gen I've disliked was the 12" rMB, which I feel was underpowered, even for what it was supposed to be. Now, contrary to many I didn't have any issues with the keyboard, but the processor (I guess) used to take small timeouts under load, and that was really annoying...

 

[CyberBob859]

Apple will release its first Arm-based 13-inch MacBook Pro and MacBook Air by the end of 2020, according to a new DigiTimes report today.

This does not make sense. Why release TWO 13" models based on Apple Silicon (AS)? The design of the Air (thin and light) means that it needs a different processor and the performance between these two models are significantly different.

Either Apple will keep this design difference and ship two different models (with two different AS processors for battery life/performance differences) or they have one model and one AS processor with two sizes. I think the latter.

I still say that the replacement for the 13" MacBook Air is a 12" size with slimmed bezels to fit a 13" screen. The 13" MacBook Pro replacement has a 14" screen and better speakers. They both use the same AS processor. I think both will have Retina touch screens (but not full P3 color), and either 1 or 2 USB4 ports (Thunderbolt compatible).

This is not unprecedented. They shipped a MacBook Air in both 11" and 13" sizes. This also leaves the Pro line with potentially 14 and 16" screen sizes, more USB4 ports and higher-quality displays (not to mention possible faster processors).

A consumer line and a Pro line in two sizes each would make it easier to understand their product offerings instead of what they're currently doing, which is a mess.

 

[fredcintra]

I'm really curious how they will differentiate between the Air and Pro lines with Apple Silicon. So far every Apple chip is pretty much just "1 better" than the last, with the X and Z series adding more GPU power.

Are they going to have different lines like i3/i5/i7/i9 with different capabilities? Or just names + core counts? And then there is TDP. Will they release this information now that all CPU's are in-house?

I think will be like the PPC era, same chip generation but different frequency and cores to make more or less powerful

 

[essential]

What are the chances these machines will see updated webcams? Not a radical new chassis design - just a webcam that isn't an embarrassment in 2020. I'm all for ARM but can't justify $1600 CAD for a new MPB with the same webcam as my 8 year old 2012 rMBP.

Throwing in a killer webcam could be a big selling point/upgrade feature.

Much better webcams have to be coming, but I'm not sure they'll be in the initial batch of ARM devices just because they aren't going to be redesigns. If they are using the same chassis as the current 13" MBP and Air, then I assume the webcams will be the same. However, when the redesigns start to come out, I imagine we'll see webcams at least on par with what are the front facing cameras in iPhones and iPads, but hopefully better.

 

[SuperCachetes]

<snip> Choosing RAM or processor type will disappear... just like on the iPad, you can pick storage and color.

Nah. The 13" MBP can currently be spec'd out anywhere from $1,300 to $3,500, for a lot of different use cases. Whether or not you consider a $1300 MBP "entry level," or a $3500 MBP a "pro device," I am sure Apple likes being able to fish in both the shallow and deep ends of the water. Since none of the internal components are upgradeable, it's really in their best interest to do it that way as well.

I’d be more worried about premature obsolescence over product quality.

Take the original iPad, for example. Shipped with iOS 3.2, and was only supported for 1 iOS update. Lasts iOS for the original iPad was 4.5.2. The iPad 2, released 1 year later, had iOS updates through iOS 7. This was due to the iPad 1 only having 256MB RAM. The iPad 2 had 512MB.

Putting aside the whole (flawed IMHO) notion that a device is "obsolete" as soon as it falls one OS release behind, I'm not sure why an early version of their first tablet has anything to do with laptops. The MacBooks (speaking across the product lines) are mature form factors with well-developed consumer expectations that are obviously different. Not to mention that the ARM laptops will be on a totally different OS that has to do different things. There may be things to be concerned about, but obsolescence isn't one of them.

 

[selfmachine]

If you don’t have a spare machine then go ahead and buy another used 2013 mbp, then dump it when you get your ArMac. Why spend over $1000 on soon to be obsolete hardware?

I suppose it's till a mechanical click trackpad: you can just open the back of your macbook, remove the screws and cables that hold the trackpad, clean out the dust and put it back. I did this when my trackpad started living a life of its own, and it solved the issue.

 

[sickinnit]

It won't be "obsolete" for at least another 7 years, which is plenty of time to get your money's worth from a $1000 computer ... you buy an Intel based Mac now (If you need it) and wait a generation or two for the ARM based Mac to work out its quinks

I'm about to upgrade my 13'' Early-2015 MacBook Pro and get the 2020 version ... I was hoping a 14'' form factor would come this year but it's not so I'll get the Intel based Mac now and wait about 2 years or WWDC 2022 to see if the ARM based Mac has worked out its quinks then I'll make the transition ... Apple has already said they'll support Intel based Macs for at least another 7 years

Where did they say 7 years? I've just seen clips of them ambiguously saying "years...".

 

[Mr_Pickles_666]

Get ready for 2 years + of software incompatibility issues. Also get ready to lose eGPU support and lose Windows support.

On the plus side Macs could become fanless if the rumoured low cpu thermals are true.

 

[Marbles1]

Have to wait for gen3 at least. Many of the old gens got updated 6months later w better specs

It’s fascinating really - previous early adopters are wise to apple’s tricks.

Buyers are increasingly aware of how this works. We all have stories of buying an apple product that’s drastically improved on in terms of capability and support in rev 2 and 3.

Bit of a guess but I’d be surprised if any of the Rev1 arm Mac models fly off the shelves.

20 hours battery in a world where travel is quite restricted? Moving from intel to a niche processor? Will take some convincing.

Maybe I’m getting old but I don’t see how an arm Mac will change anything for me for work or fun.

 

[nquinn]

Ugh, need a 16in model but don't love the idea of buying the last of the intel macs. On the other hand, it's possible that intel ones will remain in high demand for a while from people that need them.

 

[drsox]

End of 2020 and early 2021, if I need MAC than I will stick to Intel version. Starting end of 2021 or 2022; I will look into switching to ARM MAC. Early ARM MACs suppose to be for development/test/benchmark/fine tune native apps on real ARM MAC machines.

Wait for the 3rd iteration is usually the smart move.

 

[magbarn]

Where did they say 7 years? I've just seen clips of them ambiguously saying "years...".

I really hope the ones cheering about 7 years are right (which I highly doubt). Apple's decision to use Intel's processors is one of the reasons why you'll be able to run Big Sur on a 2013 Mac. We never saw 7 years of support during the PPC/Motorola era of macs. The speed that PowerPC was abandoned is going to be the same here. We'll be lucky to get 3 years of true MacOS upgrades and maybe 2 more years of bug/security fixes after that. 7 years is a pipe dream

 

[MiG007]

Gosh, these Apple Silicon machines can't come soon enough for me. Just this morning, my 'early 2013' 13" MBP developed some issues with the trackpad (no longer registers a left-click). I hope it's a software thing that can be resolved with a full re-install. I'd hate to have to buy an Intel MBP so close to this paradigm shift Apple is about to unleash.

If the left-click mechanically doesn't feels like it is clicking - you could have a swollen battery keeping the trackpad from moving. Happened on my Air.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I'm all in! Let 'er rip!