Kuo: Apple Silicon Macs to Include 13-inch MacBook Pro and MacBook Air This Year, 14.1-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro Models Next Year

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

My feeling is that the 13" model coming later this year will actually be a 12" with slim bezels to fit a 13" screen. And the performance and battery life will actually be good enough to kill off both the 13" Air and the 13" MacBook Pro (low-end, 2 Thunderbolt ports.) I can easily see a range of configurations from $999 to $1699 that have various memory and cellular options. It will allow Apple to simplify its consumer product offerings.

The 14" and 16" models coming next year will be the replacement for the MacBook Pro line.

Great point. I imagine Apple will want to dramatically simplify the MacBook line-up and drop the Air branding, which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense any more.

It makes me wonder just how Apple will differentiate the regular MacBook from the Pro line, apart from CPU performance. Perhaps Pro Motion and a Smart Connector (new MagSafe) would help...

 

[johannnn]

As an owner of MBP 16”, the bezel on the iMac looks like a 20 year old tech. They have got to update that ASAP

The iMac sits on a desk. Who cares how large the bezels are? It doesn’t go into a backpack regardless. I even prefer large bezels on the iMac as that gives more space for air flow and lowers the temperature. The MBP 16” can’t even run an external display without heating up, I’d never want that ****** thermals in my iMac.

 

[MacBH928]

Every single iMac I have ever worked on has always and CONTINUES to look, MILES better than any PC equivalent. I really could not care less about bezels or not, as a piece of product design, something sat on a desk, it is STILL iconic and streets ahead of the competition. Fact.
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An let's not forget the PC equivalent!

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Steve Jobs does not get enough credit for this. He is about the only person on earth that merged computer+design+functionality. There are others who tried to make electronics luxurious but I believe it had bad taste like Nokia Vertu , it supposed to look luxurious but not any better function wise.

Just to point this out, there were personal PCs but he made the Macintosh, there were MP3 players but he made the iPod, there were PDA's but he made the iPhone(current standard design of all smartphones). There was Windows and Linux, but he made OS X.

 

[Azrael9]

I contacted Affinity about this and they replied that they would have native versions of their apps ready to go when the first Apple Silicon Macs are released.

There you go.

Well done on contacting them. Great company. Great products.

That's what I'm using. And what I'll be using on future AS Macs.

Great news.

Azrael.

 

[sirozha]

Great point. I imagine Apple will want to dramatically simplify the MacBook line-up and drop the Air branding, which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense any more.

It makes me wonder just how Apple will differentiate the regular MacBook from the Pro line, apart from CPU performance. Perhaps Pro Motion and a Smart Connector (new MagSafe) would help...

There will be three sizes: 12”, 14”, and 16”.

12” Macbook will be the entry level machine with lower capacity SSD and RAM and previous generation ARM CPU.

14” MacBook Pro will feature a next generation ARM CPU and higher capacity configurations for RAM and SSD.

16” will feature higher end configurations with dual ARM CPUs.

Both the 14” and the 16” Pros will come with four USB4 ports, the TouchBar, better sound, better mic array, and higher resolution webcam, TouchID and FaceID.

12” MacBook will be on the mid-spring release schedule starting in 2022 after the initial release in November 2020. 14” and 16” Pros will be on the September/October release schedule starting in 2021.

There will also be a 14” MacBook Air, which will be on the mid-spring release schedule starting in 2021. The MacBook Air will feature a previous generation ARM CPU but have a better screen than the 12” MacBook and more choices for RAM and SSD.

The 12” MacBook and the 14” MacBook Air will have two USB4 ports and no TouchBar. The webcam will be of lower resolution than the webcam on the Pro models. There will also be fewer mics in the mic array than in the Pro line. The sound will also be less immersive than the sound on the Pro line. There will be TouchID but no FaceID on the 12” MacBook and 14” MacBook Air.

Apple is considering dropping the Air moniker and instead going with 14” MacBook (along with 12” MacBook), but the final decision on that hasn’t been made yet. Regardless, the 14” Air will retain the wedge shape.

 

[leeuk321]

I don't believe Apple's first ARM laptop will not have an updated design. This transition is too important. A 13" or 14" update along the lines of the 16" seems to suggest itself.

What I really want though is a 12" powerhouse with excellent battery life.

Absolutely, I'm right there with you. I'm hoping that when Apple transitions the MBP to just being 14 / 16", it might allow some breathing room for 12" to re-enter the market. Would be a nice lineup: 12" that prioritizes a fanless, ultra-light machine that could actually pack more of a punch because of ARM; 13.3" Air for the average user; and 14 / 16" MBP for power users. I've currently got a 2017 12" Macbook, and I'm gonna keep holding (Braveheart style) for the refresh.

 

[Woochoo]

This. Exactly this. Apple’s professional user population is not going to transition to a new chip architecture from day 1. Emulation is hogwash.

Indeed, the earlier they had a good line of ARM the earlier professionals would jump into it, as they wouldn't be early adopters. So releasing MBPs almost in 2022 means many professionals not switching to ARM until 2024-2025 that the transition is over and all the line is pure ARM with most professional suites and software already natively working on it. I honestly expected more from Apple here.

There will be three sizes: 12”, 14”, and 16”.

12” Macbook will be the entry level machine with lower capacity SSD and RAM and previous generation ARM CPU.

14” MacBook Pro will feature a next generation ARM CPU and higher capacity configurations for RAM and SSD.

16” will feature higher end configurations with dual ARM CPUs.

Dual ARM CPUs doesn't make any sense at all, split CPUs/NUMAs require extra communication between them and that's a huge penalty, plus more work from scheduler to assign threads there. You can see AMD CPU's bottlenecks between CCX is the communication, and they have a great one (Infinity Fabric), and they are in the same SoC/CPU not even different ones (neither different NUMAs). It's way easier to just double the cores instead of doubling the number of CPUs, put a bigger shared L3 for communication and you are done, unless they wanna go for a chiplets aproach but I doubt Apple has an Infinity Fabric kind of thing designed already.

 

[lxmeta]

That's more of a testament to just how little power required the work you do needs than anything else.

Where did I claim I was happy with the power?
I want a MBP 14 with dedicated GPU, but one that actually works reliably.
The MBA i7 is not that much faster than my MB 12“ i7.
Thx to Covid I can now do most of my work on my 12 core Mac Pro...
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What is the lemon law? Is this longer or practically different than the manufacturer warranty?

Lemon law: depending of state, kicks in when the manufacturer had multiple opportunities to repair, but the same problem reappears. On the 2017 MBP I had 7 repairs and 2 full swaps to eventually the 2018. Apart from the keyboard, the thermal design kills the mainboard if you use it full throttle for too much.
On the MBA 2019 I was able to proof they have a USB over TB2 design issue (apparent under heavy load)

 

[Waragainstsleep]

I don't think that ever was a question. The benefit for the users will be better battery life and nothing more.

The ~10-15W A13 Bionic is faster in single core than a ~65W i9 9980H at single core. In a tiny, fanless, waterproof enclosure with a heatsink thinner than a credit card. Give it the same number of cores and the same cooling as a 16" MacBook Pro, power and clock it up and it will demolish it.

 

[MacPoulet]

I love mine, but find myself nearly always using iPad Pro.

Given the 12.9 inch ipad pro is 1.4pounds, and is insanely fast, they should be able to do a 13 inch air around 2 lbs (vs. 2.75 with the intel chip). 2lbs was what the 12" MacBook is, but the silicon was not as efficient.

Yeah, at the time I debated between the regular MacBook and the Pro. The Air was so close in mass to the Pro that it didn’t make sense to me. Of course after buying the MacBook and doubling down as a screenwriter, I got roped into directing a feature and the Pro with Thunderbolt 3 would have been more useful...

 

[dsmush]

Lot of money to spend to be a tester for Apple with these new chips.

 

[bobdc6]

How long before Apple declares my Intel MBP obsolete? How about a touch screen? My Chrome book has one.

 

[MartinBo]

What about Mac Mini with ARM? 🤔

 

[MagnetaPaladin]

12” Macbook will be the entry level machine with lower capacity SSD and RAM and previous generation ARM CPU.

With a lower price, say $799, it would end up being a mass market and Chromebook killer. I would love to see Retina MacBooks be attainable in my rural school district for working class people. Moving to ARM would yield lower cost and better battery life without eating into Apple's margins.

What about Mac Mini with ARM? 🤔

The DTK is a Mac Mini with an ARM, so I'm expecting a version available to the public once the DTK period is over and done with.

 

[Jury]

The all-new Apple Silicon Macbook and Macbook Pro will not rely on active cooling for transferring heat and it's reducing the cost of electricity and carbon emissions.

 

[lederermc]

Exaggerate much? Here's a 2000 iMac:

apple-history.com

A brief history of the company that changed the computing world forever. Includes specifications, a description and pictures of every Apple computer ever made.

apple-history.com

Wow that brings back memories of buying one of those in the UK for £999.

 

[amartinez1660]

Adobe have already made an early start with PS.

That's alot better than during the last transition where they dragged their feet.

And if they don't...there will be plenty of app devs that do. With 1 million iPad apps ready and waiting (with litters of image apps and so forth...)

...and good Mac devs like Affinity will probably run them down to get their version of Photo, Design and Publisher working on AS or at the least will be very good Rosetta citizens.

Azrael.

Agreed 100%. Let’s also add in the not so cheap subscription model... affinity for iPad is so affordable. If they open the same one license for the AS Macs... that’s quite the easy entry point for quite a lot of users.

 

[Waragainstsleep]

How about a touch screen? My Chrome book has one.

How much do you really use it though?

The all-new Apple Silicon Macbook and Macbook Pro will not rely on active cooling for transferring heat and it's reducing the cost of electricity and carbon emissions.

MBP will have some active cooling.

 

[Emanuel Rodriguez]

On the MBA 2019 I was able to proof they have a USB over TB2 design issue (apparent under heavy load)

They do not do USB over Thunderbolt. USB and Thunderbolt are different protocols, both supported by the USB-C interface. When the port is doing USB, it cannot do thunderbolt, and when the port is doing Thunderbolt, it cannot do USB. Although you can do USB over Thunderbolt with a Thunderbolt dock, if that's what you're referring to.

Also, the 2019 MBA can not use Thunderbolt 2 without an adapter.

 

[breegenie]

There will be three sizes: 12”, 14”, and 16”.

12” Macbook will be the entry level machine with lower capacity SSD and RAM and previous generation ARM CPU.

14” MacBook Pro will feature a next generation ARM CPU and higher capacity configurations for RAM and SSD.

16” will feature higher end configurations with dual ARM CPUs.

The 12” MacBook and the 14” MacBook Air will have two USB4 ports and no TouchBar. The webcam will be of lower resolution than the webcam on the Pro models.

This makes complete sense on the laptop side, whatever naming strateging Apple comes up with. I have to replace my 2011 iMac this fall, when High Sierra EOLs security updates and before the logicboard melts like it did in 2016 (remote work plus super hot summers are not a good mix for this beloved iMac).

My plan is to buy the first 12-14 AS laptop to tide me until the AS iMac 27 replacement, so I really hope that 12” can be configured. I‘ll need at least 16GB ram and 1 TB drive and a USB4 > TB2 dongle configuration to drive the 27” iMac in Target Display Mode - really hope Big Sur supports that.

Any rumors on the AS iMac side?

 

[theorist9]

The ~10-15W A13 Bionic is faster in single core than a ~65W i9 9980H at single core.

We don't yet know if that's the case. And we won't until we have independent real-world benchmarks on apps we actually use (as opposed to synthetic benchmarks like Geekbench). Plus that A13 was probably running iOS, while that that i9 9980H was running MacOS. If you're basing your comparison on Geekbench, then Geekbench is not reliable for doing cross-platform comparisons.

 

[DeepIn2U]

It's a rumour that makes sense.

Apple was always going to move as fast as possible on this.

Not likely ... 'as fast' .

I think they'll keep the Intel for the current 13" and 16" designs - no point in spending more for R&D and then confuse the new design for the next 4-6yrs with 1 Intel and 5 major Apple Silicon chipset internals.

Traditionally .. when the last 13" debuts it'll be late 2020 (considering June got the 10TH Gen i5/i7 cores another 6 Months will be 1 more update : Dec 2020 BUT This goes against their usual product cycle and ONLY the 2012 MBP lineup got 2 different designs shipping in the same quarter (Retina and regular MBP).

Apple can do 2 different designs but WHY spend more on another 13" when the 14" will debut within 2mths or the same Dec 2020 time frame? I suspect there will be a slight non-major spec bump in fall 2020 for the 13" and Xmas holiday shopping will be the 14" Apple Silicon sweet Jesus model.

You heard it here first ...

Apple Book Pro 13" (aka Sweet Jesus)
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I will be sad if they refresh the Air to be Apple Silicon, as we bought the new Air recently. I know refreshes happen and it’s just part of life, but really would have waited and continued using our 2012 MBP for a little longer if we had known.

You'll be able to use your 2020 Air for some time, but that 2012 MBP just reached EOL or Vintage just about 40 days ago. Technology advances and so too does your needs, eventually based on the technology at hand.

 

[Tagbert]

Bring on the Apple Silicons machines... Hopefully the developers (Adobe, nudge, nudge) will recompile all their Mac apps to be optimized for Apple Silicon machines, but I doubt Adobe will.

If you watch the keynote video you will see the demo where they show Abobe Photoshop already recompiled for Apple Silicon along with Microsoft Word and Excel.

 

[lxmeta]

They do not do USB over Thunderbolt. USB and Thunderbolt are different protocols, both supported by the USB-C interface. When the port is doing USB, it cannot do thunderbolt, and when the port is doing Thunderbolt, it cannot do USB. Although you can do USB over Thunderbolt with a Thunderbolt dock, if that's what you're referring to.

Also, the 2019 MBA can not use Thunderbolt 2 without an adapter.

You don’t know how TB works then.
If you attach a TB2 Monitor with a Webcam integrated, the webcam shows up as USB 3 device, as TB2 is “tunneling” USB over TB2. Alpineridge has some issues with PCI on weak CPUs...

 

[kazmac]

I contacted Affinity about this and they replied that they would have native versions of their apps ready to go when the first Apple Silicon Macs are released.

Not surprised, they have always pushed hard for compatibility. If I have to pay for new versions on an AS Mac, will gladly do so.

Thanks for reaching out to them.