Tag Archives: apple silicon

Gurman: All Macs will have Apple Silicon inside by November 2022

The rumor: Apple will hit their two-year transition for Apple Silicon by the end of next year, according to Mark Gurman (89.1% accurate, via Power On).

  • “I think Apple will barely hit its two-year timeline…that leaves the 27-inch iMac, the high-end MacBook Pros, the high-end Mac mini and the Mac Pro as the last remaining Macs to be updated. I’d then expect the iMac to fully transition by the end of next year and the revamped, smaller Mac Pro with Apple Silicon to hit later next year as well. I think Apple will hit that timeline within a month, give or take” Gurman says
  • In this Q&A Section of his weekly newsletter, he reaffirms that new MacBook Pros with Apple Silicon inside are (finally) just around the corner

Our take: This isn’t necessarily news, as Apple themselves announced that the transition from Intel to Apple Silicon would take two years…but with the incredibly slow rollout thus far there were questions about whether or not they would stick to the schedule. It looks like they are, and that 2022 will be much more busy than 2021.

Mac mini first look shows all-new design, lots of ports & more

The leak: Apple is planning a redesigned Mac mini with Apple Silicon inside, according to Jon Prosser (78.1% accurate).

  • On top of the new Mac mini is a “plexiglass” cover instead of metal…Prosser suggests that two-tone colors could make an appearance here, but not for sure
  • The updated desktop will feature the same magnetic power cable as the iMac 24-inch, complemented by 4 USB-C ports, 2 USB-A ports, ethernet and HDMI
  • 2 rubber strips sit on the bottom of the computer where the fan vent is located

Our take: Another incredible Apple Silicon redesign. Really hoping we see the two-tone color scheme on here similar to the new iMacs but even in white and silver it looks gorgeous. With M1X inside, this will be a beast.

Redesigned MacBook Air: ‘M2’ chip, coming as soon as the end of the year

The rumor: A new MacBook Air is just months away at the earliest, according to Mark Gurman (88.7% accurate, via Bloomberg).

  • While not coining the M2 processor by name, Gurman says “Apple is planning a direct successor to the M1 processor” for the next MacBook Air and lower-end MacBook Pro models
  • The next generation ‘M2’ chip will still have 8 cores but will “run faster,” but the GPU cores will increase to 9 or 10 (from 7 or 8)
  • At the earliest, the redesigned MacBook Air will debut sometime near the end of 2021

Our take: Staying with 8 CPU cores on base Macs makes sense considering how insane the M1 chip is already (I feel like more than this would be overkill ATM). But increasing the GPU cores? This is great news. The Mac has always lagged in this area, and call me crazy, but…could this be a preliminary road to Macs as serious gaming devices one day?

New Mac Pro: up to 40-core CPU and 128-core GPU, coming in 2022

The rumor: Apple’s next Mac Pro with Apple Silicon inside will be wildly powerful, according to Mark Gurman (88.7% accurate, via Bloomberg).

  • “Buyers of the high-end Mac Pro desktop planned for next year will likely have a choice of two processors that are either twice or four times as powerful as the new high-end MacBook Pro chip” Gurman says
  • 20 or 40-core CPU configurations will be available, with 64 or 128-core GPU options
  • The next Mac Pro will feature a significantly smaller design and is expected to release sometime next year

Our take: This is the fullest vision of Apple Silicon yet: Apple was never planning to just replace Intel, they were planning to succeed it. With CPU and GPU power this nuts, I’ll be buying this Mac Pro the day it comes out in 2022.

Next Mac mini: major CPU & GPU upgrades, more RAM & more

The rumor: Apple is planning an upgraded version of the higher-end Mac mini with Apple Silicon inside, according to Mark Gurman (88.7% accurate, via Bloomberg).

  • Powering the next Mac mini will be a new M-series chip with 10 CPU cores and 16 or 32 GPU cores; RAM will also be configurable up to 64GB
  • An improved Neural Engine will also be included alongside 4 I/O ports (versus the 2 currently found on the M1 Mac mini)
  • No release date for the next Mac mini has been rumored just yet

Our take: Noted in his report, Gurman says “Apple could delay or cancel the new mini’s launch — as it has in the past — but eventually the company will likely replace the Intel-equipped version it now sells.” I don’t see why Apple wouldn’t upgrade the higher-end Mac mini models, but strange that this was mentioned only alongside this device.

2021 MacBook Pro: 10-core CPU, 16/32-core GPU, coming as soon as this Summer

The rumor: New details about the next 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with Apple Silicon inside have emerged, courtesy of Mark Gurman (88.7% accurate, via Bloomberg).

  • The next M-series chips will include a 10-core processor, with 16 or 32-core GPU options; RAM will also be configurable up to 64GB
  • An improved Neural Engine will also be included, alongside the return of MagSafe, the SD card slot and an HDMI port
  • The new MacBook Pro models may launch as soon as this Summer

Our take: Looks like the first computers to get ‘M1X’ will be the new MacBook Pros. And with Gurman’s unbeatable track record, it seems like these are just around the corner…

New 14/16-inch MacBook Pro models potentially delayed until 2022

The rumor: The highly-anticipated MacBook Pro models with Apple Silicon inside aren’t coming this year, according to DigiTimes (63.5% accurate).

  • Apple’s next MacBooks with Mini-LED displays may have been delayed until 2022
  • No further detail is currently available from the DigiTimes paywalled-preview

Our take: For anyone waiting to buy a new 14 or 16-inch MacBook Pro, this isn’t great news. That being said, DigiTimes is the only outlet currently reporting the delay and is less than 65% accurate, so there is s still a chance we see the Mini-LED MacBooks this year.

Apple ‘M2’ processor reportedly begins production ahead of next MacBook release

The rumor: Apple’s first major upgrade to their own silicon has started production, according to Nikkei Asia (rating pending).

  • The new tentatively named M2 chip may be ready to ship by July, meaning it will likely power the new MacBook models set to launch in the second half of the year
  • “Sources said it will eventually be used in other Mac and Apple devices beyond the MacBook” Nikkei notes

Our take: Two big takeaways in the story for me: 1) Apple may jump to M2 before something like M1X or M1Z and 2) that we likely aren’t getting new MacBook models ahead of the Fall.

2021 MacBook Pro schematics show new design, HDMI port, SD card reader & more

The leak: Apple’s 2021 MacBook Pro schematics have leaked, as shared by a hacking group that won’t be named due to ethical concerns (not yet tracked, via 9to5Mac).

  • The schematics (redacted and instead the concept image above) show a tweaked, more curvy design for the upcoming MacBook Pro models
  • Apple is making major changes to the ports on the device: HDMI, the SD card slot and MagSafe are all returning

Our take: This is one of THE crazier leaks we’ve ever seen, because the image comes from a hacking group that runs “a private ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) operation.” Essentially, the hacking group is extorting Quanta computer after stealing data from Quanta’s servers. Quanta is in Apple’s supply chain and thus has access to proprietary designs and product schematics. That puts us here: the hacking is asking for a sum of money and says they will leak Apple’s unreleased products each day until the ransom is met.

This is wild, and I’ve updated this article due to ethical concerns with naming the group.

27-inch iMac likely getting new colors, larger display with 2021 refresh

The rumor: The largest 27-inch iMac is getting larger, according to L0vetodream (89% accurate).

  • Translated, L0vetodream says “The iMac’s screen is really big, bigger than the biggest one”
  • Last month, when questioned about the new iMac, the mysterious leaker tweeted out an array of colorful Apple Watch bands…suggesting that Jon Prosser’s (78.2% accurate) rumor is correct

Our take: Not new info, but coming from L0vetodream (89% accurate) this means the info is quite reliable. Again, I think this iMac is coming sooner than the Fall.

Apple references unreleased iMac models in macOS Big Sur 11.3

The leak: Apple has revealed the existence of 2 new iMac models in macOS Big Sur 11.3 beta 5, according to 9to5Mac (77.2% accurate).

  • Both “iMac21,1” and “iMac21,2” were spotted in the latest update and correspond to J456 and J457, the codenames for Apple’s next desktops
  • Mark Gurman (89.1% accurate) says the new iMacs will likely be coming a bit later in 2021, but Apple has recently made a number of moves that seem to indicate a more imminent launch

Our take: This comes on the heels of references to the new iPad Pros in the latest iPadOS beta. Something tells me we won’t be waiting until Fall for these new iMacs.