Apple’s new MacBook Pro models, which will theoretically be powered by the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips, won’t launch this month, but should be available before the end of the year, according to the grapevine.
This comes from one of the more reliable sources on all things Apple, Mark Gurman (and his ever-present Bloomberg Newsletter), in which, among other things, he claims that a new iPad Pro is coming (excitingly), but a MacBook Pro Not so (less exciting).
But the good news is that the MacBook Pro with the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips — an upgrade from the M2, like the M1 that came later with those variants — “is on track for a near-term launch.”
Gurman speculates that the most likely time for these revamped laptops to arrive is November, since, as the leaker points out, that’s usually when new Mac hardware is released. It certainly sounds like he believes they’ll be here at least until the end of the year. All the usual suspicions about rumors apply. (Though it’s worth remembering that this isn’t the only recent speculation we’ve heard about these MacBook Pros coming out before 2022).
Gurman noted that the first version of macOS Ventura added support for these upcoming MacBook Pro 14-inch and 16-inch laptops.
Also on the Mac side, Gurman asserted that Apple is currently working on a new version of the Mac mini that will feature an M2 chip inside.
The main changes to these MacBook Pro laptops will be the addition of more powerful processors, and beyond that, Gurman observes, any differences from these devices will be minimal. So don’t expect too much other than engine upgrades for the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros.
The leaker believes this will be a low-key launch, simply because there aren’t any major moves on the hardware side that would make it worthy of some big show-off event (or even a small modest show-off event).
It’s also worth noting that Gurman said he doesn’t see the MacBook going head-to-head with the iPad Pro anytime soon, but that doesn’t mean Apple can’t take the unexpected step of bringing it out. So, you never know, laptops might come sooner than expected (or for that matter, iPad Pro models might come later).
As for the Mac mini, the M2 version fits into Gurman’s previous rumors, who claimed that Apple is working on an M1 Pro-toting spin on the compact PC (scheduled for late 2021 or early 2022), but is more inclined to use the M2 chip.
The previous thought seemed to be that there would be a Mac mini with a vanilla M2, and a model with an M2 Pro, which would make sense to have them side-by-side with the Mac Studio (the latter being on the high end). But we’ll see, Gurman didn’t mention what chips might be used this time around.
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