Skip to main content

Apple M2 chip for powerful new Macs goes into production later this year

Apple’s M1 chip has been a revelation since it launched late last year, bringing a radical performance increase to the company’s Macs compared to their Intel predecessors. Now, it looks like the follow-up to the M1 is almost ready for showtime.

According to Nikkei Asia, the chips entered production this month. The outlet reports that the chips could start shipping to Apple as early as July of this year, with Macs containing them going on sale in the second half of 2021.

Recommended Videos

Updated MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models are obvious candidates for these new chips, as are the Mac Mini and iMac (although the latter would likely be updated later, seeing as it has only just been redesigned). Intriguingly, the Nikkei Asia report says the M2 could appear in “other Mac and Apple devices beyond the MacBook.” That would seem to suggest it could be outfitted in iPad models — something that seems less surprising now that the iPad Pro runs on an M1 chip.

apple m2 board concept
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Nikkei Asia tentatively dubs the new chip the M2. Previous rumors had suggested the chip might be called the M1X, implying a more incremental upgrade over the M1. If it turns out that the M2 name is correct, that would suggest a much larger improvement in performance.

We currently do not yet know any of the key specs of the M2. In late 2020, reporter Mark Gurman, who has a strong record when it comes to Apple rumors, claimed the company was working on the next generation of its Apple Silicon chips. These could contain 16, 12, or eight high-performance cores, he claimed. The M1, in comparison, currently contains four high-performance cores. Even if the M2 sits at the lower end of Gurman’s prediction, it would still be a potentially huge upgrade over the M1.

If Nikkei Asia’s July date is correct, there is a slim chance Apple might reveal the updated MacBooks at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June. It is already a dead certainty that Apple is planning to completely overhaul the MacBook Pro 13 this year, so that would seem to be a prime target for the M2 chips. If everything is ready in time, WWDC could be the event to watch.

Alex Blake
Alex Blake has been working with Digital Trends since 2019, where he spends most of his time writing about Mac computers…
These M4 MacBook Pro leaks are getting insane, and I don’t know what to believe anymore
An open MacBook Pro on a table.

Apple has yet to announce an October Mac event, but leaks for the M4 MacBook Pro continue to circulate. A new tweet from Apple leaker ShrimpApplePro and a new Russian unboxing video have been spotted by Tom's Hardware, giving this possibly true and definitely unprecedented Apple leak more steam. The tweet claims a seller on a private Facebook group has 200 units of the M4 MacBook Pro for sale, adding: "This is probably the biggest warehouse leakage I've ever seen."

https://x.com/VNchocoTaco/status/1843133165302591861?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1843133165302591861%7Ctwgr%5E3d007d4bc86ddf38301ce5446103d04c8e8215f5%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tomshardware.com%2Flaptops%2Fapple-macbook-pro-m4-leakage-gets-serious-with-200-units-reportedly-up-for-sale-on-social-media

Read more
A YouTuber with 11 million subscribers just unboxed the M4 MacBook Pro
The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Max chip seen from behind.

Leaks of the yet-to-be-announced M4 MacBook Pro have been getting weirder and weirder lately. First, it was up for sale on Facebook. And now, as spotted by MacRumors, there seems to be an entire unboxing video of it on YouTube.

Weirder yet, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman retweeted the Russian YouTuber Wylsacom's video with the comment: "Unconfirmed but looks fairly legitimate." This isn't some unknown YouTube channel, either. He currently sits at 11.3 million subscribers.

Read more
I’m worried Apple will skip its October event – here’s what that means for the M4 MacBook Pro
Apple CEO Tim Cook looks at a display of brand new redesigned MacBook Air laptop during the WWDC22

For months now, we’ve been hearing that Apple is set to announce a boatload of new products -- including the M4 MacBook Pro range, fresh iPads, and more -- at an event this October. Yet a new report suggests that things might not be quite so simple after all.

In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman says that Apple is set to reveal these new products “around the end of October,” with the devices going on sale on Friday, November 1. So far, so expected.

Read more