Apple may soon release a new set of Macs powered by the next generation of their homemade chip. According to Bloombergs Technology giant Mark Gurman has launched the widespread testing of at least nine Mac models with four different M2 chips, suggesting that Apple is preparing to launch them. While not meant to be publicly known, Apple has tested the machines using third-party apps from the App Store, and these apps’ developer logs give us an idea of what to expect from the company’s upcoming batch of computers.
One of the devices reportedly being tested is a MacBook Air with an M2 chip), which has eight CPU cores and 10 cores for graphics, up from eight in the current model. Previous reports suggest that the next MacBook Air will have a major redesign, which may include a thinner frame, more ports and MagSafe charging. Apple is apparently also testing a pair of Mac minis powered by an M2 and an M2 Pro chip as well as an entry-level M2 MacBook Pro with the same specifications as the aforementioned MacBook Air.
Apple has just released its 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros in October, but Gurman says the company has begun testing new 14-inch and 16-inch laptops with 64GB of memory powered by M2 Pro and M2 Max chips. The M2 Max apparently has 12 CPU cores and 38 graphics cores, up from 10 and 32 in the current models. Finally, there’s the new Mac Pro, which is said to be powered by the M1 Ultra’s successor. The recently launched M1 Ultra is Apple’s most robust chip to date and currently runs Mac Studio. Gurman warns that there are no guarantees that the company will release all the models it is currently testing. That said, he thinks the new MacBook Air and Mac mini, as well as the new entry-level MacBook Pro, will be released sometime this year.
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