According to reports, Apple is testing nine forthcoming Mac machines with the M2 chips and variants, ranging from an updated Mac mini to a next-generation Mac Pro that will use the undisclosed M2 Ultra silicon. The 2022 product range is expected to be Apple’s most broad in a calendar year, with new Macs accounting for the majority of it, and reports claiming that the floodgates will completely open during the forthcoming WWDC event in June.
The next in line is said to be the much-anticipated MacBook Air redesign, which will arrive with a new design language and an M2 chip inside. A more cheap MacBook Pro with a 13-inch screen is expected to launch later this year, as is a Mac mini. Next-generation MacBook Pro models are expected next year, but the status of a Pro desktop remains unknown. However, a detailed leak has now revealed what to expect from Apple’s Mac strategy in 2022 and beyond.
Apple is testing nine unreleased Mac laptops with M2 processor versions
Starting at the bottom of the pricing scale, Apple is testing a Mac mini refresh with the M2 (J473) processor, as well as a variant with the M1 Pro processor, which is a little strange. The MacBook Air (J413) comes next, with an M2 chip that has eight CPU cores and ten GPU cores. The same processor is expected to be included in the MacBook Pro as well. All three of the aforementioned machines are expected to launch in 2022.
Moving on to the Pro machines, Apple is testing the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips in a 14-inch MacBook Pro (J414), with the latter carrying 12 CPU cores and up to 38 GPU cores. The RAM is believed to be 64GB in capacity, soldered to the motherboard and not upgradeable. There’s also a 16-inch model (J416) with the same internals as the 14-inch model. However, it seems improbable that Apple will release these two in 2022, with reports indicating that upgraded MacBook Pro models will be released in 2023. Finally, a Mac Pro update (J180) will use the M2 Ultra processor, which is the successor to the M1 Ultra found in the Mac Studio.
However, there is no mention of an iMac Pro or the speculated 27-inch iMac update, which was previously expected to arrive in 2022. Apple was also experimenting with placing Pro-grade silicon inside smaller machines as well, such as an M1 Max within the Mac mini, but those ideas were reportedly shelved to avoid overlap with the Mac Studio and sales cannibalism. According to a prior source, Apple is also working on an M2 Extreme processor, but due to the company’s current portfolio, it will most likely debut next year.
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