Looking for a new studio computer? Not sure what might be coming? In this article, we analyse the latest predictions from reliable sources about what Mac computers Apple will announce before the end of 2022.
More M2 Powered Computers From Apple
Following the announcement of the new M2 series chips from Apple at WWDC 2022 in June, Apple released the first two computers with standard M2 chips, an M2 MacBook Air and an updated 13-inch MacBook Pro.
As we saw back in 2020, when Apple announced the first M1-powered computers, they went on to announce the computers powered by the M1 Pro, M1 Max and the M1 Ultra chips. With the release of the first M2-powered computers, Apple has started the next round of upgrades. But what will they be, and which ones are likely to be announced this year? We investigate…
M2 Mac mini
Unlike in 2020, Apple chose not to announce an M2 Mac mini at the same time as the M2 MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro. But don’t worry, the M2 Mac mini is on its way. Apple has been testing a Mac mini with an M2 chip codenamed J473, with the same specifications as the M2 MacBook Air, aimed at replacing the M1 Mac mini.
I think the new Mac mini in 2023 will likely remain the same form factor design.
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) March 12, 2022
However, it is now expected to be a simple upgrade of the current M1 Mac mini, rather than the redesign that has been suggested in the past by sources such as Jon Prosser.
Back in March 2022, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo tweeted, “I think the new Mac mini in 2023 will likely remain the same form factor design.”
Then in July, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman was interviewed by YouTuber Vadim Yuriev, in which Mark said of the new M2 Mac mini…
“I don’t think there’ll be a redesign to the Mac mini. I actually don’t know where the rumors of a redesign came from. I think those are also going to be spec bumps. If you look at the Mac Studio, it looks like a double-height Mac mini.”
Interestingly, the high-end Mac mini model is still the Space Gray model with an Intel processor from 2018. We would expect that Apple would be keen to remove any Intel-powered Mac computers from their product range sooner rather than later.
As to when the Mac mini may be announced, Ming-Chi Kuo, who is across Apple’s supply chain and seems to know what is being made in the factories, both Apple and 3rd party suppliers, is suggesting the M2 Mac mini won’t be released until 2023. However, there are some suggestions that Apple may announce the M2 Mac mini in 2022 and release it in 2023.
The future of an M2 Pro-powered Mac mini is less certain. Although Apple has been testing an M2 Pro variation of the Mac mini, codenamed J474, we also know that Apple had tested M1 Pro and M1 Max versions of the Mac mini, but these were scrapped and replaced by the Mac Studio.
So it may be that the Mac mini gets an upgrade to an M2 chip, but that is it. The Pro version won’t make it to market, as it could undermine the Mac Studio. That said, the Apple Mac Studio comes with either the M1 Max or M1 Ultra, and doesn’t have a M1 Pro version, so maybe Apple will fill that gap with an M2 Pro-powered Mac mini to replace the Intel-powered Mac mini.
We shall see, but currently, there is no information on the status of an M2 Pro-powered Mac mini and when it might be released.
M2 Pro and M2 Max 14-inch And 16-inch MacBook Pro
Apple has been testing a 14-inch MacBook Pro with M2 Pro and M2 Max chips codenamed J414 with the M2 Max chip is expected to have 12 CPU cores and 38 graphics cores, up from 10 CPU cores and 32 graphics cores in the current model, with up to 64 GB of unified memory. Similarly, they have been testing a 16-inch MacBook Pro with M2 Pro and M2 Max chips codenamed J416, with the M2 Max expected to have the same specifications as the 14-inch MacBook Pro version.
There has been some speculation as to whether the 14” and 16” MacBook Pro laptops would get a redesign. However, it is now considered that these MacBook Pro computers will get a simple upgrade.
At one stage, it was expected that the upcoming M2 Pro and M2 Max MacBook Pro computers would get OLED displays, but delays in development and supply chains have pushed the new displays back to 2024, leaving these machines as getting a simple processor upgrade.
As to when we might see these upgraded MacBook Pro laptops, Mark Gurman is suggesting that they could launch between the autumn of 2022 and the spring of 2023. Gurman has since qualified this by saying, “given the continued supply-chain challenges, it’s hard to predict exactly when these will hit store shelves.”
M2 Ultra and M2 Extreme Mac Pro
At the Mac Studio launch event back in March 2022, Apple made it clear that the Studio was not a Mac Pro replacement. Apple senior vice president of Hardware Engineering John Ternus went as far as confirming that a Mac Pro is coming "another day" to clear up any confusion about the future of the Mac Pro product line.
Interestingly, Mark Gurman revealed a tidbit about the Mac Pro development in his interview on YouTube. He said…
“They also had an M1 Mac Pro ready to go months ago. But they scrapped that to wait for the M2 version.”
Apple has been testing a Mac Pro, codenamed J180. This machine is expected to include a successor to the M1 Ultra chip used in the Mac Studio computer.
The Apple Silicon-powered Mac Pro is also expected to offer the option of the M2 Extreme, which is expected to be two M1 Ultra chips combined, just like the M1 Ultra is two M1 Max chips put together. With the M2 Extreme, this would offer a beast of a machine with the following spec…
40-core CPU (32 performance cores and 8 efficiency cores)
Up to 128-core GPU
Up to 64-core Neural Engine
Up to 256GB of RAM
1,600GBps memory bandwidth
[Updated]
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) March 11, 2022
2023: Mac Pro, iMac Pro and Mac mini https://t.co/NiloxXy0jv
When it comes to design, it is being suggested that the new Mac Pro will only see a few design changes, with the main change being getting rid of the current Intel Xeon chips as part of its plan to make the entire range of Mac computers powered by Apple silicon.
As to when to expect the new Apple silicon-powered Mac Pro, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo tweeted that a new Mac Pro would ship in 2023.
However, Mark Gurman has a slightly different take on this. In his interview with YouTuber Vadim Yuriev, Mark said that he thinks the Apple silicon-powered Mac Pro will ultimately be announced at the end of the year and then released in 2023.
In Conclusion
There is no doubt that the future of the Apple Mac range of computers powered by Apple silicon is rosy. However, the impact of covid on the supply chain makes it difficult to be confident about exactly when Apple will announce and then release new products.
There seems very little doubt that we will see new M2-powered versions of the Mac mini, 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro and Mac Pro computers sooner rather than later. We expect a major Apple Mac announcement, probably in October, along with the release of macOS Ventura, in which Apple will announce these new M2-powered computers, but they won’t be available until spring 2023.
What About The iMac?
If you are looking for a new iMac, you may need to wait much longer. You may have noticed that a 24-inch iMac with the M2 chip has been missing from Gurman's forecast of upcoming M2 Macs on Apple's product plan.
Apple discontinued the iMac Pro back in 2021, then it discontinued the 27-inch Intel-based version of the iMac in March 2022, leaving the 24-inch iMac with the M1 chip as the only remaining iMac model. The view is that, for now, Apple has effectively replaced the 27-inch iMac with the Mac Studio and its matching Studio Display, with some sources suggesting that Apple has suspended high-end iMac development.
Mark Gurman is not one of them. In his Power On newsletter, he has outlined that Apple is working on at least two iMac models, but skipping the M2 chip and going to the M3 series of chips. He suggests that Apple are likely launch an updated 24-inch iMac featuring the standard M3 chip in late 2023 and that they are continuing the development of a high-end iMac…
“I also still believe that Apple is working on a larger-screened iMac aimed at the professional market. I'd imagine this will use a variation of the M3 chip, likely an M3 Pro and M3 Max. That would match the chips inside of the MacBook Pro. I don't think the combination of a Mac Studio or Mac mini plus an Apple Studio Display cuts it for many pro users who want more screen real estate.”
But that date of 2023 may slip as the M3 family of chips are expected to be built on TSMC's 3nm technology, unlike the M1 and M2, which are currently built using a 5nm process. So if you waiting for a new iMac or iMac Pro, you are going to have to wait to late 2023 or even 2024.