Apple’s rumor mill is humming away as talk surrounding the company’s first event of 2022 spreads. Rumors have circulated regarding a 13-inch entry-level MacBook Pro powered by a new M processor in the Mac world. This would follow the improved MacBook Pro 14 and MacBook Pro 16, which were available in late 2021.
Here’s all we know so far about the rumored upcoming 13-inch MacBook Pro.
When will the next generation of MacBook Pros be released?
Apple’s early presentation for 2021, which took place in April, is known for focusing on iPads and other entry-level (or education-related) items, so a redesigned MacBook Air or MacBook Pro 13 might be on the way.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the 13-inch MacBook Pro, the 2020 MacBook Pro successor, will be unveiled on March 8 during an Apple event. (Digitimes also claims that a new low-end model would be unveiled during the event, although it has a spotty track record, and Twitter leaker @dylantk’s account has since vanished after posting some similar speculations.)
Is it an M2 chip?
Apple’s first-generation M1 entry-level model is being updated and referred to as an “M2,” but no further specifics have been revealed. According to AppleTrack and others, the specifications mentioned above would eliminate everything that defines a MacBook Pro as a “pro” model, especially in light of rumors regarding a redesigned Air, but I disagree. Suppose the speculated M2 processor has features similar to the M1 and M1 Max, such as eight cores (with 6 or 8 P cores), 32GB RAM support, 14 GPU cores, and no ProRes accelerator. In that case, it might be an excellent alternative to the Pro for low-end content production, such as picture editing. Video editing isn’t something that everyone does. Even so, there’s still potential for a light, weaker Air.
As additional information becomes available, we’ll update you.