Future Apple Silicon Macs Rumored to Include Redesigned 14-Inch and 16-Inch MacBook Pro, 24-Inch iMac, and Smaller Mac Pro

Apple's transition away from Intel processors in Macs is officially underway with this week's introduction of new 13-inch MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac mini models with Apple's custom-designed M1 chip, and these three systems are just the beginning.

m1 macs banner
Following its virtual event on Tuesday, Apple reiterated that the transition to Apple Silicon will take about two years to be completed. Apple did not reveal which Macs will be getting M-series chips next, but here's what has been rumored so far:

  • 14-inch MacBook Pro: In July, reputable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo forecasted that new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with Apple Silicon and an all-new design will launch in the late second quarter or third quarter of 2021. Kuo has previously suggested that these notebooks may feature Mini-LED displays.
  • 16-inch MacBook Pro: Earlier this month, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Debby Wu reported that a new 16-inch MacBook Pro with Apple Silicon is in development, but the report did not provide a release timeframe. As mentioned above, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects a new 16-inch MacBook Pro with Apple Silicon and an all-new design to launch in the late second quarter or third quarter of 2021.
  • 24-inch iMac: In June, reputable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo forecasted that Apple would launch a 24-inch iMac with an all-new design in the late fourth quarter of 2020 or early first quarter of 2021 at the earliest.
  • A smaller Mac Pro: Earlier this month, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Debby Wu reported that Apple is developing a new Mac Pro that looks like the current design at about half the size. The report said it's unclear if that Mac will replace the current Mac Pro or be released as an additional model.

With an 8-core CPU, up to an 8-core GPU, a 16-core Neural Engine, unified memory architecture, and more, Apple says the M1 chip delivers up to 3.5x faster system performance, up to 6x faster graphics performance, and up to 15x faster machine learning, while enabling battery life up to 2x longer than previous-generation Macs.

The new 13-inch MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac mini are available to order on Apple.com and through the Apple Store app, with the first deliveries to customers and in-store availability set to begin November 17. Pricing starts at $1,299 for the new 13-inch MacBook Pro, $999 for the new MacBook Air, and $699 for the new Mac mini.

Related Roundups: iMac, Mac Pro, MacBook Pro 14 & 16"
Related Forums: iMac, Mac Pro, MacBook Pro

Top Rated Comments

Born Again Avatar
33 months ago
Update that webcam already! It’s embarrassing.
Score: 62 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ridgero Avatar
33 months ago
You can hate or love Apple, but with the move to ARM they are giving the industry a huge boost. 2020 is the first year in over a decade that I feel like something is really going on in the computer industry.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
startergo Avatar
33 months ago

Apple says the M1 chip delivers up to 3.5x faster system performance, up to 6x faster graphics performance, and up to 15x faster machine learning
Compared to what? I3 machine?
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ridgero Avatar
33 months ago
Mac Pro

Half the size = Half the price?
Half the size = Double the price?

Your guesses?
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Black.Infinity Avatar
33 months ago

Compared to what? I3 machine?
According to fine print on apple website “Testing conducted by Apple in October 2020 using preproduction MacBook Air systems with Apple M1 chip and 8-core GPU, as well as production 1.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i7-based MacBook Air systems, all configured with 16GB RAM and 2TB SSD.”
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MakeAppleAwesomeAgain Avatar
33 months ago
There were 218 days between the Intel announcement and the first Intel products. This year there were 142 days between the AS announcement and the first AS products. Both transitions would take two years. The last PowerPC products were replaced 427 days after the Intel announcement. I think the complete line-up will be replaced before or during WWDC 2021.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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