Two New Apple Silicon MacBooks Expected to Enter Mass Production in Second Half of 2021

Apple is planning redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models powered by Apple silicon for release in the second half of 2021, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, and a Nikkei Asia report today lends credence to that timeframe.

2021 mbp hdmi slot 3d
In a report focused on Apple slashing iPhone 12 orders from suppliers, the publication briefly noted that Apple has pushed back mass production of the two new MacBooks from May or June until the second half of the year. The report refers to the notebooks as "MacBooks," but it is likely this is referring to the upcoming MacBook Pro models.

Meanwhile, Apple has rescheduled plans to begin mass producing two new MacBook laptops in the second half of the year, from the previous schedule of May or June, Nikkei has learned. The two MacBooks will be powered by the Apple Silicon processor as part of a two-year transition away from longtime supplier Intel's microprocessors.

The second half of the year begins in July, so there should still be ample time for Apple's suppliers to ramp up production for a launch later in the year.

In addition to Apple silicon, Kuo expects the new MacBook Pro models to feature brighter displays with Mini-LED backlighting, a new design with a flat-edged top and bottom, an HDMI port and SD card reader, classic MagSafe charging with a magnetic power cable, and physical function keys instead of the Touch Bar. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has corroborated many of these details, and he was first to report that an SD card reader is returning.

Related Roundup: MacBook Pro
Tag: Nikkei
Buyer's Guide: MacBook Pro (Buy Now)
Related Forum: MacBook Pro

Popular Stories

top stories 2025 12 20

Top Stories: iOS 26.3 Beta, Major Apple Leaks, and More

Saturday December 20, 2025 6:00 am PST by
You'd think things would be slowing down heading into the holidays, but this week saw a whirlwind of Apple leaks and rumors while Apple started its next cycle of betas following last week's release of iOS 26.2 and related updates. This week also saw the release of a new Apple Music integration with ChatGPT, so read on below for all the details on this week's biggest stories! Top Stories i...
maxresdefault

Where's the New Apple TV?

Monday December 22, 2025 11:30 am PST by
Apple hasn't updated the Apple TV 4K since 2022, and 2025 was supposed to be the year that we got a refresh. There were rumors suggesting Apple would release the new Apple TV before the end of 2025, but it looks like that's not going to happen now. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said several times across 2024 and 2025 that Apple would...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Features Leaked in New Report, Including Under-Screen Face ID

Tuesday December 16, 2025 8:44 am PST by
Next year's iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will be equipped with under-screen Face ID, and the front camera will be moved to the top-left corner of the screen, according to a new report from The Information's Wayne Ma and Qianer Liu. As a result of these changes, the report said the iPhone 18 Pro models will not have a pill-shaped Dynamic Island cutout at the top of the screen....
ios 18 security update

Don't Want to Upgrade to iOS 26? Here's How to Stay on iOS 18 [Update: Now Unavailable]

Friday December 19, 2025 10:37 am PST by
Since the beginning of December, Apple has been pushing iPhone users who opted to stay on iOS 18 to install iOS 26 instead. Apple started by making the iOS 18 upgrades less visible, and has now transitioned to making new iOS 18 updates unavailable on any device capable of running iOS 26. If you have an iPhone 11 or later, Apple is no longer offering new versions of iOS 18, even though there...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 Brings AirPods-Like Pairing to Third-Party Devices in EU Under DMA

Monday December 22, 2025 3:20 pm PST by
The European Commission today praised the interoperability changes that Apple is introducing in iOS 26.3, once again crediting the Digital Markets Act (DMA) with bringing "new opportunities" to European users and developers. The Digital Markets Act requires Apple to provide third-party accessories with the same capabilities and access to device features that Apple's own products get. In iOS...
iPhone Chips

Apple Clings to Samsung as RAM Prices Soar

Monday December 22, 2025 6:17 am PST by
Apple is significantly increasing its reliance on Samsung for iPhone memory as component prices surge, according to The Korea Economic Daily. Apple is said to be expanding the share of iPhone memory it sources from Samsung due to rapidly rising memory prices. The shift is expected to result in Samsung supplying roughly 60% to 70% of the low-power DRAM used in the iPhone 17, compared with a...
apple beta 26 lineup

Apple's 2026 and 2027 Product Roadmap: Foldable iPhone, iPhone 18 Pro, M5 Macs, and More

Tuesday December 16, 2025 4:42 pm PST by
There has been a whirlwind of rumors over the last few days, sourced from leaked internal software designed for the iPhone and the Mac, and news sites like The Information. Below, we have a quick recap of everything we've heard this week, which serves as a guide to Apple's product plans in 2026 and beyond. We've organized the info by likely release date, though there are some products that...

Top Rated Comments

Black Belt Avatar
63 months ago
Aside from bringing back MagSafe to the MacBook Pro, I want the Apple logo on the back to light up again
Score: 44 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cmaier Avatar
63 months ago
My 2016 mbp keyboard now types whatever it feels like. Hurry up with the new machines!
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SuperMatt Avatar
63 months ago
I know a lot of people are looking forward to an Apple silicon MacBook Pro with more than 16GB of RAM… I think the first round of M1 Macs is just a taste of the power we can expect from high-end Macs soon.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
theSeb Avatar
63 months ago

So boring. Apple is meandering around. Back to 2015 then hm okay.

But god forbid they'd put a touch screen in it. No...
Thank goodness that they don’t put in a touchscreen. Fingers leave an oily mess behind with little actual UI benefit on a laptop form factor.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
trifid Avatar
63 months ago
Can't wait, my body is ready to get rid of the turbojet!!

Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
UltimateSyn Avatar
63 months ago
This sounds more like an October / November launch, then. :(
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)