While Apple’s latest M1 MacBook Pro is less than six months old, the company is apparently working on the next generation of laptops powered by the M2 chip, according to a new report.
Tom’s Guide mentions a new report from DigiTimes which specifically looks at Apple’s production discussion for its new internal chips that will most likely drive the next generation of Macs. It is speculated that this may be the M2 chip.
It is understood that this new chip will be manufactured by the Taiwanese firm TSMC, and based on a 4-nanometer manufacturing process node. The current M1 chip is built on a 5 nanometer processing technology and contains 16 billion transistors, which is the most that Apple has ever put in a chip. Packing more transistors in a silicon cut means you need to add more power, so dropping from the 5-nanometer process to a 4-nanometer process should significantly increase the performance increase. According to DigiTimes, is the production of the 4-nanometer process chip ahead of schedule, as it was previously set for a 2022 time frame.
Improving the performance of the M1 will be amazing, especially since the M1 in the current MacBook Pro and the MacBook Air has absolutely blown the doors of expectations and competition. Linus Tech Tips and PetaPixel’s own internal tests have shown that both the M1 MacBook Air and MacBook Pro absolutely diminish the competition, taking into account both previous Apple devices as well as current Windows laptops. Even the Mac Mini, which is not a power station device, performed excellently.
Unfortunately, the M2 is unlikely to be in the upcoming redesigned iMacs expected this spring. Instead, the new iMacs are expected to use a version of the M1 chip on the PC, which is expected to outperform both the M1 MacBooks and the Mac Mini. In February, a leak suggested that the new iMacs would not only have a new design, but also in five colors.
The new iMacs are expected to be announced at an April event (which at the time of publication was just a rumor), but don’t expect to see the M2 chip or new Macbooks there. You’ll probably have to wait until Apple’s fall event – the same period that the M1 chip was announced in 2020 – to see it.