Apple will reportedly debut an M2 chip with four new Macs this year

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Apple is reportedly gearing up to release several new Macs with an M2 chip later this year, according to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletter. Gurman expects the company to debut a 13-inch MacBook Pro, Mac Mini, 24-inch iMac, and a redesigned MacBook Air, all outfitted with the rumored M2 chip.

Apple hasn’t offered any hints about the potential M2 chip, but Gurman thinks its CPU will be slightly faster than the M1’s, and that it will share the same eight-core architecture. Its graphics cores, however, may jump from seven or eight to nine or 10. Come 2023, Gurman thinks Apple may release Pro and Max versions of the M2 chip — just like it did for the M1 chip — as well as announce an M3 chip.

It’s been well over a year since Apple first announced its very first in-house M1 chip in November 2020, and several months since its M1 Pro and M1 Max debut. As Apple continues to distance itself from Intel silicon, it has a few other Macs on tap that are likely meant to shove any remaining Intel-powered devices out of its lineup. Gurman expects a larger iMac Pro with M1 Pro and M1 Max chip options to replace its current 27-inch iMac Pro, along with a smaller Mac Pro that comes “with the equivalent of either two or four M1 Max chips.” And while the Mac Mini already comes with an M1 chip, Gurman expects it to get an upgraded M1 Pro option (in addition to an M2 variation).

As far as a timeline goes, Gurman says Apple will release new Macs in March, and then again in May or June. Apple is already tipped to reveal a 5G iPhone SE, 5G iPad Air, and potentially one new Mac at a rumored March 8th event. It’s also set to roll out iOS 15.4, which comes with a face mask-friendly Face ID, in March as well. An iPhone 14 and Apple Watch Series 8 aren’t expected until later this year.