The rumors focus on the characteristics of Apple's next chips, the M1X and M2 intended for MacBook Pro and MacBook Air respectively.
Not later than the end of the year for the MacBook Pro with the Apple M1X chip, while for the second generation of the chip designed in Cupertino, the Apple M2, we will have to wait until 2022 and the debut of the new MacBook Air. This is what emerges from the latest rumors on the next moves of Apple, which a year ago revolutionized the computer market with chips developed in house.
For the Apple M1X it is said that the Cupertino company will make use of the TSMC N5P production process, which is a further optimization of the already advanced 5-nanometer production process with which the current Apple M1 is made. It is expected that the M1X has a configuration of 10 cores divided into 8 high-performance cores and then to process the heaviest workloads, while the remaining 2 cores focused on power saving, when instead the current M1 has 8 cores in total, half of which are high-performance and the rest energy-saving. But probably the most important improvement will be in the graphics chip: Apple is rumored to have the potential to double or even quadruple the number of GPU cores compared to the M1, which now has 8 cores.
M2 fanless on MacBook Air 2022
There's not much information about Apple M2, which is normal being a project just a little further away in time than the M1X. The well-informed claim that the CPU will have fewer cores but despite this we expect an increase in clock frequency. This is thanks to a new architecture and a new workflow that Apple would have in store for the second generation of its chip, as well as a manufacturing process that could even go to 3 nanometers.
The intended use of the M1X chip would be the basis of a substantial difference with the M2, namely the presence of one or more fans to cool the hardware during the most complex operations instead of the passive dissipation that will characterize Apple M2 of the next generation of MacBook Air and probably also of the next Mac mini.
The latest on MacBook Pro
According to information collected by DigiTimes, Apple will present the new MacBook Pro as early as September. Apple's upcoming high-performance laptops have been rumored for some time, and many are claiming that they will debut the Mini LED display, a first for Apple laptops.
The Mini LED technology is able to ensure deeper blacks and better power consumption thanks to a more precise LED backlight than in the past because it relies on miniaturized diodes. The next 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro will arrive in a short time according to some, with the M1X chip with eight high-performance cores and two cores for lighter loads.
It is said that they can be configured with up to 64 GB of RAM, Thunderbolt and HDMI ports, an SD card slot and the MagSafe charging connector.