Gurman sees Apple launching multiple M2 Macs in March, and then again in May or June

Apple may launch multiple M2 Macs in 2022, with some new models coming in March, and then again in May or June, says Bloomberg’s reliable reporter Mark Gurman.

A still from Apple's event video showing software chief Craig Federighi opening the lid of a MacBook Air
  • Mark Gurman expects the first new Mac computers based on an unreleased Apple M2 chip to go on sale sometime in March following a rumored event on March 8.
  • He’s also expecting new M2 Mac hardware in May or June. Apple will be holding its annual developer conference in the summer, normally a software-only event.
  • Gurman expects Apple to launch seven new Macs, including a new baseline MacBook Pro notebook, two iMac minis, an updated 24-inch iMac all-in-one desktop, a redesigned MacBook Air laptop and a half-sized Mac Pro.

Multiple new M2 Macs may be coming before the summer

Writing in his Power On newsletter on Bloomberg, Gurman said he expected Apple to release a new baseline MacBook Pro and a redesigned MacBook Air, along with updated Mac mini and 27-inch iMac models, before this summer. The Apple reporter expects all four models to be outfitted with Apple’s rumored M2 chip.

The third round of Mac updates is likely to kick off on March 8, when Apple is planning to hold its first media event of the year. The presentation is likely to focus on the 5G iPhone SE and iPad Air, but I’m told to expect at least one new Mac that day.

Could that one Mac coming in March be an overhauled MacBook Air, perhaps?

A revamped MacBook Air would be a nice holiday seller, so it makes sense to release it around that time of year—even if Apple had originally planned to get it out the door at the end of 2021 or in early 2022.

For what it’s worth, the MacBook Air has been Apple’s most popular notebook for years. Currently, the ultra-thin notebook runs an M1 chip and lacks a MagSafe connector.

So, which new Macs will launch first?

Well, Gurman is rooting for M2-based updates to the Mac mini and the 13-inch MacBook Pro. “Given that two of the oldest Apple silicon Macs in the lineup today are the entry-level MacBook Pro and Mac mini, I’d guess that those models will be next to be upgraded,” he wrote in the newsletter. Read: New to Mac? Learn the Finder basics

He’s certainly right about those two machines being the first Apple computers to receive the in-house designed Mac chip, the M1, back in 2020.

Who wants an Apple silicon iMac Pro?

Throughout 2022, as Gurman predicted a few months ago, the Cupertino company should update the current 27-inch iMac, still Intel-based, around the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips. The 24-inch model was refreshed last year around the M1 chip.

Here’s the rundown of the new Macs Gurman is expecting in 2022:

  • A new 24-inch iMac with Apple M2
  • An updated 13-inch MacBook Pro with Apple M2
  • An updated Mac mini with Apple M2
  • A new Mac mini with Apple M1 Pro
  • A redesigned MacBook Air with Apple M2
  • A replacement to the Intel-based 27-inch iMac with M1 Pro and M1 Max
  • A half-sized Mac Pro workstation with the equivalent of two or four M1 Max chips

He’s most likely right about all those updates.

Apple is also readying a larger iMac Pro for 2022 reveal

It’ll be interesting seeing whether Apple revives the “iMac Pro” name for an Apple silicon version of the 27-inch iMac. Gurman describes that model as “a larger iMac Pro with M1 Pro and M1 Max chip options”. Now, The chassis of the now-discontinued iMac Pro was carried over from the current 27-inch Intel-based model. If a revived iMac Pro will get a screen size increase, we’d expect it to measure between 30 and 32 inches diagonally.

Gurman writes:

And with the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips already on the market, I don’t believe the iMac Pro launch is too distant either. While we’ll get new Macs in March, I’m told Apple is already gearing up for another round of Mac releases around May or June.

And this on other new Macs coming in 2022:

Apple will want to drum up developer support for the super-powered Mac Pro chips, so I’d guess that the company wants to debut that machine as early as the WWDC event in June and ship it in the fall.

Gurman has also offered his take on the most powerful Apple chips coming to the Mac Pro, the company’s workstation dedicated to the most demanding tasks.

Which chips will power an Apple silicon Mac Pro?

“The super-powered Mac Pro chips” should offer either 20 CPU cores and 64 graphics cores or 40 CPU cores and 128 graphics cores. As for the M2 that will power updated 2022 Macs, it’s said to retain an eight-core CPU which will be a bit speedier than the M1, with the GPU jumping from seven or eight cores to nine or ten.

Gurman also expects Pro and Max versions of the upcoming Apple M2 chip in 2023, alongside the first version of the third-generation Apple silicon, the Apple M3.

iDB’s take: Don’t bet against Gurman

It should be noted that these are just Gurman’s personal expectations, some of which are based on information obtained from his sources. And Gurman’s sources are pretty solid, too, so we have no reason to challenge the validity of his predictions. That being said, however, Gurman, may not be 100 percent right in terms of launch timeframes given COVID-related disruptions in Asian supply chains. Read: How to AirPlay to Mac