There won’t be new Mac launches in 2022. But in early 2023, Apple should release new M2-powered MacBook Pro laptops and refresh its other computers.
- What’s happening? Apple’s holiday lineup is reportedly set, with no new Macs arriving this year. Bloomberg tells us which new Macs to expect in early 2023.
- Why care? Because some Mac computers, including the MacBook Pro line and the Mac mini, are still powered by the old Apple M1 chip.
- What to do? Enjoy life. With no new Macs until 2023, your wallet will thank you and you’ll get to keep your kidney for a little longer.
M2 MacBook Pro due in early 2023
Writing in his Power On newsletter on Bloomberg, journalist Mark Gurman says Apple’s been gearing up to launch new Macs early next year. With October ending in less than 24 hours and no Apple media event in sight, it’s indeed increasingly looking like we shouldn’t be expecting any news on the Mac front before 2023 rolls.
While Apple had aimed to release the new MacBook Pros as early as this fall, the company’s internal plans—confirmed by public comments this past week—have shut the door on that. During the company’s quarterly earnings call Thursday, CEO Tim Cook called the product line “set” for this holiday season.
Things get more interesting as Gurman gets to describe which new Macs to expect in 2023, like 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pros powered by Apple’s upcoming M2 Pro and M2 Max chips. According to Gurman, the M2 Max will increase the number of processing cores from ten to twelve while boosting graphics from 32 to 38 cores.
There’s also a new Mac mini in the works.
What about an M2 Mac mini?
The current M1 Mac mini was among the first Apple silicon systems in 2020. The smallest Mac in Apple’s offering is ripe for a refresh, with Apple testing both an M2 version and a more powerful variant powered by an M2 Pro chip with more CPU and GPU cores. While Apple continues to offer the $1099 Intel-based model, Gurman says the company should discontinue the machine once M2 Mac minis arrive.
Arriving in the first quarter of 2023
Gurman doesn’t provide much clarity as to when Apple might launch these new Macs other than saying he expects the new machines sometime in the first quarter of 2024 because Apple rarely releases new computers in January or February.
The Mac Studio desktop, for example, was unveiled in March 2022.
Gurman says new Mac launches are tied to macOS Ventura 13.3 and iOS 16.3 which should drop “between early February and the beginning of March.” Before that, however, Apple will drop iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2 “around mid-December.”
Lower Mac sales this holiday quarter
If you hold Apple shares, you should consider this rumor. If Apple does end up with fewer new devices to sell this holiday quarter, that could affect earnings. Of course, Apple’s forecast for the holiday quarter addresses the Mac situation.
“We have a very challenging compare against last year, which had the benefit of the launch and associated channel fill of our newly redesigned MacBook Pro with M1,” Luca Maestri, Apple’s chief financial officer, said during a recent earnings call.
“Therefore, we expect Mac revenue to decline substantially year over year during the December quarter.” Read: How to back up your Mac photos and videos