The M1 chip just made its way to the new iMac and iPad Pro, but Apple’s already hard at work on its successor. According to a new report from Nikkei Asia, mass production of the M2 chip is already underway.
It is expected to debut as soon as early July, initially for use in a redesigned MacBook arriving in the second half of the year. Like the M1 chip, the M2 is being made using the 5-nanometer process developed by TSMC, the company that makes Apple’s A-series chips.
The Nikkei report notes that:
“The latest entry in the Apple Silicon lineup is, like its predecessor, a so-called system-on-a-chip, meaning it integrates central processing units, graphic processing units and artificial intelligence accelerators all on one chip. Sources said it will eventually be used in other Mac and Apple devices beyond the MacBook.”
Apple announced its transition away from Intel to its own Apple Silicon chipset at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June. Today’s report makes no mention of this year’s WWDC. However, if the M2 could debut as early as July, the month after WWDC 2021, that could suggest Apple will show it off at this year’s developer conference. Given the importance of the Apple Silicon transition, that would make a whole lot of sense. This year’s all-virtual WWDC kicks off June 7.
Mac shipments are soaring
Mac shipments are soaring, having increased a massive 29% to 23.1 million units in 2020, based on IDC figures. Apple currently stands as the No. 4 PC-maker in the world, behind Lenovo, HP and Dell. Computer manufacturers face component shortages around the world that could make some devices harder to find as the year goes on.
The next-gen MacBook Pro is widely expected to boast a new form factor, and offer both 14-inch and 16-inch screen sizes. It is also anticipated to kill off the LED Touch Bar in favor of a row of physical keys, sport a fancy mini-LED display and bring back the MagSafe charger, SD card reader and HDMI port. As well as, from the sound of things, the first M2 chip.
Source: Nikkei Asia
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