Think Apple Silicon is exciting now? Just wait and see what’s to come

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Amazing Mac Pro concept shrinks the casing but keeps the cheese grater
A smaller, more powerful Mac Pro is expected in 2022.
Concept: Róbert Hallon.svetapple.sk

Apple just reported a hugely successful quarter for the Mac — one of its best ever — and it looks like it’s only going to get better. A new report detailing the company’s Apple Silicon roadmap says the best is yet to come.

In addition to new MacBook Pro models powered by faster Apple Silicon chips, which are still on track for this year, Apple is expected to roll out a high-end Mac mini before the year is out. Then, in 2022, we could see a “revamped, smaller Mac Pro” featuring custom Apple chips — and more.

Apple Silicon has been a game-changer. It has not only made Apple’s most popular machines faster and more efficient than they ever were when running Intel chips, but it has completely reignited interest in the Mac. Despite supply constraints, the last year was the best ever for Mac sales.

When it introduced Apple Silicon for the first time in November 2020, Apple said it would take two years to transition the entire Mac lineup to custom chips. It looks like reaching that deadline is going to be tight, but according to one reliable reporter, what Apple has planned will knock your socks off.

The Mac is going to get even better

In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman predicts big things for the Mac for 2021 and 2022. It begins with the MacBook Pro upgrade we were already waiting for, which is expected to bring even faster “M1X” chips in the coming months.

“Soon after that,” Apple will introduce a high-end Mac mini that’s likely to feature similar power upgrades, Gurman says. In 2022, Apple is expected to deliver a “revamped, smaller Mac Pro” powered by Apple Silicon, as well as a redesigned MacBook Air that will feature MagSafe support.

Bloomberg previously reported that Apple is developing custom 20-core and 40-core chips for use in a future Mac Pro. It is believed the first Apple Silicon model could be around half the size of the current desktop.

More for Mac Pro

In the meantime, Apple will roll out one more Mac Pro refresh that will continue to feature Intel chips — likely the company’s new Xeon Ice Lake processors — Gurman writes. It’s not yet clear when that refresh will happen.

If you’ve been lusting after an M1 Mac but haven’t yet pulled the trigger then, it might pay to wait a little while longer. You could end up with an even better machine when Apple’s new models roll out, or, at the very least, a nice discount on one of today’s models.

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