The just-released MacBook Pro running Apple’s new M2 processor offers generally good performance, but its single fan can’t stop it from experiencing ‘severe’ thermal throttling under certain conditions, according to tests done on the device.
The upcoming MacBook Air also uses an M2 chip and doesn’t have a fan at all. How much thermal throttling it will experience is not yet knownn, but it could be signficant.
Anyone with an eye on the newly announced MacBook Air or 13-inch MacBook Pro should be aware that they have a limitation: each supports only a single external monitor. It seems that’s all the Apple M2 processor can handle.
But the same is true for MacBooks with the original M1 chip, and workarounds were developed for these devices that will likely work with the M2 models.
Apple unveiled the next-generation of Apple silicon during the WWDC22 keynote Monday. This new M2 chip, which is launching in a redesigned MacBook Air and as an under-the-hood addition to the 13-inch MacBook Pro, offers even more power and efficiency than the previous-generation M1 processor.
“Today we begin our second generation of Apple silicon designed specifically for the Mac,” said Johny Srouji, Apple’s SVP of hardware technologies, during the live-streamed keynote.
The new M2 chip “goes beyond the remarkable features of M1,” he said. “Unlike others in the industry who significantly increase power to gain performance, our approach is different. We continue to have a relentless focus on power-efficient performance. In other words, maximizing performance while minimizing power consumption.”
