Apple will unveil the first MacBook Pro with an M2 Apple chip processor at its spring event next month, according to a new supply chain report today.
DigiTimes reported that Apple’s supply chain partners kept production lines running for the new MacBook Pro over the Lunar New Year holiday, which, according to the publication’s industry sources, will launch in “early March.”
Apple will reportedly release a slew of new devices in early March, including a new MacBook Pro with the latest M2 processor, an entry-level 5G iPhone SE and an iPad, the sources said. With the exception of the processor, most other parts used in the new MacBook Pro reportedly have nearly the same specifications as the current model with the M1 chip, allowing MacBook Pro supply chain partners to keep production during the week-long Lunar New Year holiday. , to meet the growing demand for the Mac lineup, the source continued.
While the report doesn’t mention a specific model of the MacBook Pro, Apple is believed to be working on an updated version of its entry-level 13-inch M1 MacBook Pro, which received a positive reception back in November 2020.
Just last weekend, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman said that Apple’s intention is to release an updated entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro with an M2 chip in 2022, but that machine is widely expected to appear later this year, too. That’s after Apple finished releasing the final Mac with the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips.
The next-generation entry-level MacBook Pro will contain the M2 chip that the next-generation MacBook Air is expected to feature, with the same number of CPU cores as the M1 chip, 10 graphics cores, and a further boost in performance.
Gurman believes that Apple will do away with the Touch Bar on the new entry-level MacBook Pro, which is expected to not include a ProMotion display. Those details have yet to be confirmed, and quite a few have been questioning how the new entry-level machine will sit halfway between the new M2 MacBook Air (also expected this year) and the current high-end MacBook Pro models.
At its virtual event on Tuesday, March 8, Apple is also expected to unveil new iPhone SE and iPad Air models, both of which are believed to feature the A15 chip and 5G support.