Apple is expected to launch its first true ‘Pro’ version of the MacBook powered by an in-house designed chip. The company already launched the 13” MacBook Pro with the M1 chip last year but it uses the same CPU as the MacBook Pro or even the Mac mini. While the M1 is an extremely powerful processor, it is not a top-tier chip, as it tries to manage both raw power and power efficiency.
The M1 chip has changed the computer industry by a large extent with the technological advancements it brings. To push it even further, Apple will release a powerful version of the M1 later this year. The current generation 16” MacBook Pro still runs on old Intel chips and also the top-tier versions of the 13” MacBook Pro still use Intel chips. To switch all the MacBook models to Apple Silicon, the company will release the rumoured ‘M1X’ (name not confirmed) chip to power the 16” MacBook Pro and a new 14” MacBook Pro which will replace the current 13” Intel powered MacBook Pro.
Two years to transition to Apple Silicon
Last year, at the 2020 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple CEO Tim Cook said that the company would transition from Intel to Apple Silicon on the Mac over the course of two years. A year has already passed and now the company has less than a year to switch all of its Macs to its own in-house designed chips. Apple will likely showcase all of its Mac computers – the entire lineup – at the 2022 WWDC, as promised by Cook.
Apple’s M1 chip for the Mac computers are made by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) which also manufactures the A-series chips for the iPhone, the iPad, and the Apple TV. TSMC will also likely produce the chips for the high-end Mac computers which are likely to release in October, at the usual Mac hardware event (except for 2020).
