Evidence that Apple is testing the M2 Apple silicon chip, expected to debut first in a new MacBook Air and refreshed 13-inch MacBook Pro, has been spotted by a developer ahead of Tuesday’s “Peek performance” Apple event.
As reported by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in his latest Power On newsletter, a “developer source” has informed him that in recent weeks, Apple has been testing a chip with an eight-core CPU and a 10-core GPU across multiple Macs on the latest macOS beta.
I’m told from a developer source that Apple has been testing multiple Macs with a new chip in recent weeks that includes an eight-core CPU (four efficiency cores and four high-performance cores) and 10 GPU cores. Those are exactly the specifications of the M2 chip I detailed last year.
Apple has been testing this new chip on machines running macOS 12.3 (which should be released in the next week or two and run on the new Macs) and a future macOS 12.4, as well as macOS 13, which will be previewed in June at WWDC 2022.
A similar story played out ahead of Apple’s Mac-focused event in October, in which the M1 Pro and M1 Max chip names were spotted in app logs.
Apple’s M2 Apple silicon chip will be the first significant upgrade for Apple’s custom silicon on the Mac since its introduction. Apple unveiled the M1 chip in November 2020 and has since introduced more powerful iterations of the chip, including the M1 Pro and M1 Max.
The M2 chip is thought to make its way first to an updated 13-inch MacBook Pro and a completely redesigned MacBook Air. Gurman said today that a new Mac mini, expected to feature M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, is “ready to go” and could launch next week. A new 13-inch MacBook Pro and a new iMac could launch “as soon as the first half of the year,” Gurman added.
Gurman reiterated his expectations for Apple’s “Peek performance” event on Tuesday. As widely reported by previous rumors and leaks, a new iPhone SE with the same 4.7-inch design as the previous model is expected to be announced, but with the addition of 5G connectivity and a new chip.
A new iPad Air is also rumored to make a debut at the event, featuring the A15 chip, Center Stage, and 5G connectivity. Alongside the new iPhone, iPad, and at least one new Apple silicon Mac, Gurman said that a fourth “wildcard” announcement is possible.
Apple’s event will kick off at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time on Tuesday, March 8. In addition to being streamed on YouTube, the event can also be watched through the events webpage and in the Apple TV app. If you’re unable to watch, you can tune in to MacRumors on the site or through our MacRumorsLive Twitter account. For a detailed rundown of everything we expect, see our guide.
