Luis Smith Tech 04.28.2021 09:Apr AM EDT

2021 MacBook Specs, Chipset and More: Next-Gen 'M2' Chips Coming Amid Mass Production Rumors

2021 MacBooks Specs, Chipset and More: Nex-Gen 'M2' Chips Coming Amid Mass Production Rumors — After Apple's latest announcements of its new iMacs and the iPad Pro lineups with an M1 processor, rumor has it that the Cupertino-based company will be releasing a new MacBook Pro model with an integrated M2 chipset in July this year. Photo : Moritz Kindler/Unsplash

After Apple's latest announcements of its new iMacs and the iPad Pro lineups with an M1 processor, rumor has it that the Cupertino-based company will be releasing a new MacBook Pro model with an integrated M2 chipset in July this year.

Rumored M2 Chipset for MacBook Pro

According to Ars Technica, the intel was first leaked by Japanese publication Nikkei Asia, noting the next generation of MacBook Pros will be integrated with M2 chips after Apple's M1 processors. The rumored chipset will reportedly take at least three months to produce and have an early shipment on July.

The publication noted that Apple could introduce the new MacBook Pro with the M2-integrated chipset by June during the company's developer conference since the tech giant has already announced a two-year plan to update its MacBook this year.

It also noted multiple leaks stating that Apple will launch a higher specification for its MacBook Pro that will have the faster M2 chip. The upcoming processor will also be used for other Apple products besides the MacBook, as seen by its recent releases with the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac Mini, iPad Pro, and the iMac with the M1 chipset.

Gizmodo, meanwhile, reported that the upcoming Apple chipset has been dubbed as the "M1X," and it is expected that it will also be a system-on-chip processor (SoC) with the CPU, GPU, and RAM fixed on the same board.

It also revealed that there were speculations online about the upcoming M2 chipset being added to the iMacs. However, Apple stated that the desktop would get the same M1 chip present from other Apple products today. Fans can still hope that Apple will feature a 12-core CPU with two times the graphics power.

On the other hand, MacRumors cited that the products with the M1 chip features an 8-core CPU, up to an 8-core GPU, a 16-core Neural Engine, and a unified memory design. The M1 chip could go up to 3.5x faster system performance, 6x faster graphics performance, and up to 15x faster AI learnings, as well as a power saver feature that can last up to 2x the previous one did.

MacBook Air, Pro, and Mini Latest Deals

According to MSN, older MacBooks are on sale from retailers such as Amazon and Best Buy, offering it to potential buyers at 15-20 percent off its pricing. The store also offers a one-year warranty on all refurbished Apple products.

The MacBook Air with the M1 chipset, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of SSD has a starting price of $999. However, purchasers can get the device for only $899 at Amazon, while B&H Photo stores with the Gold and Silver models are discounted.

If a bulkier laptop suits purchasers, get a refurbished MacBook Pro for only $1,799 for the 13-inch model with 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage. That is a $200 price cut from its usual $1,999 price point on Amazon.

Meanwhile, the Apple Mac Mini with the M1 chip is also on sale for potential buyers in the market right now. The Desktop computer will not include a monitor, keyboard, and mouse but has a $699 price point on Amazon, Best Buy, and Apple.