Apple now tipped to launch affordable MacBook Pro, high-end Mac mini at March event
India Today
Apple's March 8 event is likely to see the launch of the new Mac mini and the MacBook Pro, but Apple has an entire lineup planned for launch this year, according to a new report.
Apple is expected to introduce its biggest refresh in years this year and Macs are supposed to take the lion’s share in the portfolio. Previous rumours have hinted that Apple is working on a slew of new Macs, including an affordable MacBook Pro and a top-end Mac mini computer. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has once again said that we could see these two Macs at the upcoming March event, while at least five more new Macs will arrive later this year.
In his latest edition of Power On newsletter, Gurman said Apple is planning a major upgrade in terms of processors in its Mac lineup this year. You can expect the M2 processor as the successor to the M1 and a super-powered version of the M1 Max, which debuted on the MacBook Pro last year. Besides, Apple may retain the original M1 Max and the M1 Pro chips for some Macs this year. And one of them could be the upcoming Mac mini.
The Mac mini is one of the oldest Apple Silicon Macs in the lineup right now. This year, it may get a Pro model. Some rumours believe that the 2022 model will be called Mac mini Pro, which makes sense if you consider what Gurma said. According to him, the Mac mini this year is likely to feature the M1 Pro chipset, so adding Pro to its name will justify its better performance than the M1 and Intel versions. Other than the internals, the design may also undergo changes - major ones. Tipster Jon Prosser said this year’s Mac mini will have a compact design with premium flexiglass material on top, and more ports than before.
Apple’s powerhouse machine, the MacBook Pro, is also getting a new model this year. However, it will not be a high-end one. Gurman suggested the MacBook Pro will include an affordable this year. That immediately means changes in hardware, which, according to some previous reports, will include the absence of the ProMotion display and a high number of GPU cores, among other things. The biggest change, however, may be the new processor. Gurman said Apple will launch the MacBook Pro with an M2 processor, which will be better than the M1 but not as powerful as the M1 Pro and M1 Max.
The March 8 event is likely to see the launch of the new Mac mini and the MacBook Pro, but Apple has an entire lineup planned for launch this year. Gurman said Apple is “gearing up for another round of Mac releases around May or June.” The lineup may include a redesigned MacBook Air with the M2 chip, an iMac Pro with M1 Max and M1 Pro options, a half-sized Mac Pro with a new supercharged M1 Max processor, and a Mac mini with an M2 chipset.
