Apple is rumored to be working on at least five new Macs to be released this year. Those potentially include an all-new 15-inch MacBook Air and a new Mac Pro to complete its Apple silicon transition.
The rumor mill is yet to agree on a concrete date for any potential unveilings. With the WWDC keynote precisely one month from today and Mac sales revenue reporting a 30% decline, Apple couldn’t be more eager to unveil some new Macs. Below, we take a closer look at possible release dates for rumored Mac desktops and laptops.
Entry-level MacBook Pro
- Expected refresh to include a new M3 chip
- M3 production to begin in the second half of 2023
- WWDC announcement unlikely
- Could be announced towards the end of 2023 with a new 13-inch MacBook Air
The 13-inch MacBook Pro is “Pro” in name only. It features an old 13-inch display, an aging 2016 design, only two USB-C ports, and the infamous Touch Bar. Still, Apple seems content with this machine’s existence, which was one of the first Macs to receive the M1 chip in 2020. The machine was upgraded in 2022, receiving a minor spec bump with the M2 chip alongside the more radical MacBook Air redesign.
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The 13-inch MacBook Pro is set to live on. 9to5Mac reported that a new laptop iteration is in testing, equipped with the next-generation M3 chip. Like its 2020 and 2022 predecessors, the new machine is not expected to receive notable upgrades, save for the M3 chip.
Following precedent, we could see an updated 13-inch MacBook Pro announced around the same as the new 13-inch MacBook Air, rumored to get an M3 chip spec bump. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects the M3 to begin manufacturing in the second half of 2023. As such, the refreshed 13-inch MacBook Pro is unlikely to debut at WWDC. Barring any delays for the M3 chip production, a reveal in the second half of this year sounds reasonable.
13-inch MacBook Air
- Expected refresh to include a new M3 chip
- M3 production to begin in the second half of 2023
- WWDC announcement unlikely
- Could be announced towards the end of 2023 when the M3 chip is ready
The 13-inch MacBook Air received a massive upgrade last year at WWDC 2022. The machine got its first redesign since October 2018, letting go of the iconic tapered design and adopting a more uniform profile similar to its MacBook Pro brethren. The machine also came with a slightly bigger 13.6-inch display and was Apple’s first Mac to feature the M2 chip.
While Apple is in no rush to upgrade its MacBook Air which was upgraded less than a year ago, the company is rumored to be working on a refreshed version with the M3 chip. In March, 9to5Mac exclusively found evidence of a 13-inch MacBook Air powered by the M3 chip, developed under the codename J513.
The machine could realistically be announced during the second half of this year when Apple and TSMC are rumored to ramp up production of the M3 chip. The 13-inch MacBook Air and MacBook Pro are thus set to miss out on an appearance at WWDC, as Apple appears to be sticking to an 18-month cycle with its M-series of chips.
24-inch iMac with M3
- Expected refresh to include M3 chip with same colors as the current model
- Currently in Engineering Validation Test (EVT) development stage
- Mass production set to begin in three months
- It could be announced sometime in October or November of 2023
Apple seems to be working on a considerable refresh for its 24-inch iMac. First announced in April 2021, the colorful desktop was announced two years ago and has remained without any updates since. However, that is set to change as Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman revealed in March that Apple is working on a new iMac iteration equipped with the M3 chip.
The iMac, currently said to be in the EVT stage, is not expected to be much different from its predecessor, save for some internal design changes. Gurman doesn’t expect the new desktop to go into mass production for another three months. As such, a WWDC 2023 announcement seems unlikely, with a reveal in the second half of 2023 more plausible.
All-new 15-inch MacBook Air
- All-new MacBook Air size
- Rumored specs include a processor “on par” with the M2, 15.2-inch LCD display
- Likely to be announced at WWDC
- Model with M3 chip already in testing, likely to be revealed next year
Apple is working on the first-ever MacBook Air to feature a display bigger than 13 inches. Information regarding the new machine seems tumultuous at best, with earlier doubt cast surrounding the rumored laptop’s branding.
Seasoned supply chain analyst Ross Young of DSCC said the new MacBook Air would have a 15.2-inch LCD display. Gurman reported that the laptop uses the exact resolution as the 14-inch MacBook Pro per developer logs, resulting in a slightly less sharp image on the bigger display.
Multiple sources seem to disagree on what Apple silicon chip would power the 15-inch laptop. 9to5Mac reported that Apple is testing the new machine with the unannounced M3 chip. However, Gurman disagrees, claiming that developer logs reveal the computer is using “processors on par with the current M2 chip”, with the M3 chip “coming later” beyond WWDC. Ming-Chi Kuo also expects the laptop to come with two binned configurations of the M2 chip.
An exact release date for the new machine is unknown, with multiple dates reported. Young claimed a release date between late April and early May – though now seems unlikely – as panel production has reportedly ramped up. Gurman echoed a similar sentiment, reporting that a trio of new MacBooks is expected sometime between “late spring and summer,” later narrowing his prediction to at least one new laptop – presumably the 15-inch MacBook Air – arriving at WWDC.
Mac Pro with Apple silicon
- New Mac Pro with M2 Ultra to finalize Apple silicon transition
- M2 Ultra chip to feature 48-core CPU, 76-core GPU, 192GB of unified memory
- Expected to be less modular than the Intel-based Mac Pro
- Appearance at WWDC now unlikely, to be revealed before year’s end
The Mac Pro is the only machine that Apple still sells with Intel-based Xeon processors. The current professional desktop tower was unveiled at WWDC 2019 alongside Pro Display XDR, remaining untouched ever since.
Apple has been long rumored to work on a new Mac Pro with an Apple silicon processor. The machine was thought to be unveiled sometime in 2022, in line with Apple’s claim that it would complete its transition in two years. The claim never materialized, however, with the company missing its self-imposed deadline. The new Mac Pro is now expected to be announced sometime this year.
Gurman reports that Apple was working on an “Extreme” variant of its M2 chip before abandoning its plans over cost concerns and complicated manufacturing. The M2 “Extreme” would have topped out at a monstrous 48-core CPU and 152-core GPU configuration. Instead, the machine is expected to come with the M2 Ultra, featuring up to 24-core CPU, 76-core GPU, and at least 192GB of unified memory.
In terms of design, the new Mac Pro is primarily expected to retain the same modular design as its 2019 predecessor. The modularity of the new desktop has raised concerns because all current Apple silicon chips feature unified memory and graphics attached to the motherboard. As such, users may only be able to upgrade media and networking cards in addition to storage.
The new Mac Pro was meant to be announced in 2022 but was delayed owing to problems mentioned earlier with the now-scrapped M2 “Extreme” chip. It is now expected sometime later this year, with Gurman previously naming the new Mac Pro as one of several new Macs expected between “late spring and summer.” However, Gurman later redacted his claims, believing the machine won’t even be announced at WWDC.
Last month, three unknown Mac identifiers appeared in a configuration file in Find My’s service backend. The structure of the configuration file and the identifiers themselves lead credibility to three new Mac desktops equipped with a variant of the M2 chip. The three identifiers could belong to multiple spec configurations of the unannounced Mac Pro.
In all cases, Apple would probably like to announce the new Mac Pro before any new Macs with the M3 chip. This is because the company would not want to introduce the older M2 Ultra simultaneously with, the newer M3 chip, even though the M2 Ultra is guaranteed to be much more powerful.
Conclusion
Apple desperately needs to announce new Macs as the company grapples with an industry-wide sales slump. With WWDC around the corner, it represents the perfect opportunity to announce new Macs to attract new customers and those looking to upgrade their ailing machines.
From entry-level laptops to professional-grade desktops powered by its trendsetting Apple silicon, the company has enough tricks up its sleeve to mesmerize the tech community and maintain momentum of the Mac revival it heralded in 2020.
