Apple reportedly halted production of the M2 Apple silicon chip, used in the 13-inch MacBook Pro, 13-inch MacBook Air, and updated Mac mini, for an entire month amid “low demand” for the latest Macs, according to a report from The Elec.
The report states that after M2 wafers are completed chips, TSMC, which serves as Apple’s main chip supplier, sends the completed wafers to two South Korean companies for packaging and testing. According to supply chain sources who spoke to The Elec, neither South Korean company received any M2 wafers from TSMC over the course of the first month of the year.
“This can only happen if Cupertino requests it and is likely caused by the low demand for MacBooks, which use the chips,” the report cites an unnamed source as saying. Production of the M2 chip resumed last month, the report notes, but capacity has been “dropped by half.”
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Apple announced the M2 chip last June at WWDC alongside a redesigned 13-inch MacBook Air. M2 marks the second generation of Apple silicon for the Mac, featuring an 18% faster CPU and a 35% faster GPU compared to M1. Apple has since expanded the M2 family to include the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips, powering updated 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros.
Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman recently stated that he expects several new Macs to launch in the middle of this year, including an all-new 15-inch MacBook Air, the first Mac Pro with Apple silicon. Apple last week announced this year’s WWDC will take place from June 5 to June 9 with a hybrid digital and in-person event. Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations, Susan Prescott, says this year’s conference will be Apple’s “biggest and most exciting yet.”
The company is widely expected to announce its “Reality Pro” AR/VR headset at the event, but recent rumors have cast doubt on such an announcement. For a full rundown of everything we expect at this year’s WWDC, check out our what to expect report.
