Apple is secretly testing at least 9 new Macs with M2 chips

By Alex Blake April 15, 2022

With Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) looming on the horizon, speculation is rife about what the Cupertino, California firm could have in store for us over the next year. The answer, it seems, is a bonanza of devices, as a reputable source has alleged Apple is testing at least nine new Macs that could potentially be released in the coming months.

The news comes from reporter Mark Gurman, who has made a name for himself with his accurate leaks and insights. Gurman believes Apple is testing the Macs with “four different M2-based chips,” destined for Macs aimed at both consumers and professional users.

Antonio Masiello/Getty Images

According to Gurman, the Macs being tested included the following machines:

A new MacBook Air with an M2 chip will come with eight CPU cores and 10 GPU cores. That’s up from the eight CPU cores and either seven or eight GPU cores (depending on the model) in the current MacBook Air
Two Mac Minis, one with the same M2 chip as the MacBook Air and another with an M2 Pro chip
An entry-level MacBook Pro with an M2 chip. This is will be an update to the 13-inch MacBook Pro
Two 14-inch MacBook Pro laptops, one with an M2 Pro chip and one with an M2 Max. Gurman says the M2 Pro has 12 CPU cores and 38 GPU cores, which is more than the 10 CPU cores and 32 GPU cores in the top-of-the-range M1 Max. This chip will also come with 64GB of unified memory
Two 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops with M2 Pro and M2 Max chips
A Mac Pro with a successor to the M1 Ultra that debuted in the Mac Studio

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Gurman also dropped the tidbit that Apple is currently testing Mac Mini machines with both M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, as well as the next-generation M2 equivalents. For many months, the Mac Mini has been rumored to get an M1 Pro upgrade, so Gurman’s news lines up with past leaks. However, Gurman adds that there’s a strong chance the Mac Studio has now made those machines obsolete, so our money is on Apple skipping straight to the M2 versions.

New story: Apple is testing at least 9 new M2-based Macs, including 12 core CPU/38 core GPU 14/16-inch MacBook Pros, 8 core CPU/10 core GPU MacBook Air, Mac mini & entry MacBook Pro + Mac Pro. New machines already appearing in third-party app analytics. https://t.co/PMDX1XYfOV

— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) April 14, 2022

With WWDC scheduled for June, previous rumors have suggested Apple will launch at least two new Macs at the event. The most likely contenders are the MacBook Air, the 13-inch MacBook Pro, and the Mac Mini.

The discovery of these new Macs was apparently made through App Store developer logs, suggesting Apple is testing the performance of its upcoming devices in a variety of third-party Mac apps that its customers might use. App logs have accurately revealed details in the past, such as the M1 Pro and M1 Max chip names, suggesting there could be some truth behind these current rumors.

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