Skip to main content

The upcoming Mac Pro may be based on M1 chip, not M2

Apple’s Mac Pro lineup is supposed to be the company’s most powerful desktop computer. Seeing how powerful the M1 Pro and M1 Max silicon are, one would think Apple would put the next-generation M2 processor in the upcoming Mac Pro. Apple will apparently continue using its M1 chips in the Mac Pro according to leaks.

This tidbit of information comes from well-known Apple tipster Dylan (@dylandkt on Twitter). He goes on to note that Apple will complete its transition to its own silicon at end of Q4 2022 and that the Mac Pro will indeed be the last device to make the switch.

Close up of a Mac Pro glowing in a red light.
Alessio Zaccaria / Unsplash

Instead of the M2, the Mac Pro will instead “be a further extension of the M1 beyond the cores of the M1 Max.”  Though that’s likely to disappoint those who were hoping for a super-powerful M2 version of the Mac Pro, the news isn’t all bad.

Recommended Videos

Earlier leaks suggest that the next iMac will contain a monster 20-core chip called the M1 Max Duo. It basically fuses two M1 Max chips together and features a 20-core CPU, a 64-core GPU, and up to 128GB of RAM. The current maxed-out MacBook Pro today has an M1 Max chip with a 10-core CPU, 32-core GPU, and up to 64GB of RAM and completely demolishes the current Mac Pro.

Keep in mind that for the current Mac Pro to even compete with the M1 Max it has to use the 28-core Intel Xeon W processor with the Afterburner card.

https://twitter.com/dylandkt/status/1483084206175670279

Additionally, Apple seems to introduce new chips in their lower models first before going whole-hog with the professional computers. The 2022 MacBook Air is expected to get the M2 chip along with a significant redesign that also includes a mini-LED display.

For those still holding out for the M2 upgrade, those chips are rumored to be made on TSMC’s 4nm process node. The smaller node size will enable Apple to increase performance while maintaining battery efficiency. Given how powerful and efficient the current M1 MacBook Air is, it’ll likely become even more so with the M2.

If that wasn’t enough, the rumored M3 chip will allegedly be made on a 3nm node that would be able to fit four dies of up to 40 cores. Apple aficionados definitely have much to be happy about in the coming months and years.

David Matthews
Former Digital Trends Contributor
David is a freelance journalist based just outside of Washington D.C. specializing in consumer technology and gaming. He has…
Apple’s next Pro Display XDR may use this high-end TV tech
Apple Pro Display XDR WWDC 2019 Hands On

CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants Ross Young recently revealed that Apple's M4 MacBook Pros are using quantum dot technology for the first time -- and now he's predicting that the Pro Display XDR 2 will use it too.

Apple didn't announce the switch from KSF to quantum dot itself, but the expert consultant firm confirmed the change by using a spectrometer on the new M4 MacBook Pro.

Read more
MacBook Pro 16 vs. MacBook Pro 14: here’s which M4 you should buy
The MacBook Pro 16-inch on a table.

MacBook Pros are some of the best laptops money can buy. With the M4 chip now onboard, these laptops have never been so powerful, and the update brings some interesting upgrades, such as the improved 12-megapixel webcam and brighter screen. They're the best MacBooks that have ever been made, and it's a perfect time to pick one up based on upgrade timing.

But just because the entire MacBook Pro lineup is better now, that doesn't mean it's any easier to choose between the two size options that are available. Despite the fact that they include many of the same features, the 14-inch MacBook Pro and 16-inch MacBook Pro feel like entirely different systems due to their contrast in size.

Read more
Apple hid one of the best features of the M4 MacBook Pro
Someone using a MacBook Pro M4.

Apple's new M4 MacBook Pro is great. It earned a rare Editors' Choice badge in our M4 MacBook Pro review, and it's cemented itself as one of the best laptops you can buy. Even with so much going for it, Apple hid one of the most exciting developments it made with its new range of laptops -- the use of quantum dot technology.

Like the last few generations of MacBook Pro displays, the M4 range is using a mini-LED backlight. There's no tandem OLED like we saw on the iPad Pro earlier this year. However, according to Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC), Apple added a layer of quantum dots to the M4 MacBook Pro. This, according to the display expert, offers better color gamut and motion performance compared to the solution Apple previously used.

Read more