Skip to main content

Why Apple skipped the M2 MacBook Pro at its spring event

The next MacBook Pro was highly rumored to launch at Apple’s annual spring event. But the show’s over, and a new MacBook Pro was nowhere to be found. And there are some people who were looking to update that will undoubtedly be bummed by the lack of news.

But here’s the thing: The M2 MacBook Pro is likely coming later this year, and when it does, it’ll make a lot more sense than it would have this week.

Recommended Videos

The Apple spring event

Tim Cook on the stage at Apple's Peek Performance event.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

This new MacBook Pro was reported to be an update of the current 13-inch M1 model that first launched in late 2020. It would swap out the M1 for an M2, but otherwise keep the same design — Touch Bar and all.

But when it comes to Macs at this year’s event, the focus of the show was still very much on the M1, even with the latest extension in the form of the new M1 Ultra configuration. That’s what the new Mac Studio is all about — showing off what those chips can do in a new form factor. If you remember, these are the chips that were first announced in the MacBook Pro 14-inch and 16-inch in 2021, just around six months ago. These chips are not just the follow-up to the M1 — they introduced new graphics capabilities and showed just how far Apple could take its integrated graphics. They featured 16 graphics cores in the M1 Pro and 32 cores in the M1 Max. The M1 Ultra takes that even further, but as you can tell, Apple wasn’t about to introduce an M2 into the world until it was done milking the M1 for all it was worth.

Last sring, Apple took a very similar approach, except with the M1. Six months after the launch of the initial M1 in the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, Apple put that same M1 in the iPad Pro and the 24-inch iMac. Same chip, new devices.

These high-end M1 chips will end up being significantly more powerful than the M2, especially in terms of graphics, but introducing the M2 this early in the release cycle of the M1 Max still would have felt counterintuitive. All this is to say that it made a lot of sense for Apple to have kept its focus on the M1 Max and M1 Ultra — and leave the M2 for later this fall.

When will it be announced?

All signs point to a launch of the M2 MacBook Pro later this fall. The biggest Mac events are reserved for October or November, which is when Apple will likely outline the changes to the M2 over the M1. This is also when Apple will undoubtedly put the spotlight on its MacBooks.

There are at least two MacBooks still rumored to launch in 2022: The M2 13-inch MacBook Pro and the redesigned MacBook Air. The M2 MacBook Pro is rumored to be far less exciting, featuring some very familiar hardware that’s been around since 2016.

The white keyboard and bezels of the rumored MacBook Air redesign.
Image credit: Jon Prosser Image used with permission by copyright holder

This redesigned MacBook Air (or it may just be called the MacBook), however, is said to feature a superthin new chassis with white bezels and many color options. This may take the place of the current M1 MacBook Air, or it may slot in between the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro in terms of price. One thing’s for sure: Apple intends to make the range from $999 to $1,599 chock-full of different MacBook options.

Regardless of the details, it’s not hard to explain why it would make sense for Apple to wait to launch these new laptops alongside the M2 chip in the fall — not unlike the initial rollout of the M1 in 2020.

Luke Larsen
Former Senior Editor, Computing
Luke Larsen is the Senior Editor of Computing, managing all content covering laptops, monitors, PC hardware, Macs, and more.
The long overdue MacBook Pro design refresh might land in 2026
MacBook Pro

Apple likes to stick around with each product design refresh for at least a few generations. Take for example the M4 MacBook Pro, which is still carrying the same design language that was first introduced atop the M1 series models back in 2021.
Things could finally change next year. “In terms of major new Mac designs, I don’t expect the MacBook Pro to get an overhaul until around 2026 — when the M6 model is due to come out,” says a Bloomberg report.
Apple is currently working on refreshed MacBook Air and Pro models with M5-series processors. They might, however, stick with the same aesthetic formula as their respective M4-series counterparts. It’s not bad, but not without its flaws either.

“It’s no joke to lug around. Some will appreciate the extra screen real estate, no doubt, but there’s definitely a trade-off in mobility,” said Digital Trends’ review of the current-gen MacBook Pro.
“The one eyesore in the whole experience to me is still the notch in the display. I find it quite ugly and intrusive, and the way it cuts into the menu bar can be clumsy, especially on the 14-inch model,” the review adds.

Read more
Apple silicon has made the MacBook Pro a consumer favorite
Someone using a MacBook Pro at a desk.

Apple’s computer lineup has greatly benefitted from its update to the M4 chip in 2024. The brand introduced the M4 MacBook Pro and iMac lines in the last year– and research has further indicated that Apple’s decision to shift from Intel processors to proprietary silicon was a solid move. It has made consumers favor Apple laptops more. 

According to statistics from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), MacBook form factors, in either MacBook Pro or MacBook Air made up 86% of Apple’s PC market share in 2024. Consumers especially favored the M4 MacBook Pro at a rate of 53%, while 33% of MacBook Air models shipped during the year, and 14% of iMac models. These figures vary only slightly from the year prior; however, CIRP noted that Apple appears to have weathered any fluctuations that may have occurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Read more
Here’s how Apple’s first foldable MacBook might win me over
The Zenbook Fold 17 open on a table.

Rumors have persisted for years now that Apple is working on a touchscreen MacBook, but I’ve never been truly convinced. For one thing, I don’t see how a touchscreen could improve my MacBook experience enough to justify the inevitable price rise. This is Apple we’re talking about, after all, and there’s just no way that a touchscreen MacBook will possibly come cheap.

As well as that, I’ve long agreed with Steve Jobs’ belief that adding a touchscreen to a regular MacBook is an ergonomic nightmare. Constantly reaching up to the display is a quick way to exhaust your arms, and paining its users isn’t really part of Apple’s playbook. The Mac operating system isn’t designed for touch either, and in any case, adding a touchscreen would result in all manner of greasy fingerprints on your monitor. It’s never seemed like a good idea to me.

Read more