Apple has announced new versions of the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros, ending months of speculation over the device. New features include the latest M2 Pro and M2 Max chips, but not much else.
Almost everything else remains the same as we’ve seen on the M1 Pro and M1 Max versions of the MacBook Pro. Same flat edge design, same mini LED display, same port placement. This isn’t particularly surprising since the M1 versions of these laptops themselves featured a major design overhaul. The other big change wasn’t really on the cards.
Prior to the announcement, the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips were rumored to offer a relatively small performance boost compared to their predecessors. This is mainly due to the fact that the M2 chip is not significantly improved over the M1. Still, Apple’s proprietary chips are known for their power and efficiency, and the M2 Pro and M2 Max could offer similar advantages.
According to Apple’s press release, the M2 Pro is made on a 5-nanometer process and has 40% faster image rendering times in Adobe Photoshop compared to the M1 Pro. It comes with up to 32GB of unified memory and can be configured with 10 or 12 CPU cores and up to 19 GPU cores.
The M2 Max, on the other hand, has 67 billion transistors (three times more than the base-level M2) and can have up to 96 GB of unified memory. It has the same 12 core CPU as the M2 Pro, but has 38 GPU cores instead of the M2 Pro’s 19 cores. Apple says these enhanced specs result in 30% faster rendering of effects in Cinema 4D compared to M1 Max. Color grading in DaVinci Resolve is also 30% faster.
We’ll have to see how Apple’s numbers stack up when the first reviews are published. According to many outlets, they could appear as early as next Monday.
Mac Mini Finally Ditches Intel
Like the MacBook Pro, Apple also launched a new Mac Mini with the M2 and M2 Pro chips, dropping the price of the entry-level model by $100 to $599. That means the Mac Mini line no longer has an Intel option after he became one of the last Apple Macs still with an Intel chip.
So the Mac Pro is the only Mac that hasn’t fully transitioned to Apple silicon. Rumor has it, however, that it won’t take long to wait for that to happen.
Apple is still heavily rumored to be preparing for a special March event to release a number of new products. This could include his Mac Pro on Apple silicon, the new Mac Mini, and even mixed reality headsets. With his just-announced MacBook Pro, he’s one less product to show at the show, but there’s still plenty to look forward to.
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