So.... 16 inches in March?

[leman]

I'm assuming the chip differentiation between the 13(14)" and 16" will go away with Apple Silicon. Both will use the M1X (or whatever it is) and it will just be about preferred screen size (and maybe the 16" gets a more powerful graphics option with the graphics chip Apple is working on). It's going to get expensive and complicated making a custom chip for each computer model so grouping them into performance tiers that share a chip as they have done with the M1 machines is a much better idea.

I hope you are wrong. I hope that Apple will continue their laptop differentiation as they always did, meaning that the 13/14” will get a 30 watt SoC and 16” will get a 60 watt SoC.

Besides, using the same chip for the 13” and 16” would be a step back. Apple needs to outperform the 5600M pro in the current model. They can’t do it with a 16-core GPU.

 

[alexjholland]

It sounds like even if I buy 16" Silicon version 1 then things could still move on quickly.

I reckon I'll stick with my order and probably trade-in for something big in 18 months.

 

[Deliro]

If you don’t think they are going to get all of their laptops on their own chips (Profit!) as soon as possible…

I have a bridge to sell you

Oh I’m not doubting that. I look forward to seeing the Mac product pipeline in the next couple years. For my use case it, and my current needs it doesn’t make sense for me to sit around and wait when I can be enjoying the system now.

 

[Argon_]

I'm assuming the chip differentiation between the 13(14)" and 16" will go away with Apple Silicon. Both will use the M1X (or whatever it is) and it will just be about preferred screen size (and maybe the 16" gets a more powerful graphics option with the graphics chip Apple is working on). It's going to get expensive and complicated making a custom chip for each computer model so grouping them into performance tiers that share a chip as they have done with the M1 machines is a much better idea.

The 16 will have more thermal headroom. They'll either turn up the juice, or just make the machine quieter than the 14.

 

[k-hawinkler]

It sounds like even if I buy 16" Silicon version 1 then things could still move on quickly.

I reckon I'll stick with my order and probably trade-in for something big in 18 months.

IMHO a very reasonable choice.
Also a backup computer for running a business seems appropriate if not essential.
Keeping your current order allows you to sit back and watch what Apple will be doing.

 

[Serban55]

I hope you are wrong. I hope that Apple will continue their laptop differentiation as they always did, meaning that the 13/14” will get a 30 watt SoC and 16” will get a 60 watt SoC.

Besides, using the same chip for the 13” and 16” would be a step back. Apple needs to outperform the 5600M pro in the current model. They can’t do it with a 16-core GPU.

i think they can do that in the 16 " offering an option for their custom made gpu that we heard about...the same that it will be used, probably in their 24" imac too
So they can offer the same chip as the 14" but for the 16" chassis to offer that gpu...i hope im wrong...or i dont know..
i mean they can offer for the 16" only the M1X/M2 for those who dont need the custom gpu and will get more battery with only the SoC...and for those who needs the gpu....that option as bto
i think they did it with the 15" too...with dGPu and without , in 2012-2014 if i remember....just an guess
What do you preffer or how you will prefer the 16" to be and with what BTO options, besides SSD ?

 

[Serban55]

The 16 will have more thermal headroom. They'll either turn up the juice, or just make the machine quieter than the 14.

that headroom probably will be for their custom gpu that weve heard about

 

[leman]

i think they can do that in the 16 " offering an option for their custom made gpu that we heard about...the same that it will be used, probably in their 24" imac too
So they can offer the same chip as the 14" but for the 16" chassis to offer that gpu...i hope im wrong...or i dont know..
i mean they can offer for the 16" only the M1X/M2 for those who dont need the custom gpu and will get more battery with only the cpu SoC...and for those who needs the gpu....that option
i think they did it with the 15" too...with dGPu and without , in 2012-2014 if i remember....just an guess
What do you preffer or how you will prefer the 16" to be and with what BTO options, besides SSD ?

The chance that they will use a “traditional” dGPU is slim at best since it goes against the basic design of Apple Silicon. One of their selling point is unified memory which means that all the processors share the same cache and the same memory pool.

I can certainly see different tiers of 16” laptops differentiated by the hardware they use, but I still would be very surprised if they make a 16” that has the same performance as a 13”/14” machine.

 

[Serban55]

thats why i said custom gpu and not "traditional" dGpu still the iGpu term is here to stay
i can see them even to unified ssd into the SoC ))
but nevertheless ...the rumours must be true that Apple is working on custom gpu , dont think they are made up

 

[leman]

thats why i said custom gpu and not "traditional" dGpu still the iGpu is here to stay
i can see them even to unified ssd into the SoC ))
but nevertheless ...the rumours must be true that Apple is working on custom gpu , dont think they are made up

I think these rumors might be misinterpretations. Apple has been shipping custom GPUs for years. M1 comes with an Apple-designed GPU. My bet is that the rumored Lifuka is simply a bigger on-chip GPU, possibly with new features (hardware ray tracing maybe?).

 

[Falhófnir]

The 16 will have more thermal headroom. They'll either turn up the juice, or just make the machine quieter than the 14.

Slightly higher clock is possible, though they might just use the extra thermal headroom to add the extra graphics chip to the 16” (or as an option for high-end configurations of it). From that slide Apple showed at WWDC I think some are still thinking in terms of Intel TDPs and I really wouldn’t be surprised if all of the cooling potential isn’t used (as is the case with the M1 in the MBP and Mac Mini).

 

[Captain Trips]

@alexjholland have you considered picking up a used MBP to carry you over for a few months?

This is what I did back in August of 2020, so that I wouldn't purchase an M1 Mac I really didn't want due to impatience or because the initial models weren't what I wanted.

I bought a used 2010 MacBook Pro with a 17" screen. It lasted me until I could decide that I really did want an M1 MacBook (bought the entry level MBP). I just decided what minimum performance I wanted and how much money I could stand to lose in case I got a poor one that worked for a little while and then died, and then found one in my price range.

That 2010 MBP did its job well, although I really do like it (love the screen size and the classic MBP physical style). I plan on getting more use out of it, although the M1 MBP will get the majority of my usage when I want to use a Mac laptop.

 

[darngooddesign]

I hope they release a 16" MacBook Air for people who want a silent computer with a larger screen.

 

[Captain Trips]

Now they've done the pre-recorded video events it's certainly easier to do more than a press release where required without needing to go for a full media event which usually happen a max of 4 times a year.

Especially since the pre-recorded events from 2020 generally went over well (I liked them, at least).

The pre-recorded events, although needing resources to produce, would be better than just a press release - get all of the excitement you can get, especially if the cost to produce a pre-recorded event aren't too steep.

 

[Captain Trips]

Here are some recent articles about the rumored March release of the MBP 16" with a more powerful M1X (12 core).

Granted, these are based on rumor and have additional speculation, but they can be worth a quick read:

Ultra-powerful MacBook Pro M1 with 12 cores to get March release
Apple’s New MacBook Pro Will Deliver A Powerful Shock
Apple May Launch a 12-Core Silicon-Powered Mac in March This Year

 

[jdb8167]

I wouldn’t expect new notebooks until WWDC 2021. Probably in the June to July timeframe. Spring is probably going to be new iPad Pros.

 

[UBS28]

The best time to buy a MacBook Pro, is to wait for the redesign. It could be possible than the next 16" MBP is based on the current design while the next one might be a new one with Mini-LED panels.

 

[jdb8167]

The best time to buy a MacBook Pro, is to wait for the redesign. It could be possible than the next 16" MBP is based on the current design while the next one might be a new one with Mini-LED panels.

I expect the current 13” M1 MacBook Air design to be around for a couple of years at least but strong rumors of the 14” MacBook Pro is one of the reasons I opted for the M1 MBA instead of the MBP. I suspect that the current 13” M1 MacBook Pro design is going to replaced relatively soon.

We might see a 4 port 14” MBP while Apple keeps the 2 port 13” MBP for a while but if the 14” MBP is real, the 13” MBP design is probably going to be gone fairly soon; likely before the rest.

 

[DHagan4755]

I hate to burst bubbles but if you're going on articles that cite @AppleLeaksPro you're discrediting yourself. He's not a reliable source of info. He said the Apple Christmas surprise was going to be a new Apple TV but those really in the know said AirPods Max.

 

[Burebista]

I hope they release a 16" MacBook Air for people who want a silent computer with a larger screen.

That would be great but won’t happen for the same reasons there’s no 12.9” iPad Air.

 

[darngooddesign]

I expect the current 13” M1 MacBook Air design to be around for a couple of years at least but strong rumors of the 14” MacBook Pro is one of the reasons I opted for the M1 MBA instead of the MBP. I suspect that the current 13” M1 MacBook Pro design is going to replaced relatively soon.

I agree. The Air will stay at 13" and the small Pro will move to 14". But does Apple even have the bandwidth to make larger laptops considering that the current M1s are generally backordered for anything other than base models.

 

[Buck987]

My prediction is June for a new 14” redesign to replace the high end 13” Intel pro model and a 16” model. Both the present MBA and MBP stay as the lower price entry points for the M1 another year.

 

[leman]

Slightly higher clock is possible, though they might just use the extra thermal headroom to add the extra graphics chip to the 16” (or as an option for high-end configurations of it). From that slide Apple showed at WWDC I think some are still thinking in terms of Intel TDPs and I really wouldn’t be surprised if all of the cooling potential isn’t used (as is the case with the M1 in the MBP and Mac Mini).

I just think that Intel TDPs simply make sense when you look at firm factors Apple is interested in. M1 did t change anything in this regard - you still get 10-15W effective TDP, same as with previous Intel-based laptops. Only with M1 these TDP figures actually mean something useful. The Mac Mini is a different case, it’s clear that it’s there mostly as an afterthought. It seems to me Apple simply slapped their new ultraportable SoC into the existing chassis abs called it a day. I’d dint think that the M1 mini is representative of the future of the computer, there will probably be some significant changes. Apple is just playing it safe, not changing too many things at once.

Besides, do these TDP values truly “belong” to Intel? For example, Apple has been the sole buyer of Intel’s 28W CPUs for a very long time. This suggests to me that they see 30W as an appropriate power bracket for the “big” 13” - why would they be track now that they can actually use those 30W to great effect? Same for the 16”. And most importantly, it’s no good if an AS 16” ends up slower than an Intel one, especially in the GPU department. Actually, it’s not enough to match it, that have to beat it. That’s why I’d expect a 32-core GPU at least in the new 16”.

 

[jdb8167]

I agree. The Air will stay at 13" and the small Pro will move to 14". But does Apple even have the bandwidth to make larger laptops considering that the current M1s are generally backordered for anything other than base models.

The back orders is one of the reasons I don’t expect any new Mx Macs until later in 2021. TSMC’s 5nm production is fully utilized already and Apple is likely to need more 5nm in the late winter to support a new iPad Pro. Adding a new line of M1X SoCs is probably out of the question until TSMC can ramp 5nm production either by increasing yields or more fabs.

 

[alexjholland]

IMHO a very reasonable choice.
Also a backup computer for running a business seems appropriate if not essential.
Keeping your current order allows you to sit back and watch what Apple will be doing.

Yeah I'd just booked a crazy number of projects between late November into mid-December, when I was in Lisbon...

...and my 2011 MacBook Pro died.

I had a backup, entry-level Chromebook, which can only handle several tabs before it reloads the first.

I instantly did three things:

• Rented a 2017 MacBook Pro 15" for several weeks ($300)
• Ordered a MacBook Pro M1 for February
• Ordered a Google PixelBook Go that was waiting when I landed in the UK on December 21st.

Renting the 15" 2017 MBP was a fantastic decision.

As it was, I did multiple all-nighters and sometimes napped for 30 minutes before carrying on.

And the MBP was responsive every minute of the way through.

I will never NOT own two solid laptops again.