As the much awaited Apple Event draws closer, evidence has been spotted indicating that the company is testing the M2 Apple silicon chip that will debut in a new MacBook Air and refreshed 13-inch MacBook Pro, news agency ANI reported. Apple has been testing a chip with an eight-core CPU and a 10-core GPU across multiple Macs on the latest macOS beta, in recent weeks, as per MacRumours.
The company’s M2 Apple silicon chip will be the first significant upgrade for Apple’s custom silicon on the Mac since its introduction. The tech giant unveiled the M1 chip in November 2020 and has since introduced more powerful iterations of the chip, including the M1 Pro and M1 Max.
Earlier reports hint that the M2 chip will reportedly make its way first to an updated 13-inch MacBook Pro and a completely redesigned MacBook Air.
Additional report from MacRumours suggest a new Mac mini, expected to feature M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, is “ready to go” and could launch next week and that a new 13-inch MacBook Pro and a new iMac could launch “as soon as the first half of the year.”
As widely reported by previous rumours and leaks, a new iPhone SE with the same 4.7-inch design as the previous model is expected to be announced in the upcoming Apple event; but with the addition of 5G connectivity and a new chip.
Meanwhile, a new version of the iPad Air in the works though no design changes are expected. MacRumors reported that the next-generation iPad Air will continue to look like the current iPad Air, though there’s a possibility we could see new colour options. Right now, the iPad Air comes in space grey, silver, rose gold, green, and blue.
Rumours suggest that much of the iPad Air update will focus on bringing the device in line with the sixth-generation iPad mini released last fall, so it is expected to get an updated A15 chip, which Apple added to the iPad mini after introducing it in the iPhone 13 models.
For cellular iPad Air models, Apple will add 5G connectivity, so the updated devices will work with faster 5G networks. The chip in the iPad mini is limited to sub-6GHz 5G networks rather than the fastest mmWave 5G networks, so it’s possible we could see this same limitation in the iPad Air.
The iPad Air will feature mostly internal changes, but it could get the same updated 12-megapixel Ultra Wide front camera that will work with Center Stage, a feature first introduced in the iPad Pro and the iPad mini 6.
Pricing on the iPad Air is likely to stay the same, so the new model could be priced starting at USD 599 for 64GB storage.
Apple’s spring event will be held at 10:00 am Pacific Time on Tuesday, March 8. In addition to being streamed on YouTube, the event can also be watched through the event’s webpage and in the Apple TV app.
(With inputs from agencies)
