Gurman: Apple may release an entry-level MacBook Pro with an M2 processor in 2022, without a Touch Bar, ProMotion, or miniLED
In his latest edition of the Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman brings some tidbits about a new entry-level MacBook Pro with the rumored M2 processor.Source:Bloomberg.
Context & Ripple Effects
The report is an early marker in Apple’s M2 transition: related coverage subsequently placed the chip in both a new MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro and described M2 Pro, Max, and Ultra variants in development. That makes the stripped-back Pro less a standalone refresh than the base tier of a widening Mac chip lineup.
Later reporting extended that ladder to M2-based 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros, reinforcing a split between an entry model using M2 and larger systems expected to use higher-end variants.
First-order effects
- Apple’s reported entry-level MacBook Pro would lose the Touch Bar while omitting ProMotion and miniLED, narrowing its feature set relative to higher-end MacBook Pro models.
- Buyers seeking an M2 MacBook Pro would face a base configuration defined by the standard M2 rather than the M2 Pro and Max family described in related coverage.
Second-order effects
- A new M2 MacBook Air alongside the 13-inch Pro would make Apple’s entry notebook differentiation depend more heavily on product positioning than on a unique processor.
- The reported M2 Pro, Max, and Ultra roadmap gives Apple a clearer upgrade path from the base M2 model to more capable Mac systems.
Third-order effects
- If this product ladder holds, Apple’s Mac portfolio will be organized increasingly around a common in-house chip generation scaled across distinct performance tiers, rather than one-off processor choices per model.
- The absence of premium display features on the entry Pro points to feature segmentation becoming a durable complement to chip-tier segmentation in Apple’s notebooks.
The trend: Apple is building a tiered Mac lineup around successive in-house chip families, with base M-series models separated from Pro, Max, and Ultra systems by both silicon and hardware features.