Expected Mac 2022 lineup: Mac mini with M1 Pro and M2; 13" MacBook Pro, 24" iMac, and MacBook Air with M2; iMac Pro with M1 Pro and M1 Max; a half-sized Mac Pro
As Apple gears up for its first product launch event of the year, the spotlight turns to its 2022 Mac plans.
BloombergMark Gurman
Context & Ripple Effects
The report extends the immediately preceding forecast of a broad 2022 Mac refresh into a product-by-product chip map, placing M2 in mainstream Macs while reserving M1 Pro and M1 Max for higher-end desktop models.
Apple’s expected 2022 portfolio would give Mac buyers distinct entry, mainstream, and professional options based on M2, M1 Pro, and M1 Max rather than a single chip tier.
The reported half-sized Mac Pro would extend Apple’s planned professional desktop range beyond the iMac Pro configuration.
Second-order effects
The parallel Mac mini, iMac, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro updates would make chip tiering a more prominent choice in Apple’s Mac lineup, separating portable and desktop products by both form factor and processor class.
If this rollout pattern holds, Apple’s Mac strategy shifts toward a repeatable tiered architecture: baseline chips spread across volume systems while Pro and Max variants anchor higher-end notebooks and desktops.
That structure would make the Mac lineup less dependent on one flagship model cycle and more dependent on maintaining clear distinctions among chip tiers.
The trend: Apple is building a tiered Mac architecture in which successive in-house chip generations are distributed across consumer, prosumer, and professional systems.
Power On: Apple gears up for several new Macs in March, May/June and fall. Read on for details on the new iMac 24-inch, iMac Pro, MacBook Pro 13-inch, Mac minis, MacBook Air, Mac Pro - and their new M2 and M1 Pro chips. https://www.bloomberg.com/...
M1 in Fall 2020. M2 Spring 2022 (Now makes sense) M3 Fall 2023. M1 Pro in Fall 2021. M2 Pro in Spring 2023. 1.5-2 year update cycle confirmed. “Based on Apple's Mac chip history so far, I'd imagine we get Pro and Max versions of the M2 in 2023 alongside the first M3 chip.” https:…
@VadimYuryev If we suppose Vadim that Apple decided to avoid last iMac 27 formfactor to opt for the new and slim iMac24 design. Do you know if an iMac 27 chin can integer 2 x M1Max with more chip memory ?
@VadimYuryev Not really. Apple planned to release the M1 Pro and M1 Max in Spring 2021, but they were delayed due to production issues surrounding the MacBook Pro's Mini-LED display. The M2 was subsequently pushed back from its original Fall 2021 release.
If this comes true, it means Apple simply wants to make the iMac lineup more simple. 24" is always iMac. 27" is always iMac Pro. If this happens, there's a good chance Apple will be calling the high-end M1 Pro/Max Mac mini the “Mac mini Pro.”
According to @markgurman, the iMac Pro will apparently only have M1 Pro and M1 Max chips. This will be extremely disappointing to people expecting the new 20c M1 Max Duo chip or any other 12c chip like @dylandkt leaked. Therefore, no need for a regular 27" iMac. Just iMac Pro. ht…
@VadimYuryev ... same feeling as Vadim & guys. That would mean Apple can't or won't come up with a real replacement for the 18-core Intel Xeon iMac Pro. Maybe Apple opts to keep the extreme design of the 24 with M1Pro/Max and offers better only with a more scalable MacPro & with …