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Apple is readying a new batch of Macs to launch "between late spring and summer," according to a report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
The most significant of the three would be a 15-inch MacBook Air, but a new Mac Pro refresh would complete the Mac's transition from Intel's CPUs and AMD's GPUs to Apple Silicon, and a new 13-inch MacBook Air could also be in the cards. Apple is also said to be planning a new 24-inch iMac that could be the first of its Macs to use its next-generation M3 chip.
The 15-inch MacBook Air would be a new product category for Apple: a larger-screened laptop that costs less than a MacBook Pro. Apple's consumer-focused laptops—from the old PowerPC iBook to the first Intel MacBooks to the current MacBook Air—have all ranged between 11 and 13 inches. The 15- to 17-inch PowerBook and MacBook Pro models always required a step up in CPU and GPU power that drove the price up; the cheapest MacBook Air starts at $999, while the cheapest 16-inch MacBook Pro costs $2,499.
Enlarge / Most of Apple's Mac lineup besides the Mac Pro has been updated recently, like the MacBook Air pictured here. Don't expect to see more of this in March. (credit: Valentina Palladino)
If you're in the market for a new Apple laptop, there are plenty of discounts available. While there are more generous savings with slightly older models, like Apple's M1-powered MacBook Pro, you can still find some solid discounts on Apple's M2-equipped notebooks. These include the new MacBook Air as well as Apple's smaller 13.3-inch MacBook Pro. Those seeking a larger-format Apple notebook, like the 14- or 16-inch Pro, will have to settle for the M1 models if they want to save a bit of money.
The MacBook Pro with M1 is now up to $400 off, making the 16-inch model an excellent all-around laptop for those who don't need the extreme performance that the latest silicon brings. If you're still on the fence on which model is the best fit for your workflow, be sure to check out our Apple MacBook buying guide. The slightly older notebook is still an excellent choice for less-demanding users, casual home computing, and college students on a tight budget. Here are some of the best deals we've spotted for Apple's laptops.
Ars Technica may earn compensation for sales from links on this post through affiliate programs.
Enlarge / Two 2021 MacBook Pro models, side by side. (credit: Samuel Axon)
Over the past two years, Apple has completed an overhaul of its entire laptop lineup. That means it’s as good a time as any to dive in for people who have been holding out on upgrading an older MacBook.
But which MacBook is the best one to pick up? That depends a lot on your specific use case, and that’s what we’ll explore here today.
Typically, buying guides pick the diamonds out of the rough—the “rough” being hundreds of subpar products. But when recommending a MacBook, it’s a simpler affair. There aren’t that many of them to pick from. But because they typically cannot be upgraded, there are some consequential choices you’ll need to make before buying.
Have heard about a 20.5” foldable notebook for 2025, but nothing about a foldable iPad for 2024. Maybe this is just good PR for the hinge company…
— Ross Young (@DSCCRoss) January 31, 2023
Enlarge / The 14- and 16-inch M2 MacBook Pros. (credit: Apple)
In our review of Apple's new M2 MacBook Pros, our testing showed that the laptops' internal storage speeds were higher than those in the M1 MacBook Pros they replaced. But that won't be true for all models—9to5Mac has discovered that for the entry-level models with 512GB of storage, the M2 MacBook Pro's storage is slower than that in the M1 version.
The high-level Blackmagic Disk Speed Test shows the 512GB version of the M1 Pro MacBook Pro with a 4,900 MB/s read speed and 3,951 MB/s write speed, while the M2 Pro version shows a 2,973 MB/s read speed and 3,154.5 MB/s write speed. That's a drop of 40 percent for read speeds and 20 percent for write speeds.
The difference appears to come down to the NAND flash memory chips Apple is using for its SSDs. The old MacBook Pro, per its iFixit teardown, used four 128GB NAND chips in a 512GB SSD, while 9to5Mac's M2 Pro MacBook Pro appears to use a pair of 256GB NAND chips. Fewer chips likely mean lower costs for Apple—but also fewer places for the SSD to read from and write to simultaneously, which reduces overall speeds.
All told, it looks like every other recent MacBook. [credit: Samuel Axon ]
One of the interesting side effects of Apple's move toward using its own silicon in the Mac is that the Mac update cycle now looks a lot more like the iPhone's: mostly predictable, regular updates that offer modest generation-to-generation boosts to performance and maybe a few additional refinements or new features.
That's very much the case with the 2023 MacBook Pro. For most intents and purposes, it is the 2021 MacBook Pro. The only difference is the inclusion of the new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips for boosted CPU, graphics, and machine learning performance over 2021's M1 Pro and M2 Max, plus some connectivity upgrades that directly address some of our very minor quibbles with the otherwise excellent 2021 models.
That said, the 2021 MacBook Pro was far from a disappointment when it launched, and the market hasn't changed enough in the past two years to make the mostly similar 2023 models any less attractive. These are still the best laptops you can buy for many use cases—provided you don't mind spending a small fortune, that is.
The M1 Max, despite having less raw power than its successor, was the obvious choice for shoppers trying to maximize their CPU power in 2021. The M2 Max is no longer that — the core-hungry shopper who never unplugs their laptop will have better options from Intel and AMD in 2023. What we don’t expect those options to have, in any capacity, is battery life. That’s where the M1 Max is the undeniable champion. And that’s the calculus that does remain unchanged from 2021: the MacBook Pro 16 remains the best combination of performance and efficiency that you can get. That’s why the M2 Max, despite being more powerful than the M1 Max, may target less of a “power user” crowd this year.CNET's Lori Grunin achieved faster wireless speeds with Wi-Fi 6E:
I generally get more reliable performance from 6E than 6, at least in my environment. For instance, a casual Speedtest run delivered a consistent 483Mbps download on 6E but an average 392Mbps on 6 (for 400Mbps service). The latter started higher but dropped partway through as well.Engadget's Devindra Hardawar said the new 14-inch MacBook Pro provided nearly three hours extra of battery life compared to the previous generation:
The previous MacBook Pro lasted 12 hours and 36 minutes during our testing, but the new model made it to 15 hours and 10 minutes. That's a healthy step up, especially if you find yourself stuck on a long flight without any working outlets. Apple says that the new MacBook Pros can reach up to 22 hours of battery life, but take note that figure only refers to the 16-inch model.TheStreet's Jacob Krol said the new MacBook Pro remains a powerhouse for performance-intensive tasks like 4K or 8K video exporting:
Either route you'll see fast performance and a high level of responsiveness with any app. When it comes time to export an HD, 4K, or even 8K video you’ll find that the application doesn’t require a wait for rendering something for playback and that export times will be cut down dramatically. Same goes for live-previewing an app in XCode, 3D animations, batch photo edits, or illustration exports as well.Ars Technica's Samuel Axon said the new MacBook Pro models are overkill for most customers and recommended the MacBook Air:
If this review seems short, that’s because there's not too much to talk about; this is essentially the 2021 MacBook Pro but 20–30 percent faster at some tasks, and with a few connectivity options upgraded to better match what is expected from a pricey laptop like this.
And that’s OK because the 2021 MacBook Pro was excellent. The 2023 version is the same but slightly better. The M2 Pro and M2 Max's performance and efficiency make them attractive devices for many people.
That said, you shouldn't spend this amount of money if you don't need this much performance, and let's be real: most people don't. The MacBook Air or one of a few particularly strong Windows ultrabooks like the Dell XPS 13 will meet many folks' needs just as well, and for a lot less money—plus, they provide more portability.
The specific types of panels are 10.86 inches and 12.9 inches for the iPad, and 14 inches and 16 inches for the MacBook. The domestic display companies and related parts and material companies began to develop the panels with the start of the official project. An insider familiar with the subject said, "Panel development from 10 inches to 16 inches is in progress."According to display analyst Ross Young, who has accurately revealed details about several Apple devices ahead of launch, the first iPad Pro with OLED panels will have larger 11.1-inch and 13-inch displays compared to the current-generation models.
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