Apple – Apple Silicon iMac, MacBook Professional, and extra within the works

The 12 months 2021 is shaping as much as be large for the Mac. Apple started the transition to Apple Silicon processors within the Mac final 12 months with a brand new Mac mini, a brand new 13-inch MacBook Professional, and a brand new MacBook Air. Issues are anticipated to realize extra traction this 12 months, with the rumor mill at the moment suggesting the primary iMac redesign in a decade, new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Professional models, and way more.

Right here’s all the pieces we count on from the Mac lineup and the Apple Silicon transition this 12 months…

Apple has acknowledged that it’s going to take roughly two years to transition your entire Mac lineup to Apple Silicon chips. The brand new Mac mini, MacBook Air, and MacBook Professional are merely the primary three Apple Silicon Macs obtainable. We count on the next Macs to be slowly launched over the following two years till the transition is full.

New iMac

Probably the most anticipated Macs to make the transition to Apple Silicon is the iMac. The iMac acquired its most up-to-date inside improve in August, however that replace merely included new Intel processors inside, with the exterior design remaining unchanged.

In reality, the iMac is lengthy overdue for an industrial redesign. The exterior chassis was final revised in 2012, when Apple debuted a brand new iMac casing that tapers right down to 5mm thickness on the perimeters. However this design characteristic can solely be seen from the aspect, and looking out head-on, the iMac has remained unchanged for a decade.

Dependable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has reported a number of occasions that Apple will launch a redesigned iMac with a 24-inch show someday in 2021. Most lately, Bloomberg reported that Apple has two new iMacs in retailer for this 12 months to interchange the present 21.5-inch and 27-inch models with a design much like the Professional Show XDR.

“The iMac redesign will probably be one of many greatest visible updates to any Apple product this 12 months,” the report says, whereas citing folks conversant in Apple’s street map. This may embody eradicating the “chin area” from the underside, in addition to a flat again fairly than the present curved design. Apple is reportedly planning two variations to interchange the present 21.5- and 27-inch models “later this year.”

Previous studies have indicated that Apple is creating a 24-inch iMac, which might theoretically function a substitute to the 21.5-inch model. Bloomberg doesn’t particularly point out the display sizes of the brand new iMac design, as an alternative solely saying that there will probably be two variations to “replace” the present 21.5-inch and 27-inch choices.

New MacBook Professionals

A model of the 13-inch MacBook Professional is already obtainable with Apple Silicon inside, nevertheless it’s fairly restricted: two Thunderbolt ports, a most of 16GB of unified reminiscence, and a most of 2TB of SSD storage. We count on Apple to transition its higher-end MacBook Professionals subsequent, and there’s lots to stay up for.

First, a number of studies have advised that Apple has a redesigned 14-inch MacBook Professional on the way in which. Kuo has mentioned that this will probably be launched in Q2 or Q3 2021. In November, Kuo doubled down on this declare and reported that MacBooks with “all-new form factors and industrial designs” are coming within the second half of 2021.

Particularly, Kuo says that Apple has a brand new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Professional lineup slated for this 12 months. The design modifications will embody squared-off sides in each the highest and backside halves of the machine, much like the flat design of the iPad Professional and adopted within the iphone-12 sequence.

The largest design change of all, nevertheless, is that the Contact Bar will reportedly be totally eliminated, with Apple reverting to a bodily row of perform keys as an alternative. This comes 5 years after Apple first launched the Contact Bar in 2016, touting it as the way forward for Mac enter technique.

Kuo additionally says that the brand new MacBook Professional will embody the return of MagSafe for charging, much like the know-how utilized in pre-2016 MacBooks. The analyst provides that the 2021 MacBook Professionals may also embody extra built-in IO ports that imply most customers won’t must buy further dongles.

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New Mac Professional

The Mac Professional is among the extra mysterious merchandise in Apple’s lineup and it’s unclear the place it sits on the Apple Silicon roadmap. Most lately, Bloomberg reported that Apple has a brand new Mac Professional within the works that may be round half the dimensions of the present Mac Professional design.

Curiously, Bloomberg says that the smaller Mac Professional may “invoke nostalgia for the Power Mac G4 Cube.” It will be powered by Apple Silicon on the within.

The Mac Professional is tougher to foretell as a result of it options an extremely modular design, permitting customers to combine and match parts and improve particular person elements. It’s unclear how Apple Silicon will issue into this design. It’s additionally unclear if the brand new Mac Professional will are available 2021, or some other place down the street map.

Mac mini

The present M1 Mac mini suffers from comparable limitations to the 13-inch MacBook Professional and maxes out at 16GB of reminiscence and 2TB, and there are solely two Thunderbolt ports on the again and no 10Gb ethernet. That is really a downgrade in comparison with the previous-generation Intel Mac mini, which Apple continues to promote right now.

It’s potential that Apple has a brand new Mac mini consistent with 4 Thunderbolt ports and different higher-end specs, however we’ll have to attend to seek out out for certain.

Extra Intel Macs?

Lastly, it’s unclear if Apple has any plans to launch any further Macs utilizing Intel processors. At WWDC final 12 months, Apple mentioned that it nonetheless had extra Intel Macs within the pipeline, however technically that has been confirmed true already with the brand new iMacs launched in August.

In response to a latest report from Ming-Chi Kuo, dependable Twitter leaker L0vetodream mentioned that the redesigned type issue was “not only for Silicon,” however this message is fairly cryptic and unclear. It could possibly be referring to Apple preserving the Intel Mac Professional round due to its excessive degree of customization.

In reality, Bloomberg studies that along with the half-sized Mac Professional, Apple can also be planning a model with the identical design as the present Mac Professional that would proceed utilizing Intel processors for now.

Wrap-up: Apple Silicon in 2021

It’s clear that 2021 is shaping as much as be a significant 12 months for the Mac, starting from the 14-inch MacBook Professional all the way in which to a totally redesigned iMac lineup for the primary time in a decade. It’s not a assure that each one of this new {hardware} will probably be launched this 12 months, however because it stands proper now, we’ve bought fairly a bit in retailer for 2021.

What do you concentrate on Apple’s ongoing transition to Apple Silicon within the Mac lineup? What are you most seeking to making an attempt? Tell us down within the feedback!

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