Rumors so far have indicated that Apple’s upcoming 13-inch MacBook Pro refresh will feature a similar design as the 2021 models that will see it ditch the Touch Bar. However, a new report from MacRumors based on information from an accurate source claims otherwise. It also points to the machine being released at the company’s rumored March 8 event.
The report claims the upcoming 13-inch MacBook Pro retains the same design as the existing model, including the Touch Bar. It won’t receive any design tweaks and will miss out on the ProMotion display, as seen on the M1 Pro/Max 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models. The headline feature of the new model will be the M2 chip that will retain the same number of CPU cores as the existing M1 chip. It will, however, feature up to 10 GPU cores and offer better performance than the first Apple Silicon.
The source of this report is the same person who leaked the new MacBook Pros coming with a notched display just a few days ahead of their launch last year. Apple is rumored to hold an event on March 8 to announce the iPhone SE 3, refreshed iPad Air with 5G and A15 Bionic, and now possibly the new MacBook Pro with M2 chip. The company could possibly also announce a high-end Mac mini with M1 Pro/Max chips. Bloomberg report Gurman believes that Apple has multiple M2 Macs in the pipeline for launch this year.
The base 13-inch MacBook Pro was among the first Macs from Apple to be refreshed with its custom M1 chip in 2020. Since then, the company has announced multiple Apple silicon Macs. The next refresh of the base 13-inch MacBook Pro was expected to feature an updated design, but it looks like that’s not going to happen.
[Via MacRumors]