Apple MacBook Pros With 10-Core Arm CPUs Coming This Summer, 40-Core Mac Pros Set For 2022
A new report is plotting a more definite timeline for the release of the machines, and they could arrive as soon as this summer. According to Mark Gurman, the 14-inch MacBook Pro carries the internal designation J314, while its 16-inch counterpart is referred to as the J316. Powering these machines will be the company’s second-generation, Arm-based Apple Silicon.
Whereas the currently shipping M1 SoC features 8 cores (4 performance, 4 efficiency) and either a 7- or 8-core GPU, its unnamed successor will bring more brawn to the table. The SoCs are referred to internally as Jade C-Chop and Jade C-Die. The former reportedly has 10 total CPU cores (8 performance, 2 efficiency) and 16 GPU cores. The latter retains the same 10-core CPU design but will come equipped with 32 GPU cores. In addition, Apple is reportedly quadrupling the maximum amount of installable memory from 16GB to 64GB. Given the performance of the M1, we have high hopes for this more powerful follow-up.
While the usual step-up in performance is expected, perhaps the most surprising changes with the new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro will come with the ports layout. As we’ve reported on previous occasions, Apple is digging into its past by bringing back [legacy] ports previously abandoned. First of all, the new laptops will support MagSafe power connectors, which we’ve seen in the all-new iMac. Apple ditched the popular MagSafe connector when it launched the current chassis for the MacBook Pro in 2016 in favor of Thunderbolt/USB-C exclusivity. With MagSafe making a resurgence – even with the iPhone family – the thought of it showing up in the MacBook Pro family doesn’t seem like such a stretch.
Gurman also reaffirms in his reporting that the new MacBook Pros will feature an HDMI port and a full-size SD slot. Professionals have panned both omissions with previous generations, so it’s nice to see that they are coming back. Not everyone wants to live the “dongle life” due to there being only four Thunderbolt ports to work with on current high-end MacBook Pros, so expanding the number of useful ports is a big plus. However, we shouldn’t praise Apple too much here, as PC manufacturers, for the most part, have kept these ports around in their professional-oriented laptops.
But that’s not all; Apple allegedly has Jade 2C-Die and Jade 4C-Die SoCs on the schedule for next year’s Mac Pro redesign. The SoCs would offer up to 40 CPU cores and up to 128 GPU cores. By the end of 2022, Apple could be entirely free from Intel processors for its Mac family.
