Apple traditionally introduces new Mac hardware during the fall, but that won’t be the case this year. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple has pushed back its MacBook Pro update until sometime in 2023. Suffice it to say, if you’ve been patiently waiting for new 14-inch or 16-inch MacBook Pro models to drop in the next few weeks, you’re going to have to wait a few more months.
The good news is that Apple’s impending MacBook Pro refresh is coming sooner rather than later. According to Gurman, Apple’s current roadmap will see new MacBook Pro models arrive sometime during the first quarter of next year.
What to expect from Apple’s 2023 MacBook Pro
Apple’s new laptops will likely ship with a blazing-fast variant of the M2 processor it originally introduced with the MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro earlier this year. You’ll note that Apple’s current 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models ship with either an M1 Pro or M1 Max processor.
The new MacBook Pros will continue to look like the current models, but they’ll trade their M1 Pro and M1 Max chips for the first M2 Pro and M2 Max processors. The M2 Max will go to 12 CPU cores, up from 10, and see its top graphics option move to 38 cores from 32.
That Apple’s upcoming laptops will boast the same design as the current 14 and 16-inch models makes sense given that Apple just revamped the look and feel of its MacBook Pro line last year. In what was certainly the biggest cosmetic overhaul we’ve seen in quite some time, Apple’s new MacBook Pro design boasts a notch that provides users with even more screen real estate.
Gurman adds that Apple is planning to time the launch of its new MacBook Pro line with the release of macOS Ventura 13.3 and iOS 16.3. If history is any indication, this will happen sometime in mid-late March.
It’s worth noting that user yeux1122 from the Korean-based blog Naver echoes Gurman’s report, citing sources close to Apple’s supply chain.
On a related note, Apple is reportedly working on brand new Mac Mini and Mac Pro models as well.
Apple execs shed light on the MacBook Pro release schedule
Word of the MacBook Pro delay shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. If you paid attention to Apple’s earnings conference call, Tim Cook at one point mentioned that Apple’s product lineup, heading into the upcoming holiday season, is “set.”
Additionally, Apple CFO Luca Maestri cautioned investors that Mac revenue next quarter might see a discernible dip. The obvious takeaway here is that Apple won’t have new Mac hardware available ahead of the holiday season.
“Second, on Mac, in addition to increasing FX headwinds,” Maestri explained, “we have a very challenging compare against last year, which had the benefit of the launch and associated channel fill of our newly redesigned MacBook Pro with M1.”
“Therefore,” Maestri went on, “we expect Mac revenue to decline substantially year-over-year during the December quarter.”
Incidentally, Apple’s recent earnings report was impressive across the board. Especially at a time when other tech companies are seeing significant declines in revenue, Apple managed to post a record $90.1 billion in revenue. That figure amounts to an 8% increase compared to the same quarter in 2021.
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