The move to Apple Silicon has refreshed Apple’s MacBook lineup, and the first MacBook Air and MacBook Pro laptops in 2020 mark a new approach to performance and battery life, while retaining traditional laptop form factors. But technology will not sit idly by. Eighteen months later, you shouldn’t be looking at these MacBook laptops anymore.
Tim Cook and his team are planning something better for you.
Hong Kong, China – 29/11/2021: New Macbook Pro laptops with computer chips M1 Pro and M1 Max… [+] Apple Store in Hong Kong. (Photo by Budrul Chukrut/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Much of the discussion around the Mac platform will take place at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference; software, chips and hardware will all shape the conversation.
First up is macOS. Apple has maintained a relatively fixed schedule for macOS (as well as iOS and iPadOS), with releases at WWDC, developer betas in the following months, and public releases in late October/early November. In the case of iPhones, the iOS and iPhone versions will match older iPhone hardware, which will soon get an iOS update.
An advantage here is that iPhone hardware can be developed knowing that the software will change significantly as versions are released…if there is a compatibility break between hardware and software, this is the best time
Under Intel’s leadership, the Mac platform has never been able to deliver the regularity of hardware updates that can take advantage of the regularity of macOS updates. Now with Apple taking control of the hardware roadmap, the Mac can now follow the iPhone’s playbook.
This means that unlike any other macOS laptop, the next MacBook update will have a degree of synergy. The new version of macOS was developed specifically for Apple Silicon’s next-generation update in the M2 series. The M2 itself can be designed around the specific needs of macOS, with features built into the hardware for speed and performance. And the sum of the two parts will be greater.
This option was never available for M1 MacBook Air or MacBook Pro notebooks.
WWDC will lay out these building blocks. The new macOS will definitely be on display. The function of M2 (if not specified directly) will be apparent when examining the code. These will all be bundled together to deliver a new consumer MacBook platform that will outperform the specs of the first M1 MacBooks released in 2020.
Apple Silicon brings a whole new experience to many users, but if you haven’t joined them yet, hold on. Tim Cook and his team will tell you what you really want next month.
Now read the latest MacBook, iPhone and iPad headlines in Forbes’ regular Apple Loop column…
