Apple Inc. made a major announcement by unveiling its latest and more efficient MacBook models powered by its cutting-edge M2 Pro and M2 Max chips. The surprise move came weeks ahead of its usual schedule, and the introduction of these devices is a testament to the company’s commitment to developing its semiconductors instead of relying on technology from Intel, which it had done for the past 15 years.
The new Mac mini, which costs $599, will be available starting January 24th. Meanwhile, the 16-inch and 14-inch MacBook Pro models with the latest M2 Pro and M2 Max chips will retail at a significantly higher price point of $1,999, compared to the $1,299 for the 13-inch MacBook Pro with M2 chips. Despite the highly anticipated release of the new MacBook Pro models, supply chain issues led to delays, which Bloomberg News reported in October 2022.
Canalys analyst Runar Bjorhovde believes that the announcement of the new MacBook models could create a significant buzz in the consumer computer industry, especially when the overall industry is facing a downturn. He also noted that the surprise move could surprise competitors and surprise consumers.
The announcement of the new MacBook models was reflected in Apple’s stock performance, with shares increasing by about 1%, outpacing the weakening market. This is particularly noteworthy considering that the stock had dropped around 27% in 2022, marking its largest drop since the 2008 financial crisis.
Apple has made some major strides with the M2 Pro, which features nearly 20% more transistors than the M1 Pro and double the amount of M2, making it possible for applications such as Adobe Photoshop to run heavy workloads much faster than ever before. The company’s chips are manufactured by Taiwan’s TSMC, which was able to replace chip maker Nvidia and become one of the top 10 semiconductor companies by revenue in the last fiscal year, according to a Gartner report published on Tuesday.
Andrew Norwood, the Vice President Analyst at Gartner, estimated that the value of these Apple chips was equivalent to $17.6 billion in 2022. This value grew due to the increased cost of ever-more complex chips.
Apple typically hosts its first event in March each year, where it launches its iMacs and accessories. This year’s spring event could also be the first time that the long-anticipated augmented reality headset is launched, as reported by Bloomberg News earlier this year. This move by Apple is expected to shake up the computer industry. It will be interesting to see how consumers and competitors react to the new MacBook models powered by the cutting-edge M2 Pro and M2 Max chips.
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