The past 16 months have been unbelievable for the Mac . It started in November 2020 with the impressiveM1 introduction , and just when the buzz jump to fade , Apple premise a revamped24 - inch M1 iMacin May 2021 . A few months after that , theM1 Pro and Maxand a totallyredesigned MacBook Problasted onto the scene .
That ’s a lot to be shake up about in a short period of metre . With the ending of the two - year Apple atomic number 14 rollout coming to a finis , a high bar has now been established in terms of expectations . This , of class , have in mind that we ’re all set ourselves up for a letdown with the Macs that will be free this year .
A letdown ? Yes . Before the rollout start , we were n’t sure what to expect , but now we have a jolly good idea . And that entail we ’ll overlook what Apple actually expel and stew over what we did n’t get — and we ’re not even spill the beans about a folding MacBook .
The M2 will be an incremental update
In hisprojections for the performance of the M2 processor , the heir to the M1 , Macworld ’s Jason Cross figure that we could see a 20 percent overall boost in CPU speed , which is a full boost . That ’s not a tough generational improvement and better than some of the late Intel Mac refreshes . Similarly , the M1 Pro and M1 Max were massive improvements over both their Intel predecessors and the M1 itself .
But the first troll of Apple silicon was such a dramatic improvement over the Intel processor they interchange , the M2 ca n’t possibly top it . When the M1 launched , no one really do it how well it would perform , so an factor of surprise played a function here . Now that we have an idea of what to expect , the ebullience may not be there for the M2 ’s performance . It ’s a shame because we should n’t expect skyrocketing increases with each and every central processing unit release , but it ’s going to be hard not to be a little bummed when the M2 is n’t another idea - blow out upgrade .
The iMac Pro design will be iterative
The M1 iMac released last year is n’t a bad automobile . The conception is attractive enough and it ’s a all right replacement for the 21.5 - inch iMac . As expect , rumorssay that Apple will substitute the 27 - inch iMac with a “ Pro ” version that has a very similar plan to the 24 - inch model .
But it was something of a miss opportunity . We had listen reports that it would be skinny in design to the Pro Display XDR , not a variation on the same design that spring up almost 18 years ago . It ’ll probably be available in distance gray and silver , and have black bezel instead of white-hot ones , so it will stand out from the 24 - in iMac . But the Apple silicon iMac Pro is a heavy opportunity to do something dissimilar , something that hold a financial statement when sit down next to its consumer - level sib , and we ’re probably not going to get it .
For the coming iMac Pro , it would be great to see Apple try a new design other than the one they ’ve been using for days .
Willis Lai / IDG
The new MacBook Air will be polarizing
Of all the unexampled Macs coming in 2022 , the MacBook Air is the most intriguing . It ’s rumored to be get acomplete overhaulfor the first time in geezerhood , bringing an iMac - inspired design . That means it could have pastel colouring material , snowy bezels , and a white keyboard . I ’ll obligate off judicial decision until we can get a right look at it , but we ’re sure it ’ll be polarize . And some citizenry are really going to hate it .
Granted , the original MacBook Air generated some opinions too , mostly for its very wedgy blueprint and high price ticket , but this one is go to be dissimilar . Like Key Lime iBook different .
Face ID will still be MIA
Apple has stubbornly refused to put present ID in an iMac and we do n’t know why . Since the iMac it ’s a big automobile than the MacBook Pro , there should be sight of elbow room in the bezel to house a Face ID mental faculty . And Face ID would be a nice feature that separates the Pro model from the consumer one . Imagine the near exigent approach Face ID bring home the bacon on the iPhone , but on a Mac . That would be awesome .
But it ’s probably not going to materialize If Apple does decide to leave it out , it could only be because the party wants to be consistent with its other pro Macs , the 14- and 16 - in MacBook Pro , which aretoo sparse to house the current Face ID module . Touch ID is trusted to be admit in the keyboard and it works well , but it ’s a feature suitable for Apple ’s consumer lineup , like the iPhone SE and iPad Air . Face ID is a pro feature film and it ’s long overdue in the Mac .
5G won’t make an appearance
In its intact history , Apple has yet to make a laptop with build - in cellular connectivity . It ’s about time they did . Even if the 2022 MacBooks have Wi - Fi 6E , good Wi - Fi hotspots that provide fast , untroubled and consistent connections are difficult to find , and you should n’t have to combust out your iPhone ’s stamp battery while using it as a hotspot .
So when Apple releases updates to the MacBook Air and 13 - inch MacBook Pro this year , I ’ll be apprehensively look an announcement of 5 constant of gravitation livelihood . And I ’ll be let down when it does n’t happen .
How coolheaded would it be to see a cellular connection in the Mac carte du jour bar ? Very nerveless .
IDG
The Touch Bar will live on in the worst way
Reportsstate that Apple will release a new laptop computer in the spot occupied by the 13 - inch M1 MacBook Pro . If this laptop computer is a “ water - down ” version of the 14 - inch MacBook Pro , that would be a satisfying replacement — the appeal of the pricier version , but with a slow ( but still libertine ) M2 processor , and maybe a show that ’s not as fancy as a Liquid Retina XDR mini - LED display .
But more recent reports say that Apple is simply upgrade the CPU of the existing 13 - in MacBook Pro to an M2 . Everything else would stay the same , so it would still have just two Thunderbolt / USB 4 port , a subpar 720p FaceTime tv camera , and theTouch Bar . When I read those reports , I hear a sad trombone playing in my heading . Womp womp - womp wommmp . Why corrupt this MacBook Pro modelling when it ’s so similar to the MacBook Air , which is less expensive ? Because you really desire a Touch Bar ? Oy .
The Apple silicon Mac Pro will be another Trash Can
It ’s a near - sure thing that the last step in the Apple silicon rollout will be the Mac Pro . Reportssay that it ’ll be a colossus when it comes to processing ability — that ’s not what I ’m worried about . What is worrisome are the reports that say Apple is working on a non - modular intention that ’s half the size of the current Mac Pro , sacrificing the ability to add element such as expansion cards for a little step .
This can not happen again .
Michael Homnick / IDG
That sounds like the2013 Mac Proall over again . comical matter is , Apple admitted itlearned its lessonwith that Mac , go back to the drawing plug-in , and came out with amodular Mac Pro in 2019 . If Apple does go back to a non - modular design , the company needs to make an supererogatory endeavor to showcase why add - ons are n’t necessary any longer — and even if it does do that successfully , people and the media will interrogate the decision , regardless .
