Is there a new MacBook coming out in 2023?

Following the announcement of the M2 MacBook Air at this year's Worldwide Developer Conference, many were expecting the next-generation 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops in Apple's traditional late October/early November launch window. Not only was there no sign of the macOS laptops in Apple's flurry of press release launches in October, it now looks like the faithful will be waiting until 2023 for their brave new world.

Brussels, Belgium, 12th july 2022: Entrance of the apple store in Brussels, Apple logo on the window

While there is no definitive statement from Apple, there are multiple indications that the argument for a delay has been won inside Cupertino.

First up are Tim Cook's words in Apple's recent earnings calls, where he stated that Apple's product lineup is set for the holidays... words that imply we won't see any new hardware before 2023 - although with the promise to move the entire Mac range to Apple Silicon by the end of 2022 hanging over Cook and his team, at least one new Mac Pro powered by Apple Silicon needs to be sold to someone outside of the campus.

Building on that, noted Apple reporter Mark Gurman is suggesting that these larger MacBook Pro laptops will be released "within the coming months" and in "the near future"; words that would cover the traditional November announcement and subsequent release during the holidays, or into 2023.

Finally (for now), reports from the supply chain suggest that production on the professional laptops is geared towards a March release.

This means that the one-year anniversary of the M1 Pro and M1 Ultra powered MacBook Pros will pass with no update. Curiously, the MacBook Air and the inexplicable 13-inch MacBook Pro launched in 2020 also missed out on a one-year anniversary in 2021, instead picking up their M2 updates at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference in June 2022; arguably after a year and a half.

If the larger professional MacBook Pro laptops are updated and join the M2 family in March, you could (just about) argue that they are also on a year and a half schedule. Who knows, they might even get pushed back to WWDC 2023; after all, they are very much machines designed for developers and those needing the excess of power the chipsets offer. Launching them at the event designed for developers and their ilk has a certain attractive quality,

What it also offers is a clear run into the holiday season for the MacBook Air and the 13-inch MacBook Pro. Consumers looking for a 'new' MacBook will find the new M2 chips on a new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro on offer, with no other macOS laptops muddying the waters.

Now read the latest MacBook, iPhone, and iPad headlines in this week's Apple Loop on Forbes...

(Pocket-lint) - We will be getting new Apple Macs early next year, according to renowned Bloomberg journalist and Apple commentator, Mark Gurman.

The company was originally rumoured to introduce a couple of new devices soon after or alongside its recent iPad launches, but they failed to materialise. Gurman suggests they will be announced in March 2023 instead.

"I'm told that Apple is aiming to introduce the upgraded models - including M2-based versions of the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros - in the first quarter of calendar 2023 and has tied the launches to the upcoming macOS Ventura 13.3 and iOS 16.3," he wrote in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter.

Apple boss Tim Cook recently shut the door on any hope that the new MacBooks would arrive any sooner, by saying the product line for 2022 was "set" during a recent earnings call.

Gurman suggests that, alongside the M2 MacBook Pro models, the Cupertino company is likely to unleash a new Mac Mini, while a 13-inch M2 MacBook Air could be on the cards, too.

There's no word on a new iMac though, which some have suggested. Apple previously revealed that it has no plans for a larger-screen version of its 2021 iMac - which sports a 24-inch display - but as that version runs on the M1 processor, it wouldn't be a huge surprise to think an M2 model might be in the works.

Writing by Rik Henderson.

Contrary to earlier assumptions, Apple will not be releasing any new hardware before the end of this year. While the company still plans to deliver software updates across its product stack, Mark Gurman and @LeaksApplePro now observe that it will be early 2023 before next-generation MacBook Pro 14, MacBook Pro 16, Mac mini and Mac Pro models arrive.

Allegedly, Apple has moved away from the idea of delivering new Mac products before the end of the year. Writing in his latest Power On newsletter for Bloomberg, Mark Gurman claims that Apple confirmed in an investor call that its 2022 holiday offering is locked in after this month's iPad refresh. Supposedly, Tim Cook outlined this, as did Luca Maestri, the company's Chief Financial Officer.

Although product refreshes are no longer on the cards before Christmas, software updates like iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2 and macOS Ventura 13.1 are still on the cards. Incidentally, Apple recently released initial public beta builds for all three OS updates, details of which we have discussed separately. According to Gurman, March 2023 is the next likely release window for new Mac products. Conversely, @LeaksApplePro asserts that Apple has scheduled a new launch event in January, although it is unclear from where the leaker has obtained this information.

In comparison, Gurman acknowledges that Apple's current software roadmap puts macOS Ventura 13.3 on track for a February or March 2023 public release, which would coincide well with refreshed Mac devices. Currently, Apple is expected to release the MacBook Pro 14 and MacBook Pro 16 with M2 and M2 Max upgrades. However, the analyst does not believe that the company will make any visual adjustments from the M1-based machines that it launched in late 2020. Still, the adoption of M2 Max will provide the MacBook Pro 14 and MacBook Pro 16 with 2 additional CPU cores and 6 more GPU cores, totalling 12 and 38, respectively.

Meanwhile, Gurman writes that Apple is developing new Mac mini models based on its M2 and M2 Pro chipsets. While new Mac mini models sound as if they are being developed alongside refreshed MacBook Pro 14 and MacBook Pro 16 models, this may not be the case for the Mac Pro. Instead, Gurman hints that Apple may wait until it can equip the Mac Pro with 3 nm chipsets, with the M2 generation stuck on 5 nm nodes. If that is the case, do not expect a new Mac Pro to launch in early 2023 alongside the MacBook Pro 14, MacBook Pro 16 and the Mac mini.

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Alex Alderson - Senior Tech Writer - 6904 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2018

Prior to writing and translating for Notebookcheck, I worked for various companies including Apple and Neowin. I have a BA in International History and Politics from the University of Leeds, which I have since converted to a Law Degree. Happy to chat on Twitter or Notebookchat.

Alex Alderson, 2022-10-31 (Update: 2022-10-31)

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