New MacBook Pro M1x could be released within 'next several weeks'

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Maybe hold off on buying a new MacBook Pro for a little while

MacBook Pro 2021
(Image credit: Future)

While September 14's Apple Event is expected to be all about the iPhone 13 and and Apple Watch 7, there are still a bunch more Apple products rumored to be coming. Like the long-awaited M1X MacBook Pros, originally rumored to arrive this summer but failed to materialize.

According to the latest ‘Power On’ newsletter from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, we could finally be seeing those new MacBook Pros sometime in “the next several weeks."

According to Gurman we should be hearing about even more Apple announcements during the Fall. Announcements for products like the AirPods 3, the redesigned iPad Mini 6, a brand new entry-level iPad, and the M1X MacBook Pros.

According to the newsletter these MacBooks are set to come with “high-end M1 chips," MagSafe magnetic charging, mini-LED screens, but with no sign of the Touch Bar. We might have heard about those features before, but they’re exciting to hear about nonetheless.

Unfortunately, we don’t expect to hear about the new MacBook Pros at the iPhone 13 launch event. We’ve already heard rumors that the September 14 event could be the first of several this fall. It would make sense for one of those events to be focussed on MacBooks, particularly since Apple did exactly the same thing last November with the launch of the original ramnge of Macs with the Apple M1 chip. range.

In addition to the M1X chip, the return of MagSafe, and mini-LED displays, rumors claim that the MacBook Pros will come packing a 1080p webcam, alongside an HDMI port and an SD card slot — the first ports Apple has had on a MacBook since the introduction of USB-C back in 2015. The MacBook Pro 2021 14-inch and a refreshed 16-inch MacBook Pro also expected to make up the new MacBook Pro range.

As for the M1X chip, it’s expected to be a serious powerhouse. The rumor is the chip will be more of an extension of the M1 chip, albeit with more Thunderbolt channels, more CPU cores and GPU cores, a greater power draw, and support for multiple external monitors. 

A recent Bloomberg report claimed that the chip could have as many as ten cores, more than the usual eight found in the current M1 chip, with support for up to 64GB of RAM and a 16 or 32-core GPU.

Comparatively, the expected Apple M2 chip is rumoured to only have eight CPU cores, suggesting that Apple has two very different audiences in mind where both chips are concerned. The M1X is for power users who need a MacBook Pro for some seriously intensive work, while the M2 is likely destined for a next-gen MacBook Air, where the computing demands aren't expected to be as heavy.

Gurman tweeted that he believes the MacBook Pros will launch at a second Apple event, alongside whatever iPad updates Apple has in store for us. The only question is when that event is likely to be and when the new MacBook Pros will finally go on sale. We expect that question to potentially be answered in October. 

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Tom Pritchard
Tom Pritchard
UK Phones Editor

Tom is the Tom's Guide's UK Phones Editor, tackling the latest smartphone news and vocally expressing his opinions about upcoming features or changes. It's long way from his days as editor of Gizmodo UK, when pretty much everything was on the table. He’s usually found trying to squeeze another giant Lego set onto the shelf, draining very large cups of coffee, or complaining about how terrible his Smart TV is.